Coalition seeks bike paths in San Luis
San Luis, Ariz. – The Yuma Region Bicycle Coalition wants south Yuma County cities to include bike paths in their planning for future growth.
Gene Dalbey, the coalition’s president, recently appeared before the San Luis City Council to urge the city to include a bike path study in the General Plan now being updated. The city of Yuma’s general plan includes a section that envisions a series of bike paths to ensure the safety of cyclists. He said he would like to see San Luis follow suit.
“I think it will happen here as well, it’s just a question of doing a study,” he said. “San Luis is in a unique position. It is growing well and it is doing the right things. And the advantage is that nothing has been built for bicycles, so there’s no mistakes to fix.”
The group formed nearly four years ago with the goal of promoting safe cycling around Yuma County.
Among the improvements the coalition would like to see in San Luis are lanes dedicated on city streets for the exclusive use of bicycles, as has been done in Yuma and Somerton.
Given its recent surge in growth, the San Luis has arrived at an opportune moment to designate bike lanes or paths, he said. According to statistics from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, the population of San Luis has grown by nearly 50 percent over the last decade, reaching nearly 38,000.
Apart from urging local governments to designate bike paths, he said, the coalition’s goals include involving parents and schools in educating children about bike safety.
Another project the coalition is pushing he said, is the creation of a bike path that would start at Gateway Park in Yuma and follow the canal system in the south county to San Luis.