Carol Maher was disappointed when she moved to Des Moines in 2020 and felt the need to purchase a car. It was the first one she'd had in five years after exclusively traversing the city of Chicago on a bicycle.

Maher, 63, said since her move, she made it her mission to gain the confidence to navigate around Iowa's capital city without a vehicle. Now that the process has become second nature, she's sold her car again.

Maher, who lives downtown, says her bike, adorned with a milk crate basket, a Des Moines city flag sticker and bright flowers, gets her to grocery stores, public city and county government meetings, the parks and to the Des Moines International Airport for trips.

She's even found a way to get to faraway spots, like Jordan Creek Town Center — a roughly 50-minute ride — throu

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