Arizona Legislation 2023

[The Coalition sent a letter to Gov. Hobbs’ office on April 20, 2023 regarding some of these bills]

Arizona’s 56th Legislature – 1st Regular Session is now in full swing. Below is a brief guide to following legislation in Arizona… For the nuts-and-bolts of how a bill becomes law, the multiple “readings”, and the COW, and so forth, see e.g. this document from azleague.org

Continue reading Arizona Legislation 2023

Meet Michael Kuzel

Mike joined the Coalition board in 2022:

Mr. Michael Kuzel has lived in the Phoenix metropolitan area for over 34 years, having moved to Tempe to attend Arizona State University. One of the most important items he brought with him was his road bicycle. As a teenager, he began riding for transportation and Mike has continued his lifelong love of bicycles and bicycling, riding for exercise, transportation, to spend time with his family, as well as participating in sanctioned races and citizens rides.

Mike has obtained degrees in bioengineering, industrial engineering and applied psychology. He has obtained the professional designations of Professional Engineer, Certified Human Factors Professional, and Road Safety Professional. Mike is a League of America Bicyclists Certified Instructor (LCI) and an American Bicycling Education Association Cycling Savvy Instructor.

Mike has found ways to incorporate aspects of bicycling into his education and his professional career. The research he conducted for his master’s degree in Applied Psychology involved using a driving simulator in studying driver overtaking maneuvers of cyclists with different types of facilities and road conditions. Mike has also been a member of the City of Scottsdale Transportation Commission (3 years) and Paths and Trails Subcommittee (six years).

Currently, Mike manages his own safety engineering consultancy, is a faculty associate at Arizona State University in the Ira A Fulton School of Engineering and is a Safety Program Associate for the Maricopa Association of Governments. Since 2011, Mike has participated as the human factors expert on teams conducting safety assessments of intersections and roadways throughout the State of Arizona. His role on these teams often involves providing insight relating to the needs and experiences of bicycle riders. Mike’s current work with MAG involves providing his expertise to the See Me AZ program that promotes bicycle and pedestrian safety, involvement in conducting safe routes to schools studies, and conducting road safety assessments.

Mike believes that cycling safety is best increased through education of riders and drivers alike. Infrastructure changes, such as bike lanes, are slow and costly, while modifications to behavior, based on principles founded in safety education programs can have an immediate and lasting effect to reduce risk of crashes for cyclists of all types and ages.

Meet Billy Boyles

Billy Boyles joined the Coalition board in 2022:

First and foremost, I’ve been a biker since I was ten years old. I was the first kid in my school to own a ‘road’ bike, with ten speeds and the drop-down handlebars. Later, I would work as a bicycle courier in Washington D.C. Now I’m 65 and I don’t own a vehicle, most of the time I convey myself on a ten-year-old Specialized Rock Hopper.

I’m retired after 30 years from the Information Technology field and I spend my time writing crazy fiction novels and serials. I’ve got experience with many of the urban bicycle paths in Phoenix and I appreciate what was done on 3rd Avenue, where the lanes are wide and there are pylons every thirty feet. Now that’s a bicycle lane. I think it’s possible to get more people to commute via bicycle if there were more roadway designated for cyclists. I’m willing to represent cyclists everywhere in Arizona who want to improve biking conditions for everyone.

Billy Ovid Boyles