Create better riding paths.
Currently the only places in the phx metro area to ride a bicycle more then a mile without stopping is the greenbelt in Scottsdale, or the long roads on the reservations. The canals can be better. Take the Santa Ana River in so-Cal as an example. LONG paths that go for miles.
David
shared this idea
Bike/pedestrian paths included in the 2012 parks bond package are under way. See project updates and current timeline http://www.mesaaz.gov/imesa/meetingitems/3-26-13/ParksBond.pdf
18 comments
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AdminCity of Mesa
(Admin, City of Mesa)
commented
The West Mesa Connector Pathway (the section you are referring to) is very important. It may appear that greater importance has been placed on other projects based on the amount of time it takes to start or complete a project but that is often times due to other circumstances. For example, the Rio Salado Pathway project has the advantage of having a significant amount of design work completed in advance as part of another project. Rest assured, both the West Mesa Connector Pathway project and the Rio Salado Pathway project are of equal importance and are being completed as quickly as possible.
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AdminCity of Mesa
(Admin, City of Mesa)
commented
The actual construction of a bike path – the part you see – takes about 6-12 months. But before construction can start, the path has to be designed, environmental impact studies completed and, in some cases, land has to be acquired
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Luis
commented
Curious as to why this is pushed out so far. The new concrete paths along lindsay were poured pretty quickly.
Seems like a really long timeline for the new bike paths.
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Anonymous
commented
The path that should have the highest (# 1) priority is the path connection between HoHoKam Park and Riverview across the Mesa Golf & Country Club. When this path is completed, people can walk, bike or skate between the two baseball parks. Attend a game at HoHoKam and eat at a restaurant at Riverview. Completing the connection across the Mesa Golf & Country Club will pretty much complete the Consolodated Canal Path with paving. I hope the City Parks & Recreation Dept. and the Transportation Dept. will give serious consideration to this suggestion.
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Luis
commented
Rode this weekend and used new connection from Lindsay/Pueblo to Freestone in Gilbert. Mesa is becoming a great place for biking. Really looking forward to the connection from Hohokam to Tempe Town Lake.
Also, not sure if it's on the roadmap, but there's about a two mile gap of unpaved trail on the Eastern canal in Mesa. If it was paved, it would connect Gilbert & the 202 all the way down to Gilbert Rd & Pecos over about 14 and a half miles of safe riding.
And... after that, go pave a mile and a half southwest of gilbert rd & the 202 to connect to the existing path at Horne/Brown, and we end up with another huge 33 mile crescent shaped loop that runs next to 19 different city parks and fields between Mesa and Gilbert.
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euhill
commented
You forgot to mention the path that runs along the Arizona canal between East Phoenix and Glendale as well the connecting path along Cave Creek Wash.
As for the Consolidated canal path, Mesa is in the process of paving the last two miles to Gilbert. When it will be finished, who knows. Gilbert and Chandler have some areas where this path still needs paving. Although I do believe one of those areas is now paved between Gilbert and Chandler.
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David Ritko
commented
HOw about every time a street is redone, a bike lane is put in. It's sad that HW87 has NO bike lane as it goes through Mesa from the 60 to Main St. And this is a major highway
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Luis
commented
Mark, I believe that's exactly what the proposals will do. The current paths go from Pueblo and Lindsay all the way to Hohokam park. The proposal lists 2 sections that would connect hohokam park to the north side of the riverview shopping area, then again under the 101/202 stack all the way to tempe town lake.
This would be a really good thing because it means a safe trail all the way to the lake as well as a connection to the scottdale green belt.
Hopefully at some point they could also connect the south end a little further and we could bike all the way from Freestone park in Gilbert. Then it would be up to Gilbert to finish paving the trail that connects to the already paved trail along the canal in Chanlder. That Chandler one goes for several miles south along the canal.How about a paved trail going from Hunt Highway and Arizona Blvd all the way to 92nd Street & Shea that spends about 21 of those miles going through Mesa?
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Anonymous
commented
The monies for bike and pedistrian paths are very scarce. For this reason, I w
Would strongly suggest that monies only be used to extend existing paths or to improve or connect existing paths (such as from dirt to hard sufface). I think it would be a big mistake to build paths out in the middle of no-where that do not connect to an existing path (such as a bridge to nowhere). Please respond with your thoughts. Mark Bankhead extab -
Luis
commented
Missed the community meetings. What came of them?
Are the bike paths going to be extended? -
Bill Nas
commented
Everyone knows how important physical activity is, why not beautify the experience.
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Luis
commented
The bike paths from Center & Brown now go all the way down to Lindsay and Pueblo. If the pavement went down just 2 more miles it could connect to the existing bike path that goes all the way south of Guadalupe to Freestone park in Gilbert! That would give us a solid stretch of about 8 miles of good bike paths.
Might need to put a crosswalk at broadway, and maybe a couple others that have high traffic.
Also not sure if there's enough room, but would also be nice to pave the stuff a couple more miles west and be able to safely bike from Freestone to the Riverview shopping center and then south to MCC.
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CatMac
commented
40 years ago I moved here from the beautiful forest of rural northern Jersey. A year ago I went back and though the population had exploded, the community made miles and miles (as in hundreds of miles) of dirt roads for motorcycles, bicycles, and horse trails. I was impressed and excited about their vision for the community I loved. Mesa is my home now but my grandchildren had no safe place to play but the backyard and when I DROVE them to a playground and now as young teens, no place to ride their dirt bikes legally, no safe bicycle routes etc. I hope iMesa leads to the type of place, that allows for individual sporting, that the most populated and more urban of areas do.
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Anthony Avery
commented
I love the bicycle lanes on the roadways in East Mesa and ride them frequently (I love it when I can leave my car sitting in the driveway unused for days at a time!). But it does get scary and just about everytime I ride home from work I have a near miss from a car turning left into a parking lot or onto another street, or a car turning out of a parking lot and poking their nose into the roadway. The more *SAFE* places to ride our bikes, the better.
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Katherine G
commented
I love this idea as well! Although the summers are hot, the rest of the year is perfect for bike riding and if Mesa is truly trying to urbanize the center, this is essential!
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sam_
commented
RE a bicycling competition: El Tour de Mesa - http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/!ETP/ETPhome.html
East / West passages are an issue. There are plenty of smaller North / South roads, but East / West all seem to be 4-6 lane roads.
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anna
commented
I grew up riding Santa Ana River bed...every Saturday morning, from Brea (57fwy/Imperial Hwy area) to Newport Beach. It was totally rad!! Even now, I'll go and bike or blade that same path, when I am visiting home!!
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Jennifer Hines
commented
This is an excellent suggestions David. Many, many bicyclists come to ride in Mesa. I see them riding East to West and vice versa in the bike lanes McKellips, Adobe etc. This is definitely a resource Mesa could develop by holding an annual bike race.
Because the canals run North to South one must be cautious when crossing over major crossroads.
