CAzBike Blog

CAzBike Membership Meeting: Mar 15

2010-03-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

CAzBike membership meetings are regularly held the 3rd Monday of each month except August.

Next meeting: Monday March 15th, 2010. 6:30PM.
Location: The loft at the Boulders on Broadway Bar and Grill (map)530 W. Broadway in Tempe AZ 85282, 480.921.9431

Previous meetings:

February 16th, 2010. 6:30PM -- note that this is a TUESDAY,

Monday January 19th, 2010, 6:30PM

Monday DECEMBER 21, 2009 -- NO meeting this month, happy holidays!

Monday NOVEMBER 16th, 2009, 7PM -- demo of google collaboration tools.

Monday OCTOBER 19th, 2009, 7PM -- discuss goals

CAzBike on Chandler channel 11

2010-03-08T13:09:00.001-08:00

Coalition President Bob Beane, and Ken St. John of the PMBC joined Chandler city councilman Rick Heumann to discuss the Bicycle Friendly Cities, and other cycling topics. The program can be viewed from the chandleraz.gov ; scroll down to: Regular Programming / Bicycle Friendly Community.
Direct streaming link.

Former Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club VP Running Chandler City Council

2010-03-07T15:09:00.001-08:00

Former Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club vice president and Chandler cyclist, Kevin Hartke, is running for City Council in Chandler this year. In a recent communication to Bob Beane, CAzB president, Kevin commented, "I continue to love and encourage cycling (and give away police donated bicycles). With the increases projected for gasoline and mass transportation, cycling is more than ever a healthy, efficient and viable mode of transportation." Chandler residents and others who would like to find out more about Kevin's campaign may visit: www.KevinHartke.com

CAzBike Swap Meet: May 29, 2010

2010-03-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

For 2010, we are returning our swap meet to the Phoenix Municipal Stadium parking lot on May 29 so as not to interfere with the numerous bike activities scheduled during the month of April.
Set ups will begin about 6am, and the venue will officially open at 7am, however there is much merchandise changing hands during and after setting up. We will be shutting
down somewhere around noon to 1pm.
The parking lot is at the South - West corner of Van Buren Street and Priest near the Phoenix / Tempe border. As previously, there are no costs involved to attend. Hope to see you there.

ACT Act Introduced

2010-03-06T11:54:00.001-08:00

Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722, on 3/2/10. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. Read more & TAKE ACTION...
The accompanying chart shows the underfunded position of bike/pedestrian travel relative to the trips and percentage of fatalities. $2 billion sounds like a lot of money, but with these statistics in mind and the obesity problem in this country, it might be some of the best "economic stimulus" and "healthcare reform" spending we could do.

Benchmarking Report Making Its Mark

2010-03-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet checked out Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2010 Benchmarking Report, released January 28, 2010, what are you waiting for? The nearly 200-page report filled with data on bicycling and walking from 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities has been labeled a "Bike-Ped State of the Union." Over 2,000 e-copies have already been downloaded and 500 hard copies distributed. The hefty book is full of useful data to support your efforts to improve bicycling and walking in your state and community, and includes data on how the State of Arizona and our largest metropolitan areas rank in a number areas as compared to other states and cities.

PMBC Named Bike Club of the Year

2010-02-25T18:54:00.001-08:00

Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club has been selected by the League of American Bicyclists as Bike Club of the Year in Region 5, shared with the New Mexico Touring Society (a very well-respected club over the years).

Look for the next American Bicyclist magazine article announcing the winners.

LAB LCI Seminar: Late April

2010-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

DATES SHIFTED

There is a train the trainer seminar to become a League Certified Instructor coming up April 23 (afternoon), 24th and 25th, 2010, at the Tempe Transportation Center, Tempe, AZ.
Please fill out the following form to gauge interest.

TS101 is pre-requisite; if you have not attended you have an opportunity to complete that on Feb 20 (or March 20 for Women only), see BikeEd for more info.

$13 Million Transportation Enhancement Funds Available for AZ Road Projects

2010-02-24T21:30:00.001-08:00

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) has been notified by ADOT that $13 million of Transportation Enhancement funding will be made available for qualified programs statewide in 2010. Approximately $8 million could be made available for projects on local roads, and $5 million for enhancement projects on state roads.

Eligible projects include bike lane striping, wide paved shoulders, off-street trails or shared-use paths and bike parking, as just a few examples.

The bicycling community needs to act quickly to get any new proposed projects in front of bike/pedestrian planners and transportation department engineers. The application deadline to MAG for Maricopa County projects is Wednesday, April 21. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists can help put clubs, individual bicyclists and other interested parties in touch with the right person(s) to consider your ideas for potential projects.

Key dates related to this funding in Maricopa County (other counties, check with your local Association of Governments or City/County Transportation Dept.) include:

Monday, March 22, 2010 – 9:00 a.m.: TE Funds Workshop at MAG offices, 302 N. First Ave., Phoenix (Saguaro Room, 2^nd Floor). This workshop will explain project eligibility and the funding process.
Friday, March 26, 2010: Applications will be available on the ADOT web site.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010: 8 copies of completed enhancement funds application due to MAG (no e-mail or fax submissions accepted).
Tuesday, May 4, 2010: Applicant Presentations to MAG Enhancement Peer Review Group.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010: MAG EPRG ranks applications.

Subsequent to the above, MAG staff will further review applications, make site visits, give feedback to applicants, etc., in preparation for final application submittal and reviews and approval by the State Transportation Board in November of 2010.

Feedback

2010-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Coalition wants to hear from you!
Please fill out the feedback form and let us know what's on your mind.

City of Tucson found liable for $13M

2010-02-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

The city of Tucson was found 1/3 responsible for a $40M judgement in the death of a teenaged cyclist. Jose Rincon was killed by DUI driver Genda Rumsey in 2008. "A lawyer for the family argued successfully that the city was partially at fault because of the poor design of the road. City Attorney Mike Rankin said the city will appeal"

Arizona Daily Star, Feb 13, 2010, 40 Million awarded in teen's death

TS101 Express: Feb 20, 2010

2010-02-09T15:03:00.001-08:00

In addition to CAzbike's Education offerings, TBAG (Tempe Bicycle Action Group) is offering TS101 "Express" (shortened) class. More info.

CAzbike Looking for a Few Good Volunteers

2010-02-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists Seeks Volunteers at All Levels

The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is actively seeking potential volunteers from both our current membership and the bicycling community to contribute to achievement of our goals and objectives during 2010. A number of opportunities for key contributions exist, and may range from participation on individual projects to ongoing advisory roles to board and officer positions.

Interested parties are requested to e-mail with level and/or areas of interest to cazbike@cazbike.org. Please include a short description of bicycle-related background including advocacy or leadership experience, if applicable.

Getting Arizona's Fair Share - Federal Funds Available for Bicycle Advocacy Access

2010-02-08T14:28:00.001-08:00

The League of American Bicyclists gave all of us in advocacy a "gift of knowledge", and a de facto challenge, by outlining major federal funding sources for bicycle-related programs and infrastructure improvement in the September/October 2009 issue of American Bicyclist. Now, it is up to those of us in Arizona advocacy to make sure we are getting our fair share.

As briefly and succinctly as I can, using the LAB-published article by Anna Kelso and Darren Flusche as my primary guide, here is an oversimplified summary description of federal programs from which we (Arizona) can get funds for various bicycle-related purposes:

CMAQ -- The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program funds transportation projects designed to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. This program is especially targeted to areas that don't meet national air quality standards, such as metro-Phoenix. CMAQ funds have been used for capital spending on such things as bicycle facilities, racks and lockers, and for marketing materials and operating costs for bicycle sharing projects. The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is encouraging the City of Phoenix to consider using CMAQ funds for facilities similar to Tempe's Bike Cellar (bike commuter station) or to partner with urban YMCAs and/or gyms to provide bike lockers/storage that would (in combination with shower/locker facilities) promote bicycle commuting.

HSIP -- The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a SAFETEA-LU program that has as its purpose to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries through infrastructure-related improvements. In Arizona, most (70%) of this program funding is controlled/allocated by ADOT, with the balance available to Associations of Governments (e.g. MAG, PAG) and local communities. According the LAB, Arizona was recently ranked 49^th of 50 states in utilizing available funds, which are provided in the form of a 90% federal match of 10% state/local funding for qualifying projects on virtually any state, county or municipal road/street. The "hurdle" for proposed projects has been fatality history, though some states are beginning to use more forward-looking projected fatality/serious injury criteria. The administration of HSIP funds in Arizona by ADOT is currently in a bit of flux, and should be a very visible "target" for advocacy inquiry and action. AGs should also be queried as to their knowledge of this funding opportunity and degree to which they have applied for funding. It is my understanding that these funds could be used to help pave roadway shoulders, construct traffic calming, provide signage at bicycle-pedestrian crossings and for other infrastructure projects that are already on the planning boards. Why ADOT/Arizona has not been more aggressive to fighting for "our fair share" remains a bit of a mystery.

Section 402 -- The State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program (aka Section 402) funds highway safety programs designed to reduce traffic crashes, deaths and property damage. Safety programs may include data analyses, education and community safety campaigns, as well as some limited engineering projects. State Highway Safety Offices are recipients of funds from the federal government, and then are responsible for managing and allocation the spending within the state.

For more information on these programs, we may consult the League of American Bicyclists in addition to the federal and state program administrators. It is incumbent on all of us in advocacy leadership positions to become more educated and aware of available funds, and to make sure our constituents get our fair share put to work in our state.

Bob Beane

LAB 2010 National Rally in Albuquerque, June 5

2010-02-08T14:17:00.001-08:00

The League of American Bicyclists has named the Albuquerque Century on June 5, 2010, the site of its 2010 National Rally. There will be five distance options, including 10, 25, 50, 65 and 100 miles.

For registration or more information, visit: www.abqcentury.com and www.bikeleague.org.

Learn to Ride : Tips for Parents

2010-02-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

The “Balancing First” method that will have your kids riding in no time!

[.pdf presentation] from BikeNewYork.org

AmeriSchools Bike Club 1st Annual Bike Rodeo

2010-01-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

When: Saturday January 23, 2010
Where: AmeriSchools Parking Lot
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (volunteers 12 – 4)
What: An event to teach real-world bicycle safety via 5 stations that simulate actual biking situations bikers encounter on their bikes.
Who: Open to current bike club members and to any other student (grades 5-8) and parent(s). A parent must be in attendance with the student.
Bring: Your bike, helmet and a parent

Sponsored by: AmeriSchools Academy, Valley Metro, Karma Racer, Arizona Bicycle Club

Volunteers needed! We need 25 volunteers to help make this a successful event for your child and the students. Please help….call 602.532.0100 ASAP to sign up. Thank you!

Dec Issue of Sprocketeer Published

2010-01-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

You can view the latest Sprocketeer online here.

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2010-01-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

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January General Membership Meeting, Agenda

2010-01-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Meeting Date/Time: 1/18/2010, 6:30 pm

General Membership Meeting

Meeting Location: Boulders on Broadway, 530 W. Broadway, Tempe, AZ

Agenda

Call for general member items for agenda and discussion
Call for new/additional business from Board/Advisory members
Upcoming meetings and attendance by CAzB

MAG Bike/Ped Committee meeting: Tuesday, 1/19, 10:00 am (Bob B)
Valley Metro Bike Month Planning Committee Mtg: Tuesday, 1/19, ? (?)
ADOT/LAB Bike Friendly State application mtg: Friday, 1/22, 10:00 am (Bob B)

Receipt of any nominees/suggestions for open CAzB positions:

Open Board seat due to Charles Sobczak resignation
Open Treasurer position
Open Advisory seat due to Peter Mather resignation
Open Newsletter editor position

2010 Goals/Objectives – Working Session
New business/other matters
Adjournment

Bike Ed on a roll

2009-11-10T21:25:00.001-08:00

The Fall 2009 Bike Ed season got off to a rolling start on November 7, 2009. CAzBike LCI's Gene Holmerud and Kathy Mills offered the LAB Traffic Skills 101 Curriculum. Classes are offered free of charge, and available in Phoenix and Tucson.
To find classes visit www.cazbike.org/BikeEd .

Cave Creek Bicycle Festival: Nov 13-15

2009-11-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

"For the sake of open space"
Cave Creek Bicycle Festival
Your Passport to cycling the Desert Foothills
November 13, 14 and 15, 2009
...more info...

Message from the President

2009-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

To the Membership, Prospective Members and Partners of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists,

Recently, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists held board of directors and officer elections. During that process, I was elected your CAzB president, which I consider both an honor and a challenge ...read the rest of this message

Memorial Ride for Safety XII, Oct 24

2009-10-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

The 2009 theme is Safety and Share the Road. Join The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists and Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club for this great ride. The routes are 100 K and 35 miles through Carefree and scenic vistas of Tonto National Forest and Pinnacle Peak.
The ride will be held October 24, 2009.

FULL INFO and mail-in Pre-REGISTRATION HERE
(Pre-reg now closed...)

Ride of Honor: Nov 7

2009-10-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

The “Ride of Honor” in Mesa is a free, family-friendly educational event including a non-competitive 11-mile ride as a visual memorial to injured and killed cyclists. More info at the Not One More Foundation.