Flagstaff Meeting:

The Coalition held the 3rd quarter regional board meeting in Flagstaff, Friday September 22, 1999.

Bill Lazenby, Coalition President gave a brief review of the mission, objectives and accomplishments of the Coalition since its inception.

A group concerned with the preservation of the Walnut Canyon National Recreation Area made a presentation about what they have accomplished and what they still have to do. They have spent many volunteer hours cleaning the area and establishing single track biking and hiking trails. They are attempting to restrict motorized traffic as this group trashes that area. The ride area is the Campbell Mesa. It currently has about 10 miles of trails. This area can be reached by bike from Flagstaff and the Arizona Trail. The Coalition board offered suggestions for getting the local community behind this program. It came as no surprise to anyone present that this group was not getting any real support from National Forest Personnel.

The bicycle advocacy activity in Flagstaff is just getting a serious push to get going into a higher gear. The Coalition board was briefed by Elson Miles, a long time Flagstaff bicycle advocate and Joel Kramer, new to the Flagstaff area but already committed to improving the bicycling conditions in Flagstaff. The board members offered a number of suggested actions they might take in their advocacy efforts. In addition Coalition help will be made available.

Mike Kitchen, Kingman and Tim Travis, Prescott were formally added to the Coalition Board as representatives from their respective areas.

Mike Kitchen gave a short review of what has been accomplished in Kingman. We requested that he write an article about Kingman Bicycling and he agreed. This article will be distributed when received.

Tim Travis, in addition to being a member of the Coalition Board, is president of the Chain Gang Bicycle Club, a GABA club. Tim discussed the conditions for bicycling in Prescott. It was very apparent that Prescott is not a bicycle friendly city. What actions that could be taken to improve this situation, were discussed. Tim and the Chain Gang members are strong bicycle advocates and improvements are expected. However, it will not be easy.

Vision 21:

Reed Kempton, Coalition board member, reported on his presentation to the Governor's Vision21 Task Force on September 9, 1999. His presentation was very well received as evidenced by the fact the he fielded about 15 minutes of questions. Reed's presentation will be available on the Coalition web page in the near future.

M.A.G:

The Coalition has been invited to meet with the Maricopa Association of Governments (M.A.G.). The meeting will be held October 18, 1999, at the Los Olivos Senior Center, 28th street, one block north of Indian School Rd. The meeting will start at 7:00. Dawn Coomer of MAG will give a 45 minute presentation about MAG and Bicycle related transportation issues that MAG handles. There will also be an open forum. A large representation of bike clubs and cyclists, within Maricopa County, at this meeting is encouraged.

Phoenix Recycles Bikes::

Lacretia Bacon, Volunteer Coordinator for Phoenix Recycles Bikes, attended the meeting and talked about her program and where it is going. She said that it is busy rebuilding bikes and making them available to those in need. She said that there is no shortage of bikes but that the program is in need of space to operate the program properly. She also said there is Youth Bicycle Education Program in the development stages. This is a much needed program.

I Scream Social:

Mark Saturday October 2, 1999 as a day to pig out on Ice Cream and learn about issues affecting your rights as a cyclist and what the Coalition is doing to protect your rights to ride in safety on Arizona Roads. The Coalition is hosting an I Scream Social at St Barnabas on the Desert Church, 6715 N. Mockingbird Ln., Paradise Valley. The social will run from 10am to 1pm. Come hear our message and join the Coalition. Ice Cream is free to members. $25 will make you a member.

Other Items:

The By-laws of the coalition are in the process of being updated. Bill Lazenby, President of the Coalition is heading up this effort.

The Coalition Swap Meet held in conjunction with the Phoenix Clean Air and Bike week will be held on April 15, 2000.

The Coalition:

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing bicycling as a sport and mode of transportation through cooperation with local and state government, by being active in government where it concerns bicycling.

Monthly meetings are held at the Los Olivos Senior Center on 28th street one block north of Indian School, the 3rd Monday of the month, 7PM. All are welcome and encouraged to attend whether you are a coalition member or not. If your club is not presently represented we invite you to send a representative.

Road hazards? Report them to the Hazard Hotline.

Coalition address:
Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists
P.O. Box 54488
Phoenix, AZ 85078-4488
Phone: 602-485-1198
Coalition e-mail

Club annual membership is $150; individual annual is $25. For an application, email The Coalition with your mailing address or call 602-485-1198 and leave your name and address.

Chandler Mayors Bicycle Taskforce
UPDATE
Bob Bogle

PL99-053 Chandler Bike Plan Update as an Element of the Chandler Comprehensive Plan passed the City of Chandler Planning and Zoning Board last night (9-15-99) with out comment or criticism on a voice vote. It will be presented at the City Coucil Meeting September 30, 1999.

This is an extensive five year plan for bicycle lanes in Chandler. One point of interest for any one who ride or commutes in or through Chandler is the Bicycle lanes to be marked on Chandler Blvd. The executive summery of the Bicycle Plan shows these lanes in the "Second Priority Capital Project Recommendations," which roughly means two years away. But don’t get upset. I pointed this fact out to Ty Hofflander, the City Transportation Engineer. He informed me that conversations between himself and George Selvia, Public Works Director have these lane going in on Chandler Blvd within the year. The next time the stripers paint the road there will be Bicycle Lanes on Chandler Blvd.

CBA
CHANDLER BICYCLE ASSOCIATION
Bob Bogle

Three points of interest from Chandler, Arizona, one of the fastest growing communities in the USA and the 97th largest city in the country.

1. The new Chandler bicycle plan is ready for review. It retrofits many existing roads with bicycle lanes and puts lanes on the roads to be built in the developing areas of town. In the last 8 years the City of Chandler has added 76 miles of bicycle lanes. The new bike plan will add a couple hundred more over the next ten years.
   
   
2. Dobson Road from Fry Road, north to the Western Canal is being reconstructed. A number of years ago Dobson Road was widened from a two lane (WPA) road to 5 lanes with bicycle lanes from the Western Canal to Chandler Blvd. The problem seemed to be the design of the cross streets intersecting Dobson Road square but offset. There is a hundred feet or so difference between the road east and the one to the west. The turn lane in the center added to the problem when traffic was heavy, since it backed up into the travel lanes and/or put cars "at loggerheads" with each other. To solve this problem a double wide turn lane was painted into the road at Summit Place, Shawnee Drive, and the US Post Office. This caused a problem for cyclists, since the double wide turn lane pushed the traffic lanes to the curb, not only eliminating the bike lanes in these locations but also any space at all for bikes. Cyclists were encouraged by signage to ride on the narrow sidewalk with many driveways and side street with poorly designed curb cuts.
   
   A team of consultants have been hired and the designs reviewed by the public to widen Dobson Road in these three areas, to narrow the center island south from Chandler Blvd. to Frye Road and begin the bike path and bridge crossing of the Western Canal.
   
   
3. Chandler Blvd / About a year ago a group of cyclists, mostly belonging to ABC (Arizona Bicycle Club) attended and city council meeting in Chandler and “demanded” Chandler Blvd be added to the bicycle plan. At the conclusion of the public comments section of the city council meeting, George Selvia, Director of Public Works, came out of the meeting and assured the cyclists that Chandler Blvd would be added to the bicycle plan and ASSHTO standard bicycle lanes added to the Road. Chandler Blvd would look exactly like Ray Road with 10 1/2 ft inside lanes, 11 ft center lane, & 11 ft outer lane with four ft of asphalt marked as a bicycle lane.
   
   The case can be made, because of the heavy truck traffic to the industrial areas along Chandler Blvd, that narrowing the lanes could be dangerous. The case is also, that we need to do something because we said we would.
   
   Your comments and questions will be appreciated.
   
   Mail, Email, or FAX: George Selvia
   Public Works Director
   Mail Stop 403
   P.O. Box 4008
   Chandler, AZ 85244-4008
   Email
   FAX: 480-782-3415

Flagstaff Meeting:

The Coalition will hold it’s third Quarterly regional meeting in Flagstaff. The business meeting will be held on September 17, 5:00 to 8:00PM at The Thorpe Park Adult Center, 245 N. Thorpe Rd, Flagstaff. The agenda for the business meeting includes:
1. Introduction to the Coalition, its goals and accomplishments.
2. Meet the local Flagstaff representatives and advocates.
3. Discussion of local bicycling issues.
4. Adding Prescott and Kingmen representatives to board.
5. Nominations for Flagstaff representative for the board.
6. Other subjects that may be presented at the meeting.

On Saturday, September 18, LAB Effective Cycling Instructors will conduct a three-hour training class. The areas covered are riding confidently in any traffic situation, proper accident –avoidance techniques, and an in-depth coverage of all bicycle-related motor vehicle laws.

M.A.G:

The Coalition has been invited to meet with the Maricopa Association of Governments (M.A.G.). The meeting will be held October 18, 1999, at the Los Olivos Senior Center, 28th street, one block north of Indian School Rd. The meeting will start at 7:00. Dawn Coomer of MAG will give a 45 minute presentation about MAG and Bicycle related transportation issues that MAG handles. There will also be an open forum. A large representation of bike clubs and cyclists, within Maricopa County, at this meeting is encouraged.

Vision 21:

The Coalition will make a presentation to the Governor’s Vision21 Taskforce on September 9, 1999. The presentation will promote bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation that must not be ignored and overlooked in the transportation plans of Arizona. It will explain why bicycle facilities should be integrated with the street network to provide seamless connections for those choosing to use bikes. This presentation will provide education and insight about bicycling and the problems faced by those who ride.

The Coalition board will meet with Vision21 Taskforce representatives again in October to discuss Bicycle related transportation issues.

I Scream Social:

Mark Saturday October 2, 1999 as a day to pig out on Ice Cream and learn about issues affecting your rights as a cyclist and what the Coalition is doing to protect your rights to ride in safety on Arizona Roads. The Coalition is hosting an I Scream Social at St Barnabas on the Desert Church, 6715 N. Mockingbird Ln., Paradise Valley. The social will run from 10am to 1pm. Come hear our message and join the Coalition. Ice Cream is free to members. $25 will make you a member.

Other Items:

The By-laws of the coalition are in the process of being updated. Bill Lazenby, President of the Coalition is heading up this effort.

The Coalition Swap Meet held in conjunction with the Phoenix Clean Air and Bike week will be held on April 15, 2000.

The Coalition:

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing bicycling as a sport and mode of transportation through cooperation with local and state government, by being active in government where it concerns bicycling.

Monthly meetings are held at the Los Olivos Senior Center on 28th street one block north of Indian School, the 3rd Monday of the month, 7PM. All are welcome and encouraged to attend whether you are a coalition member or not. If your club is not presently represented we invite you to send a representative.

Road hazards? Report them to the Hazard Hotline.

Coalition address:
Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists
P.O. Box 54488
Phoenix, AZ 85078-4488
Phone: 602-485-1198
Coalition e-mail

Club annual membership is $150; individual annual is $25. For an application, email The Coalition with your mailing address or call 602-485-1198 and leave your name and address.

Help Wanted Volunteers
Youth Bicycle Program:

The City of Glendale Bicycle Program and Parks and Rec Department are working together to set up a Youth Bicycling Program. The focus of the program will be recycling bicycles and bicycle safety.

The program would meet at Landmark School two (or one) times and week from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (tentatively) Meeting time and day(s) of the week are still being determined. It will begin in early October and end before Christmas. Each week will have a specific educational repair focus and safety focus.

What the program needs to be successful is a volunteer group who is knowledgeable about bike repair and/or safety. The curriculum and materials will be provided. All we need is you. Volunteers can help with the entire six week course or only one day. Availability is the key.

Please let me know your thoughts on this project and whether you might have an hour available to donate to the cause. We will also need bike stands, tools and other bicycle related items. All input is appreciated.

Contact Susan Bookspan at the City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Department, 623-930-2939.