SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.

–– 2022 Scottsdale Transportation Action Plan highlights bikeway

element in pursuit of recognition as Platinum bicycle friendly community.

Intro – Scottsdale Transportation Action Plan, known as TAP 2022 is bike friendly. The plan
calls for three initiatives aimed at improving the cycling experience and making cycling safer for
those who want to experience Scottsdale on two wheels.

TAP 2022 highlights Scottsdale’s goals to “expand and enhance the on-street and paved path
network. To provide safe and inviting access for not only bicyclists, but pedestrians and other
non-motorized vehicles while improving the quality of life for people that use the non-motorized
system,” Senior Transportation Planner, Greg Davies stated.

Scottsdale currently holds the title of a gold level Bicycle Friendly Community in which received
this prestigious designation in 2011 from The League of American Bicyclists.

Scottsdale’s current existing network for bikers consists of 198 miles of bicycle lanes, 90 miles
of bicycle routes, 129 miles of paved shared use paths and five miles of paved shoulders. “The
street system provides the most direct access to nearly all destinations in the city for people
biking,” Senior Transportation Planner, Susan Conklu said. While the bicycle lanes and routes
link to the shared use path network.

A shared use path provides a travel area separate from motorized traffic for bicyclists,
pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers and other users.

Last year, “The City of Scottsdale had 1.4 million people using the shared use path network,”
Public Information Officer, Cristina Lenko said in an interview.

Bicycle lanes in Scottsdale are typically found in new roadway construction and major
reconstruction projects. New and modified bicycle lanes can also be added when the streets are
re-striped during pavement management projects.

The three main initiatives of the bikeway element of TAP 2022 focuses on, on-street bike lanes,
neighborhood bikeways and shared use path improvements.

On-Street Bikeways - TAP 2022 recognizes 35 lane miles of roadway to be repurposed with
new or improved on-street bike lanes which will replace unneeded auto lanes. Another 35 miles
of 2-lane roadways with low traffic volumes are planned to be restriped for new or improved
bike lanes by removing center turn lanes according to City of Scottsdale Transportation team.

When determining these roadways “data is the key source,” Davies said in an interview. Data is
used to identify locations for wider bike lanes, buffered bike lanes and or separated bikes lanes.
Some data that is used for this determination is traffic data. Specifically, average daily traffic
volumes, which Scottsdale collects on a bi-annual basis. “Low-traffic volumes [in an area] is
more conducive to [a] type of bikeway facility that will be safer,” Davies said.
Scottsdale transportation team has also teamed up with The Maricopa Association of
Government, on using Strava data, according to Davies. “Strava is an application that active
transportation users like bicyclists and pedestrians use to track their movement,” Davies said.
Strava data was used to help identify bicyclists using their bikes in the City of Scottsdale.

The city’s implementation of on-street bikeways doesn’t only focus on the use of existing
roadways for bike lanes but plans to “continue to expand and improve [the on-street bike system]
as new roadway segments of minor collector size or larger are constructed,” according to
Scottsdale Transportation team. For clarification, a collector roadway is a low-to-moderate-
capacity road.

On-street bikeway elements will either be implemented with new construction efforts following
the standard cross sections already in place or identified through TAP 2022 through restriping
efforts which are coordinated through the city’s pavement management program.

Minor collector roadways that do not require a center turn lane will also be utilized to create
improved bike lanes “typically with buffers,” according to Scottsdale transportation team.

On-street bike lanes can be constructed with or without buffers. A buffered bike lane has a
designated buffer space which separates the bicycle lane from the adjacent motor vehicle travel
lane and or parking lane. Buffered bike lanes help in reducing safety risks for bicyclists.

Davies was asked in an interview whether buffers will be implemented in new or reconstructed
bike lanes. “It really all depends on the cross-sections and how much room you have [on the
street],” Davies said.

The implementation and improvement of most on-street bike lanes that will require travel lane
reductions will go through restriping which is coordinated through the pavement surface
treatment cycle which follows a timeframe of seven to ten years, according to Scottsdale
Transportation team.

Neighborhood Bikeways - TAP 2022 has declared a new designation of neighborhood

bikeways. Conklu highlights the proposed new designation of bikeways are “typically found in
streets with traffic volumes of under 2,000 vehicles per day and residential speeds of 25 mph or
less.” These roadways are found off the arterial grid on the quarter-mile street network through
neighborhoods, featured destinations such as parks, schools, libraries and connections to the rest
of the bikeway network. For clarification, an arterial road is an urban road in which the arterial
grid pertains to the network of major arterials.

In contrast, to bike lanes on busier roadways, “neighborhood bikeways accommodate a wider

range of bicycle users due to lower stress conditions,” Conklu said.

Shared Use Paths – These paths link to the on-street network while providing connectivity to a
wider range of bicyclists. New implementation of shared use paths “prioritized for construction
are based on three criteria: the potential demand in the vicinity of the corridor, the existing
bicycling conditions on parallel roadways and the potential for connections to the city’s existing
bicycle network,” according to Scottsdale Transportation team.

Scottsdale’s current primary use paths “serve as the spine and main linkages throughout
Scottsdale,” according to Scottsdale Transportation team. Identified as the Indian Bend Wash
(IBW) Path, the Crosscut Canal Path/Arizona Canal Path and the Central Arizona Project (CAP)
Canal Path. These primary use paths each provide local and regional connectivity and is a high
priority for implementation. 

Cyclist Safety – This year, “safety is a huge component in implementing The Transportation
Action Plan,” Davies said.

Jake Piazza, Bicycle Haus employee in Scottsdale and avid cyclist, is “always for more bike
lanes. Having a bike lane over not having one definitely increases safety for bikers,” Piazza said
in an interview.
Buffered bike lanes and separated bike lanes are key in reducing safety risks for bicyclists which
the City of Scottsdale plans to prioritize. Due to this, Davies said, buffered bike lanes and
separated bike lanes will be emphasized by Scottsdale because they do more to reduce the risk to
cyclists.

In fact, Piazza himself was once hit by a car while cycling. “Implementing more buffers would
not only help cyclists feel safer while cycling but also hopefully help to reduce cyclist-auto
crashes,” Piazza said.

The City of Scottsdale has identified locations with continuous turn lanes that vehicles use to go
left to a certain location. Many of these locations within the city with continuous turn lanes have
been identified as not needed. In which allows the city to implement buffered bike lanes,
according to Davies. “The goal is to implement more buffered bike lanes because of the safety
component,” Davies said.

Beyond Scottsdale’s efforts to maximize cyclist safety, “educating bicyclists and vehicle users is
another way to help reduce safety risks,” Davies said.

For example, “there are many violations of bicyclists going the wrong way, which makes
collision rates go up. So, the education component is critical here, because for circumstances we
cannot put a buffer with the bike lane, educating bicyclists and motor vehicles is going to help
reduce bicycle-vehicle crashes,” Davies said.

Conclusion – All the proposed changes to the bikeway element of TAP emphasize a refinement
of the existing transportation system over adding extensive new infrastructure. Especially if the
new infrastructure will be difficult to implement at a reasonable cost. Secondly to emphasize
livable streets, community and cyclist safety over rapid traffic.

If The City of Scottsdale utilizes all opportunities in the city for new and improved bike lanes
“we would add 132 miles of bike lanes in addition to the 198 miles that already exist,” Davies
said.
The Scottsdale Transportation Action Plan of 2022 is a progressive ten-year plan. The City of
Scottsdale is currently taking action to implement TAP 2022’s highlighted goals.

Human Sources:
Jake piazza - Bicycle Haus Scottsdale Employee
480-994-4267

Susan Conklu - Senior Transportation Planner

480-312-2308

sclonku@scottsdaleaz.gov
Greg Davies - Senior Transportation Planner
480-312-7829
Cristina Lenko – Scottsdale Public Information Officer
480-312-7517
clenko@scottsdaleaz.gov

Non-human Sources:
Azdot.gov 2021 Arizona Crash Facts Summary

City of Scottsdale – Transportation

480-312-7250