What can be done for bike, pedestrian safety?

May 17—A recent Tribune story showed most of the vehicle vs. pedestrian recent cases in Mesa were not the fault of drivers, but often-intoxicated pedestrians disobeying laws.

But today's story shows the opposite in recent vehicle-vs- bike cases: The bikers were obeying laws in bike lanes and crosswalks when drivers took them out.

In both cases, what can be done — especially this week, as school ends and thousands of kids will be walking, running and biking around the city — to make Mesa safer for non-drivers?

Luis Montes of the group BikeMesa said the city is not alone: "Mesa, like the rest of the Phoenix area, is incredibly dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians."

But he stressed solutions are out there waiting for action.

"There are a million things that can be done better. Mesa's focus has been on recreational riding for years without any consideration for people that use bikes for commuting or going to school," Montes said.

"Safe and equitable transportation for anyone not in a car is a mere afterthought."

Ric Castillo, also of BikeMesa, said it boils down to logic and planning: "I would wager if more people merely gave it some thought, we would build more consensus about a prescient, human-friendly transportation network in our massive rectangle of a city here in Mesa."

Castillo said his group has bullet points they are encouraging city leadership to consider:

—Discussing the non-arterial city street slurry seal and repair schedule to approach the possibility of a more cogent restriping to better facilitate bicycles. This idea is continually floated as a near no-additional cost and resource-friendly way to make some common-sense changes.

—Partnering with the city Transportation Department to encourage outreach and data collection beyond places of recreational curiosity and include residents and entities actually relying on safe walking, bicycling or otherwise multimodal (mostly non-automobile) transportation.

—Strengthening key areas of density as special hubs for bicycles and pedestrian safety — such as. Dobson Ranch, Downtown West, Downtown, Baseline Corridor, Main Street East, and Signal Butte Road.

—Promoting increased awareness of contiguous and safe bicycle and pedestrian routes that are also efficient and plausible for the average person to traverse.

Vice Mayor Jenn Duff agrees with the philosophy of BikeMesa.

"My opinion would be to prioritize people instead of cars," Duff said. "This means making sure we have wide sidewalks and multimodal lanes for bikes, scooters, etc. at the risk of creating congestion which actually slows traffic which is actually safer for people. Traditionally, we add more lanes for cars and eliminate people spaces, especially bike lanes."

Councilman Francisco Heredia seconds Duff's priorities.

"I think one way to improve the safety for bicyclists is to add more bike lanes and create a real network of bike lane options for our bikers. It would allow them to have better and safer access to key parts of the city and not have to worry about riding in vehicle traffic lanes to get there," said Heredia, who represents the west side of Mesa.

"To go along with that, I think an investment to create more distinctive bike lanes is another valuable tool that can increase safety, both for the bicyclist and the vehicles," Heredia continued, adding:

"Having a lane that is unmistakably for bikers, such as painting the lanes green, provides more of a buffer between the bikes and the cars and gives the vehicles clear indicators of where the bike lanes are," Heredia said.

And, he stressed, the city needs to make sure "our intersections that traditionally see the most bicycle traffic have bike-friendly options.

"Buffers to stop, traffic lights that signal bicyclists to go and protected curb extensions are all things that can help with safety and make Mesa more bike friendly."

In November, Mesa voters approved a $100 million "Mesa Moves" bond issue for road and other transportation infrastructure projects.

BikeMesa is eager to see a chunk of that money spent on bike paths and trails.

"Mesa currently has a single paved canal path, the Consolidated Canal/Sun Circle Trail," Montes said. "It's nice, but it does not alone make a network. We need to connect it to public transportation — light rail stations at Dobson and at Gilbert at least — and pave a path along the other canals.

"We also have no safe way of getting to Downtown Mesa on a bicycle from any direction. This needs to be a focus."

The Transportation Advisory Board meets at 5:30 p.m. May 18. The live meeting may be listened to by calling 888-788-0099 or 877-853-5247 using meeting ID 530 123 2921 and following the prompts.

Results of an Active Transportation (bicycle and pedestrian) projects survey will be discussed at the meeting. The board is developing recommendations that will be presented to Mesa City Council this summer.

Mesa City Council recently held its first study session on how to spend that $100 million, plus $62 million in matching state funds.

Duff, who represents the downtown area where many of the vehicles-vs.-pedestrians/bikers accidents take place, is adamant about not using the money to simply widen streets and avenues.

"Adding more lanes attracts more cars and higher speeds," said Duff. "Cars traveling faster make it more unsafe for pedestrians, bicyclists etc. and reduce local economic exchange — faster cars, moving from point A to point B reducing the likelihood for stopping at local places and if they do, slowing the traffic to enter/exit the businesses and create more hazards for everyone, drivers and pedestrians."

She said wider perimeter roads and freeways are fine.

"Our interior streets should be made for people, business and residential access, slower streets, bike and multimodal lanes. Everything we design, whether a building or street is for cars first and foremost and we wonder why people aren't safe on the sidewalks and bike lanes," Duff said.

She also wants to make sure that in creating or extending bike paths, the city keeps its focus on those who use bicycles as transportation — as opposed to "recreational bikers."

"Mesa has a recreational cycling community and we've made strides to improve our infrastructure to make safe, enjoyable paths along the canals and recreational facilities," Duff said.

"Using an equity lens, we need to look at our paths for safe transit for people biking to work, shopping, errands, public transit, to name a few. We need more connected paths centrally for these purposes."

She noted an economic benefit for working families: "Transportation is a component of affordable housing. If families could eliminate a second or even a primary car, they could spend those monies on housing, food, medical and other life necessities.

"Biking also reduces our carbon imprint and contributes to personal health — if we can bike safely."

During a recent study session, a 2018 "Bicycle Master Plan" showed bike routes and paths covering the city, with "a goal being to circle the city."

But a current map of Mesa's bike routes shows the city is nowhere near this goal.

Montes said he is frustrated that Mesa is moving backwards, as far as biking.

"While other cities have increased cycling safety during the pandemic, Mesa is actually at a net loss of over a mile of off-street bike/pedestrian infrastructure due to SRP ripping out asphalt pavement along the Eastern Canal last year, specifically the stretch from Broadway to Baseline," Montes said.

"There is some hope that funding from the bond programs of the 2018 and 2020 elections could be used to help build equitable transportation infrastructure, (but) there is no guarantee that city officials will do the right thing. If they do in fact use the money fairly, it will be years until we actually see any improvements.

"The design and construction of multi-use paths in Mesa progress at an embarrassingly slow rate."

He encourages anyone with similar interests to reach out to BikeMesa. The group's mission statement: "We're working to make bicycling a prominent, safe, and convenient form of transportation and recreation in Mesa, Arizona and surrounding areas through education, grassroots events, and civic participation."

For more information, visit facebook.com/groups/bikemesa.