Cyclist crash data and residential opinions about Tempe bicycling may not be too friendly, but officially, Tempe remains a Bicycle-Friendly Community, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
On Sept. 14, the national biking organization designated Tempe a silver-level award winner as a Bicycle-Friendly Community.
The league offers awards at the platinum, gold, silver and bronze level.
“A lot of it is data-driven,” said Meghan Cahill, communications director at the League of American Bicyclists. “There’s not one specific equation for how you get a level.”
Tempe has received the award every application cycle since 2003. Application cycles occurred every two years until 2007, when they changed to every four years.
The award recognizes Tempe for its continued efforts to provide quality engineering projects, safety enforcement, education and encouragement to local bicyclists.
“Communities want to lessen traffic, improve the environment (and) create more of a livable community,” Cahill said. “We’re a good marker to see if they actually have done enough to be considered a bicycle-friendly place.”
Tempe transit spokeswoman Sue Taaffe submitted the application, which spans more than 15 pages, earlier this year.
“It seems a natural fit that we should apply for something like that,” Taaffe said, citing two bicycling events Tempe supports: Tour de Tempe and Tour de Fat.
Cahill said in an email that Tempe’s BFC status is largely due to several bicycle path projects and its pedestrian bridges.
The Western Canal Multi-Use Path Project, which extends six miles from Arizona Mills Mall to Price Road, was completed in 2010 and the Crosscut Multi-Use Path Phase II was completed in July 2011, according to the City of Tempe website. Both provide pedestrian and bicycle walkways for public use.
The application includes questions ranging from average temperatures and precipitation during the year to the number of bike racks in Tempe. There are approximately 5,000 racks, according to Tempe’s application.
Cahill said the League does not directly provide monetary awards, but the award’s reputation can draw new residents and tourists.
Safety education, Cahill said, is the primary way by which communities promote bike safety.
“(Ideally), if (police) see a cyclist or a motorist doing something wrong, an infraction dealing with bicycling, instead of issuing them a ticket, they’ll require them to take a bicycle education class,” Cahill said.
Tempe provides annual traffic and cycling skills classes as well as providing biking maps and pamphlets at community events, according to the application.
But not everyone agrees that Tempe is as bicycle-friendly as the designation claims.
“I don’t think the city deserves an award,” interdisciplinary studies senior Sami Sahyouni said. “I come from Tucson – that is bicycle-friendly. (Tempe) is not a bicycle-friendly city with regard to construction.”
Sahyouni, who said he wears a helmet and has both head and taillights on his bike, said the biggest hazard of biking in Tempe is failing to abide by laws.
“Bicyclists don’t consider themselves a car, so they don’t follow the rules,” he said. “I’ve seen cyclists crossing the road with no regard for oncoming traffic.”
The city’s award comes as the Arizona Department of Transportation prepares to finalize a Bicycle Safety Action Plan.
ADOT spokeswoman Laura Douglas said that the plan, to be completed this fall, aims to reduce the total number of bicycle crashes in Arizona by 12 percent by 2018.
Similar to the BFC criteria, Douglas said the plan involves “educating both bicyclists and drivers about how to appropriately share the roads.”
She said ADOT also aims to improve roadways with pavement markings and signage.
Taaffe said at the time she applied for the BFC award in the spring, there had been five cyclist-vehicle fatalities in the past five years, and 936 crashes.
Reach the reporter at sksmith9@asu.edu
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