Author: ArizonaBikeLaw

AZ Legislators busy on photo-enforcement again

(Photo: Mark Henle/The Republic)

[update 2023. again]

[update 2022. again]

[ UPDATE 2018. (does this sound familiar?)
A new year, a new session. This year, like every year, some Arizona Republican legislators were busy a work on their top priority — to finally rid Arizona of photo red enforcement once and for all. News Story. HB2208 53rd2R. Opinion piece from EVTrib: Time again to discuss a traffic camera ban, and why it’s a dumb move ]

2017.
A new year, a new session. This year, like every year, some Arizona Republican legislators were busy a work on their top priority — to finally rid Arizona of photo red enforcement once and for all. News Story.

Last year, they banned it from the “State highway system” It had been in use in exactly two places, on ‘city’/’town’ streets, not freeways.  Many years ago it was expelled from freeways. Continue reading “AZ Legislators busy on photo-enforcement again”

Mill Avenue — Broadway to Southern — resurface

Thanks to the City of Tempe Streets Dept for contacting me/us about this project. A one mile section of Mill Avenue, from Broadway Road to Southern Avenue, is set to be resurfaced (they call this a “Pavement Preservation”) soon, I think Summer/Fall 2017.

existing edge line in the project area along Mill Avenue

This section has edge lines enclosing a small shoulder. (“fake bike lane”). Edge lines generally should not be used on urban arterial roads in this configuration; and especially when they look like bike lanes, and thus are easily confused with bike lanes. The picture of the grate, in the shoulder should be self-explanatory.

Here’s what the City said: Continue reading “Mill Avenue — Broadway to Southern — resurface”

No more covering your license plate

Illegal in AZ

After years of wrangling and haggling over the meaning of “A person shall maintain each license plate so it is clearly legible”. Any and all coverings, including wax according to one wag, are now banned. SB1073 has passed and was signed by the governor; the effective date is something like 90 days after the session closes; perhaps August(?).  Here’s the new section: Continue reading “No more covering your license plate”

3 Dead in Wrong Way Wreck I-17 Phoenix

photo: DPS

4/14/2017 ~ 2am. A male wrong-way driver collided headon on the I-17 freeway near Greenway in Phoenix with a vehicle carrying two sisters. All are dead.

The wrong way driver had been traveling for (at least) several miles the wrong way. Continue reading “3 Dead in Wrong Way Wreck I-17 Phoenix”

Spewing Hatred

[This is an old case: it happened in Tucson before 2009, but it has a bit of a twist… ]

December 1, 2006: A driver plows into the rear end of a bicyclist in a Tuscon-area Bike Lane (or probably more accurately, a shoulder), killing him. The young woman driving is drunk, very drunk. She tried for manslaughter, gets convicted of the lesser included charge of negligent homicide by the jury; here’s the twist, a phone call from jail while awaiting sentencing (from what i remember, all jail phone calls are monitored/recorded) causes her to receive the max sentence: Continue reading “Spewing Hatred”

Drivers are dangerous

McClintock and Apache wreck photo: Mark Beach/Fresco News

last week’s Uber-involved crash should highlight the current state of affairs: Drivers are dangerous. Tempe Police cited a “human” driver for making a bad left at McClintock and Apache causing the crash with the Uber/Volvo SUV to rollover on its side.  The Uber was being autonomously driven at the time, according to the company.

There are over 100,000 reported wrecks per year in Arizona involving motor vehicle drivers only, with hundreds dead and thousands injured; a driver is at fault in each and every one of those incidents.  Continue reading “Drivers are dangerous”

Police seek Driver in Fatal Hit-and-run north Phoenix

Sun 3/12/2017 ~ 9pm. Bicyclist Mark Dickson was killed by a hit-and-run driver in the area of 40th St & Bell Rd. BOLO silver newer Ford Fusion.

Other news reports mention the hit-and-run driver was likely speeding “…leading investigators to believe that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed”

Continue reading “Police seek Driver in Fatal Hit-and-run north Phoenix”

Bicyclist killed in Right hook South Tucson semi crash

What’s wrong with this picture?

2/16/2017 ~noon. 60-year-old Robert Lucke was killed in what was described as a classic right hook crash with a semi at South Sixth Avenue and East 36th Street, S Tucson. Both were traveling north on South Sixth Avenue in the curb lane when the truck  turned right. Continue reading “Bicyclist killed in Right hook South Tucson semi crash”

Bicyclist dies in Tucson NW side wreck

2/13/2017 11:15AM Bicyclist 25-year-old Nicholas Rizzuti was killed as he was eastbound W Miracle Mile turning left; struck by westbound motorist at intersection of Flowing Wells Rd, Tucson

There are a lot of lanes here, there are double left turn lanes; the signal specifics weren’t mentioned, other than the WB had green; and presumably EB also had green. Most double-left configurations typically have restricted arrow cycles, but not all.

Continue reading “Bicyclist dies in Tucson NW side wreck”

Arizona Electric Bicycle Legislation (bill died)

An ebike bill PASSED in 2018: HB2652. Below info is for historical purposes…

[5/10/2017; bill stalled. Never got a House floor vote]
[Current Status as of 3/1/2017: passed the Senate by wide margins, also passed House T&I Committee but they implied it would need to be amended to pass the floor; as of 3/19 it’s not passed the house; see below ]
ca-e-bike-croppedAs of spring 2017 there is an e-bike bill working its way through the legislature.  SB1273  (2017, 53rd/1st Regular session). This bill, if passed, would address some or all of the confusion documented at length in these pages, at least for e-bikes. The bill’s prime sponsor is Bob Worsley (R-Mesa), is senate president so I’d have to assume it’s going to pass ; [correction, Yarborough is, so I have no idea how i got that wrong] and is moving fast, as of the time of this writing (early February 2017) it has already passed the Senate Transportation and Technology Committee unanimously with little debate. Besides being senate president,  Worsley is the chairperson of the senate Transp committee. I have no idea about the house but there’s little apparently standing in the bill’s way.  Continue reading “Arizona Electric Bicycle Legislation (bill died)”

Does AZ really have “tough” DUI laws?

Arizona metes out harsh penalties for drunken driving, with mandatory jail time and heavy fines, and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said Arizona has steep penalties for good reason

— Arizona toughest in nation on DUIs, study says

“simple” DUI results in spending a day in jail; this is apparently enough to place AZ as having the toughest laws.

You might expect, then, that DUI drivers who injure people, and are not simply driving around impaired, would receive harsh sentences. Continue reading “Does AZ really have “tough” DUI laws?”

“Evidence of Identity” Rides Again

Is this valid ID for John Doe under 28-1595C?

I’ve been following this since as far back as 1999 (a deaf-mute bicyclist was arrested and held in jail overnight because he lacked ID); with some interesting updates in 2014 (police demanding ID from an ostensibly “jaywalking” pedestrian).

The rules revolving around operators of a motor vehicle are pretty clear; drivers must have a valid drivers license for other reasons (e.g. to comply with §28-3151 ), and the DL satisfies the elements set forth in 28-1595: name, address, height, etc — but for everyone else it’s remain vague, and in fact court rulings have (repeatedly) looked at the non-motorist provision and struck it down, most recently in 2003 Atkins; and the law hasn’t changed since. Continue reading ““Evidence of Identity” Rides Again”

Girl killed in Buckeye by distracted driver

I had missed this when it happened, though it was reported in the media. I learned about it while hearing the victim’s mother speak at the Distracted Driving Summit at the state capitol yesterday.

Nov 2, 2016 ~ 6:30pm. Victim Chloe Schneider, 16/F was struck from behind  by a 22/F driver on Yuma Road near Tuthill, Buckeye, AZ. Chloe was training for an upcoming (MTB) event. (If i remember what I heard correctly, the victim’s sister was also involved?)

Continue reading “Girl killed in Buckeye by distracted driver”