CHANDLER, AZ — A survey of bicyclists across the country shows a handful of Valley cities are among the most feared for riders. No city in the state scored lower than Chandler, but the city is already moving forward with changes to improve.
Three thousand bicyclists in 250 U.S. cities were asked to rank the safety and accessibility of cycling on a scale of 1 to 10.
The survey put seven Arizona cities on the lower end of the list, with Chandler scoring the lowest.
"There is a perception out that that cycling in Chandler isn't the safest," admits Chandler's Senior Transportation Planner Jason Crampton who says the city has been talking to residents, hearing those very concerns, and now taking action.
The most common request among Chandler residents is a chance to ride away from the noise of busy city streets.
"Especially with families or seniors, trying to create more low-stress bicycling opportunities, so that includes paths along canals, protected bike lanes," said Crampton.
The Paseo Trail, east of Cooper Road, is a good example and he says the need now is to expand it. One project aims to put a break in the median on Cooper Road at Galveston Street and add a crossing signal to connect the Paseo Trail to the Ashley Trail, which currently do not easily link up. The city will be looking for public comment in the coming months with hopes of starting late next year and into 2025.
Further down the Paseo Trail at Frye Road, another project will link the path to downtown Chandler using landscaped medians to separate bike lanes from traffic and help funnel more foot traffic to the entertainment district. Construction will begin next year.
A third project is planned for south Chandler in 2025 to connect the Highline Canal from Tempe to the commercial shopping area near Ray Road and I-10.
Surprise, Scottsdale, Mesa, Peoria, Tempe and Gilbert also had lower scores on the Bisnar Chase survey. The worst city for cyclists was Columbus, Georgia.
The best is Virginia Beach. Glendale got the highest ranking among cities in Arizona, almost cracking the top 50. View the full list here.