Milford, IA (KICD)– The Dickinson County bike trail association recently requested a stop-sign on 202nd Street South of Emerald Hills Golf Course where bike traffic crosses an increasingly busy road. For several blocks the trail is actually the shoulders of the road on both sides, putting those bikers in close proximity to motor vehicles whizzing by.

The street is on the border of Arnolds Park and Milford, with each city sharing jurisdiction, so the city councils are working together.

Both seem to agree the stop sign is a good idea, but the city of Milford believes the speed should also be reduced from 35 to 25. The Arnolds Park city council indicated at it’s most recent meeting that it’s not excited about making that change.

The Milford city council last night decided to go ahead and schedule a public hearing on a potential speed reduction. Councilman Andy Yungbluth also serves as an Arnolds Park police officer and thinks 35 is a definite hazard for pedestrians walking and biking so close to traffic. Milford police chief Shilo Brevik agrees and says if there’s going to be a stop sign the speed should be reduced anyway. And Mayor Steve Anderson says that area of Milford is zoned as a residential neighborhood, which means it should automatically be a 25 mile per hour zone.

Councilman Shane Hoffman says he needs more data and wants to know how many accidents or near-misses are occurring before he decides.