Before they pedal forward on their 5-year bicycle plan, the city of Phoenix is looking for cyclists and drivers to give their input on what they would like to see on the roadways.
The public is asked to attend an open house meeting Monday, December 4.
It will be held at the AE England Building (434 N. Central Avenue) at Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix from 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend, the city writes online that "the five-year program will be outlined on maps for attendees to review and comment on. Following the public meeting, this information also will be made available for comment online here.
ABC15 recently covered the city's efforts to improve safety and security for riders after they installed so-called "flex posts" along 15th Avenue between Van Buren Street and Jefferson Street.
They are barriers that create a three-foot buffer between the bike lane and vehicles passing by. The barriers would not necessarily stop a car but is a visual cue that may help drivers.
"I think we just need to keep doing more to keep moving forward," said avid rider Quinn Tempest back in October. "And to keep cueing drivers that these changes are going to be happening in the city. Not only will that really encourage people to hop on their bikes, but it will let drivers know they're there and they have a stake in the road."
Tempest is apart of the Citizens Transportation Commission. She lives in Phoenix and has not owned a car in five-years.
"I think we're going to get those interested, yet hesitant people who never really felt comfortable hopping on a bike," Tempest said. "But, with infrastructure like this, they're going to feel like they can do it."
The city says that the draft five-year program is expected to start next year and continue through 2022. It will include a plan to add nearly 180 new bicycle lane miles by the end of the program.
From there, the city hopes to continue adding more bike lanes miles, as much as 1,080 more by 2050.
