Month: January 2011

In the Midst of Pulling it all Together

By Bob Beane
It might be my “advocate’s optimism”, or involvement in recent discussions of progress (or lack thereof), but I have recently had visions of Arizona being on the verge of pulling out of a trail network and bike route quagmire. I know that the budget climate is difficult, and that opponents of spending on virtually any public works have recently crawled out of the washes and arroyos in many communities, but I just have this feeling that bicyclists in Arizona are about to score some major victories.

Why do I think this? Because, no major community wants to be “one-upped” by their up-state or down-state rivals…tourism and other public officials are about to be enlightened as to the economic potential and public benefits of bicycling…and I see bicyclists beginning to come together politically to demand that their rights and interests be addressed.

Let’s call it a “domino” theory…but here’s how it goes:

  • A small but very active Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition achieved a major achievement in bicyclist accommodation as a part of the Highway 179 renovation project between Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. An article and photos related to that project is scheduled to be published nationally this spring. The Mayor of Sedona has already signed on to expanding bicycle lanes through West Sedona to connect this project to the wide paved shoulders of Highway 89A leading to Cottonwood and Clarkdale, creating a “metric century” route that will likely become a bike tourism “Mecca” destination in short order. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists will follow the resulting changes both anecdotally and with an economic impact study.
  • The El Tour de Phoenix” is becoming the “El Tour de Mesa” this year. Why? Because Mesa leadership now understands what Tucson has (El Tour de Tucson), and wants to head in that direction by helping to grow this event in ridership and stature.
  • Several pieces of legislation are being introduced in Arizona to address bicyclist concerns, and they have backing of a number of legislators.
  • Bicycling advocates are assembling a “wish list” of bicycling accommodation projects in Phoenix to be recommended to the Phoenix Transportation Department, which is the first time this has been done in an organized process from the ground up.
  • Tucson, Maricopa County and Flagstaff all have trail systems in medium to mature states of completion. Each has various obstacles to completion (funding, small neighborhoods who “don’t get it”, city council members who are hostage to “Tea Party” or other constituents who yell loudly about spending money on alternative transportation and threaten to “take names”, etc.). But, the 33-mile FUTS (Flagstaff Urban Trail System), the 55-mile Tucson Urban Loop and the 200+ mile Maricopa County Sun Circle Trail all have significant support and are part of community plans to enhance the health, commuting options and quality of life of their citizens. If anything, it is the presence of a really vocal and well-organized trail user community that is needed to push these projects to completion in the next 5-10 years (OK, the Sun Circle Trail may take a bit longer). Once one of these “dominoes” is substantially completed and is touted in the press (along with the community usage and tourism benefits), other community officials can be made to take notice.

OK, it’s never that simple or that easy in the real world. But, your Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists will push these projects, and others in other communities, until we have a portfolio of bicycling “Gems of Arizona” in place…places all over the state where you can ride as a commuter, for recreation and/or for health/fitness/training. We’re in the midst of reaching out to bicyclists all over the state and “Pulling it all Together” for our collective benefit. Please join in the effort by becoming a member, volunteering to take on a task or mission in your community and by joining other bicyclists to raise your voice in support of bicycling in Arizona.

For more information on how to do that, please contact me (bobb@cazbike.org) or any other board member or officer.

Thanks! See you on two wheels.

Bob B

Woman riding a motorized bicycle killed in crosswalk

An article in this morning’s AZ Republic reports that a 52-year old woman was riding her motorized bicycle on the sidewalk and proceeded into a crosswalk where she collided with an automobile. The article cites “Authorities” as saying riding a motorized bicycle on the sidewalk is illegal. I hope that was an accurate quote from City or State law, though I worry this is a slap-dash interpretation of law. A motor on a bicycle does not make it a motor vehicle; see e.g. Is a Moped a Motor Vehicle? What about a Motorized Bicycle?.

Can anyone elaborate?

Article at azcentral.com

Dan Gutierrez Gets His Wish

In early December, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists was contacted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help fulfill the wish of a dying teenaged boy. The wish was that the boy, Dan Gutierrez, wanted to ride a bike with a group of cyclists. Arrangements were made for using the Deck (Margaret Hance) Park for the ride, and cyclists were invited to attend this special event.
Approximately 40 cyclists from several clubs came to render support for Dan. The cyclist clubs brought jerseys, and other swag for Dan to wear and enjoy, and he was thrilled. Make-A-Wish had purchased a special trike that would allow him to pedal and brake, but motive power was provided by pushing the trike, as Dan doesn’t have enough strength in his legs to propel the trike.

Dan rode from the flagpole area to 3rd Street and back surrounded by cyclists, stopping in the flagpole area again with a great big smile. Food was provided by Make-A-Wish, and everyone was taking pictures and offering encouragement to Dan for a ride well done. All who attended were touched by this boy, and went away grateful that they had come.

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists would like to thank the members of the bicycling community who participated in December’s Make-a-Wish Foundation event for Dan Gutierrez. The Make-a-Wish Foundation, Dan and his family were thrilled to have us all there to share in this special event and to join Dan in his ride (on his new “trike/bike”) around Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix.

Special thanks go to:
CAzB VP, Bob Jenson, for taking the lead in organizing cyclist participation; CAzB Board member, Sterling Baer, for translating many of the sentiments of our participants for Dan and his family; and especially those cycling folks who contacted their club members, team members and friends to assemble the various groups who joined in this event
Thank you to all of you for taking time out of your busy pre-holiday schedule to make a wish come true. After 20+ years of bicycling and advocacy, I continue to be impressed with the positive and giving spirit of the cycling community. And, it was out in full force on this day.
More pictures…

CAzBike Membership Meeting: Monday JAN 17th

Please join us for our next membership meeting;
Michael Sanders will speak on ADOT bike policy, five year plans (related to bicyclists) and Highway Safety Improvement Program fund use.

Mike is the Bicycle and Pedestrian coordinator for the State of Arizona / ADOT

next meeting: Monday Jan 17th, 2011. 6:00PM.
Location:  Boulders on Broadway Bar and Grill (map)
530 W. Broadway in Tempe AZ 85282, 480.921.9431

Here’s a list of reference material from Mike:
…

Important City of Phx meeting tomorrow (Thursday)

Please attend an important meeting this week to show your support for an important bicycle/pedestrian overpass which is on the chopping block. A plan to build a bridge over 19th Avenue, just south of Greenway Road is in jeopardy. The City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department is scheduled to present options for the proposed 19th Avenue Bikeway/Pedestrian Bridge and Multiuse Path project at 10:00 AM Thursday January 6, 2011, to the Transportation, Sustainability, and Infrastructure (TS&I) Subcommittee for their consideration and possible action. This public hearing will be held in the Assembly Rooms in City Hall., 200 W. Washington Street. There is a potential of a change in meeting location, please check the here for additional information on this item and potential changes in location. (scroll down and click on 1/6/2011, 10:00 AM “TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE”).

The Cave Creek Wash Trail (CCWT) currently runs from Union Hills Drive, south for 7 miles. At its south end at Dunlap Avenue, the CCWT meets the Arizona Canal multi-use path, in the Metrocenter area. The Arizona Canal path which is part of the nearly 70 mile Sun Circle Trail, established in the 1960’s, should probably be considered the crown jewel among the area’s multi-use trails. With it’s miles of paved surface and dozens of underpasses beneath busy roads, the Arizona Canal path is one of the most popular trails in the area. The CCWT also intersects the Greenway Parkway multi-use path. The Greenway Parkway trail provides a connection to the Phoenix Sonoran Bikeway’s 50 miles which run from South Mountain Park to the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve just south of Carefree Highway. At the north end of the CCWT, Union Hills Drive features 6 miles of designated bike lane to the west, all the way to the Arrowhead area, and 6 miles to the east, to Tatum Boulevard.

Unfortunately, today, the Cave Creek Wash Trail is not continuous. Even though it sits at a crux in the middle of the Metropolitian Phoenix area, two gaps, totaling a mere few thousand feet, stand in the way of connecting literally hundreds of miles of bike paths and bike lanes into a functional network. The CCWT provides access to the Rose Mofford Sports Complex but not for the thousands who live north of Greeway Road. Without completing the CCWT, the substantial investment we have made in our Multi-modal transportation network falls well short of its potential. Anyone who doesn’t see the critical importance of this bridge simply isn’t looking at the big picture.

here is some previous info: blog.cazbike.org/2010/11/19th-av-greenway-multi-use-bridge.html about the project.