Time for more attention on improving bike plan

The recent deaths of two bicyclists in Goodyear is the latest in a series of incidents where cyclists who started the day with visions of a pleasant bike ride ended the day dead because of a distracted, exhausted, uncaring or purposeful driver. This driver killed two people and injured 18 others, one of who remains in critical condition. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters have been killed or terribly injured while biking on Yuma’s roads and roads throughout Arizona. It’s clear that we need safer opportunities for folks to ride their bikes.

And that brings us to our local community Bicycle Plans. Almost a year ago, Yuma County adopted an excellent Bicycle Master Plan. Created through a collaboration of knowledgeable senior staff, councilmembers from each municipality, cycling groups, water users etc., the Plan calls for exploring the viability of connecting existing paths in the Cities of Yuma, Somerton, and San Luis. The Plan included major academic, governmental, and private studies that all point to the economic profits realized by communities that create significant paths. Yet as of today, nothing has been done to explore this possibility. Likewise, the City of Yuma, which has a Bike Plan as good as you will find anywhere, and an excellent collection of paths, bike lanes and bike paths, of which it should be rightfully proud, has one major failing: virtually all its major bicycle-friendly routes are North/ South oriented. Their Plan recognizes this and shows several locations for a West/east path. But as of today, it looks like the City is not exploring these opportunities.

Please, enough deaths. Can we please get some attention focused on this problem?

JEFF BRAND Yuma