In the weekend open thread you can suggest story ideas, talk about what happened in the news last week, rail against cars, anything.

31 thoughts on “Weekend open thread: June 5”
  1. A lot of the other biking cities have large and organized advocacy groups, but Tucson doesn't. Do we need one?

  2. A lot of the other biking cities have large and organized advocacy groups, but Tucson doesn't. Do we need one?

  3. With Tucson's ridership at 2%-3% it sems the
    advocacy has been petty good.
    T-PCBAC is an ADVISORY committee and its
    members are government-sworn, so it really
    shies away from the advocacy label. I suppose
    the BAC could form a task force whose
    purpose was to coordinate clubs, businesses
    and other groups or people of interest into
    a single force that could provide some direction
    for the BAC. Right now, it's just riders looking out
    for rider's interest. And there's nothing wrong with
    that. People who aren't riding but want to, need to have
    a way to be heard and speak up. There's no proof
    that they are out there. The bike boulevards and
    continued cyclovia events may provide that.
    People need to man and woman up and ride their
    friggin' bicycles…..strength is only in numbers.

  4. With Tucson's ridership at 2%-3% it sems the
    advocacy has been petty good.
    T-PCBAC is an ADVISORY committee and its
    members are government-sworn, so it really
    shies away from the advocacy label. I suppose
    the BAC could form a task force whose
    purpose was to coordinate clubs, businesses
    and other groups or people of interest into
    a single force that could provide some direction
    for the BAC. Right now, it's just riders looking out
    for rider's interest. And there's nothing wrong with
    that. People who aren't riding but want to, need to have
    a way to be heard and speak up. There's no proof
    that they are out there. The bike boulevards and
    continued cyclovia events may provide that.
    People need to man and woman up and ride their
    friggin' bicycles…..strength is only in numbers.

  5. It makes me mad when delivery trucks park in Broadway's bike lanes. Actually it makes me mad when any vehicle parks in any bike lane, but big trucks in Broadway's shared bus/bike lanes are what I see most often.

  6. The more prominent cycling advocates are, the better things will get. Have you ever read the comment section on azstarnet.com in any article related to transportation? There are a lot of people who don't see or agree with what cyclists and pedestrians do or want. An independent advocacy group would help. The BAC helps, but it is not a group of non government related individuals. Who is the public influence directing the sway of the BAC? What happens if and when the BAC does something that a majority of cyclists doesn't agree with? Where's the public voice? Just some thoughts.

  7. To clarify:
    BAC members are from the public..they are appointed
    by their ward councilperson or county representative
    and then sworn-in.
    It's only reasonable that they would be cyclists or have
    an interest in cycling. BAC and its subcommittee
    meetings are open to the public and welcome input.
    Few from the public show up, however. Unless they
    are opposed to something.
    More people show up for the Tuesday Night Bike Ride
    than any BAC meeting.

  8. That was kind of my point, and yours too I think. I feel like there's a missing link. How are those people on the Tuesday night ride, regular commuters, etc going to get their information about what's happening in Tucson or have their voice as a mass of cyclists be heard? This website is part of that solution (though I'm sure Tucson Velo would also shy away from the label advocate as he's trying to stick to journalistic integrity). BICAS is too obviously. But like I said before I think there's always room for more.

  9. Yes, it can't hurt to have thoughtful, articulate folks advocating for bike safety etc. I've been in Austin for the last 9 days. The number of bikes on the streets is amazing. The number of bike shops is amazing. But what is absolutely confounding is the lack of enforcement by the Austin Police Department when it comes to parking in bike lanes. We're talking Dept of Public Safety allowing their own to park in the lane. No one is ticketed. One thing I heard this last week is that Texas has finally included a provision for cyclists who do not own automobiles to take a class to keep points from their state driver's license when they are ticketed. Before, if you were cited by police, you got points on your AUTOMOBILE driver's license. How does it work in Arizona?

  10. I've run into this a lot lately.
    I you want to know what's going on
    or have a say in it, you have to go to
    meetings or rely on people who report
    on the meetings. You can have a voice
    through your BAC representative.
    That's kind of the way it's set up to run.
    You can have a larger voice as a group
    if you all show up at a meeting or can
    direct several BAC members, but I don't
    see a missing link in the process.

  11. Well, this is a first – someone replying to
    themselves and I don't ever intend to hog
    the blog, but this is a major point.
    You see very little of the information
    discussed here in the newspaper or anywhere
    else. Mike shows up at a lot of meetings and
    does a lot of work to present the news. Tucson
    has to have two of the best bike blogs there are.
    Being informed takes work….from yourself or
    someone else. TucsonVelo has quickly become
    a reliable source of information exchange
    and it will and does have an effect on what is
    considered important. And the more people
    voice on it, the stronger it will get.

    Coghauler has no affiliation with TucsonVelo (dot) com,
    its owners or advertisers. ( Other than the Thursday morning
    bike ride ) He's just sayin'

  12. To clarify:
    BAC members are from the public..they are appointed
    by their ward councilperson or county representative
    and then sworn-in.
    It's only reasonable that they would be cyclists or have
    an interest in cycling. BAC and its subcommittee
    meetings are open to the public and welcome input.
    Few from the public show up, however. Unless they
    are opposed to something.
    More people show up for the Tuesday Night Bike Ride
    than any BAC meeting.

  13. That was kind of my point, and yours too I think. I feel like there's a missing link. How are those people on the Tuesday night ride, regular commuters, etc going to get their information about what's happening in Tucson or have their voice as a mass of cyclists be heard? This website is part of that solution (though I'm sure Tucson Velo would also shy away from the label advocate as he's trying to stick to journalistic integrity). BICAS is too obviously. But like I said before I think there's always room for more.

  14. The politicians who set policy do not seem to be making Tucson a more liveable and progressive City as a priority. The whole City suffers from too many gaps and sores that prevent the development of a cohesive linked City. Advocacy that makes alternative mode access a priority because it fits the kind of place they aspire to is what is needed here and is advocated for. Solid grass roots dialogue about the whole City being more cycle friendly and walkable and transit friendly is what we need to advocate for. Not just cycling.

  15. The politicians who set policy do not seem to be making Tucson a more liveable and progressive City as a priority. The whole City suffers from too many gaps and sores that prevent the development of a cohesive linked City. Advocacy that makes alternative mode access a priority because it fits the kind of place they aspire to is what is needed here and is advocated for. Solid grass roots dialogue about the whole City being more cycle friendly and walkable and transit friendly is what we need to advocate for. Not just cycling.

  16. Yes, it can't hurt to have thoughtful, articulate folks advocating for bike safety etc. I've been in Austin for the last 9 days. The number of bikes on the streets is amazing. The number of bike shops is amazing. But what is absolutely confounding is the lack of enforcement by the Austin Police Department when it comes to parking in bike lanes. We're talking Dept of Public Safety allowing their own to park in the lane. No one is ticketed. One thing I heard this last week is that Texas has finally included a provision for cyclists who do not own automobiles to take a class to keep points from their state driver's license when they are ticketed. Before, if you were cited by police, you got points on your AUTOMOBILE driver's license. How does it work in Arizona?

  17. I've run into this a lot lately.
    I you want to know what's going on
    or have a say in it, you have to go to
    meetings or rely on people who report
    on the meetings. You can have a voice
    through your BAC representative.
    That's kind of the way it's set up to run.
    You can have a larger voice as a group
    if you all show up at a meeting or can
    direct several BAC members, but I don't
    see a missing link in the process.

  18. Well, this is a first – someone replying to
    themselves and I don't ever intend to hog
    the blog, but this is a major point.
    You see very little of the information
    discussed here in the newspaper or anywhere
    else. Mike shows up at a lot of meetings and
    does a lot of work to present the news. Tucson
    has to have two of the best bike blogs there are.
    Being informed takes work….from yourself or
    someone else. TucsonVelo has quickly become
    a reliable source of information exchange
    and it will and does have an effect on what is
    considered important. And the more people
    voice on it, the stronger it will get.

    Coghauler has no affiliation with TucsonVelo (dot) com,
    its owners or advertisers. ( Other than the Thursday morning
    bike ride ) He's just sayin'

  19. James,

    You are right that I would shy away from the advocate label and do focus on trying to report the news honestly and accurately.

    I am glad it is clear that my objective is to report the news rather than advocate for anything.

    That being said, bikes rock!

  20. Cog,

    Thanks for the kind words. I agree with you that the more people who voice their thoughts here the better.

    I know that many of the people who make decisions related to bikes and transportation in the region read the site, so when you comment, they see it.

    Lastly, I am hoping that the sponsorships will begin to allow me to focus even more of my time on the site and start going to ALL the meetings, not just a lot of them.

    Thanks to all of you who read!

  21. Tucson has a Bicycle Diversion Program set up so riders who “earn” tickets have a way to get that ticket dismissed by attending a 4 hour FREE class. This can be taken once a year – cyclists are on the hook if they earn another ticket in the time frame.
    Depending on the ticket, cyclists can request that info not be given to MVD at the time the fine is paid.
    The County will soon be on board to allow the Diversion class . . . please stay tuned.

  22. As one of the government appointed members of the BAC and an active mountain bike advocate with the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, I support this message. 🙂

    I also read this blog practically daily to read about what y'all are talking about.

  23. You can't have a truly progressive city without affluence — something Tucson is sorely lacking. Look at the most progressive communities in the U.S. that have actually *done* something and they match up pretty well with high per-capita incomes — SanFran, Boston, Chicago (well, the North Side), New York, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle are pretty much it.

    Those cities were able to build the public transportation and pedestrian network that they have because they have tons of people who generate a lot of economic activity for their respective cities — high incomes, high levels of consumption of goods and services, high demand (and prices) for housing — all of which leads to revenue.

    Remember the Bloodspasm/Al Perry song about Tucson, “We Got Cactus”? If cactus is the only thing we have to offer, then we're definitely going to lose when Hawai'i's got beaches, LA's got Hollywood, and New York has nightlife.

  24. You can't have a truly progressive city without affluence — something Tucson is sorely lacking. Look at the most progressive communities in the U.S. that have actually *done* something and they match up pretty well with high per-capita incomes — SanFran, Boston, Chicago (well, the North Side), New York, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle are pretty much it.

    Those cities were able to build the public transportation and pedestrian network that they have because they have tons of people who generate a lot of economic activity for their respective cities — high incomes, high levels of consumption of goods and services, high demand (and prices) for housing — all of which leads to revenue.

    Remember the Bloodspasm/Al Perry song about Tucson, “We Got Cactus”? If cactus is the only thing we have to offer, then we're definitely going to lose when Hawai'i's got beaches, LA's got Hollywood, and New York has nightlife.

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  27. When the progressive wannabees go window shopping
    in other cities , then, what are they doing really? I
    don't get the sense that people would like Tucson to
    be any of those other cities. Do we have
    to frame our progressiveness within their perspectives?
    Like mjs says, without the affluence, we reasonably
    cannot. I agree the politicians are not doing their job by
    out-stretching our means and dictating from the top down,
    rather than listening from the bottom up. We can creatively
    respect the restrictions of our location and meet the desires
    of the population. We need to work on the vibrancy
    rather than the glitz. It seems a real lot of people are OK
    with Tucson as a small town-city with a non-franchised
    identity. We should be able to define a different mode of
    progressiveness that doesn't revolve around the spending
    and consumption of resources.

  28. When the progressive wannabees go window shopping
    in other cities , then, what are they doing really? I
    don't get the sense that people would like Tucson to
    be any of those other cities. Do we have
    to frame our progressiveness within their perspectives?
    Like mjs says, without the affluence, we reasonably
    cannot. I agree the politicians are not doing their job by
    out-stretching our means and dictating from the top down,
    rather than listening from the bottom up. We can creatively
    respect the restrictions of our location and meet the desires
    of the population. We need to work on the vibrancy
    rather than the glitz. It seems a real lot of people are OK
    with Tucson as a small town-city with a non-franchised
    identity. We should be able to define a different mode of
    progressiveness that doesn't revolve around the spending
    and consumption of resources.

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