Tempe Bicycle Action Group » Advocacy

Action Alert – Bicycling Funding Threatened

Ryan — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:16:23 +0000

Write to your Representative here: http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=60927571

House Bill Reverses Decades of Progress on Bike/Ped
It’s so much worse than we thought.

Today, the House releases its transportation bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Act. Please click here to contact your member of Congress.

Last week, we knew the bill would be bad news for biking and walking. But we didn’t think it would go so far as to completely cut every reference to bicycling and walking out of the federal transportation policy.

House leadership is pressing to eliminate bicycling and walking in the Transportation bill:

Destroys Transportation Enhancements by making the program optional
Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school
Allows states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles
Eliminates bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs
Eliminates language that insures that rumble strips “do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled”

But we can still save biking and walking in this bill. This week in the Transportation Committee, Representative Petri (R-WI) will stand up for bicycling and walking by offering an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Mr. Petri can only be successful if everyone with a stake in safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways contacts their Representative on the Transportation Committee again today to urge them to vote YES on the Petri amendment! If your Representative is not on the committee, please ask them to urge their collegues to vote for the amendment.

This is as urgent as it gets. Even if we do win this amendment, there will be a long road ahead. But if we lose here, we risk losing decades of progress.

We know we are asking a lot of you and we thank you for all you’re doing to preserve biking and walking.

Attention Cyclists – Provide input on Design Guidelines for Tempe Streetcar – Wed. Feb 8th

Aaron — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:19:59 +0000

Please join us there – it will be essential for cyclists’ concerns to be heard.

METRO invites you to attend a public meeting to review and comment on the Urban Design Guidelines (UDG) for the 2.6-mile Tempe Streetcar project that will serve the downtown and Central Tempe community.

The UDG is a document that will provide the future project designers with guidelines for how the streetcar stops should look, including concepts for seating, lighting, platform paving treatments, canopies, etc.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012
6 – 8 p.m.; presentation at 6:15 p.m.
Tempe Transportation Center, Don Cassano Room
200 E. 5th St., Tempe, 85281

For more information, see: http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_projects_planning/tempe_streetcar/

and http://www.tempe.gov/tim/TempeStreetcar.htm

TBAG teams with the ASU Design Studio – Join Us!

Aaron — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:38:11 +0000

TBAG will begin a design exercise to develop marketing materials related to bicycling, bike safety, or respectful driving – the specific campaign is still being decided. If you are interested in joining the TBAG team, email Aaron. We will meet with the design studio three times: on Monday, Feb. 6th at 2:30 PM, on Monday, Feb. 13th, at 2:30 PM, and on the 27th, to see the final designs.

Tempe Bicycle Action Group and Farmer Avenue BICYCLE PUBLIC ART

eric — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:04:16 +0000

TBAG and the Mitchell Park Neighborhood are moving forward with an exciting bicycle public art project for 2012. In the fall of 2011 a committee made up of a public artist, Mitchell Park neighbors and TBAG board members conducted a competitive artist and concept selection process. More than 15 fifteen Arizona public artists were considered. A Tempe-based artist team by the name of coLAB was selected in December.

The concept for the public art (see attached images) involves bicycle sculptures and large boulders that will be placed in 4 locations along Farmer Avenue (between University Drive and 13^th Street) that will serve as a permanent monument to the importance of bicycling in Tempe, the contributions of TBAG to the community, and help deepen the emphasis of creating bikeable, sustainable corridors for our town and to serve as a model for land use and transportation. In the words on the artist team, coLAB: “The people-powered vehicle (bicycle) is immensely efficient and useful, and can drastically change the outlook for future balance between man and nature.”

The city of Tempe and TBAG is currently working with the artist team to finalize designs. Construction of the artwork is expected to happen late Spring/early Summer 2012, with a dedication ceremony anticipated soon thereafter. This important project will help transform the street and further emphasize TBAG’s role in shaping Tempe and beyond as a bicycle region.

Eric Iwersen

e...@biketempe.org

eric...@tempe.gov

480-239-9593

Check out the concept pdf: TBAGbicycleART.pdf

Phoenix Installs Sharrows and BMUFL Signs

Ryan — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:23:10 +0000

The City of Phoenix installed Sharrows and Bikes May Use Full Lane signs along 48th St South of Guadalupe over the past few weeks. Read all about it on the CAzB blog: http://blog.cazbike.org/2012/01/phoenix-places-slms-and-bumfl-signs.html and with some technical analysis on AZBikeLaw: http://azbikelaw.org/blog/48th-street-piedmon t-to-guadalupe/

Good work City of Phoenix!

Jan/Feb Advocacy Updates

Aaron — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:54:10 +0000

Hello bike advocates – this month has a lot of important events.

We need your help with the bike count – a new organizing committee is forming and there is a lot to do. Email Scott to get on our planning committee list.
We are also working with an ASU College of Design class to develop an ad campaign for bike safety – join us as we meet with the students to give them feedback in mid-February – see more info here.
Also – note the upcoming streetcar meeting on Wednesday, Feb 8th – see more infohere.

Please email Aaron if you are interested in helping out with any of this, or have other ideas for advocacy projects.

Recap: Youth Bike Summit 2012

Robert — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:15:52 +0000

As the Tempe Bicycle Action Group Youth Coordinator, I attended this year’s Youth Bike Conference in New York City to meet with other organizations and learn about programs targeting at-risk-youth. I was very impressed by the number of young people working to improve cycling throughout the country. I also learned a lot about different programs that recycle bicycles and help those in need. I attended workshops on fundraising, organizing bike rides and community advocacy. I would like to Recycle-A-Bicycle for hosting this years event. They did a great job and made everyone feel at home in the Big Apple. http://www.recycleabicycle.org

Robert Chacon T.B.A.G. Youth Coordinator

City of Tempe Soliciting Comments for University Drive Bike/Ped Project

Ryan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:03:28 +0000

The city of Tempe is soliciting feedback from residents, businesses and organizations about a project to improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities, enhance the streetscape and calm traffic on University Drive

between the Union Pacific Railroad just east of Farmer Avenue and Priest Drive. This project is funded with $1.1 million in federal grant money. If you would like to add your comments and/or see the current project status please visit: http://www.tempe.gov/tim/Traffic/UniversityDr.htm

Some TBAG board members attended the initial meeting on January 12th, and we are very excited about this project and its positive impact on the downtown Tempe area. Let us and the City of Tempe know your ideas. The next public meeting is in March where City officials will present design concepts based on the feedback they have received.

University Drive Bicycle & Pedestrian Project Open House – Thursday 1/12

Ryan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:08:12 +0000

Thursday 1/12 – 6pm @ Westside Multi-Gen Center at 715 W. Fifth Street, Tempe. http://www.tempe.gov/tim/Traffic/UniversityDr.htm

“The city of Tempe is holding an open house to talk with residents, businesses and organizations about a project to improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities, enhance the streetscape, and calm traffic on University Drive between Farmer and Priest”

TBAG has been a long time supporter of this project. We’re excited about the possibilities for bike and pedestrian improvements along this very important route. Please make your comments on the online form at the link above, and attend the meeting on Thursday.

Bike the new Buffered Bike Lane on Central Ave in Phoenix!

joe — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:20:14 +0000

Sun. Jan 8, 12:00 NOON
We are meeting at Stinkweeds, 12 West Camelback.
Stinkweeds opens at 12:00 noon for on time arrivers.
Early arrivers can shop around the excellent shops on the northwest corner of Camelback and Central.
At Stinkweeds parking lot we will discuss these possible destinations: Postino, Windsor/Churn, TrailHead Cafe, SunUp Brewery.
12pm – We will be riding the new BUFFERED bike lanes on Central Ave from Camelback to Bethany Home then to Camelback then to Bethany Home then to Camelback then to Bethany. (a series of out and backs)
1pm-Lunch at Postino
2pm-we will do another hour of circles OR we could ride to Trail Head Cafe via AZ Canal then SunUp brewery.
3pm-Windsor/Churn OR TrailHead Cafe
4pm-more bike riding.
5pm-SunUp Brewery /End of Event
http://www.facebook.com/events/279859675396754/