Greater Phoenix is an ideal urban setting to develop infrastructure that will enhance livability concerns within the cities in Maricopa County. E-bikes are a growing trend that is on pace to create issues for commuters, residents, tourists, and public safety. Maricopa County needs to plan for new bikeways that can accommodate 100x more use than current statistics. Bike paths need to be reenvisioned in the 21st Century, and Maricopa County could realize many benefits from investing in new thoroughfares for bikers.
Maricopa County has some of the best weather and fair costs of living in the entire United States. The cities in Maricopa County are growing faster than other parts of the country as people arrive for retirement, professional opportunities, remote working, and improved quality of life. Infrastructure costs are high already, nonetheless, changing some existing roadways and creating new arteries to accommodate e-bikes are smart investments. Bike paths are a fraction of the cost of roadways, and encouraging more commuters to take the e-bike will help relieve the growing congestion on the county’s roads. Greater Phoenix already has set aside enough land for e-bike arteries to connect all the cities within the county.
The problems with existing bicycle infrastructure are fixable. The most complicated features of the enhanced bikeways will be bridges and underpasses to funnel e-bike traffic safely through Greater Phoenix. The arteries connecting the valley of the sun would be in the Salt River, along major canals, and alongside railroads connecting the valley of the sun. Maricopa County is the natural leader to spearhead this venture by funding the project with federal and state allocations to build an alternative system for commuters, residents, and tourists. Safety of e-bikers cannot be accommodated with existing infrastructure considerations in place, which include designated bikeways no larger than 4 feet across and shared with cars travelling more than 50mph on many roads.
There is ample evidence that this infrastructure will be very valuable to the cities in Maricopa County. Businesses will fill in currently vacant and unused properties to attract consumers who prefer commuting and travelling via e-bike. This is the right time to propose a large development to attract federal dollars to fund a project that:
Will help with climate change.
Provide shovel-ready jobs on day one.
Be a vital experiment for other cities to emulate.
Attract new Arizonans.
Improve the overall healthiness of Maricopa County residents with safer exercise opportunities.
E-bikes and other bicycles are proliferating, and the roadways are increasingly unable to accommodate riders who are oftentimes forced onto sidewalks and unintentional routes that are dangerous to navigate. Typical e-bikes can travel 20 to 30 mph, which is enough range for many commuters to use e-bike pathways instead of cars and buses to commute.
There will be new hazards created as e-bikes become more mainstream, among these are enforcement of traffic rules and changes to some existing roadways to ensure the safety of bikers. Maricopa County could lead the United States with a unified strategy to implement a 21st century solution and further Phoenix’s reputation as a sustainable city.
To use the interactive map linked below:
Click the box to see the feature become integrated with the map
E-bike Infrastructure in Greater Phoenix includes existing pathways that are currently in-use as bikeways separate from roadways for cars. However, the crossings on these bikeways are oftentimes dangerous given there are no signals for crossing 6 to 7 lanes of car traffic.
Railroads are the existing railways around Greater Phoenix; all of these are not on the map.
Parks are a fair listing of the parks in Greater Phoenix that could be connected within this larger framework and therefore providing safe passage for residents between public amenities.
Dreamy Trails Connect are potentials to help enhance the bikeways in Greater Phoenix. It is imagined that these trails would be multi-use.
Unexplored Connections are some areas that seem relevant but are currently not set up as bikeways.
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