Author: ArizonaBikeLaw

Arizona Governor’s Bicycle Task Force

Noted here for historical curiosity:

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 86-4 established the Arizona Governor’s Bicycle Task Force  in 1986 by governor Bruce Babbitt.

It was later repealed by executive order in 1996 by Governor Fife Simington. The stated reason for the repeal was ” in recognition of that fact, the Alternative Transportation Task Force created on June II, 1996 has been authorized to study and implement alternative
transportation systems”. EO 96-11

Here is an image of AGBTF executive orders 86-4 and 96-11 : ArizonaGovernorsBicycleTaskForce (in case the azmemory pages disappear).

You can read that : Establishment of Alternative Transportation System Task Force Executive order No. 96-7. I can’t tell what that task force may or may not be doing currently (or ever?).

Continue reading “Arizona Governor’s Bicycle Task Force”

No Excuse

There is no excuse for improperly engineered bike infrastructure. It takes on two forms, 1) simple straight-up wrong, and 2) “fake” facilities, those which masquerade as something they’re not; they’re in reality nothing more than shoulders, yet they are intentionally tarted-up to appear to be, and even be referred to as bike lanes (see e.g. Flagstaff, below). Continue reading “No Excuse”

Girl hit and killed when driver runs red light

July 12, 2014 / victim crossing in marked crosswalk w/traffic signal. The 5 y.o. female victim was riding a tricycle; this I would guess should be coded as a pedestrian (though i cross-tagged this article as both a ped and cyclist fatality). This is listed on 2014 cyclist traffic  fatalities.  [update: is coded as a pedalcyclist in both ASDM and FARS] Continue reading “Girl hit and killed when driver runs red light”

Non-traffic traffic crashes

 

This is a placeholder for info for what I am referring to as a non-traffic  (you can click there to get a list of incidents like this) traffic crash. Which I define as some sort of traffic crash that doesn’t get reported in official traffic crash stats. The most common reason these incidents might fall into this category is they occur on private property, like a parking lot, or private streets, like cyclist Robert McCain who was killed in a collision on a private street, or inside a building driver-slams-into-day-spa-1-dead-4-go-hospital. Other reasons, especially for cyclists, is for crashes “count” they have to include at least on motor vehicle in transport; so e.g. a cyclist crashing into a parked vehicle is not counted; nor are cyclists who have “simple” falls, or bike-bike crash, even when resulting in death (for example in 2014 see Karl Gerschutz and Jim Walen fatalities, respectively). Likewise bike-bike, or bike-ped crashes are not reportable as traffic crashes. Continue reading “Non-traffic traffic crashes”

MCSO: Man arrested in fatal East Valley hit-and-run

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defendant Derek Tinsley faces felony charge

According to the azfamily/3 video report (sigh, that link is dead; the newpaper story is below) witnesses saw a company pickup vehicle being driven erratically along Apache Trail near 80th St in Mesa, swerving across 3 lanes of traffic, killing a bicyclist riding at the side of the road. Witnesses provided a license plate number for the fleeing vehicle, and police have arrested Derek Tinsley. Continue reading “MCSO: Man arrested in fatal East Valley hit-and-run”

Coco Co and Flagstaff impose varying cell bans while driving

In April, Coconino County supervisors voted to ban cell use by drivers, including talking and texting — with the perennial exclusion for hands free devices.  azdailysun.com. It is a primary offense; and there’s some sort of six month grace period.

Somewhat confusingly, the City of Flagstaff council has passed a city texting ban (that is texting only, and mum on any other aspect of cell use) — the city is within Coconino County. “prohibits drivers and bicycle riders from texting, emailing or using an instant message program to send or read a message while the vehicle is in motion. Drivers and cyclists are allowed to text or email while stopped for a red light, waiting for a train to pass or pulled over on the side of the road.  The ban becomes law on Aug. 15, but the city is offering a six-month grace period” azdailysun.. The way it apparently works is the city (Flagstaff) has “opted out” of Coconino County’s ban and created their own, less stringent, ban — on texting only.

Continue reading “Coco Co and Flagstaff impose varying cell bans while driving”

3 year old killed in Mesa parking lot by hit-and-run driver

[Updated 7/8: victim  is 3 year old Jaqueline Monroe-Mendoza; police are processing two potential suspect vehicles, a white Chevrolet Suburban and a large white pickup, and have a “person of interest” and so far no arrests have been made. This story makes plain the collision occurred in the apratment’s parking lot azcentral.com]

Sunday July 6, 2014. 2pm. Near Alma School Road and Rio Salado Parkway in Mesa “struck by a large vehicle traveling through the parking lot”. Continue reading “3 year old killed in Mesa parking lot by hit-and-run driver”

Dead Right?

Armored Truck Flips in Phoenix; striking pickup seriously injuring its driver.

A Garda armored-truck driver, who was reportedly using his cellphone, flipped the vehicle on its side Tuesday (7/1/2014) morning, smashing in the hood of an oncoming pickup truck carrying a family of three, according to Phoenix police officials. The incident occurred around 8:15 a.m. on 51st Avenue north of Elliot Road, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman. The driver of the Garda truck said he picked up his cellphone to call his next stop when he lost control of the truck and swerved into oncoming traffic, Crump said… Officials said the (driver of the pickup) is in very critical condition at a local hospital… — azcentral

Continue reading “Dead Right?”

Scottsdale Golf-Cart Shuttle Crash

First off; this has nothing whatsoever to do with a bicycle. This is interesting in light of the pedicab crash last year (golf carts apparently are being used to provide non-taxi shuttles in the immediate downtown area); and also wondering if this will generate an ACR? (Arizona Crash Report). I assume it would but you never know. For example, two of last year’s (see 2013 grid) bicyclist fatalities did not result in an ACR for various reasons; one a bike-MV collision on private streets, and another bicyclist hit-and-run with an ATV. An ACR is generally required if a crash involves at least on motor vehicle on a “trafficway”… see do-all-crashes-count for more. Continue reading “Scottsdale Golf-Cart Shuttle Crash”

Tucson police: Driver who killed bicyclist was high

Wed June 18,2014 (i think, the news story ran Thursday) ~ 6a. Victim: Kris Lee Chambers, 38. Suspect: Gerardo Luna Cazares, 25. Speedway just west of N Main, Tucson. Both westbound (rear-end); there is a bike lane in this area; in other words, it wasn’t as though it was a misjudgment of passing room. Continue reading “Tucson police: Driver who killed bicyclist was high”

Woman with DUI history arrested in Mesa fatal collision

Oh yeah, this one:

A woman accused of driving her SUV about 90 mph before colliding with a car stopped at a red light in east Mesa, killing both occupants, was arrested on Monday. Mesa police booked Ingrid I. Morataya, 35, on suspicion of manslaughter and other charges after she was discharged from a Valley hospital…. The driver and the passenger in the car struck by Morataya’s Toyota FJ Cruiser — Guadalupe Madril, 37, and Jason Aguilera, 33 — died instantly of massive injuries from the violent collision, according to court records… azcentral.com Continue reading “Woman with DUI history arrested in Mesa fatal collision”

Cyclist killed at south Tempe intersection

preface: ALWAYS ride with the flow of traffic; even on the sidewalk…

A cyclist was killed Thursday (June 12, 2014) morning; at the intersection of Elliot Rd and Harl Dr. I learned his name only  by chance it was in a news story about bicycling and Rural Road: Jesus Pena-Quinonez, age 55. Continue reading “Cyclist killed at south Tempe intersection”

Cyclist, 78, killed in late-night (2013) Mesa crash

Incident occurred 2/26/2013. This is a so-called “non-traffic” fatality — presumably due to it being on private streets, this appears to be a trailer park. As such, this death doesn’t “count” towards the official crash stats, listed at arizona-crash-facts-2013, and will also presumable be suppressed from counting in FARS. What is the real, total traffic death toll? See the tag non-traffic for more of these; I think initial reaction is there are vanishingly few, but perhaps it’s not as rare and uncommon as all that? Continue reading “Cyclist, 78, killed in late-night (2013) Mesa crash”