Weekend open thread: July 31- Aug 1

Hey Mike,Regarding Red Star's suggestion about at TPD bike patrol ride along, I did see one of their bike officers a couple weeks back that had an artificial leg - might be an interesting story there.

Maintenance is not consideredprogress; but, lack of maintenancesure results in regress.The approach to maintaining thingshere, I guess, partially results fromhow long things last in the desert.Things turn to rubble after 2-3 yearselsewhere if you don't address them.Here, it seems things slide off intooblivion and the city can get awaywith it. People complain some butthey don't really demand that theinfrastructure be attended to--tokeep it as nice as it should be.Comes down to a priority of budgetmanagement.It will have to be a higher priorityas things get more use by moreand more people.

Great list. Thanks.

1) Go on a ride-along with TPD bike patrol (if they even allow this, you'll probably have to use one of their bikes and sign many COT liability waivers). What do these people do all day?2) Graffiti on Aviation Bikeway signs, especially midtownish segments. These signs weren't cheap and were well-intentioned. As of a few weekends ago (July 4th) they were rendered useless with graffiti. Is that still the case and are pricey bike route signs naïve and fiscally unsustainable in the Old Pueblo? Do cyclists really need them or are they pricey graffiti-magnets?3) Flood conditions on Aviation Bikeway: now that the monsoon seems to be doing its thing in midtown, has the Aviation Bikeway been rendered useless?4) Long term cost of maintaining existing and prospective gee-whiz bicycle infrastructure in the Old Pueblo -- can COT afford it, is there the will, the demand? Many good ideas are out there and some credible implementation, but let's face it: the long haul lies beyond the career horizon of most planners.5) When will 3rd St. bike boulevard in Sam Hughes neighborhood be reclassified as a mountain bike route by COT?6) What happened to the possibility of a Tucson velodrome? If one googles it there was quite a buzz a few years ago, during the bubble years, then it just fell off the radar. Time for a status-check?7) Steal a bike and report back to us with findings. No, don't do that...ethics

Are there any stories you'd like me to report on? I've got my own list, but want to make sure I am getting you the news you want to read about.