Coalition of Arizona Bicyclist’s Annual member’s meeting 11/20/2018

This year, the annual meeting will be held via tele-conference.
A business meeting and election of open board of directors seats will be held.

  • Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 6:30PM Arizona Time.

Members in good standing who wish to attend/listen/vote please contact cazbike@cazbike.org no later than 11/16 to obtain the phone in details. Not a member? Click here to join.

Nominations, or self-nominations for the Board of Directors are still open, and as always we’re looking for volunteers in any capacity.

Minutes of 2018 Annual Meeting (approved at 12/18/2018 board meeting)

The meeting was held telephonically November 20, 2018 beginning at 6:45PM, present at the meeting were directors: Tom Armstrong, Bob Beane, Ed Beighe, Bob Jenson, Sharon Matt, Eric Post, Lloyd Thomas. (Gail Hildebrant was absent).

Also present were Peter Mather, and Rich Leever, and Jeff Caslake

Treasurer’s Report (via email)

As of October 31st, the balances in the Coalition’s Wells Fargo Accounts are as follows:

Checking $661.32
Savings $515.85
High Yield $32,427.21
Total Balance: $33,594.38

Respectfully submitted, Gail Hildebrant, Treasurer.

Board Elections

We currently have 8 directors; (with a maximum of 15 per bylaws). Directors serve two-year terms
2 do not expire until next year, and 6 expire this year, as noted in the list below the current board is:

Tom Armstrong (2019)
Bob Beane (2018)
Ed Beighe (2018)
Gail Hildebrant (2018)
Bob Jenson (2018)
Sharon Matt (2018)
Eric Post (2019)
Lloyd Thomas (2018)

Eric Post made a motion to nominate the six directors with terms expiring in 2018 — Bob Beane, Ed Beighe, Gail Hildebrant,  Bob Jenson, Sharon Matt, Lloyd Thomas — to new 2 year terms; Tom Armstrong 2nd the motion. A voice vote was taken and all present voted affirmative, and none negative.

Next, Ed Beighe made a motion to nominate Rich Leever for a (new) 2 year term to board; Bob Beane 2nd the motion. A voice vote was taken and all present voted affirmative, and none negative.

The new board now consists of 9 members, with terms expiring as noted below. A quorum now is at least 5 board members present:

Tom Armstrong (2019)
Bob Beane (2020)
Ed Beighe (2020)
Gail Hildebrant (2020)
Bob Jenson (2020)
Rich Leever (2020)
Sharon Matt (2020)
Eric Post (2019)
Lloyd Thomas (2020)

Officer Elections

The newly-constituted board held officer elections for one-year term. Lloyd Thomas made a motion to nominate the current slate of officers, as below, Eric Post 2nd the motion. No other nominations were made. A voice vote was taken and all directors present voted affirmative, and none negative.

President: Ed Beighe
Vice President Operations: Bob Jenson
Vice President Special Projects: Bob Beane
Treasurer: Gail Hildebrant
Secretary: Sharon Matt

The business meeting concluded at approximately 7:15PM and informal discussions followed.

Brush up on the Solomon Curve

Solomon U-shaped Curve

Normally cited by those wishing slow-moving vehicles should never use any roadway, even though it is perfectly legal, is the Solomon u-shaped curve, the claim is typically something to the effect of it’s safest when all traffic travels at the same speed; ergo a vehicle must never go slower than the “speed of traffic” and must not be on the roadway in the first place. A corollary to this line of thinking is the belief that posted speed limits are really minimum speed limits.

A USDOT paper, Synthesis of Safety Research Related to Speed and Speed Management 1998 has a good backgrounder on the theoretical basis of these ideas:

In a landmark study of speed and crashes involving 10,000 drivers on 600 miles (970 kilometers) of rural highways, Solomon (1964) found a relationship between vehicle speed and crash incidence that is illustrated by a U–shaped curve. Crash rates were lowest for travel speeds near the mean speed of traffic, and increased with greater deviations above and below the mean.

however:

Excluding these (vehicles entering or vehicles slowing to leave the roadway) crashes from the analysis greatly attenuated the factors that created the U–shaped curve characteristic of the earlier studies. Without vehicles slowing to turn, or turning across traffic, the investigators found the risk of traveling much slower than average was much less pronounced. Crash risk was greatest for vehicles traveling more than two standard deviation above the mean speed.

It’s also wasn’t clear to me how or if any of this has to do with urban or suburban streets — where by definition, traffic starts and stops for a variety of necessary reasons.

There was an article published Jan 2015 in fiverthirtyeightdiscussing these concepts as well as some background of NYC’s move to make the default city-wide speed limit 25mph, down from 30mph.

Traffic Safety and Human Behavior
There’s a updated 2017 edition of Traffic Safety and Human Behavior: Second Edition, edited by David Shinar where, of course, the Solomons’ curve issue is dealt with; from the chapter Speed and Safety:

… Solomon (1964) found that drivers who drove either significantly above or below the prevailing average traffic speed were more likely to have crashes than drivers who drove at speeds close to the average. However, most crash-involved slow drivers were turning at the time of the crash; and when turning vehicles were removed from the analysis only those driving at speeds significantly above the traffic speed remained over-invovled in crashes (Fildes and Lee, 1993)

He later goes into a finely detailed review of Solomon (rural only; data from the 1950’s, etc) as well as reviewing a plethora of research published in the decades since that attempts to correct Solomon’s short-comings.

Shintar also notes that speed, when self-reported by (presumably speeding) drivers involved in a crash tend to be below actual speeds because of “Stannard’s Law” which states “drivers tend to explain their traffic accidents by reporting circumstances of lowest culpability compatible with credibility (Aronoff, 1971)”

NTSB: Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles

In July 2017, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) released a major study: SS1701 Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles. In discussing Solomon 1964, it echo’s Shintar “These studies generally provided consistent evidence that driving faster than the surrounding traffic increased crash involvement rates; the evidence was less conclusive with respect to driving slower than the surrounding traffic (Aarts and van Schagen 2006)”. The report goes on to question the concept of setting speed limits at the 85th percentile on roads that are not freeways.

Speed and Crash Risk

Speed and Crash Risk, irtad (part of OECD) issued a 2018 report on the issue echoing the same sentiments about mis-use of Solomon’s work.

National Motorist’s Association

The NMA, or those identifying with it, commonly spread propaganda based on mis-stating Solomon’s 1964 work; see e.g. links in this rebuttal The National Motorists Association’s drive toward alternative facts,

Map Volunteer 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 new volunteers to deliver maps to shops in particular areas; 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 we may be able to make alternate arrangements.  The volunteer with then visit  the shops about once every two months to restock them.

At this time, Peter is looking for a volunteer(s) to cover shops in North Phoenix / Carefree area, for example:

  • Bicycles of Phoenix, 13636 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, 602-404-2453
  • Flat Tire Bike Shop, 6033 E. Cave Creek Rd., 480-488-5261
  • Shadetree Bikes, 13011 N. Cave Creek Rd., 602-743-0535
  • Crankey Monkey, 10880 N. 32 St., #21, 602-283-4755 (next door to old Sunday Cycles)
  • Spur Cross Cycles, 6738 E. Cave Creek Rd. 480-256-2453

It’s a great opportunity to help you your fellow cyclists (and would-be cyclists!) and get to know and interact with the bike-shop community as well.

Please contact us if you can help at cazbike@cazbike.org or leave us a message on our Facebook page.

After 11 attempts, will Arizona ban texting while driving?

(spring 2018)
After 11 attempts, will Arizona ban texting while driving?

A bill to outlaw texting while driving passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously yesterday, signaling a possible shift. Similar bills have been introduced in the Arizona legislature, and died, for over a decade. Several possible explanatinos for the shift were explored by Arizona Republic  columnist Roberts: Is Arizona ready (finally) to ban texting while driving?

This is front-page news the morning after the unanimous committee vote, 2/7/2018:

Just before casting his vote, committee Chairman Rep. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa apologized to the public for taking so long to move the bill forward. “Sometimes it just seems like our political ideology gets in the way of common sense,” he said. — AZ Republic 2/7/2018

Here’s another news story from azcapitoltimes.com

 

Follow SB1261 texting while driving; prohibition on azleg.gov

Please see this article for general information about how to follow the legislative process.

 

Coalition of Arizona Bicyclist’s Annual member’s meeting 11/21/2017

This year, the annual meeting will be held via tele-conference.
A business meeting and election of open board of directors seats will be held.

  • Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 6:30PM Arizona Time.

Members in good standing who wish to attend/listen/vote please contact cazbike@cazbike.org no later than 11/19 to obtain the phone in details. Not a member? Click here to join.

Nominations, or self-nominations for the Board of Directors are still open, and as always we’re looking for volunteers in any capacity.

Minutes of 2017 CAZB Annual Meeting

11/21/2017 called to order at 1843
In attendance on the phone were: Tom Armstrong, Sharon Newman Matt, Ed Beighe, Gail Hildebrandt,
Bob Jenson, Peter Mather, Bob Beane, Lloyd Thomas, Eric Post

Treasurer’s Report

checking $376.20
savings $515.70
high yield $32,710.93
total funds $33,602.83

Board of Directors Election: Lloyd Thomas nominates Tom Armstrong and Eric Post to new terms, Peter Mather seconds. The vote is passed
unanimously. Composition of Board is now (with year of term expiration):

Tom Armstrong (2019)
Eric Post (2019)
Bob Beane (2018)
Ed Beighe (2018)
Wayne Churchman (2018)
Gail Hildebrandt (2018)
Bob Jenson (2018)
Sharon Newman Matt (2018)
Lloyd Thomas (2018)

Allison Van Uum wants someone to take over the mail box and get the checks to Gail Hildebrant.  Bob Jenson is
willing to do this.

Election of officers by the new board: Bob Beane wishes to step down as President
I nominate Ed Beighe and Bob Beane VP special projects with remaining officers carrying over. Bob Jenson, Gail Hildebrant second. The vote is taken and is passed unanimously.

Officers for 2018-2019
President – Ed Beighe
Vice President of Special Projects – Bob Beane; Vice President – Bob Jensen
Treasurer – Gail Hildebrant
Secretary – Sharon Newman Matt

Bob Beane will go with Ed Beighe to the bank to turn over the ATM card and to get Ed on the book for
writing checks. To be done in the next 30 days.

I need to leave to attend another meeting. 1925
Respectfully submitted by Sharon Newman Matt
Next meeting is Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 1830
corrections made and resubmitted

Minutes approved at January 16, 2018 Board of Directors meeting.

AZ Republic: How bicyclist-friendly is your city?

How bicyclist-friendly is your city? Group ranks metro Phoenix efforts… 

Phoenix-area communities over the past several years have increased their efforts to make their streets bicycle friendly…

For Bob Beane, president of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, a statewide advocacy group for bicyclists, “My biggest issue with plans such as Phoenix and Arizona Department of Transportation is not usually the content, but rather the commitment to implement.”

That’s not to say Beane doesn’t support bicycles being a focal point in plans. He calls attention to potential pedestrian and bicycle bridges over Interstates 10 and 17 in the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Spine Study… read more