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.

“Be a Roll Model” launches in Verde Valley


Last year, through a grant funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, ADOT announced a program to raise bicycle safety awareness in Arizona.

The program was designed by bicycle advocates, law enforcement officers, government representatives, and the Gordley Design Group of Tucson.

Bicycle advocates included members of the ADOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, and the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition…

— Bicycle Safety Awareness Program takes off in Verde Valley, the Verde Independent, Nov 19, 2008

Cycling rises like a Phoenix in the Sun City

Other efforts by the city to encourage cycling include the creation of 38 miles of new bike paths – a mix of paved and unpaved – along its vast canal system. The canal path in South Phoenix was resurfaced just last year, says Bob Beane, president of the Coalition of Arizona Bicycles, who adds that the current budgetary and political climate could mean tough roads ahead.
“We’re making limited progress in Phoenix proper,” says Beane, “but have had much more progress in recent years in the East Valley of communities of Scottsdale, Tempa, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.”
…read the rest from bikeradar.com.


MesaRides kickoff event

Today was a fantastic day for all cyclists in Mesa!

This morning at a Media Event Mayor Scott Smith, City Manager Chris Brady and Police Chief Frank Milstead (who is also an MTB cyclist) together with Dara Schulenberg and Sterling Baer representing “Not One More” and the Brumbys kicked off a major city wide cycling safety initiative called “MesaRides”.

Mesa PD Chief Milstead, Dara
and Sterling of NOM

The Mayor and Police Chief introduced “MesaRides”, committed their full support in dramatically improving safety for all cyclists in Mesa. Mayor Smith acknowledged that Mesa is “one of the best places to ride a bike in the country” and also committed that he will actually ride in the new Tour de Mesa in April along with City Manager and Chief Milstead. I presented each of them a “Not One More” jersey to ride with and I had previously given the Mayor a Brumbys jersey as well. I need to acknowledge Mark Venti (Mesa City Transportation), James Hash (Mesa City Bicycle Advocate), JD Dockstader (Assistant Parks & Rec Director) and Jean Destories (jason’s mom) (Mesa Transportation Safety Educator) for their constant support. These are Brumbys in our gang that help fight the good fight on our behalf daily as their vocations. Thank you!
It was a wonderful display of public support for cycling after many long hard efforts on behalf of Dara, myself and many others. Dara and I were both given time to address the press, telling our stories of the founding of the Brumbys and the terrible accidents we’ve seen over the years, including Dara’s, that led to our activism in founding “Not One More”.

Several of our local bike shops were also present representing the critical link of business partnership for cycling in Mesa as well (Global, Two Wheel, Paragon and DNA). We thank them for their support of our cycling advocacy as well. All of our Shops are wonderful contributers and supporters!!!

Click here for the “MesaRides” Campaign initiative press release, which as the Mayor says below is a “matter of life and death”. We appreciate and are thrilled with the support of Mesa. We believe that “MesaRides” will have an ongoing impact and help dramatically increase safety awareness of motor vehicles towards cyclists on our streets in our community. We also believe there will be improved enforcement and adherence to the existing laws and future revisions for both cars and cyclists.

Thank You Mayor Smith and Team Mesa for your support! Ride on and Ride Safe in Mesa!!!!

Sterling Baer & Dara Schulenberg
Not One More Cyclist Foundation

Mesa Mayor and Police Chief join forces to promote bike safety

The City of Mesa is a League of American Bicyclist “Bike Friendly Community.” While bicycling in Mesa is generally safe we can always do a better job educating motorist and bicyclists about traveling safely. Mayor Scott Smith and Police Chief Frank Milstead are putting City of Mesa resources into action to make streets as safe as possible for bicyclists. The timing is just right with the weather cooling down, days getting shorter and lots of new bikes on the road after the holidays.
“The City of Mesa is committed to making streets safe for bicyclists. This is a matter of life and death,” Mayor Smith said. “We will use whatever resources we have at our disposal to educate both motorists and bicyclists about how to safely share the road.”
The City of Mesa, several local Mesa bike shops, the Not One More Foundation and Mesa Brumbys cycling club are a part of the new campaign called MesaRides!
“The Mesa Police Department recently developed a training bulletin on State bicycle laws to keep our officers up-to-date on what is required of both motorists and bicyclists,” Chief Milstead said. “The bulletin included special focus on the three foot rule, which states that motorists must maintain a three foot separation from bicyclists while passing. This is law and our officers are trained to enforce it.”
MesaRides! is a multi-pronged education campaign that includes:

        Multiple Public Service Announcements running on Mesa Channel 11 and YouTube about the three foot rule and cycling safety equipment Articles in City newsletters including OpenLine, which goes out to 155,000 Mesa residents and 10,000 businesses Partnerships with local bike shops and non-profits to distribute safety information Participation in community events including City Hall at the Mall, Building Strong Neighborhoods and City Council Pancake Breakfast Growing Mesa’s Bike4Life and Bike2Work community bike events during Valley Bike Month in April

To emphasize the importance of bike safety, accident victim Dara Schulenberg shared her heroic story of being hit by a car while riding and how she overcame the physical, emotional and financial impacts of her recovery. Her experience led to her co-founding the Not One More Foundation with her friend and founder of the Mesa Brumbys Sterling Baer. The goal of Not One More is to have not one more cyclist killed or injured on Arizona roads.
“I was hit while riding midday less than five miles from my home in East Mesa,” Schulenberg said. “My inexpensive cycling helmet proved to be my life-saver, along with the amazing care of the City of Mesa Fire Department medics of Station 214.”
MesaRides! is a grassroots effort using existing resources and building community partnerships across the City. The safety of bicyclists is a City of Mesa priority and part of a successful, safe and livable community. For more information about cycling in Mesa visit http://www.notonemorecyclist.com , http://www.azbrumbys.com/index.php and http://mesaaz.gov/Transportation. Current State bicycle laws can be viewed at http://azbikelaw.org/excerpts.html

Office of the Mayor

For Immediate Release: November 29, 2010
Contact: Melissa Randazzo
Public Information and Communications Specialist
480.644.3219

melissa.randazzo@mesaaz.gov