I have a real beef ...
 

I have been living in Arizona for about 23 years, and have seen other parts of the nation take off when it comes to bicycle trails etc. Here we have diddly squat -- short 2 and 3 mile trails here and there, and many of the trails you have to share with the automobile. I live in a part of the country that gets awesome weather for most of the year, and with the kinds of trails that many other states have we could use for a greater length of time. I guess we are still run by backwoods cowboys. Wouldn't it be great if they would develop miles of meandering trails with rest stops etc., along the way. Perfect for folding bikes.

Here's a great article I read on MSN about the best 15 bike trails around the country. Anyone out there able to use or have used them with your folder?

15 Fantastic U.S. Bike Trails- MSN Weather Outdoors Slideshow

Cheers
Wayne

From NW corner, No.7 is on the south west corner of the state , I'm too far off , unless I get a car..

Oregon. There's a state I have contemplated on moving to. Very bicycle friendly, especially Portland. If only it didn't rain so much :(.

local stuff...
mind you that the city of Olney has MAJOR bicycle companies located here :
Pacific Cycles ( which owns Schwinn,Moongoose, Roadmaster etc etc etc) not the Pacific cycle in Taiwan which makes foldies ... PAcific has a distribution center here and moves millions of bikes through Olney
Sapim USA for spokes, Unior Tools, EsjotUSA, Provelo ( Distributor who sells to Dealers only ) Magura, SKS
Hoss ( importer of tires and locks ) Highway 2 ( Brooks, Continental ) and I am sure I forgot somebody

All in a town with less than 10000 peeps living here....in the middle of nowhere.... with that in mind ...


we had a traintrack through town and going south over a couple nice bridges and rolling forest and fields which was abandanded... that train track would be perfect to ride from town to the Industrial park and further on ...

a couple of industry folks were trying to make it a bike path ....

and a couple of old church ladies shut it down with the explanation that female bike riders would be in danger of being rapped !!!


No bike lanes, routes, trails..... just drunken pickup drivers which seem to try out how close their extended mirrors can come to your head ....


Thor

We will be 'not a desert' in my Lifetime .. later , It wont be my problem.

What a load of rubbish. Unfortunately women can get rapped almost anywhere. If there is an issue, which I understand, ride in groups for crying out loud. So everyone else has to be denied because of a couple of old ladies. Good grief. The townsfolk should be up in arms about that one. I know I would be.

I think we all have a beef with the lack of biking infrastructure. We have some great bike paths in my city... but the major ones just stop - why didn't they connect them? So, instead, you have to ride busy, often pot hole ridden roads for several miles to connect to the next major bike path. Fortunately, they're working on connecting them, but you would have thought this would have been a no-brainer from the start.

You got the no-brainer part right. When we talk about government officials, we talk about no-brainers.

Meh, I live adjacent to Rock creek Park. I think the article is a little misleading. Perhaps in 1990 this trail was impressive but now the trail is too narrow, rutted, and dangerous for most. The southern end towards the monuments is little more than a sidewalk full of tourists. WABA has been trying hard for years to get NPS to make trail improvements - I think we've been stuck at the environmental assessment phase for 2-3 years.

With that said, it still is popular on the weekends when NPS closes 6 miles of the road to cars.

Those look like nice trails but personally I think there are many better options. I get that the emphasis is on trails that are not in or near cities but it is nice when top quality bike trails are where the people are. For example, the Discovery Trail on the Long Beach Peninsula sounds nice and I admit that I have not ridden it (even though I live in Seattle not too far away), but it is not convenient for many people - a bit off the beaten path - and is only 8.5 miles long. I am sure it is nice way to spend a leisurely hour, or a little more.

Alternatively, in Portland, which you mentioned, there is a wonderful network of trails, many in very scenic areas around the city and separated from auto traffic. Riding in the heart of town on the separated paths along the river is a blast as well.

I just returned from three nights in Boston which my wife and I visited for the first time. We took the Bromptons and rode the Freedom Trail, visiting 15 or 16 of those famous historical site we all learned about in elementary school. Then we rode up the north side of the Charles River on the bike trail past MIT, Harvard and Cambridge and crossed over to return on the south side. It was a delight to see people out in small sailboats, kayaks and rowing shells on the water or jogging, cycling, strolling and picnicking along the shore. The next day we rode along the Harborfront Trail. There were quite a few routes through town that had well delineated bike lanes.

But I understand your lament. We are fortunate in Seattle to have the Burke Gilman Trail and Sammamish River Trail, among many others, that utilize old railroad right-of-ways. Personally my priority is for improvements in and near the population centers, which is a different focus from the article that was linked.

Will it happen in Arizona? Well, you alluded to a political climate there where perhaps the majority do not see value in providing public amenities that can be enjoyed by all. As for rain in Portland - once you settle in it will not limit you - it is not as bad as you may believe - and worth the trade-off to not have to live in the AC. Come on up!

Boston is a great place to visit. Its been a long while since I was there last - long before bicycle pathways were even thought of. I can only imagine how nice it is now.

I have watched news clips of Portland's bicycle friendly infrastructure. Perhaps one day I will head up for a visit. Its a shame we don't have the same attitude in Arizona. The weather warrants such activity. Hopefully one day a push from public demand might get things started.

Try the Politics path?

So Rather than wait for the AZ.. 'you guys should' committee to do it for you, while you wait..

start attending the council and commisioners meetings and push for it.

AZ apparently, statewide, as reported , they are able to pass some Even Stupider legislation for other intrest groups..