Saturday, December 20, 2014

Commonwealth Games

Australian cycling team training on Lake Mary Road outside
Flagstaff , AZ. photo courtesy Hypo2 High Performance
Sport Center / Tom Brownold photography.
by Roseann Wagner

The Olympics and Tour de France are world-class events of which we’ve all heard. Although we are close neighbors to a Commonwealth nation, Canada, what do you know about the Commonwealth Games? And what is Arizona’s connection to those Games? Read on.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Our entire summer on the bike

Chandler, AZ couple Steve and Kathy McDermott describe their 4,500 mile transamerica adventure.

by Steve and Kathy McDermott

We decided that this summer (2014) was going to be THE summer that we cycled cross the United States. Using Adventure Cycling’s Trans Am Route, we left Mechanicsville VA May 13 for our wonderful adventure. Our route, with some deviation, took us 114 days (88 cycling and 26 planned off days), totaled 4,546 miles, with 173,941 total feet of climbing. We love cycling and bicycle touring but had never done a self supported tour lasting more than 3 weeks.

League names Phoenix Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly City

League Announces Fall 2014 Bicycle Friendly Communities

First time honoree: Phoenix is named Bicycle Friendly at the Bronze level. "Achieving Bronze level BFC is a great first step on Phoenix's journey to Platinum level. We have a soon-to-be-approved bicycle master plan with 380 projects. I am excited for the future of bicycling in Phoenix." -- Joseph Perez, Phoenix Bike Coordinator

Arizona communities currently enjoying BFC status are
  • Gold -- Tucson/East Pima Region, Scottsdale
  • Silver -- Tempe, and Flagstaff
  • Bronze -- Phoenix, Chandler, Cottenwood, Gilbert, Mesa and Sedona

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Coalition supports the community

The Coalition is proud to announce two $1,000 grants to two organizations that promote safe bicycling to needy bicyclists and would-be bicyclists. The awards will be used to purchase helmets, lights, or any other supplies that need to be purchased in furtherance of their mission.

We-Cycle exec director
Robert Chacon, right, at a
recent bike safety event
The first recipient, Phoenix-based WE-CYCLE-USA: Helps kids and adults in need through the recycling of used bicycles while promoting the use of bicycles as an environmentally friendly form of transportation. We provide the tools, supplies and knowledge necessary to recycle, maintain and SAFELY operate each bicycle. We believe by teaching kids and adults to recycle, repair and SAFELY maintain their own bicycles we empower them and promote independence.


Crossroads Mission Bike shop mechanic
Mike receives Cazbike donation from
Lynn Dalbey
The other recipient, Crossroads Rescue Mission of Yuma Arizona, is a full-service, human rescue mission in every sense of the word. They prepare over 120,000 meals a year, house transients, have one of the best GED programs in the county, drug & alcohol rehab program and have approximately 102 in our family shelter (49 are children). Included in all of this is a very good, well-equipped bicycle shop. Park tools and stands and all. They have a full time mechanic who repairs bicycles for the needy as well as for the thrift store, and sell them to those who need transportation and enjoy bicycling. "The Bill Anderson Crossroads Mission Bicycle shop is most grateful for the donation of $1,000 from Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists. This money will go to buy parts that are not available from other old salvaged bikes".

***

More about the Coalition: the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists promotes efforts that improve bicycling usage and safety within the state of Arizona by addressing law enforcement and transportation engineering issues through education, outreach and advocacy programs thereby enhancing the role of bicycling in local, county and statewide transportation plans. Learn more about the Coalition at www.cazbike.org, or find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/CAzBike


Saturday, November 1, 2014

Meet Spencer Scharff

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is pleased to announce that Spencer Scharff of Phoenix has joined the Coalition’s Board of Directors. Spencer has been a cyclist since he was very young and is looking forward to contributing to the Coalition's important mission.

Spencer received his bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law in 2010. After law school, he clerked for the Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then practiced commercial and appellate litigation in the Los Angeles office of Paul Hastings LLP. This past year, he returned to Phoenix and the Ninth Circuit for an additional one-year clerkship with Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz. Following the end of his clerkship with Judge Hurwitz, he joined Thorpe Shwer P.C.

Cazbike 2014 Annual Meeting Wrap-up

The Coalition held its annual member's meeting Saturday 10/18/2014. Thanks to all who came out to hear what we've all been up to. For a look forward to 2015 please see Striving for Significant Advocacy Milestones in 2015

Changes to Board and advisory positions are detailed below -- the updated positions are listed at cazbike.org/Contact.htm


(unapproved) MEETING MINUTES:

The meeting was called to order by president, Bob Beane, at 1:00 pm. Having made introductions during the preceding lunch/meet-and-greet period, the board was recognized by raising hands. The agenda for the meeting was then reviewed.

Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists Striving for Significant Advocacy Milestones in 2015

CAzBike pres.
Bob Beane
Bob is the Coalition's President. 

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists began in 1991 with a dream of developing an effective statewide bicycling advocacy organization/network in Arizona. When we consider that meant developing a functioning team across geography the size of New England, with 45% of New England’s population, this was no small task. Early on, the founders expanded the group to include members from metro-Phoenix and metro-Tucson. In more recent years, the CAzB built a leadership team that included advocates from Kingman and the Verde Valley. In 2014, the group expanded further to add board and advisory board members from Yuma and Flagstaff, and we have assisted and/or worked with advocates in Sierra Vista, Green Valley, Prescott and Casa Grande.

As we continue to broaden and strengthen the team, we are finding more ways to make a difference for bicyclists in Arizona. Here are a few examples of programs in progress or on the docket for 2015:

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

CAzBike Membership ANNUAL Meeting: Sat Oct 18, 2014

When: Oct 18, 2014 Lunch 12-1PM, meeting 1-4PM
Where: Boulders on Broadway, Tempe
(Boulders is bike-friendly with indoor bike parking).

The Coalition will be springing for lunch and softdrinks (cash bar available)!

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, or you can respond to the facebook event.

Want to get involved? Check out are-you-new-face-of-bicycling-in-arizona for more info...

TENTATIVE Meeting Agenda:

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Meet Mark Aasmundstad

 Mark Aasmundstad At AZ Time 
Trial Championships, 2013
Introducing Mark Aasmundstad, Flagstaff Representative

Bicycling is a good way of spending time outside every day and it makes me feel so alive.  I like the rhythm, motion, intimacy and freedom of moving through landscapes on a bike.   Bicycling is an excellent way to meet great people, and helps me stay in touch with what is happening in my community.  Commuting by bike keeps me mindful of my health and it feels right to practice a cost effective, renewable, and sustainable way to get around.  Sometimes I ride on lunch breaks too to get the blood flowing, have a rolling chat with a friend, and to invigorate my senses and mind.  On the weekends I like to go for social rides and tour places that interest me.  Occasionally I’ll train for specific events to give myself a challenge and see how far discipline, practice and love can take me.   It’s amazing the places you can go on a bike, the people you can meet, and how a small commitment through a daily practice can provide a good base for overall health and for doing longer rides.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Triggering Traffic Signals

video detector; humantransport.org 
Triggering "demand" traffic signals by bicycles has been has been a problem for time immemorial... However it looks as though newer technology is creating the opportunity for more effective sensing. In general the best chance you have of triggering a demand signal is to pull up to the stop line in the center of the lane.

We've all been there -- a traffic light that won't change.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Savvy Cyclist Safety Class offered in Flagstaff

Be a savvy cyclist for Bike-to-Work Week!
The Savvy Cyclist class will help any bicyclist understand the basics of on-street cycling, learn how to ride safely and legally, and bike with confidence in any traffic situation.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 5:00 to 6:30 pm
Flagstaff Medical Center
McGee Auditorium
1200 North Beaver Street

  • .. 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 

Free of charge! And there will be a raffle for various bicycle safety gear after the class For more information, call 928 773 2080.
Thanks to FMC for sponsoring this Bike-to-Work Week event for the past 5 years

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

League Announces Spring 2014 Bicycle Friendly Communities

League Announces Spring 2014 Bicycle Friendly Communities

There have been no changes in Arizona communities;

Arizona communities currently enjoying BFC status are
  • Gold -- Tucson/East Pima Region, Scottsdale
  • Silver -- Tempe, and Flagstaff
  • Bronze -- Chandler, Cottenwood, Gilbert, Mesa and Sedona

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Arizona ranked 15th among Bicycle Friendly States

Kicking off National Bike Month, the League of American Bicyclists has released its latest ranking of Bicycle Friendly States. In the seventh annual assessment, Arizona ranked 15th nationally, slipping from 10th last year. Visit bikeleague.org/content/ranking to see how all the states ranked and individual states' report card with more details.

The Bicycle Friendly States ranking is based on a number of key indicators, including infrastructure and funding that provide on-the-ground bicycle facilities; education and encourage programs that promote cycling; and passage and enforcement of bicycle-friendly laws that make it safe and comfortable for people of all ages to ride.

Despite ranking 15th; Arizona has the 4th highest percentage of population living in in Bicycle Friendly Communities; see here for more about cities and towns in Arizona that are ranked bicycle friendly.
...

So what makes a state bicycle friendly? The League of American Bicyclists summed it up in two pages:     Attributes Of A Bicycle Friendly State and at www.bikeleague.org/states

Monday, April 7, 2014

ReinventPHX Canals

Canal Photo courtesy of
Roadboy's Travels
There was a major series of articles in the Arizona Republic spotlighting potential upgrades to Phoenix's canal infrastructure:

Dubbed Reinvent PHX, the project includes plans to transform areas where the canal crosses rail lines, creating urban hubs that celebrate the iconic waterways. Residents who have commented on the planning effort have listed canal development and improvements as a top priority...
 Bob Jenson, an avid biker who lives near the canal, said the ride is so unpleasant that he's avoided it for years, instead taking surface streets or heading north to the more commuter-friendly and scenic Arizona Canal. But Jenson sees major potential if Phoenix moves forward with plans to create a series of highly visible, safe crossings along the Grand Canal.
"It could be taken all the way down from my house to Tempe," said Jenson, vice president of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists. "One of our problems is we don't really have that much in the line of east-west connections" for bicyclists. Phoenix is studying areas where the Grand Canal crosses major streets, such as Seventh Avenue, Seventh Street and Indian School Road. The Street Transportation Department wants to turn the canal into a major corridor for bike riders and pedestrians to safely travel across the city.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Meet Eric Post

Eric Post
Eric is the Coalition's legal adviser. 

Eric generously supports the Coalition both with his legal expertise as well as financially. Eric is also a LCI (League Cycling Instructor) and is very active with the Tuscon-Pima County bicycling community.

Eric runs a law practice based in Tucson, with a focus area of representing cyclists who have been injured in collisions -- please visit his new site at ericpostlaw.com. The law Offices of Eric Post have been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a sliver-level bicycle friendly business (BFB).

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Capitol Hill visits: 2014 National Bike Summit

Last week CAZBike prez Bob Beane, along with Global Bikes co-owner Brandee Lepak, and PortaPedal's Al Capello attended LAB's 2014 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C...

AZ meetings on The Hill
Visited all 9 Representative offices and Senator Flake’s. We could not get an appointment in McCain’s office, but we will try to do that here in Phoenix within the next 7-14 days.

Of the 10 office visits, we had 5 actual meeting to discuss the bills. Nobody flat out turned us down, but nobody committed to either sponsor or vote for them, and all committed to presenting key points to their Senator/Representative.
Interestingly, we found out that Kyrsten Sinema is a triathlete and was actually at Brandee Lepak’s Global Bikes shop back here in AZ the week before our visit to kick-off an event. Here are the people we met and with whom we discussed the bills and bicyclist concerns anywhere from 5-20 minutes:
  1. Senator Jeff Flake’s Office – Michael Nelson, Legislative Correspondent. 
  2. Representative Matt Salmon’s Office –Lliam Norrison, Legislative Assistant
  3. Representative Kyrsten Sinema’s Office - Michael Brownlie, Legislative Director
  4. Representative David Schweikert’s Office – Beau Brunson, Legislative Director
  5. Representative Paul Gosar’s Office – Trevor Pearson, Legislative Aide
I believe that the consensus of the three of us who made these visits is that we have a lot of work to do in AZ aligning support from tourism, business and healthcare in order to make political gains. We believe that this, combined with more frequent visits to Congressional offices and, better yet, asking these folks to attend bicycling events (as honored guests) is how we will make progress toward more support for more favorable treatment in federal legislation and budgets.
We believe that the cities in Arizona are on board (we have 9 BFCs and two honorable mentions, which represent most of the largest communities in the state). It is the state legislature, federal representatives and ADOT that need more impetus to change. The Summit was helpful in prioritizing opportunities for our limited resources.

Monday, March 3 Sessions
Keynote Speakers – Phillip Darnton, Executive Director, Bicycle Association of Great Britain, and Andy Clarke, President, League of American Bicyclists

How to be successful in bicycling advocacy…
  • Focus programs
  • Work with the willing (rather than wasting energy on those who are not)
  • Talk to people who want to listen
Keys to success
  • Get a mayor (and city council or county supervisor) on board (most successes come from local leaders of change)
  • Continuity of effort and communication
  • Work on building resources: People, organizations, sources of funding, etc.
  • Emphasize route networks and connectivity (broken and incomplete routes/networks don’t encourage people to ride)
  • Have a long term strategy/plan/goal to provide a framework for shorter term projects and “asks” and to help maintain priority perspective
  • Train children to ride at ages 8-12. This is the critical time when persons incorporate bicycling into their lives…or not
  • Women need to feel safe bicycling…they determine whether children ride, or not, which affects the next generation’s view of bicycling
Tuesday, March 4 Sessions
Opening Plenary Mayor’s Perceptions on Bicycling: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities

Panelists included Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ), Texas Senator Rodney Ellis and Pittsburgh Mayor, Bill Peduto

  • Mayors can be a major ally as they are highly motivated to have vibrant, economically successful communities
  • Developers are also interested…car parking lowers return on investment of real estate projects. Bike-in and walk-in retail is economically attractive
  • Advocate for “multi-modal” and “quality of life”…the “one less car” approach is a losing argument and doesn’t win supporters
  • We are facing a likely 30% cut in transportation funding over the next 10 years…it’s more important than ever to build alliances (other modes, health care organizations, retailers, community planners, developers, etc.)
  • The country needs a national bike strategy/policy framework…be a part of developing and supporting that
March 4, 9:30 am breakout sessions Rural State Success Stories
Improving bicycling in “Rural” states often requires different strategies and tactics than in more urban areas…
 Panelists: Dick Norford, Executive Director, Bicycle South Central Pennsylvania Shane Marshall, Deputy Director, Utah DOT Melinda Barnes, Executive Director, Bike Walk Montana Martin Shukert, RDG Planning and Design

  • Solicit community priorities and opinions, first, to see where support might come from. Then, look for projects that can tap into that support.
  • In smaller communities, identify key destinations first (library, community/retail center, schools) then explore connecting route options (e.g Hay Kansas Bicycle Master Plan)
  • Pick a project that is grant-eligible and pursue a specific goal (e.g. a trail-building grant from the Alliance for Biking and Walking for a Montana trail project to a local lake)
  • Engage local businesses and tourism officials in support for projects that will draw visitors and economic benefit (e.g. In Utah, this developed broad support for a DOT shift to an “active transportation” policy that supports bicycling infrastructure INCLUDING off-road paths in some areas)
  • Emphasize “quality of life” benefits that support tourism and property values
  • Work through others (e.g. engaged with a mountain bike group to connect with an effort to provide MTB access for inner city kids…this created support for bicycling and related infrastructure funding)


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Brandee Lepak attends 2014 National Bike Summit

Below is Brandee Lepak's reports from the 2014 National Bike Summit. Brandee is owner of Global Bikes, she attended along with Coalition president Bob Beane, and PortaPedal's Al Capello...

Thank you for allowing me to be one of the representatives for Arizona. The trip was amazing and I was very proud to be one of three attendees from our state. At the summit I attended two of the break out sessions and spoke at a third.

The first session was called Bike Advocacy as a Political Platform. The panel consisted of local level elected officials who used their bicycle advocacy to get elected and used their positions to change the conversation about transportation. By attending this session, I learned how important it is to involve our political leaders in our cycling community. A guy asked the question of Dave Cieslewicz, the former Mayor of Madison, WI, “How can we influence politicians to be on our side?” He answered frankly, “Get me money, get me votes and get me in front of people/potential voters.” I host several cycling related events throughout the year and could easily involve politicians in my events. This was an "Ah-Ha" moment for me and I realized how much easier it would be to encourage them to vote on the side of the cycling community if they were involved in the process the entire time.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Report from 2014 National Bike Summit

Last week CAZBike prez Bob Beane, along with Global Bikes co-owner Brandee Lepak, and PortaPedal's Al Capello attended LAB's 2014 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C...

Report #1, Monday, March 3
Keynote Speakers – Phillip Darnton, Executive Director, Bicycle Association of Great Britain, and Andy Clarke, President, League of American Bicyclists

East-Valley Map Volunteers needed

Many of you may not know it, but volunteers from the Coalition, led by Peter Mather, endeavor to deliver and keep stocked all Maricopa County bike shops with MAG (Maricopa Association of Gov'ts) Bikeways Maps. This is a huge task.

Peter needs your help -- in particularly he is seeking 2 to 3 new volunteers to deliver maps to shops in the the east valley – Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek area; you would be assigned 8-10 shops closeby your residence; or perhaps by your work.  It’s best if the volunteer can go to the MAG ( office in the Valley Metro building in downtown Phoenix to pick up the boxes of maps, but if not I can maybe figure out how to get the maps to that person.  The volunteer with then  vist  the shops about once every two months to restock them.
It's a great opportunity to help you your fellow cyclits (and would-be cyclists!) and get to know and interact with the bike-shop community as well.

Please contact Peter if you can help at peterm@cazbike.org

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Bike Master Plan Aims To Boost Ridership, Increase Safety

City of Phx Bike Coord Joe Perez
in front of the new green bike
 lane on Grand Avenue.

(Photo by Nick Blumberg-KJZZ)
The city of Phoenix is in the last stages of putting together a huge document, outlining its plans to make getting around on a bicycle easier and safer. It will address infrastructure for bikers and the relationship between bikes and cars....
"Admittedly, I'm a bit biased, but there aren't a lot of things I can see that are really negative about bicycling," said Bob Beane, president of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, "and I think Arizona is just kind of lagging."
Still, Beane sees opportunities. He said several of Arizona's cities have been ranked by a national group as being bike-friendly and that Phoenix and Glendale got honorable mentions. Beane said if those two cities improve, Arizona would become the state with the highest percentage of the population living in a bicycle-friendly community.  read the rest of the storty on 91.5

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

CAzBike Activites and Achievements

National Level
  • Primary AZ liaison to the League of American Bicyclists (attended National Summits, host visits by LAB staff, responded to/participated in BFS, BFC, BFB, BFU evaluations, wrote article for American Bicyclist covering Hwy 179 improvements, etc.).
  • Represented LAB in awarding BFC designation to several communities (Chandler, Cottonwood).
  • Membership in national organizations: LAB, IMBA, Alliance for Biking & Walking, Adventure Cycling. 
State Level 
  • Primary (sole?) statewide bicycling advocacy organization that is on-road (commuting, recreational/fitness) oriented and also supports all forms of bicycling.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Meet Scott Walters

Scott Walters
Scott is providing liaison between the Coalition and the Tempe Bicycle Action Group. 

Scott Walters is a transplant from bicycle friendly Minneapolis.  As a kid, he delivered the daily paper by bicycle but now he writes software.  In 2011, he completed his first and hopefully last Paris Brest Paris.
Scott also serves on the Tempe Bicycle Action Group
board as the Advocacy Director.  He found traveling by bike to be a great way to make friends in a city where that's often hard and he hopes to see more people on bikes for more of their trips.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

"Tour of Arizona"?

I wrote this partly because the ATOC (Amgen Tour of California) is one of the few major racing events in the USA and it is (from personal experience) a great event to witness. Linda and I have been to several stages of four of these events. If you cannot, or do not wish to, travel to France, Italy or Spain for a Grand Tour, this (along with the US Pro Challenge in CO and Tour of Utah) is the next best thing to experience the speed, athleticism and adrenaline of pro road bike racing.