The 3rd annual Tempe Bike Count takes place in just three weeks, on March 26-28.  Training meetings are in just two weeks.  Each of 50 intersections has an AM shift and a PM shift.  76 of those 100 shifts are still available.  You can sign up for just one 2 hour shift, or more shifts on more days if you want.

If you think you can make it, please sign up now to reserve your intersection, and so that I know that we’re going to have enough people, but do let me (scrottie@biketempe.org) know if you have to cancel or switch days.

RSVPs for training dates are used to figure out how much pizza to order.  Local comedian Tim Tagtmeyer will introduce the Bike Count and all of the ways to get confused that you never even thought of.

When:

The count will take place over three days. Each volunteer counts during commuting hours, with morning (7:00am to 9:00am) or afternoon (4:00pm to 6:00pm) shifts (or both).

• Tuesday, March 26th
• Wednesday, March 27th
• Thursday, March 28th

For full details on the Tempe Bike Count and to sign up please go to: http://www.biketempe.org/events/bike-count/

Why:

Traffic Engineering responds well to serious safety problems.  People ride bikes even where safe infrastructure doesn’t exist.  Often, the only way through is on roads like Southern, McClintock, or Rural, where bicycles were not taken into consideration.  The Bike Count lets us show the city where cyclists overwhelmingly feel they have to ride on the sidewalk, something that the city knows is not safe.  It also shows the City of Tempe how many bicycles do come out where safe facilities do exist, which helps them with their goals of smug reduction and congestion reduction.  The raw data has been requested by environmental engineering firms, traffic engineering grad students, and others.  The Bike Count is a fantastic way to encourage making Tempe bicycle friendly, and to quantify progress.  It helps the city help us!

Afterparty:

We’re throwing an appreciation party at Boulders on Broadway for our volunteers!  Come turn in your count sheets, have a beer, and tell tales of the craziness you saw out there on the streets of Tempe.

TBAG has two premier bicycle valets it puts on each year:  Oktoberfest and the Greater Arizona Beer Festival.

Oktoberfest, http://www.tempeoktoberfest.com, runs October 11-13.  The Greater Arizona Beer Festival, http://www.azbeer.com/tempe.htm, is March 2nd.

We need a Chief Volunteer to make sure these events happen!  Will that be you? Will you organize the legions of other volunteers into shifts, make sure fences get rented and delivered, get people to haul bike racks from storage, find the claim tickets, and make sure that cyclists have a safe place to leave their bike while they sample fine beers?  Get in touch with me (scrottie at biketempe.org).  Our bicycle valets are great visibility for TBAG and a great service for Tempe.  We would do more if we could — we’ve been asked to — but we need to make sure that these two happen.

Hey all you Token sellers, Beer slingers, Recycling crew, and all the rest of our hard working Volunteers… You already get a couple of mini rewards for your participation including the kinky tee shirt and fancy badge…

But that’s not all, oh no! In addition to these awesome things, TBAG & TdF Volunteers are welcome to bring your tired minds and bodies over to the SAIL INN for some live music and more good times.

STATESIDE PRESENTS has extended the invitation to our group to the party at SAIL INN, only a short walk or ride across from Tempe Beach Park – 26 S. Farmer Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281. All Volunteers for TdF will get half-price admission at the door. Just show them your Tour De Fat credentials badge and matching proof of 21+ID (no one under age 21, sorry). The offer is good all night.

STATESIDE has put together a solid lineup of bands, starting immediately after the Tour de Fat stage finale, with DJs and live music from 5pm till closing.

Who’s playing? Tour de Fat-featured artists He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, along with Milo Greene, the phenomenal JEFF the Brotherhood (have you seen these guys live?!), and AZ’s own Dry River Yacht Club. Check the Facebook event for full details.

What time: from 5:00pm to 12:00am on Sat Oct. 6th
Where: Sail Inn – 26 S. Farmer Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281

Ticket Link – http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/138159?utm_medium=bks
Facebook Event Page – http://www.facebook.com/events/487954667882552/

You have earned it, come out and enjoy. We’ll see you there.

The annual New Belgium Tour de Fat is on Saturday, October 6th this year. As you know, the event is run by volunteers and all proceeds go directly to the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective, the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona, and the Central Arizona Mountain Bike Patrol and others.

Volunteer are an indispensable part of the success of Tour de Fat. They make sure everyone had a great time and could share their love of bicycles.

The event in Tempe is one of the largest on New Belgium’s tour. We drew over 10,000 people last year, and we need about 300 volunteers to ensure that the event goes smoothly. As a volunteer you’ll get 2 free beer tokens & a volunteer t-shirt. Plus, it will be fun!

To sign up to volunteer, click here!

Jenn & Marci
Volunteer Coordinators

The Tempe Tour de Fat is just two months away, and we’re already excited about getting a great group of volunteers this year! Tour de Fat, which takes place on October 6^th at Tempe Town Lake, is a celebration of bikes, beers, and just getting weird. Our TBAG volunteers always keep things running smoothly, and are rumored to have the best costumes ever.

To stay in the loop, visit our TBAG Tempe Tour de Fat page and enter your email address under, “2012 Volunteer Sign-Up.” We’ll send you reminders once the volunteer signup opens, so that you can sign up quickly for your favorite team, shift, and position.

More details on Tempe Tour de Fat are coming soon, so keep your eyes open!

TBAG advocates had a busy spring. We have reps attending both the MAG bike/ped committee (thanks Peter!) and the Livable Communities Coalition (thanks Ryan S.!). We worked with the ASU Design School to develop an outreach campaign, which we are now finalizing and will launch as a Facebook ad this fall. Get in touch with Aaron if you are interested in helping out with anything or have any new advocacy ideas.

San Tan Wheelie Jam and Super Picnic

TBAG, working in partnership with City of Tempe Transportation, will host the second annual Tempe Bike Count between April 3rd–5th 2012. We need volunteers to help count bikes! You can sign up for just one shift on a single day, or more if you want. Sign up! Bring a friend!

Our goals for the bike count:

• Document the number of people currently cycling and monitor how the number changes over time
• Publish a report of findings from the bike count
• Use the information to help prioritize infrastructure improvements and traffic safety
• Share bike count data with the public, other organizations, governmental groups, and individuals

When:

The count will take place over three days. Each volunteer will count during commuting hours, one morning (7:00am to 9:00am) or one afternoon (4:00pm to 6:00pm). The same location can be covered over the span of the three days.

• Tuesday, April 3rd
• Wednesday, April 4th
• Thursday, April 5th

Training:
Volunteers are asked to attend one of the training meetings at the Tempe Transit Center 200 E. Fifth Street (near Forest and College avenues near the light rail station) in the Cassano Room on the second floor. You can sign up to volunteer at the training.

• Wednesday, March 28th
• Saturday, March 31st
• Monday, April 2nd

For full details on the Tempe Bike Count and to sign up please go to: http://www.biketempe.org/events/bike-count/