Month: March 2010

CAzBike Swap Meet: May 29, 2010

For 2010, we are returning our swap meet to the Phoenix Municipal Stadium parking lot on May 29 so as not to interfere with the numerous bike activities scheduled during the month of April.
Set ups will begin about 6am, and the venue will officially open at 7am, however there is much merchandise changing hands during and after setting up. We will be shutting
down somewhere around noon to 1pm.
The parking lot is at the South – West corner of Van Buren Street and Priest near the Phoenix / Tempe border. As previously, there are no costs involved to attend. Hope to see you there.

Volunteers needed for Bicycle Valet First Friday: April 2

Roosevelt Row and TBAG are teaming up to valet bicycles at First Friday !!
While doing bike valet, I will talk with cyclists about the need for a strong bike advocacy group specific to Phoenix. CAzBike is for all of Arizona. Upon finding sufficient interest cyclists, we will begin the process of changing the face of bicycling in Phoenix. 
April 2, 2010
918 N 6th Street (Corner of Roosevelt & 6th Street), Phoenix 85004

two shifts available 5:30pm – 8:30pm and 8:30pm – 11:30pm

Lots of people bicycle to First Fridays and Bicycle Valet will be the best place to park their bikes. 
PLUS vendors are offering discounts to people who valet !! 
PLUS you’ll get some cool schwag from TBAG !
AND I’ll have an ice chest full on New Belgium beer when we’re done !!

Call Joe Perez (602) 531-4985 to sign up or sign up online.

CAzBike Seeks to Connect Arizona Cyclist Advocates

By Bob Beane, CAzBike President

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is embarking on possibly its most ambitious agenda since our founding in the early 1990s. In general, it may be summed up as connecting Arizona bicycle advocates in ways never before accomplished in order to increase our effectiveness. Ah, but “the devil is in the details” as we often hear.

So, here are a few of the specifics that are underway:

  • The CAzB has set a goal of having 50% or more board/advisory members from outside Maricopa County, and is specifically seeking advocacy representatives from cities, towns and counties encompassing the entire State of Arizona. We currently have participating leaders from Tucson (Wayne Cullop), Kingman (Mike Kitchen), the Verde Valley (Randy Victory) and are in discussion with advocates in Green Valley, Prescott and Flagstaff in order to add the greatest percentage of Arizona bicyclists to our voice.
  • As requested by advocates in attendance at our recent Central/Southern Arizona Summit Meeting (held in Casa Grande on February 27), the CAzB will develop and propose an organizational structure and means of working together (none of us feels that we need yet another organization…we just need to work more effectively, together). For example, we will collect “resumes” of advocacy talent, maintain contact information, establish task-oriented teams and develop lists of potential volunteers from the clubs, teams and professional/technical ranks of cyclists around the state.
  • We are planning a similar Advocacy Summit meeting for northern Arizona this summer in order to connect with leaders in that area.
  • In order to further facilitate working together, the Coalition will put in place virtual meeting technology to allow our officers, board and advisory members and task teams to work together without requiring physical meetings in many cases.
  • For the first time since our founding, the CAzB is in a position to hire an executive director to work full time as a paid staff member. We are securing the funds for that position for at least one year, and we have embarked on a campaign to maintain funding for that role as we go forward.

The CAzB has developed a number of specific goals for 2010 and beyond, and we will be reaching out to clubs, teams and individual cyclists with specific volunteer opportunities as we go forward. We will be looking for bicyclists to attend community and ADOT public meetings, write letters to legislators, and participate in Bike Month and other community events in support of bicycling. In short, we will be engaging the bicycling community, state-wide, on a level not previously seen in Arizona.

There are already many passionate and energetic bicyclist advocates working every day to make Arizona a better and more safe place to ride. We plan simply to better connect that group, and add to our collective effectiveness in any ways that we can. We will improve communication, make our individual talents and potential contributions more visible and we will recruit from the thousands of cyclists in the state those future contributors who have asked “what can I do to help?”

Saddle up! It’s time for us to roll!

Please visit our web site at www.cazbike.org for more details, or call Bob Beane at 480-861-7750 with your questions and comments.

CAzBike Report from 2010 National Bike Summit

CAzBike Board Memeber Gene Holmerud reports from the Summit:
I was an attendee, representing the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists. It was a thrill and I believe we had an impact on Capitol Hill. We visited the Transportation Legislative Assistants for both AZ Senators and for Representatives Franks, Giffords, Pastor and Shadegg. Congressman Flake meet with us directly. Detailed information is at bikeleague.org (See the “Download the pdf or click on the interactive version below” phrase, under heading “National Bike Summit 2010 Detailed Program”.
I made sure to mention in each meeting that Arizona has joined teams from Transportation, HUD and EPA, just as the Federal Administration has. Namely how smart a move that is! Of course, mentioning the First Lady’s program to improve youth health fit in just as well.
I have also uploaded Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s remarks at the ending reception to YouTube His closing remark: “you have a full partner in Ray LaHood, and many full partners (at DOT)”.
Also see Secretary LaHood and the new…

Wayne Cullop of Tucson Appointed to CAzBike Advisory Board

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is pleased to announce that Wayne Cullop of Tucson has joined the CAzB as an Advisory Board member effective March 16, 2010.

Wayne has been very active cyclist in the Tucson area for 15 years. He has served on Tucson’s GABA Board for more the 10 years. He is currently leading GABA’s Advocacy Gruppo, and has served as Club President and Web Master. Wayne was selected to serve as the bike and pedestrian representative on the Grant Road Task Force, a major road improvement in Tucson. He has served on the Tucson/Pima County Bicycle Advisor Board, and is an active LCI instructor. To get in touch with Wayne, or any other board or advisory member, visit CAzBike’s contact page.

Secretary LaHood and the new bike/pedestrian policy statement

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has just announced a “major policy revision . . . a sea change. . . . This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized” …more

Policy Statement

The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life — transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.

Ray LaHood, United States Secretary of Transportation http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/policy_accom.htm

Stolen Felt Bicycle Recovered

There is a bicycle theft ring that the police are trying to catch — so, keep your bike locked any time you must leave it unattended.
An upscale Felt road bike that they recovered and would like to return it to its owner. His name is Detective Adam Geremia with the Phoenix police. His number is 602-262-6676. Call him if you can provide any information.