Coralville and Iowa City police staff up for RAGBRAI's largest crowd, severe weather
Get riders in, show them a good time, and get them out safely.
That’s the mantra Coralville police chief Shane Kron has adopted with RAGBRAI set to roll through town Friday. The city is celebrating “Cheers to the Years” in honor of the 50th RAGBRAI ride and the 150th anniversary of Coralville's founding.
For police, it’s all hands on deck to accommodate 25,000 registered riders, making it the largest group in the event's history.
Coralville police will deploy 34 officers to work extended shifts Friday and Saturday to field usual calls while also monitoring the large crowds at ST Morrison Park. They'll control traffic flow as well for riders and vehicles crossing paths at key roadways, Kron said. This includes Highway 6 at Camp Cardinal Boulevard on Friday afternoon and Highway 6 at First Avenue on Saturday.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office will assist riders as they navigate Oxford into Coralville, though Coralville police won't receive outside assistance from other departments.
Kron has been with the police department for every one of the six visits RAGBRAI has made to Coralville. The biggest difference this time will be the sheer size of the group.
“It's a lot of bikes even in a year when it's not the 50th,” Kron said. “What we don't know is how many unregistered riders are riding week-long [and] how many people just jump in for a day.”
Think Iowa City’s Josh Shamberger told the Press-Citizen last week Coralville could see as many as 40,000 people, which means thousands of unregistered riders could join the pack.
“That's part of just police work in general,” Kron said. “If you had a plan for the day, forget it.”
Iowa City police are also ready to assist riders on their way out of Johnson County early Saturday morning, though their experience with gameday crowds should help, public safety information officer Lee Hermiston told the Press-Citizen.
"Iowa City is no stranger to big crowds and we’re well-equipped to manage it," Hermiston said. "We’ll have officers stationed along to the route to ensure our visitors can move safely and swiftly through town."
He compared it to a Hawkeye football weekend, with closed streets and downtown traffic delays before 10 a.m.
Weather could play a huge part on sixth day, with sweltering heat and potential for storms
A point of concern also could be weather, Kron said. Forecasters are predicting triple-digit highs on Friday that would approach the 1916 record 103-degree weather recorded in Waterloo, the closest National Weather Service site with historical data. Des Moines' record high for July 28 is 107, recorded in 1931.
Accuweather also predicts a threat of heavy thunderstorms in the evening hours on Friday, factoring inti the department’s workload. Coralville will bring in a National Weather Service representative from Davenport to help forecast and if necessary, decision-making.
“Our people have to be prepared for that to be able to move quickly and change gears and get to where they need to be to make sure we're protecting the cyclists,” Kron said. “We'll walk through all of those things. We'll have a million contingencies and 99% of them are never going to happen. But it's better to have a plan that you don't need than to not have a plan.”
Saturday’s forecast seems more forgiving, with highs topping out at 90.
Hermiston urges riders to enjoy the experience but take precautions.
"For riders, particularly those not familiar with the rigors of RAGBRAI, we encourage folks to stay hydrated, listen to their bodies for signs of overheating and exhaustion, and not overdo it on the ride," Hermiston said.
Kron said the job of the police department is ultimately the same as every other piece of Coralville's RAGBRAI committee and city government — to enhance the fun at the heart of RAGBRAI.
“It is a hoot. If you have the opportunity to come out and participate in RAGBRAI or be any part of it you absolutely should not pass up the opportunity,” he said. “Big bands, unbelievable food, great people from all over the world that will just strike up a conversation with you and talk about anything and everything. That's my favorite part.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Coralville, Iowa City police preparing for record RAGBRAI ridership
