Bike Friendly Beautiful Mesa ... Mesa, AZ

Mesa Arizona is a bike friendly place. In addition to being a friendly place -- it is inherently bike positive. City planning is done with input from bikers. Every new project is done with consideration for bikers. Most major streets have bike lanes and there in no onstreet parking. You are probably thinking, "This guy hasn't been on a bike in thirty years, what does he know about planning." I just read the plan. In addition to the bike lanes there are miles of canals with bike trails or paths.

In making my plan to commute to work I found that there are 9.0 miles of bike lanes in my trip, with the only stretch without being the one from my driveway to the pavement. Some areas the bike path is very narrow, but it's still there. In the morning ther are commuters in cars traveling at high speed, in a rush trying to get to work. and they aren't very polite to other motorists. There are a lot of roadside memorials, too. I'll need to be careful because I am thinking they won't be expecting a bicycle.

One particular dick rider that I see on a regular basis on this route frequently deliberately leaves his butt out in the way of cars trying to get around him, and responds to complaints in a very negative way. This kind of militant behavior does nothing to further the cause of safe cycling, or make it easier for those of us that are actually trying to stay out of the way of from under the cars. It alienates even the most patient of drivers, and encourages road rage. Please try to share the road.

Frankly, this is Arizona, the state with the stupid driver law; it might be smarter to try to stay out of the way. "Bicyclist Wilbert Ulmer, 85, of Mesa died Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2006) when a pickup truck struck him as he crossed the street in the 9200 block of East Southern Avenue in Mesa. He was not in a crosswalk." East Valley Tribune Article. That's an 85 year old cyclist. Shame really, there aren't too many of those.

If you don't think this is serious -- try this google search and see just how many news stories there are about cyclists being run down by cars or killed. I89 since Boxing Day. That's a lot.

Bikes belong on the road here in Mesa, so you don't have to be a Dick. We should be trying to enjoy it, because there are a lot more hostile places than this.