Category: News

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Bicycle Riders as Disciples of Progress

With smooth, paved roads and motor vehicles seemingly everywhere, it’s easy to forget that bicyclists advocated for road progress first. The League of American Wheelman (now called the League of Amerinca Bicyclists) was founded in 1880 and became the umbrella organization for the good roads movement. “The 1890s popular movement for Good Roads, pushed most ardently by bicyclists, is of note for several reasons.Primarily the fight for better conditions for bicycling unknowingly set the stage…”. The Great Bicycle Protest of 1896, Processed Magazine vol.2 no.1. [direct link to full .pdf article]

Glendale Ball Park Blvd Letter of Support

The following letter of support was sent to Felipe Andres Zubia, Chair, ADOT Transportation Enhancement Review Committee:

Dear Mr. Zubia:
The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists would like to register our support for the Ball Park Boulevard Connection Project in Glendale. This project will benefit bicyclists from all over the Valley as it will create a significant connection, controlled crossing and access parking integral to a developing path network that will be used by all types of cyclists.
We know that the New River pathway in Glendale will connect to Peoria’s path on New River that goes all the way north of Happy Valley Rd. We also know that the Grand Canal pathway in Glendale connects to the Phoenix Grand Canal path that also reaches far into Phoenix.
Having this connection between the two paths at Ball Park Boulevard will allow cyclists to travel to work, go to local places of business and local schools and go to the Cardinal games at the stadium and Coyote games at the arena. The completion of this path network, including this project, will make it both a transportation corridor and a “destination” for recreational bicyclists, providing a safe place to ride/commute as well as generating health and economic benefits to the community.
For all these reasons, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists fully endorses this project.
Cordially Yours,
Robert A. Beane, President
Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

Southern Arizona Report: April

Perimeter Bicycling was awarded the grant to administrate the Pima Regional Middle School Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. I will be the manager much like I do for our current Bike Ambassador program. This is a Safe Routes to Schools curriculum model, much like the elementary school program already in existence, but with middle school students as the target age.
We will hire more LCI’s to teach the classes in the school day, in after school programs or on weekends, depending on the school’s needs and schedule.

We are ready to package the diversion program to use as a model for other cities. I will be happy to present to any group with a power point and hand outs.

Tucson is going to have its first Ciclovia on April 18. I have been invited to send some bike patrol to the event, and will be sending 5 or so to help out during the day. SafeKids Tucson is providing helmets for the event and we will have helmet fitters on hand to make sure helmets are worn properly.

El Tour de Phoenix was a great success. 1400 riders, a new record.

Sheila Foraker
CAzBike Southern Arizona Representative

Bio’s

Wayne Cullop has recently joined CAzBike as an Advisory Board member.has been very active cyclist in the Tucson area for 15 years. He has served on Tucson’s GABA Board for more the 10 years. He is currently leading GABA’s Advocacy Gruppo, and has served as Club President and Web Master. Wayne was selected to serve as the bike and pedestrian representative on the Grant Road Task Force, a major road improvement in Tucson. He has served on the Tucson/Pima County Bicycle Advisor Board, and is an active LCI instructor.

Ed Beighe maintains the CAzBike Website. Ed cycles daily in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. He blogs on cycling at azbikelaw.org.

…
To get in touch with Wayne, or any other board or advisory member, visit CAzBike’s contact page.

Volunteers needed for Bicycle Valet First Friday: April 2

Roosevelt Row and TBAG are teaming up to valet bicycles at First Friday !!
While doing bike valet, I will talk with cyclists about the need for a strong bike advocacy group specific to Phoenix. CAzBike is for all of Arizona. Upon finding sufficient interest cyclists, we will begin the process of changing the face of bicycling in Phoenix. 
April 2, 2010
918 N 6th Street (Corner of Roosevelt & 6th Street), Phoenix 85004

two shifts available 5:30pm – 8:30pm and 8:30pm – 11:30pm

Lots of people bicycle to First Fridays and Bicycle Valet will be the best place to park their bikes. 
PLUS vendors are offering discounts to people who valet !! 
PLUS you’ll get some cool schwag from TBAG !
AND I’ll have an ice chest full on New Belgium beer when we’re done !!

Call Joe Perez (602) 531-4985 to sign up or sign up online.

CAzBike Seeks to Connect Arizona Cyclist Advocates

By Bob Beane, CAzBike President

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is embarking on possibly its most ambitious agenda since our founding in the early 1990s. In general, it may be summed up as connecting Arizona bicycle advocates in ways never before accomplished in order to increase our effectiveness. Ah, but “the devil is in the details” as we often hear.

So, here are a few of the specifics that are underway:

  • The CAzB has set a goal of having 50% or more board/advisory members from outside Maricopa County, and is specifically seeking advocacy representatives from cities, towns and counties encompassing the entire State of Arizona. We currently have participating leaders from Tucson (Wayne Cullop), Kingman (Mike Kitchen), the Verde Valley (Randy Victory) and are in discussion with advocates in Green Valley, Prescott and Flagstaff in order to add the greatest percentage of Arizona bicyclists to our voice.
  • As requested by advocates in attendance at our recent Central/Southern Arizona Summit Meeting (held in Casa Grande on February 27), the CAzB will develop and propose an organizational structure and means of working together (none of us feels that we need yet another organization…we just need to work more effectively, together). For example, we will collect “resumes” of advocacy talent, maintain contact information, establish task-oriented teams and develop lists of potential volunteers from the clubs, teams and professional/technical ranks of cyclists around the state.
  • We are planning a similar Advocacy Summit meeting for northern Arizona this summer in order to connect with leaders in that area.
  • In order to further facilitate working together, the Coalition will put in place virtual meeting technology to allow our officers, board and advisory members and task teams to work together without requiring physical meetings in many cases.
  • For the first time since our founding, the CAzB is in a position to hire an executive director to work full time as a paid staff member. We are securing the funds for that position for at least one year, and we have embarked on a campaign to maintain funding for that role as we go forward.

The CAzB has developed a number of specific goals for 2010 and beyond, and we will be reaching out to clubs, teams and individual cyclists with specific volunteer opportunities as we go forward. We will be looking for bicyclists to attend community and ADOT public meetings, write letters to legislators, and participate in Bike Month and other community events in support of bicycling. In short, we will be engaging the bicycling community, state-wide, on a level not previously seen in Arizona.

There are already many passionate and energetic bicyclist advocates working every day to make Arizona a better and more safe place to ride. We plan simply to better connect that group, and add to our collective effectiveness in any ways that we can. We will improve communication, make our individual talents and potential contributions more visible and we will recruit from the thousands of cyclists in the state those future contributors who have asked “what can I do to help?”

Saddle up! It’s time for us to roll!

Please visit our web site at www.cazbike.org for more details, or call Bob Beane at 480-861-7750 with your questions and comments.