Tucson loses bid for platinum award
From today’s paper:
Platinum bike-friendly award eludes region
By Andrea Kelly
Arizona Daily StarThe Tucson metropolitan area has been awarded another gold-level designation for bicycle friendliness, which is good, but not really where advocates wanted to be.
Gold is the second-highest designation from the League of American Bicyclists; only a platinum award is better.The Tucson area was first recognized as a gold region in 2006. Some of the region’s cyclists and cycling advocates applied in March, hoping for a bump up to platinum this year.
Most readers of this blog know that I have been opposed to granting Tucson platinum status until the city resolves its law enforcement problems. Tucson law enforcement needs to begin protecting bicyclists and following up on cases where bicyclists are the victims of assault by motorists.
I hope Tucson can do that, and truly deserve this award.
–Erik Ryberg
April 30th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Imagine the crease of alarm on Rich Corbett’s pinched and pious face.
Hey, Rich, what do you see here?
Look harder. Give up?
That’s the success you’ve had steering the Platinum Task Force.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
No platinum? That is good news. Very good news!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
So, the LAB does pay attention. I personally feel less safe every day. Too many ’speed’ freaks here. Portland, anyone? Ironic.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
This is what people say:
“I don’t feel safe.”
But, how safe are you, actually?
What are the specific reasons you
don’t feel safe and does the feeling accurately respresent the
condition. It could be that the riders in Portland feel safer than they actually are.
I don’t belittle the assaults that
occur or the other ’stuff’ that
happens…it all needs to be addressed to reduce the incursions
that cyclists face.
But if we broaden our view a little
bit, Tucson is comparatively very
safe and has more going for it than
just about all other places. I’ve had fewer problems here than the other three regions I’ve lived in.
And the facilities are far better.
Road surfaces are great, except
where they’re absolutely horrible.
A lot of the good things about cycling here come kind of ‘naturally’ to Tucson…they haven’t taken an inordinate amount of effort. I think where Tucson earns its platinum rating is in raising its cycling consciousness.
The realization among the community
that cycling belongs here and deserves the extended effort for a platinum should alter the feeling of safety, awareness and acceptance. We are not there yet but we could be closer than we think.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I have always said that we are very close to platinum status, and I told the LAB that, too. I think that by and large the City is really on board with bicycling. The only weak link is law enforcement, but unfortunately that link is so precariously weak that it not only does not justify platinum, I don’t think it even gets us to gold.
EBR
May 1st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Is it any wonder, when the Tucson Police Department’s open letter to criminals is:
“You are safe from the law. If you commit aggravated assault, we will never send an officer to your door, provided you have worn a mask or operated under the cover of night. Even if your victim accurately describes your vehicle and license plate number, we will look the other way.”
What community whose police are so exhausted, so spent and soft as to lay down in the face of these attacks, would deserve even a gold designation?