Phoenix Spokes People was incorporated on June 8, 2015; we're turning 8 years old in 2023. That makes this our Golden Birthday, so we’re celebrating with a Golden Hour Golden Birthday Bike Ride! 

The extra-festive ride starts on Thursday, June 8^th at 6 p.m. We’ll meet under the Central Avenue Bridge and roll out around 6:30 p.m. This will be a leisurely ride about 10 miles long. There will be a stop at Steele Indian School Park to snap some pics of the golden sunset and enjoy some birthday treats.

Then it’s back to Hance Park where those who want to party on can join the RadSnackz #CriticalMassPhoenix ride at 8 p.m. Come celebrate with us!

You don’t need to have your own bike (or e-scooter) to support PSP!

We’re excited to announce we’re a Lime Hero partner organization. That means every time you rent a Lime e-bike or e-scooter you can round up to the nearest dollar and PSP gets to keep the change.

More than 85,000 Lime Hero riders have already helped to raise more than $260,000 globally for non-profit organizations and we’re excited to have been approved for this program. Funds will help us publish this newsletter and continue our advocacy and outreach work. Donations also keep initiatives and programs such as our Bike Valet service and annual Luminaria ride.

So next time you use Lime, sign up for the Hero program and select Phoenix Spokes People as the organization you want to support!

As our regular readers know, Phoenix approved – and funded! – Vison Zero in 2022. Later, the city folded the initiative into the Road Safety Action Plan and delegated the Vision Zero portion to a subcommittee.

The subcommittee held its its first meeting in May and we had some concerns. One is that Vision Zero subcommittee meetings were scheduled to be quarterly. We worried about losing momentum when it came to creating real-world, tangible changes that keep road users safe. We’re thrilled to report the next subcommittee meeting is scheduled for June 21 at 5 p.m. - as opposed to in August.

We’ll be there as usual to ask questions, advocate for actual action (read: not just surveys and community feedback, important as those are) and watch how Phoenix turns this key crucial component of road safety into action. We hope you'll join us in this incredibly important advocacy opportunity. 

We held elections in May for our Board of Directors and were thrilled with the amazing crop of bike enthusiasts and advocates that stepped up to help lead. We’re thrilled to announce our 2023-24 board members, including faces old and new. Given the enthusiasm and experience of this group, we know Phoenix Spokes People will be even more successful in its mission to make Phoenix a safer and more welcoming place to ride bikes.

PSP Officers

Annie Eldon, President
Dave Tapley, Vice President
Lara Sands, Secretary
John Walker, Treasurer

Board Members at Large

David Bickford (NEW MEMBER!)
Suzanne Day
Natasha Hughes
Bill McComas
Luke Parker (NEW MEMBER!)
Jay Plummer (NEW MEMBER!)
Laura Plummer (NEW MEMBER!)

We also thank our outgoing board members who helped us get to where we are today. Sending much gratitude to Joseph Perez, Spencer Dew and Yvette Hughes-Dueñas! 

Since June is our birthday month, our popular Second Saturday Ride will be a celebration! We’ll gather around 8 a.m. at Short Leash Hot Dogs, located at 4221 N. 7th Ave. That's when we enjoy pre-ride beverages, snacks and hellos. Roll out will be around 9 a.m. It’ll be about a 15-ish mile around town, probably with a break at a park at some point.

Since it’s a Birthday Bike Ride, we invite you to bring party hats, noisemakers, squirt guns and anything else festive you can think of to help us mark the occasion. Our return to Short Leash for post-ride snacks and such will continue the birthday party. If you make only one Second Saturday ride this year, you’ll want it to be this one!

Learn more on our Facebook page.

In 2017, Boston launched a Neighborhood Slow Streets program. The initiative allowed neighborhood residents to identify and nominate specific streets for safety infrastructure. Improvements included anything from calming speed humps to crosswalk improvements. It was extremely popular and people loved it. 

Recently, Boston decided to double-down on road safety. It is replacing the Neighborhood Slow Streets program with a “safety surge.” Instead of neighborhoods nominating streets, the Boston Transportation Department is simply going to install hundreds of new speed humps and crosswalk improvements wherever necessary. Eliminating the nomination process means more streets can be made safer far more quickly.

It's a deeply refreshing change of pace to see a city lean into creating safer spaces for all road users. As ever, we are unfortunately left wondering why Phoenix can’t do the same.

Become a PSP Member

• A fan of friendly, casual bike events? 
• Wanting better bicycle infrastructure and safer streets? 
• Looking for fun, impactful volunteer activities?