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April 2018 Newsletter

Hooray for Valley Bike Month! Let's ride.

Bike Advocacy

Show us the money!
City of Phoenix budget hearings are happening this month. If you've never attended one you're missing an important lesson in democracy: The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Want to speak up but don't know what to say? Here's what we think.

Statewide bicycling summit Friday, April 6
Connect with cyclists and advocates from around Arizona and hear about e-bike regulations, how projects get funded and more. See you there?

Important community discussion on equity
Don't miss your chance to meet internationally known speaker and motivator Gil Penalosa on Saturday, April 7. Free, open to the public.

Third and Fifth Avenue Update
We continue our fight for these important bike routes, attending meetings on the topic with City officials and the Willo Neighborhood Association March 8 and the Citizens Transportation Commission on the 29th. Our takeaway? Lots of meetings, little progress.

Melrose District Ribbon Cutting
Our friends at the Community Alliance of Seventh Avenue work hard to make their 'hood more bike friendly. On April 21 they're dedicating a new community bike rack. Join them?

Phoenix Bicycle Forum April 28
With the theme “making connections,” the Phoenix Bicycle Forum is a day of learning, idea sharing and networking with transportation leaders, city representatives, bicycle advocates and community members. What a great way to wrap up Valley Bike Month!

March meeting
Thanks to all who joined us March 24, including representatives from the Rob Dollar Foundation. We look forward to partnering with them to make Phoenix a better place to ride bikes.

ASU official named Tempe Bike Hero
Congrats to JC Porter at ASU! Porter, a bike commuter, implemented several bike-related initiatives and was named the City of Tempe's 2018 Bike Hero. Related: Records show lowest number of bike thefts at ASU in years.

Here's the map we've needed forever
Tempe Bike Action Group member Jeff Caslake created this map of Valley bike shops, and we think it's pretty terrific! It's crowdsourced; so submit additions or corrections here. Bravo, Jeff!

Bike Fun!

PHX Downtempo Bikes & Budgets
Downtempo will ride to a budget hearing and politely remind the City of Phoenix that we ride bikes, and they have a duty to let us do it safely and comfortably. Ride along!

Rusty Spoke craft night
Join us on April 10 for a fun night turning old bike parts into bottle openers and other cool stuff!

Bike Prom, Saturday, April 21
Get your tickets now for Bike Prom! This year it's a Comic Prom - Come as your favorite cartoon character, superhero or imaginary friend. Enjoy dancing, a photo booth, prizes and food trucks.

Bike to Work Day is April 18
The Phoenix Bike to Work ride has breakfast burritos and prize drawings, while Tempe's event has nine different breakfast stops. Check out all the B ike to Work Day events.

Check out all the Valley Bike Month fun!
Join us and our friends from Valley Metro as we celebrate cycling throughout April. There are contests, challenges, rides and more. C heck it out! Design by Michael Faulkner, @mfaulkaz

Rise & Grind
Bike buddies old and new meet on Friday mornings for a smile and cup 'o Joe. Location changes weekly.

Leisure Reading

Are dockless bikeshare bikes a cybersecurity threat? Citylab thinks maybe so.
Have you had a recent near-miss on your bike? Want to alert other cyclists of a hazard? Use Bikemaps.org - a crowdsourced tool for mapping bike safety.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Designing for All Ages and Abilities handbook is a great reference for infrastructure recommendations.
The Atlantic published a mesmerizing photo essay of huge piles of abandoned and impounded dockless bikeshare bikes in China.
Fighting urban decay? Forget "broken windows," think "busy streets!"