General Concerned Citizen

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I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. It has recently come to my attention that the Mayor and City Council are considering adding an additional car-only lane to McClintock Rd, as well as removing facilities that accommodate transportation options for people on bikes, pedestrians, and also improve public safety for everyone on the road. I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. I am extremely concerned that Tempe would consider reversing progress and years of planning so soon after a project’s completion, and delay the implementation of modern, accessible, world-standard roads. I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. Roads must be accessible to everyone so that they benefit everyone, and not force people to use one mode of travel. I rarely contact city council, but this issue is of great concern to me, given the rare opportunities to improve roads and bring them up to modern standards. I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. If these improvements are removed, I will not be able to safely get where I need to go by bike, and will be forced to use my car for most trips instead.

Recreational/fun cyclist

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I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. I am a recreational cyclist who bikes occasionally to a restaurant or for fun with my friends and kids. Riding on Tempe streets that do not have bike lanes is scary and unsafe. Without bike lanes, I can’t bike on the roads because I will put myself in danger from cars behind, and turning in front of me. Plus, I can’t bike on the sidewalk because I will put myself in danger from cars crossing the sidewalks at each driveway. When the lanes on Mclintock were put in, I was given a sense of peace, knowing that I would have a much safer space to ride my bike without putting my life in danger. If the bike lane on McClintock is removed, I will no longer be safe or comfortable riding my bike, and will not be able to ride my bike to many places that I frequent.

Bike commuter

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I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. I consider myself a bike “commuter,” and ride daily to work, to events, etc. Using the bike lanes, I feel safer because I know I am safer. Structured bicycle lanes can only have positive impacts for the residents and tourists of Tempe. The lanes connect the canals, Alameda, and the light rail which all connect with local businesses. Country Club Way ends at Alameda and does not connect to any businesses. Bike lanes on more major roads provide greater options for safer commuting, and encourage more than simply the growth of the bicycle community but elicit a healthier, more personable and desirable Tempe. If these lanes are removed, I will no longer be able to ride my bike to many local businesses, and will need to use my car for many of my trips and to commute to work. I will continue to commute our city by bicycle, as will so many others. Please support us by supporting reasonable long-term plans to improve the city of Tempe’s total transportation system.

Avid/Racing Cyclist

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I am an avid cyclist and I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. I am a part of a few cycling clubs and groups and participate in rides from fast training rides to slower paced social bike rides that are focused on building community. The McClintock lanes and all bike lanes have improved the expansion of all of these groups. They have expanded the scale of businesses we can patronize on our slower social rides as well as how far we can go on our faster rides. I understand my rights as a cyclist and have no problem taking the lane to make myself safer. However, because of bike lanes like the ones on McClintock, that’s not something I have to do, which makes me more comfortable, as well as the drivers who are often thrown off by cyclists “taking the lane.” These bike lanes have improved the lives of all cyclists in the Tempe area and act as an accessible path to support all of these businesses on McClintock. If these lanes were removed, I would not be able to ride my bike to the businesses I would like to go to, nor would my training rides be able to take the most direct and fastest route.

Non-bike rider

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I don’t usually ride a bike and I support the bike lanes on McClintock. Bike lanes allow everyone to complete their commuting needs from all areas of Tempe, may it be by wheel chair, skateboard, car or bicycle. A community should be respectful and share the road with everyone. I don’t have an issue sharing the road, and don’t feel like my personal commuting time has been negatively affected. However if the bike lane was removed in favor of a car-only lane, everyone in Tempe would be negatively effected.

Pedestrian/Runner

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I walk daily and run near my home several times a week. I feel most comfortable along streets that have a landscaped buffer and bike lane next to the sidewalks. It feels very scary to use sidewalks that are attached to the back of the curb with no bike lanes because cars seem so close. Even though the speed limit on the major streets is 40-45 MPH, the cars drive much faster so a buffer and bike lane help keep more separation between my body and the cars. When walking with my family members such as my 7 year old nephew and 86 year old father, their safety and comfort is even more important to me. A lot of older sidewalks are only 5 feet wide, so it is uncomfortable to share that space with bike riders. But I don’t blame them for riding on the sidewalk when there aren’t bike lanes on those streets, especially in my neighborhood near ASU.

Retired Citizen

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I am writing to support keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. Since I have retired, I utilize my bike for the majority of local travel including doctors appointments, grocery shopping, and socializing. I have found that the McClintock bike lanes have increased my safety as well as the range of my travels, including trips to my physician as well as shopping at Sprouts. Being able to ride my bike benefits me as a retiree in two ways: it allows me to decrease my operating expenses as well as giving me daily exercise. I feel that should the City remove the bike lane on McClintock, that they will be affecting my quality of life and finances adversely.

Traffic Planner/Engineer

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The research is clear, bike lanes improve safety for everyone. This includes pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Bicyclists are vulnerable road users. As a traffic engineer, I know that vehicle lanes should be no more than 9 – 10′ wide to keep vehicle a speeds close to the posted limit. Speed is the number one factor in collision severity. It is irresponsible to encourage high speed vehicle travel. Bike lanes are necessary to encourage bicyclists to ride with traffic rather than against it. As a leading city in the metro area, Tempe continues to demonstrate its commitment to bicycling, light rail and other mass transit and transportation options. Additionally, bicycles are good for business. Bicyclists spend more money at local restaurants, bars and convenience stores than people who drive. Bicycling is good for a person’s health and builds community. Adding more car-only lanes simply induces demand. The more roads you build, and the wider those roads are, the more cars that come. Build bike lanes and bicycles will come. McClintock is now much safer because speeds are lower. Single occupancy vehicles take too much space from other road users. A modern sedan or SUV takes up more space that 9 bicycles. Why should they be entitled to 9 times as much space on the road? If this bike lane is removed, it will have to be implemented later which will be more difficult. Removing this facility would be one of the biggest mistakes Tempe has ever made, and would set transportation engineering in the city back by decades.

Homeowner/Landlord

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I own a home off of McClintock Drive, and I support the protected bike lanes on McClintock. The protected lanes increase safety for kids and families in the neighborhoods, pedestrians who walk along the sidewalks on McClintock, cyclists and drivers. Because McClintock’s speed limit is higher than the neighborhood limits, sometimes people forget that McClintock is actually a residential street: there are driveways and backyards that back right up to McClintock, and implementing some “traffic calming” strategies makes the Mcclintock neighborhoods all safer.

Parent

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Shortly after becoming a parent, Our family moved from Scottsdale to Tempe. We did this because we believed that Tempe offered a lifestyle that fit ours. Tempe offered amenities and locations that allowed my wife and I to use our bicycles and commute to our offices. We even used the city bike map to look for homes and picked a house on a bike route, We did this because we see the writing on the wall. Cars fit cities for a while, they were beneficial and necessary to get people to work and play. But as Tempe becomes more dense, it must offer alternatives to the motor vehicle. Tempe offeres miles of bike lanes along residential streets and a plan to improve 5, 6 and 7 lane “super” streets to allow safe passage to stores and shops along the major north-south roads. The roads today, by and large run within 20 yards of thousands of homes and offer virtually NO way for anyone (driving, walking or riding) to safely cross due to unreasonable speeds. The improvement of McClintock by the removal of a single lane allows my children to easily reach markets, schools, parks and friends in other neighborhoods. This also creates a more reasonable crossing at lights. Thanks to this improvement, all road users now have FEWER lanes to cross and a LARGER buffer from aggressive and inattentive drivers. This has occurred with no or very little increase in travel times and has made a road I never cycled on into one I and my family are glad to ride in the last few months. Business such as Sprouts, Spokes, Sweet Tomatoes Goodwill, Outback Steakhouse, Great Clips, Subway, Walgreen’s, CVS, Joe’s Italian Ice, Ted’s Hot Dogs, UPS and many more are now easily accessible by bike. Walking has also been greatly improved since 3 tons of motor vehicle have been moved 6-10 feet away. Traffic has also SLOWED without lengthening the total commute time – I know because I have driven and timed McClintock north and south on my commute to work. It does not take me longer travel the new stretch where lanes have been improved – cars are no longer rushing between lights and jockeying for position. This should result in a decrease in traffic accidents (I am sure the city can gather data on this). Thank you Tempe for making my neighborhood better by adding infrastructure and improving safety for all road users.

Student

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I am a student at ASU, and I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. Sometimes the voices of ASU students are ignored because we are young, don’t vote, or don’t live here year-round, but Tempe is a “college town” and students make up a huge percentage of residents, consumers, and cyclists in this area. Personally, I use the bike lanes in Tempe, including the new and improved lanes on McClintock, to commute to school. Many students do not have cars, are unfamiliar with driving in Tempe, or can’t afford to drive/park at ASU, and the bike lanes are vital for us to continue to commute safely to school. The removal of these bike lanes will discourage the use of this alternative method of transportation, as well as make the commute more difficult, to those students who will then be then forced to depend their commute around the timing of public transportation.

PHILOSOPHICAL/Visionary

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I am writing in support of keeping the bike lanes on McClintock. Tempe markets itself as a young, vibrant, upcoming community. Marketing materials and planning images show cyclists on beach cruisers biking to coffee shops, and young families biking along Mill Ave. The City is trying to attract tech businesses, and between family growth and new businesses opening up, Tempe’s population is expected to grow 20% in the next ten years. With all of these pushes toward growing the community and creating a cool and fun “vibe,” the reality must match the vision. Tempe made a big, realistic step towards preparing for growth and fostering a bike-friendly, vibrant community. Removing the bike lanes on McClintock says “we will promise you one thing, but deliver another.” If we want Tempe to grow, we have to start following through on the visions presented by the City and leaders. Keeping the bike lanes on McClintock makes the bold statement that Tempe is ready to grow, we are ready for the future!