2023 October Newsletter
"Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride."
~ Eddy Merckx
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It’s our favorite time of year: BIKETOBER! It's a month filled with lots of great bike-themed events. Of course, we believe one of the best ways to celebrate is to pedal to our Bike Bazaar at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. If you can't make that one-day event, there's always our signature Second Saturday Ride! We also have a date set for next month's Hans Hughes Memorial Ride in honor of the World Day of Remembrance. Advocacy never stops, however, so check out the the details on this month’s Vision Zero Community Advisory Committee meeting, which we urge you attend. And, if you've been putting off becoming a member of PSP there's no time like the present! Feel free to virtually come by the PSP monthly public meeting to check us out, first -- details and link to that are below.
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Bike Bazaar is Back!
A favorite event amongst locals, the Phoenix Downtown Farmers Market gets even better in Biketober thanks to our Bike Bazaar!
On Saturday, October 21, join us for a bike-tastic day at the Phoenix Downtown Farmers Market. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can browse a special section where local artisans sell bike-related accessories, arts and crafts!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Phoenix Spokes People event if it didn't have a ride to join at 9 a.m., too! Enter our raffle for your chance to win a Lectric E-Bike.
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BIKETOBER
Second Saturday Ride!
If you’re ready to get back on the bike after a summer hiatus, there’s no better way to welcome Phoenix’s bike season than by joining the PSP Second Saturday Ride.
Meet us at Short Leash Hot Dogs, located at 4221 N 7th Ave., on Saturday, October 14 at 8 a.m.
Nosh on Rollover doughnuts and introduce yourselves to each other and Jay, this month’s honorary ride leader (don’t worry – Bill is fine; he’ll just be out of town that week).
A 14-mile-ish ride starts at 9 a.m. with a break sometime around the halfway point.
As always, we’ll end up back where we started at Short Leash. It’ll be open by then so most of us tend to stick around for drinks, snacks and excellent company.
These are family-friendly, social rides during which no one gets left behind. It’s a great way to kick off the weekend and we can't wait to see you!
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Vision Zero Community Subcommittee Meeting
When the Phoenix City Council approved Vision Zero last year, it folded the initiative under the city’s main Road Safety Action Plan.
To implement the Vision Zero part of the RSAP, the city appointed 11 people to a Vision Zero Community Advisory Committee.
Initially, the committee was going to meet only four times a year. We knew that wasn’t enough for meaningful, impactful change. Thanks to your advocacy, the subcommittee now meets every other month.
The next online meeting is Thursday, October 19, at 5 p.m.
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SAVE THE DATE
Hans Hughes Memorial Ride
November 19, 2023, is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It’s a day when people the world over honor those lost to road deaths and call for justice.
Phoenix Spokes People will host a ride to remember Hans Hughes and too many other fallen friends on Sunday, November 19. Let this be your way to take part in World Remembrance Day.
Each year, 1.3 million people are killed or injured on roads every single year around the world, according to the National Institutes for Health.
Here in Phoenix, we lost Hans Hughes, a beloved figure who brought smiles and joy to so many people in downtown Phoenix each day.
Hans died in 2021 after being hit by a drunk driver while riding his bike. Hans was hit on August 20 and succumbed to his injuries more than a month later, on September 21.
In 2022, thanks to the steadfast advocacy of the bike community, the city created the Hans Hughes Memorial Bikeway on Fillmore Street. The bikeway removed parking to create buffered and protected bike lanes and two traffic lanes on Fillmore Street from Central Avenue to 7 th Street.
Keep your eye on this space and our Facebook page for details about the ride. |
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October
PSP Public Meeting
Ever wonder how Phoenix Spokes People does it all? Advocacy, social bike rides, bike valet and bike-themed special events like our Biketober Bike Bazaar – it’s a lot of work and it’s all volunteer-driven.
We invite you to join our monthly meeting and see how it’s all done. Though it is a board meeting, we’re a friendly, semi-informal bunch and always welcome new friends.
If you want to see just how we do it, join us for our PSP Public Meeting on Saturday, October 28 at 10 a.m. on Google Meet.
Join the meeting here: meet.google.com/orb-gffa-msr
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Become a PSP Member
Are you:
- A fan of friendly, casual bike events?
- Wanting better bicycle infrastructure and safer streets?
- Looking for fun, impactful volunteer activities?
Then an annual Phoenix Spokes People membership is for you! We are a group of urban bicyclists dedicated to making Phoenix a friendlier, more welcoming place to ride bikes. We believe cycling should be an easily accessible form of transportation for people of all ages, incomes and abilities, and we're working hard to make that come true.
For $20 a year ($15 for students) you can support our advocacy and community building and help cover costs like this newsletter and ride insurance. Thanks for your support!
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Bike Valet Returns!
Phoenix fall means plenty of events to ride to, including the Phoenix Downtown Farmers Market and Phoestivus.
Phoenix Spokes People has consistently provided a much-needed Bike Valet service at these events.
It works just like valet for cars. Attendees drop their bikes with us, and:
- A PSP volunteer takes the bike, stores it on a portable rack, and tags it with a claim check.
- Each claim check has a unique number, and a portion for the bike owner to keep.
- When the bike owner leaves the event they exchange their claim ticket stub for their bike. Easy!
But we need volunteers to keep Bike Valet going strong. Even if you have only an hour to give, we can promise you a fun time giving back to the local bike community. You'll meet fellow bicyclists and sometimes we even get event tickets, food, or swag (though we can't guarantee these perks).
Whether you're an event venue who is interested in having bike valet at your event or an amazing person who wants to volunteer to man the valet table, contact us at valet@phoenixspokespeople.org.
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The Bulletin Board
Where we keep the handy bits of info.
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- City of Phoenix’s new Bike Lane Projects website. Tracks all projects, even those that don't require a vote.
- Advocate often and easily with our handy-dandy advocacy cheat sheet.
- For $25 you can get a Share the Road license plate from the Arizona Department of Transportation. Proceeds from the plate benefit the Rob Dollar Foundation and Uphill Into the Wind, both nonprofit organizations that promote cycling for the greater good.
- City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department:
200 W. Washington St., 5th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: 602-262-6284 Fax: 602-495-2016 TTY: 711
Email: streetsp@phoenix.gov, www.phoenix.gov/bicycling
- Research Capital improvement projects. Includes links to meetings and email update sign-ups.
- Report a street maintenance issue or concern.
- View Planned street closures and restrictions.
- Use the PHX City Calendar to learn about upcoming city meetings, events, activities, and more.
- Report a collision, near-miss or bike hazard: Bikemaps.org.
- Report cars parked in bike lanes: call the Phoenix Police non-emergency line, 602.262.6151.
- Find a bike shop near you - anywhere in Maricopa County!
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