Tuesday, December 11, 2012

LCI Instructor class Jan 25-27: Phoenix


There will be an LCI Instructor Class held January 25-27, 2013. This is the class to take to become a certified LCI (League Cycling Instructor). Event info and registration via LAB website.

General information about LCI and other educational programs from the LAB.

Note the TS101 is a prerequiste. For those in the Phoenix area who need the class -
I am looking at the calendar to schedule a class at Global Bikes in  Gilbert or another location.  If you are interested, which of these dates will work? Sat. Jan. 5th / Sun. Jan. 6th / Sat. Jan. 12th
There is an online portion at bikeed.org run by the City of Houston that students can start any time.
Contact Kathy Mills at kathym@cazbike.org


Saturday, December 1, 2012

FREE Ready to Ride class -- Tempe, Dec 8



Do you know a beginner bicyclist age 16 and up who is fearful of riding on the road? Or could use some basic bicycle safety instruction - from bicycle fit to riding in traffic?

Ready-to-Ride is a FREE class brought to you by the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).

The free classes for ages 16 and up will last for 3 hours. The classes will be overview on the basics of bicycling and riding on streets in traffic. The last 45 minutes of the class will be on your bike in the parking lot. Helmets are required.

Can't make it this week? Are you in another part of the valley? Check back at the ready-to-ride home page cazbike.org/r2r , for additional class to be posted soon; and sign up for our email list to be notified of future classes.



December 8, 2012 1-4pm, downtown Tempe at the Tempe Transportation Center, 200 E 5th Street.
Please note: this activity is not sponsored by the City of Tempe or the Tempe Transportation Center. 

Please visit free-ready-to-ride-classes to register.




Friday, October 19, 2012

CAzBike Membership ANNUAL Meeting: Wed Oct 24

When: October 24, 2012 at 6:30pm
Where: Aunt Chilada's  2021 West Baseline Road, Tempe, AZ [map/directions]; (it's part of the the Arizona Grand Resort)

All members are cordially invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting is open to the public.
For space planning purposes, please drop us a line if you can attend;
you can respond to the Event on Facebook www.facebook.com/events/516148175062813/


Meeting Agenda
This can be participatory, with a goal of having this meeting more discussion-oriented that prior years (direction, priorities, how to grow membership, etc.)

·         Call to order
·         Introductions
·         Call for additional agenda items
·         Treasurer’s Report
·         President’s Comments: Current Priorities, Opportunities and Concerns (to include Federal Funding, ADOT Policies, Board/Volunteers Needed, MAG programs, Route 66, etc.)
·         VP Education: MAG education programs
·         Additional Agenda Items, including nominations of additional board members (if any).
·         Adjournment



Saturday, September 15, 2012

Road Hazard Hotline

If you are out riding and spot some dangerous road hazard conditions (Cattle guards, dangerous longitudinal cracks and rail road crossing pavement buckling, etc. Generally NOT simply debris.).

Please contact us with and include the following information:
  • Type of hazard (description).
  • Detailed location.
  • Date observed.
  • Your Contact information 
A volunteer from the Coalition will bring this to the attention of the relevant jurisdiction. In tough budget times we might be able to help out our local, county and state transportation folks, prevent some bicyclist injuries (or worse) and earn some points toward future cooperation.

To report a hazardous road condition | email: roadhazard@cazbike.org


Or, Directly Report the Hazard --
...

Saturday, September 1, 2012

FREE Ready-to-Ride Class: Peoria Dec 1


Registration for the December 1, 2012 9-12 AM, located at Peoria - Lakeview Room of Rio Vista Recreation Center 8866 W. Thunderbird Road, Peoria is now open; (note: this class was originally scheduled for Oct 13, but was postponed).

Ready-to-Ride is a FREE class brought to you by the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).

The free classes for ages 16 and up will last for 3 hours. The classes will be overview on the basics of bicycling and riding on streets in traffic. The last 45 minutes of the class will be on your bike in the parking lot. Helmets are required.



Please visit free-ready-to-ride-classes for more info, and to register.




Friday, June 29, 2012

Bicyclist Education Scheduled in Flagstaff: July 13-14

Martin Ince of Flagstaff will be hosting a TS101 class July 13 and 14
The location will be the Joe Montoya Community & Senior Center, 245 N Thrope Rd , Flagstaff, 86001. For more info or to register contact:

Kara Kumon (kara.kumon@gmail.com) or
Martin Ince (mince@flagstaffaz.gov, 928-213-2685)

More info from City of Flag website (includes times; THE CLASS IF FREE!)
Listing on LAB website.

This is great for cyclists in Flag and in Arizona.

Traffic Skills 101 is our nation's premiere street bicycling program taught by instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists. Learn the basics of bicycle and helmet fit. Learn state bicycle laws. Learn how to predict and prevent crashes, and how to bail out as a last resort! Learn how to operate your bicycle in a skillful and confident manner, in any traffic -- any time!

Also, there will be an LCI instructor course (to become LAB certified to instruct) September 7, 8 and 9. (completion of TS101 is a pre-requisite). Registration is through LAB.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

CAzBike Logo


Regular Logo

very small - 79x100, 2KBytes
normal - 317x400, 17KBytes
large - 951x1199, 50KBytes
medium large variation - 632x744, 30KBytes (no subtext)





Sidetext Logo


Hi-res - 1600x1200, 30KBytes






Banner Logo
Lo-res - 750x90, 8KBytes







The .eps File


Here is the .eps file, CAzB_logo_Final.eps, useful for printing. Upon opening the .eps file in Adobe Illustrator, it seems as though the main color is "Pantone 542 CVU" (CVU apparently means Computer, Video, Uncoated), though it appears as though the color looks "too blue" (e.g. RGB = 4, 140, 199 versus the above ones we use on the web that render as 93, 140, 186 and "look right"... in hex this is 5D8CBA, by the way).
I opened the .eps and the .jpg we use on the web in: AI, Photoshop CS4, Photoshop 2.0, Paint, and got all sorts of results; even the black varied.

Letterhead

Here is a .doc letterhead. It uses a version of the website header graphic in the header, and just some simple text in the footer. The text color is set to 70% grey, while the header is in color. This comes out best if printed in color -- but also looks pretty good when printed on a b/w laser printer.

Website Header



Used on our website...


CazbikeHeader.gif : 17Kbytes. 780x190 .gif file
CazbikeHeaderHi.gif : 125Kbytes. upsampled CazbikeHeader.gif file
CazbikeHeader.png :  This is the SOURCE file in Adobe/Macromedia Fireworks png format


Paypal


In order to get images/logo to display on paypal's payment/checkout pages for example when you renew your dues, you need to load them onto an ssl server,





Saturday, June 2, 2012

Green Valley and Scottsdale: 10 Best Burbs for Biking

I don’t normally expect to find articles regarding bicycling in Sunset Magazine, let alone rankings of communities where bicycling is involved…but I did, in the June 2012 issue.
Green Valley and Scottsdale were both named “Gold” communities (their highest ranking), the only two Gold-level award recipients in the whole western US, in an article titled “Ten Best Burbs for Biking”. 

The premise was to identify the Top Ten communities in the West that were other than “urban” (as in NYC urban, I guess) or “college-centric” communities with a readily expected bicycling population. I was thrilled to read this and to see your personal efforts, along with key allies, supporters and co-workers, get recognized in a “lifestyle” magazine that is not bicycling-focused. It is encouraging to see this type of publicity within what is a broader and hopefully growing audience.

Congratulations to all involved!
Bob Beane, President, Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

Excerpt from the article (June edition of Sunset Magazine):
10 Best Burbs for Biking 
We developed this list from the nonprofit League of American Bicyclists’ award program. It’s easy to sing the praises of the West’s bike-centric college towns (Boulder, Davis), so we chose instead to focus on communities without an obvious bikeready population that are making it easy for people to ride to shops, restaurants, work, and more. Each of these towns recently received a gold, silver, or bronze award from the League based on bike-friendly infrastructure, education, and progressive city planning...

» GREEN VALLEY, AZ 25 miles from Tucson. Part of bike haven Pima County, where the local police actively advocate motorist and cyclist equality, Green Valley is the latest community in the county to double its bike lane miles (from 30 to 60) in the last five years.
 » SCOTTSDALE, AZ 12 miles from Phoenix. Talk about door-to-door service: A whopping 75 percent of homes here are within a halfmile of a bike path or lane.

The full article is currently here.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

League announces Spring 2012 BFC

League Announces Spring 2012 Bicycle Friendly Communities

Cottenwood joins the ranks of BFC cities at the bronze level, and Tucson maintained Gold.

Bike Safety Class offered in Flagstaff

Bike Safety Class
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
5:30 to 6:30 pm
Flagstaff Medical Center, McGee Auditorium
1200 North Beaver Street
Be a Savvy Cyclist! Please join us during Bike to Work Week for this interactive presentation on safe, legal, and smart cycling:
.. Learn to ride safely and legally
.. Bike with confidence in any traffic situation
.. Understand basic principles of on-street cycling
.. Discover tips and tools for bicycle commuting
This class is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 928-773-2080

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Jim Thompson Spins Again

The following letter was submitted for publication in the Ahwatukee Foothill News,
Jim Thompson “Spins” Again

Dear Editor,

In response to Jim Thompson’s letter of May 9, I have the following to say. In bicycling circles, “spin” has to do with high RPM training…with Jim Thompson it is just the political-type “change what someone else said to suit my argument” version:
  • Jim, do you expect people to take seriously a viewpoint based on totally misrepresenting what someone else says and believes? I never said that “ bicyclists own the highway” and I don’t advocate that position. If you want to debate a viewpoint, at least do it honestly without misrepresenting the other party.
  • The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists advocates sharing the road and simply wants all road users to exercise care. Asking drivers not to use GPS, cell phones, etc., while driving (which numerous studies show is equivalent or worse than even low level DUI/drug impairment) isn’t unreasonable, in my opinion. And, enacting laws that put unsafe behavior, whether created by alcohol or inattention, at the same standard and set equivalent punishment for equivalent results makes sense to me. What part of injuring or killing someone by driving unsafely seems OK to you?
  • If Jim was honest about his “wonderful world”, I suspect that he would admit that many more motorists aggravate him than bicyclists. I both drive and ride, and I don’t have selective memory. I notice violations and “failure to share the road” by both groups. In my “real world”, many more vehicle drivers violate laws and offend other motorists than bicyclists. The difference is that I am fact-based, while Jim just “spins” other people’s comments and exercises selective memory to create a foil for his anti-bike attitude.

When a guy like this takes a situation where three people simply exercising/training on their bikes and following the law are critically injured by an inattentive driver and tries to twist it into something it isn’t (referring to a totally different situation), it just shows us his stripes. The CAzB doesn’t defend riding three-abreast, Jim. In fact, we educate bicyclists (adults and kids), motorists, and law enforcement on AZ laws and safe cycling and driving.

If Jim did his homework (web site and/or Facebook) he would know what we stand for and advocate. He wouldn't have to mischaracterize. So, to make it easy for Jim: We advocate enforcing the laws for both drivers and bicyclists. And, we also (the main point of my commentary) advocate requiring a higher standard of care for motorists than currently exists, because a motor vehicle that weighs 2,000+ pounds combined with inattentive or impaired driving can be quite deadly to other car/truck drivers, motorcyclists (think Carefree Highway), bicyclists, pedestrians, and law enforcement officers at traffic stops (how many of those sad stories have we seen in the last ten years, Jim?). Technology allows many more distractions to be present in vehicles than ten years ago, but societal expectations and AZ laws, for the most part, have not kept up with this change.
Jim, I don’t expect to change your attitude toward bicycling as a legitimate form of transportation, athletic/exercise activity, health and wellness and good clean fun, but I’m not going to let you get away with mischaracterizing my views and that of the organization/community that we represent.

Bob Beane,
President, Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

Bob Beane is an economics graduate of the College of Wooster and an MBA accounting graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is also a bicycling advocate and has been a resident of Ahwatukee since 1992

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Traffic Skills 101 offered in Tempe May 24 and 26

T.B.A.G. is offering TS101 at Landis Cyclery at their "north" Tempe location, in two parts: May 24 evening, and May 26 moring. Visit biketempe.org for full info and to register. The cost is $20.

Traffic Skills 101 is our nation's premiere street bicycling program taught by instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists. Learn the basics of bicycle and helmet fit. Learn state bicycle laws. Learn how to predict and prevent crashes, and how to bail out as a last resort! Learn how to operate your bicycle in a skillful and confident manner, in any traffic -- any time!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Driving is not a right...it is a privilege AND a responsibility!

The following letter was published last week in the Ahwatukee Foothill News,

Dear Editor,

Recently, three competitive bicyclists training in the far East Valley were run into and critically injured by a driver who was reportedly adjusting her GPS device. As a bicycling advocate, I’m very upset by this. But, this story and situation is much larger than cycling. It’s about attitudes and behavior behind the wheel.

Three good guys, competitive athletes and family members are possibly alive today only because another group riding behind them included four medically-trained bicyclists (a doctor, EMT and a couple of dentists was the story I heard…it’s probably mostly correct). It took more than 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

But, the main point I want to make is that these guys were riding single file in a bike lane and/or at the far right of the road. They were “Sharing the Road” and respecting motor vehicle drivers’ space MORE THAN required by law (riders can ride two abreast, legally).

With all the technology moving into cars and cell phones, there are a multitude of distractions for drivers that didn’t exist five or ten years ago. Yet, our expectations of drivers, as codified in our laws and as reflected in societal behaviors, have not kept pace. It is inexcusable, in my opinion, that a driver is doing ANYTHING in a car (other than having an uncontrollable medical event) that causes them to drive off the road into a bike lane or shoulder where bicyclists are riding, a couple is walking their dog (narrowly missed in this particular incident, I am told) or young children are walking.

If you are “anti-bike”, think about having your child or grandchild in the same space that these cyclists were riding. Or, think about your parents or grandparents walking there…or you being there with your pet in front of you and being run over.

Again, this is not solely a bicycling issue. However, I will remind our readers that current law specifies penalties and fines for killing a bicyclist or pedestrian which are substantially less than marginally exceeding BAC limits for alcohol, but injuring nobody. I’m not suggesting any lowering of DUI limits, and I fully support what MADD has achieved. I’m simply suggesting that pedestrians and bicyclists don’t have the same “lobbying strength”, but common sense and humanity should provide our legislature and local communities the impetus to create penalties for such behavior at a comparable or higher level…so that drivers begin to get the message. It is beyond time to send a message that driving a potentially lethal vehicle is serious business.

It is not OK to treat driving as a casual endeavor. People’s lives, health, livelihoods and quality of life are in danger of a driver’s lax attitude and inattention. Let’s get people refocused on the concept that driving involves the responsibility of keeping other road users safe, be they other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians or pets/animals. When you drive, you do not own the road…you share it with others.

Bob Beane,
President, Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

Bob Beane is an economics graduate of the College of Wooster and an MBA accounting graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is also a bicycling advocate and has been a resident of Ahwatukee since 1992

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Cottonwood 2012 Bike Month Proclamation

Members of Cottonwood Community Development and the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition are presented with the Cottonwood City Council's 2012 proclamation of May as Bike Month. L-R: Nikki Arbeiter (Community Development), Randy Victory, Devin Dix, Deb Smith, Jim Smith, Mayor Diane Joens & City Councilman Tim Elinski

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Federal Transportation Bill Update

On April 4th, the U.S. Senate approved a two-year blueprint for transportation that gives states greater spending flexibility allows the federal government to set minimum safety standards for subway systems and buys time to find a solution for a funding system teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.

This bipartisan bill was approved 17 days before current transportation funding and authority to collect the federal gas tax that support it, will expire. During the 2012 Bike Summit, our marching orders were to request a clean extension of the current bill. And, we were to ask for approval of the Petri amendment that would have maintained all transportation enhancements. Ultimately, we wanted the Senate to approve the House Bill but the Arizona senators would not see us and furthermore, we learned from insiders that that was highly unlikely to happen.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Place that Pic contest!

Be the first one to correctly identify the location of this picture -- and win a 1yr membership (or extension) to the Coalition. The Maricopa Association of Governments wants to use this photo on the new MAG map, but they need to know where it is.

There's a rumor that it's on AC/DC somewhere.... but you never know!?

Submit cross streets on facebook, or leave a comment here, or email cazbike@cazbike.org

Thanks!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Great Arizona Bike Festival; April 14

The Great Arizona Bicycle Festival is a celebration of all things bike.
We are celebrating the return of the El Tour de Mesa to Downtown and combining it with a host of attractions from the Downtown Historic Bicycle Tour to the Great Arizona Bike Swap and live music .... full info at azbikefest.org


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Ride of Silence; May 16, 2012


         It is not too early to  put this on your calendar ---

The Santa Cruz Valley Area RIDE OF SILENCE will be held, along with 300+ other US locations, on Wednesday, May 16.

View all Arizona events on the national Ride of Silence web site

Flyer for this year's SC Valley ride ..   http://scvbac.org/ros%202012/ros.2012.flyer.pdf

            Santa Cruz Bicycle Advocate Committee


Friday, March 23, 2012

Crusin' with the Councilmen; Sat April 7

crusin' with the Councilmen; Sat April 7, 2012, 8AM.

Join Phoenix District 3 Councilman Bill Gates and District 4 Tom Simplot for a bicycle cruise in central Phoenix!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Great AZ Bike Swap: April 14th

GREAT ARIZONA BIKE SWAP

Downtown Mesa on Main St.
6AM to 3PM, April 14, 2012

-- FREE EVENT --

Sell, Show or just ride your bike through the streets of downtown Mesa during the Great Arizona Bike Swap meet. Vendors will be in the center of Main Street selling bicycles, bike parts and accessories.

Sponsored By CAzB and We-Cycle USA.

Vendor Instructions
  • Registration/Load in: 4am-6am
  • Enter on MacDonald from 1st Ave
  • NO VEHICLE IN-OUT AFTER 6am

Thursday, March 15, 2012

BikeBUZZ Ahwatukee; April 7th

Come out and join members of  the CAzB for a BikeBUZZ on April 7, 2012 after a moderate 32-mile ride beginning/ending at Bagel Nosh (SE corner 48th and Warner) in the Ahwatukee Foothills. The ride begins at 7 AM and the coffee will commence after the ride,  approximately 9:30 to 10 AM. Board members of the Coalition will be available to share the mission and all are welcome to join for either the ride AND the BikeBUZZ or just for coffee.

BikeBUZZ: to help spread awareness of the purpose and work of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, several coffees post-ride are being planned. It’s an easy way to connect. Join a recreational ride, stop for coffee afterwards and learn more about the Coalition from its board members.

You can check in at the event on Facebook (not required).

p.s. Bagel Nosh is right next door to Curbside Cyclery; one of our many participating local bike shops that offer Coalition members a discount.


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Memorial Ride for Safety XIV; Mar 24, 2012

Online Pre-reg now closed
Please register morning of event
The 2012 theme is Riding (Safely) With Friends.

Join the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists (CAzB) and many east valley cyclist, clubs and shops; and enjoy a supported ride through some of the East Valley foothills.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

BikeBUZZ at Joe's Farm Grill, Gilbert

Come out and join members of  the CAzB for the first BikeBUZZ on March 10, 2012 after a ride from Joe's Farm Grill to Usery and back. The ride begins at 7 AM and the coffee will be at 10 AM.

Help spread awareness of the purpose and work of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, several coffees post-ride are being planned. It’s an easy way to connect. Join a recreational ride, stop for coffee afterwards and learn more about the Coalition from its board members.

The first BikeBUZZ is scheduled for Saturday, March 10, 2012. A ride will leave from Joe’s Farm Grill at 7 AM for 32 miles of moderate riding and will conclude with coffee at Joe’s Farm Grill at 10 AM and some discussion about bicycling in Arizona. Bring your suggestions and concerns.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Chandler Centennial Family Bike Ride; Volunteers Needed

We’ll be needing some volunteers to chaperon the 7.4 mile family ride that starts at 9:00AM. It’s a great opportunity for some in the East Valley to ride to the ride, volunteer, and ride home. Linda and Bob B will be working the SAG stop at the turnaround point so you can come by and make them jealous that you are riding and that aren’t! Contact Bob B if you can help: bobb@cazbike.org

Check out the Chandler Century jerseys with the CAzB logo on the back left pocket. These will be available, but in very limited quantities, so they will likely be gone very quickly if not before ride date. I understand there may be a re-order if there is large demand, so ask about that if you want one and get aced out. Our logo will also be on the t-shirts.

Full Details on the Chandler Centennial Family Bike Ride being held 3/31/2012

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Meet Bob Beane

Bob Beane
Bob is the Coalition's President. 
My first memories of riding were on a green tricycle when I was two or three years old. Next, I was riding a 20” J C Penny bike when the training wheels came off at about age 5. Before long, my mother was giving me a quarter to ride to a local grocery in our Indiana small town to pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread (I had a basket on the front, so this was as easy as it was fun).
In my later grade school years, my brother and I went everywhere by bike. We also did the equivalent of mountain biking over construction-related dirt piles on our fatter-tire 26” Sears bikes. I broke an axle doing that, so I think that qualifies as serious MTB-ing (for kids).

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Hearing on Arizona Stop-as-yield bill scheduled


50th 2nd regular session (2012) HB2211; this bill would allow cyclists (16 years and older) to treat stop signs as yield, similar to the law in Idaho.
HEARING SCHEDULED Thursday 1/26/2012 at 9AM (NOT 9 pm as was erroneously stated... sorry) PM by the House Transportation committee. All video is archived, in case you miss it live -- simply go to that link and look for House Trans committee for 1/26.

UPDATE: BILL PASSES out of the Transportation Committee 1/26/2012, on an 6-2 vote. It was passed "DP" (do pass. i.e. passed without any amendment). If you didn't see it live, you can catch it on archived, but it looks like there is a day or two delay...
Lots of background info at azbikelaw.org/blog/tag/stop/

Thursday, January 19, 2012

CAzB Member Discount

Welcome to CAzB Member's Discount Program.
The Coalition is pleased to announce a new benefit, exclusively for our members; we're teaming up with area bike shops across Arizona to bring you discounts. Simply show your current CAzB membership card and receive special discounts. Not a member? Join the Coalition now.

Thanks to Domenic's, Adventure Bicycle Company, Round Trip Bike Shop, Bicycle Vibe, Two-Wheel Jones, Junction Bicycle, Paragon Cycling, Ajo Bike, and Fairwheel Bikes for being on board with the initial rollout, and supporting the Coalition in its goal of improving conditions for cyclists across Arizona.

Is your favorite shop not listed? Have them contact Chris at cazbike@cazbike.org .... and get on board! All Arizona shops are eligible, and signup is easy and FREE.

We're adding shops all the time, so check back often.

CLICK HERE to see the current shop list.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Phoenix places SLMs and BMUFL signs 48th and Guadalupe

In very late 2011/ very early 2012, the city of Phoenix has placed some SLM (Shared Lane Marking, a.k.a. "Sharrow") and BMUFL signs (Bikes May Use Full Lane; technically called R4-11) along 48th Street North of Piedmont; this then turns into Guadalupe Road which bends due east and continues over I-10. This is perhaps a bit more than 1/2 mile.

Because of some peculiar geography, the road represents one of the only ways to enter/exit the Ahwatukee (section of Phoenix) and get to e.g. Greater Phoenix, or Tempe. It is the ONLY connection that does not involve I-10. See http://azbikelaw.org/blog/48th-street-piedmont-to-guadalupe/ for more background and pictures.

As of right now, the signs are all up. The markings, however, have not been placed/painted yet on the southern part of the project, and the markings that were placed on the northern half were erroneously painted too far to the right.

The Coalition will continue to monitor the situation, and would like to thank the City of Phoenix and staff engineers Kerry Wilcoxon and (bike coordinator) Joe Perez for the project, and wish for a speedy completion; which is currently being held up while thermoplastic markings are procured... see update

Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 2:35 PM 
Ed, 
We are in the process of purchasing thermo plastic sharrow markings. These are expensive but should wear like leather and will last longer than the asphalt they are being installed on. When the thermo symbols come in we will have them applied in the center of the curb lane in both directions and will black out the painted sharrows on the right side of the road now. There is also a portion of Guadalupe between 48th Street and the end of City Right of Way near the bridge over I-10 that is scheduled to be repaved in the next year or so. When we install the thermo markings on 48th Street we will correct the markings on Guadalupe in paint and then once the overlay is complete we will install new thermo markings on Guadalupe up to the bridge. On a curvy road like 48th Street and Guadalupe I would much rather have a dedicated bike lane but that would require dropping a thru lane which is not something we have authorization to do at this point.
I hope this helps. 
Thanks. 
Kerry Wilcoxon, 
P.E. City of Phoenix Street Transportation Dept Safety and Neighborhood Traffic Section 
Ph.: 602-262-4613 
e-mail: kerry.wilcoxon@phoenix.gov

Monday, January 9, 2012

Central Ave Phoenix gets a Road Diet

Over the weekend, the City of Phoenix successfully completed the addition of bike lanes along Central Avenue from Camelback Road to Bethany Home Road as part of a "Road Diet".
Sunday afternoon, January 8th, there were many bicyclists already enjoying the addition. The Coalition commends and appreciates the efforts of the city of Phoenix and all authorities that continue to work to make forward progress in providing better, safer routes for bicyclists all over Arizona.
The roadway formerly had 3 lanes in each direction, and no specific bicyclist facility; after the "diet" there are 2 lanes in each direction plus a buffer-separated bike lane. There is detailed information from city staff linked at azbikelaw.org including specific engineering data, traffic counts, etc.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Meet Robert Jenson

Bob Jenson
Bob is the Coalition's Vice-President. 
Robert started riding a bicycle about ten years of age, and was inseparable from it through grade school and even University.
He volunteered for several years in the Phoenix Recycles Bicycles program rebuilding bicycles for homeless, schools, job transportation and special needs until the program was shut down by the city as being too expensive. He rode for several years for the MS Society in the Parker Dam Ride, and commuted to work for over thirty years. He was involved in the last two bike maps that were published by Wide World of Maps, and has since been involved in the updating of the MAG bike maps.
Along with Peter Mather, he has been the driving force behind the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists swap meet for the past twelve years, and is now turning over the reins to another group. He has been active in attempting to get more cyclist involvement in the design and building of new facilities that would have previously been designed strictly for motorized travel with no cycling facilities. An active cyclist, heʼs out on the road usually three days a week now since retirement instead of the five while gainfully employed.
He joined the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists many years ago because of a desire to improve conditions for cyclists and to help cyclists learn how to behave on our roadways. We have too many injuries and fatalities, and the CAzB organization is here to help curb these issues.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Flagstaff modernizes their city bike codes

The Flagstaff City Council gave final approval to Ordinance No. 2011-26, which makes a number of revisions to Title 9, Chapter 5 of the Flagstaff City Code, which regulates the operation of bicycles.
The changes include the following…