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| The ride schedule is posted and available at http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/Schedule/RideSchedule.htm
Several people in the Prescott-area cycling community have been run off the road during the past couple of weeks by the same vehicle identified as a white utility van with blue lettering reading, "Eagle Electric." All known incidents have happened on White Spar Road between Prescott and Wilhoit. The vehicle speeds up and swerves toward the cyclist while laying on the horn. I was told by those cycling and observing from behind me that the driver actually crossed the while shoulder line to get as close to me as possible. So far, no one has been actually hit. But I fear that it's only a matter of time before contact is made and someone is seriously injured or even killed. This morning I spoke with Officer White with the State Hwy Patrol. (He happens to be a road cyclist, too.) He is going to track the guy down and I am willing to press charges. But he needs two things first. Can you help spread the word? 1) We need to connect the person driving the Eagle Electric van with a specific time and place of harassment. The best way to do that, he said, is to carry a cell phone when cycling and call the State Hwy Patrol (911) when the van attacks (after you pick yourself up out of the ditch!). 2) We need to get a license plate number. (A good reason to not ride alone on the Skull Valley Loop until we nail this "guy." You'll be worthless at getting a plate number if you're only seeing stars as a result of an attack!) Also, if you have experienced such an incident with the Eagle Electric van, please contact me with dates, times and locations. To make a stronger case, Officer White needs to know about your incident, too. And please, please, please, ride as close to the while shoulder line as possible. With Prescott's increased population comes the need for us all to do things a little differently. Being more pro-active in sharing the road with our increased motor vehicle traffic is one of those things. And when those few jerks honk or yell in at you on their way by, flip 'em a friendly wave and a smile. (Say whatever you want to them under your breath!) Antagonizing them further with a middle finger only fuels the fire! Then check yourself. How far out into the roadway were you riding? How many abreast? How straight? Did you communicate to them with the proper hand signals and eye contact when applicable? Of course, it'll be safer and more enjoyable for all of us when we get (more) lanes, routes, and wider shoulders. Marcee Keller Marcee_Kellerno smamyavapai.cc.az.us
Dear Prescott Chain Gang Members: As you probably already know we are hosting the AZ Bicycle Advocacy Summit this weekend. (http://www.prescottyellowpages.com/cazb/Summit.htm) We would like to take the volunteer speakers to dinner and would like to use up to $100 from the club's general fund for this purpose. These speakers are traveling from as far away as Tucson and typically are paying for their own hotel rooms, and volunteering their time as well. If any member has any objection to this please let me know. Otherwise we will go ahead and take the speakers out to dinner on Saturday night. If you would like to join us, please contact me about the time and place. Thanks for your consideration and support for Arizona Cycling. Cindie Travis cindieno smamprescottyellowpages.com
Wednesday, 16 August 2000 Tucson could lose its designation as a "Bicycle Friendly City" if Prescott City Attorney John Moffitt is selected to fill the same position here, bicycle advocates said. Moffitt is one of three finalists to replace former Tucson City Attorney Tom Berning, whose contract was not renewed in June. The other finalists are former Phoenix Deputy City Attorney Michael House and former Oro Valley Town Magistrate Frances Lynch, who is now with Southern Arizona Legal Aid. Richard DeBernardis, the organizer of El Tour de Tucson and other major bicycling events, said he knows nothing about the other two finalists, but supports either one of them over Moffitt because of Moffitt's reputation for opposing bike lanes and supporting a state law to limit the rights of bicyclists. Matt Zoll, chairman of the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee, sent an "EMERGENCY" e-mail to a long list of "fellow concerned cyclists" urging them to oppose Moffitt's appointment. Zoll could not be reached for comment. Moffitt is at a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D., and could not be reached for comment. City Council members, who interviewed the finalists last week, said they want more information about Moffitt's bike-related actions in Prescott. If the complaints about Moffitt are true, they will be a factor in the selection, but not the only factor, council members said. They said they had received from two to 12 telephone calls or e-mails each from citizens about Moffitt. Tim Travis, a bicycle advocate in Prescott, said he believes Moffitt has been gun-shy about bicycles ever since the city of Prescott lost a $3 million lawsuit filed by the family of a bicyclist who was severely injured after hitting a pothole the city had failed to fix despite several requests. Travis said he's unclear about all the details of the accident and lawsuit because they happened before he became a bicycle activist. What is clear, he said, is Moffitt has "been bad for bikes." Joanna Dodder, of the Daily Courier in Prescott, confirmed there is a perception in the community that Moffitt is opposed to bike lanes and other bike facilities because of the potential liability. He did promote a state law, introduced in the Legislature at Prescott's request, to protect the city from liability when bicyclists hit potholes and other street hazards, she said. Travis said the law would have made bikes "nonvehicles," putting them at an even greater disadvantage when they use the streets. Councilman Steve Leal said it's impossible to judge Moffitt without knowing all the circumstances. He said Moffitt may have been simply carrying out policies set by his council. Travis said the Prescott City Council members who rejected bike facilities in the past have since been replaced by more bike-friendly council members. Although the city attorney doesn't make policy decisions, DeBernardis said his recommendations weigh heavily with the council. He said Moffitt seems as if he might be "against what we're trying to do here." He said Tucson might not automatically lose its League of American Bicyclists certification as a "Bicycle Friendly City" if Moffitt is appointed. But such an appointment, given Moffitt's reputation, could cause Tucson to drop a few places from its current position as the second-best place for bicyclists in the country, according to Bicycling magazine. Council members said Moffitt's attitude toward bicyclists is a serious concern they want clarified. City Councilman Fred Ronstadt said bicycling and the tourist dollars it brings are important to Tucson. That makes the city attorney's attitude toward bicyclists a factor in the selection. Councilwoman Carol West said the issue is probably a much larger factor here than it would be elsewhere because Tucson promotes itself as "bike-friendly." "I'm paying attention," said Councilman Jose Ibarra of the calls and e-mails he's received. "We ignore them too often, and we can't continue doing that and still continue claiming to be bicycle-friendly." The council is expected to name a new attorney late this month or in early September.
Dear Mayor: The Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists is a State Wide Bicycle Advocacy Organization who are opposed to the possible appointment of MR.Moffitt as City Attorney. Mr. Moffitt has proven his lack of concern for cyclists in the City of Prescott and also the entire State of Arizona in his quest to remove cyclists from the road. The City of Tucson and Pima County have made great strides to make your area bicycle friendly , this possible appointment will be a step backwards for the City of Tucson and Pima County. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance. Bill Lazenby-President Coalition of
Arizona Bicyclists
Mayor Bob Walkup City of Tucson P.O. Box 27210 Tucson, AZ 85726-7210 Dear Mayor Walkup: I would like to express my opposition to appointment of Mr. John Moffit from Prescott to become the City Attorney of Tucson. As you may well be aware, Mr. Moffit has opposed the construction of bicycle facilities in Prescott, fought strongly against compensation to a seriously injured cyclist even though Prescott had long had advance notice of roadway damage which contributed to the cyclist's injury, and supported legislation to make bicyclists "unintended" users of the roadway. As "unintended" users, cyclists would essentially be at fault in the case of injury due to roadway hazards which have long been known by a respective jurisdiction and remain unfixed, and at fault in the case of a driver who runs a stop sign and collides with a cyclist who has the right of way. I have several questions regarding Mr. Moffit, who I understand is at a national motorcycle rally: ? As an avid motorcyclist, if Mr. Moffit were the one who crashed due to the roadway damage that the City knew of several months and were severely injured, would he or his family have filed suit to recover damages? ? If not, would he propose and support the same type of legislation against motorcyclists that he supported against cyclists, essentially to ban them from using public roadways? ? What are the implications of such a ban against cycling on roadways on the city's high tourism events, including El Tour de Tucson, Tour of the Tucson Mountains, and the Tucson Bicycle Classic, all of which raise tens of thousands of dollars for very important community groups? ? What are the implications of such a ban on events run by the City of Tucson, including the July 4th Tour for Tucson's Children, which raises thousands of dollars for children's safety? ? What are the implications for the City's bicycle police unit? They may be exempt from such legislation or protected in another way, in which case what are the equity concerns if bicycle police may legally ride bikes but the average citizen and children may not? What are the implications for children bicycling to school and the neighborhood park? ? What are the implications for our accessibility, alternate mode, and air quality goals that we have striven so hard to attain in this region? The Number One goal from thousands of respondents to the Tucson Livable Communities survey conducted two years ago was "Viable and Accessible Alternatives to Automobile Transportation." Would Mr. Moffit's actions work directly in opposition to this goal? Mr. Mayor, I am a motorcycle enthusiast as well as bicycle enthusiast, having owned 8 motorcycles in my lifetime. I understand you are a very strong motorcycle enthusiast as well. I hope you might agree that Mr. Moffit's logic and actions which would essentially ban bicycling on roadways because of preventable roadway damage-the same type of damage that could severely injure or kill a motorcyclist-could essentially be extended to motorcycles as well. Neither you nor I would like to see this happen to motorcyclists or bicyclists. Rather, we would like to make our roadways much safer for all users, and to strongly engender common courtesy and respect among drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and all other users of our roadways. Thank you very much for your consideration of these issues concerning Mr. Moffit's potential selection as City Attorney. If you would like to discuss these issues further, please feel free to give me a call at 321-4471. Sincerely, Matthew J. Zoll 4010 E. Palomar Dr. Tucson, AZ 85711
It is no secret that John Moffitt, Prescott's current city attorney, is bad for cyclist in Prescott and in the state of Arizona. This is common knowledge among prominent AZ bicycle advocates. I learned about Mr. Moffitt and his anti-bicycle efforts well over a year ago. The funny thing is that I did not learn about him from the local advocates who were active at that time. I learned about him while on various road training rides in the valley. When people found out that I was from Prescott they immediately started telling me all of the problems Mr. Moffitt caused them and their city over the past decade. They were extremely baffled when they found out that I was unaware of his unfriendly bicycle stance . I even missed the pack split to hear all of their stories. Most people in Prescott are unaware of the AZ state legislation and other attitudes concerning bicycles that Mr. Moffitt has tried to push and has inflicted on Prescott. A few years ago Mr. Moffitt even helped develop the current bike plan (that the PBAC is currently updating) and his name is proudly listed as a PBAC member and friend . What is wrong with this picture? Over a year ago, I can even remember hearing at a local meeting, what a friend Mr. Moffitt is to the cycling community in this area. How naive. Someone was either a smooth talker or someone was a bad listener. With the recent developments in the news I feel it is time to let Prescott in on the truth. John Moffitt is bad for cycling. In a recent Prescott Courier article about the possibility of Mr. Moffitt going to Tucson, Prescott's mayor Sam Steiger made comments to the effect of, Mr. Moffitt has made several enemies on city council and his looking for another job was not such a bad idea. Once your boss says something like this it is time to start packing. I think that if you read closely between the lines of the Courier article you can almost see "do not let the door hit you on the way out" As much as I want Mr. Moffitt to leave Prescott I do not wish him on a bike loving town like Tucson. His attitude towards bikes are more suited for a large city in a developing nation like Mexico City or San Salvador. These places are about as bike unfriendly as you can get which seems to suit Mr. Moffitt style much better. I would realistically be happy to see him leave Arizona. Prescott has a very long way to catch up with Tucson but the PBAC is working very hard on improving our conditions. The absents of Mr. Moffitt would greatly improve things for cyclists in our wonderful city. I do not know the exact process for getting him out but it seems clear to me that whatever it takes it is a worth while endeavor and that the timing could not get any better than now.
BICYCLE ADVOCACY SUMMIT MEETING AUG 26 & 27 Meet advocates from around Arizona - learn how to be successful at getting better bicycle facilities in your own community. Ride in the mornings, Learn in the afternoons, Enjoy High country summer evenings. For more info: Cindie Travis, Chair, Prescott Bicycle Advisory Committee, 520-541-7604 http://www.prescottyellowpages.com/cazb/Summit.htm
Ride Schedule = http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/Schedule/RideSchedule.htm Chain Gang Web Site= http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/index.htmBuilt and Maintained by PrescottYellowPages.com 
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