Rider of the Week: Friends on the path

November 25, 2011 • Posted by: Michael McKisson

Friends Alicia Griffith and Matthew Arellano ran into each on the Rillito River bike path Sunday. Alicia was riding with her two-year-old son, Sebastian.

Commuting to work is too far for Alicia to do by bike, but she says she always carpools with co-workers. She uses her bike for short trips including picking up Sebastian from preschool every day. She especially enjoys riding with him this time of year because the weather is so pleasant.

Matthew says he primarily rides his bike on the path system to get some exercise. He’d like to see more of the paths connected from Oro Valley to the Rillito.

Alicia says if she could do anything to improve cycling in Tucson, she would change the attitude of the average motorist. She says many motorists aren’t safe and have a bad attitude toward cyclists.

She knows three people who have been hit in the last few months, all are ok, but she says it illustrates that Tucson is not a safe place to ride bikes.

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This thought curiously parallels that on the Jim Click thread. Where's the bicycling line of influence drawn when considering alternate transportation? We are a sub-group looking for a group. There is no advisory group for pedestrians, bus riders or rail riders. If there exists a grand master transportation plan for the region ( I think there might be), what is their vision and why don't we hear more about it. Bicycles don't get much in the alternative transpo world. It may look like a lot compared to the others forms that get nothing and I'll wager the other jurisdictions aren't happy with all the regional money eaten up by the UA, Downtown street car line. Bicycling may be looked to as the major player because we have at least managed to form a representative group - such as it is, but we're way not equipped to say how it should be overall. Yea, I recall the existence of some transportation advisory group, but I don't think anyone can sit through the meetings.

Red Star

Good points, zz. There is need for improvement in Tucson/Pima in all alternative transpo modes in the usual under-served areas as well as in the sprawl.

Red Star

"Commuting to work is too far for Alicia to do by bike, but she (sic) says she always carpools with co-workers." Integrating bikes with Suntran's major stops and with carpool terminals (carpool terminals being hypothetical in the Old Pueblo, of course) isn't on the Tucson Pima BAC agenda in a serious way. Perhaps BAC is thinking about another way to achieve platinum status...

straw

The problem with bike and bus in Tucson is only two slots on the bus bike racks or did you mean ride to a theoretical carpool/bus terminus and then leave the bike behind to retrieve it on the way home? How would what you're advocating work? Sun Tran does have several bleak asphalt Park and Ride lots. The only one I'm past on a regular basis is at Palo Verde the Aviation bike path and it is largely empty.

Red Star

No, Red Star wasn't thinking about bus-mounted bike carry racks. The bus-mounted racks seemed to be implemented and used. There doesn't seem to be much left to do. But that doesn't mean the Old Pueblo can't be even smarter about its bikes and its Suntran and get serious about the problem, especially in its sprawl land: "Using Bicycles for the First and Last Mile of a Commute" at: http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/BikeCommute.pdf The conference is California-centric and train-centric, at times tedious and turgid, utopian and dystopian. Like most conferences. Yet there are ideas for the Old Pueblo to think about and discuss.

straw

Thanks, I had figured out to replace train with bus but found that confusing because the largest portion of the discussion in that conference regarding trains was regarding reliably allowing more bicycles on to the train. You had said no the 2 bikes per bus thing is in place and working. I don't recall complaining about your wasting my time and my time is no more precious than yours or anyone else's. On the contrary your links are almost always worth the read. I do appreciate your explanation. We are in agreement, c) I'm often in attendance at the BAC meetings so I do know things are presented and discussed. I have in the past been annoyed by that body's tendency to dwell in the meta. Things do seem to be improving. I have been told more than once that the real work takes place not at the BAC meeting but in the sub committee meetings. So far I haven't managed to make it to a downtown subcommittee meeting but I'll get to one eventually.

Red Star

Spelling things out without wasting the entire alphabet or your oh so precious time, let's try multiple choice: a) BAC could do more to study and perhaps promote improved integration of cycling and Suntran. b) BAC should do more to study and perhaps promote improved integration of cycling and Suntran. c) a and b. d) none of the above. Red Star circles c) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As for your "I see you've left unanswered several of my questions. Let me reiterate, what in that very long essay on trains do you see as pertaining to the situation in Tucson..." First, replace in the conference report, replace "train" with "bus." Second, note that issues do get discussed and presented.

Straw

Looking at the role of PAG in the region and the resources available to it versus the BAC which is an advisory board with absolutely no real power or access to resources I think I'll go with PAG however that's just a digression. The real topic as introduced by you is I think how the BAC has got it all wrong and they're missing some sort of opportunity for advocacy. I'm not arguing with you. I'm simply trying to understand what is that your point is. And yes maybe I'm not so clever or swift so please spell it out for me. I see you've left unanswered several of my questions. Let me reiterate, what in that very long essay on trains do you see as pertaining to the situation in Tucson and what do you see as the role of the BAC in the solution and no, linking to the mission statement doesn't count. All I'm doing is following up on your initial comment with questions of clarification. Reading those conference notes was not an insignificant investment in understanding your point of view. I don't think it's unfair to ask you to clarify what exactly it is you're getting at.

Red Star

"How does the BAC figure into all of this? I'd see it as more of a PAG issue." Given the Vision/Mission/Goals statement at: http://biketucson.pima.gov/ Can you explain your claim...

straw

Ok I read it. It's really all about trains and the bay area. Sure some of what they talk about applies to Tucson but most of what they talked about is the uncertainty of being able to get a bike on a train. So we're back to the buses and their 2 slots on the rack. Same problem different mode. So where are the ideas for the Old Pueblo? How does the BAC figure into all of this? I'd see it as more of a PAG issue.