Category: advocacy

South Phoenix: Highline Canal Bicycle Path gets makeover

HURRAY! Our pleas have been heard.
The bike path from 40th St to Central Ave. has had it’s potholes patched and has been thoroughly swept of sand, gravel and debris. But most importantly, the approaches to 32nd St. have been fixed with asphalt paving. 32nd St and its bridge over the canal were widened a few months ago, and, basically, the path approaches were ignored by the contractor. Now they are very ridable.

I rode it both directions today (16th St to 40th St). Now there is pavement where there was so much sand washed in that previously I didn’t know there was pavement below it! The many cracks are still there, but most are hardly felt and virtually all are at 90-deg to the direction of travel so they are not a problem to steering. The Artistic and Improvement Project will be repaving from 40th St to 12th St over the next six or so months.

Gene

Noticed by Locals (Ahwatukee), Unfortunately

Phoenix Police Officer (and Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator) Toby Ehrler met with a group of Ahwatukee cyclists before dawn on Thursday, October 2. He had requested any interested cyclist to be present. Coalition Board members (and LCIs) Radar Matt and I attended.

The issue arose from complaints by neighbors that cyclists were monopolizing the street and not observing stop signs. Officer Toby Ehrler encouraged compliance with the rules of the road and came up with a good means for riders in a group to comply with stop signs. That is, groups of four (2 sets of 2-abreast) following each other make their brief stops as a group, then proceed (when path is clear). He pointed out that 4 cyclists have about the same footprint as a motor vehicle, hence the spirit of the rules are followed. Being a cyclist himself, he can speak from experience.
Afterward, Toby assured us that the enforcement he is talking about is the same for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike. On that we agree.

One of the group members, while appreciating the education and advocacy work of the Coalition, expressed reservations about the meeting in an email. I replied that our involvement is that when any cyclist breaks the rules of the road, there is a motorist that says “See, they don’t belong on the road” at best, or possibly, “The next one I see, they better look out” at worst.

That hurts every one of us

Gene Holmerud, This article originally appeared in Sprocketeer V02N04