Attachment C - Active Transportation Program Update

Agenda Date: 10/7/2020, Item No. 17
Active Transportation Program Update
This report provides information to the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation
Subcommittee on the activities of the Street Transportation Department (Streets)
Active Transportation Program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Summary
The Streets Bicycle Program was expanded and incorporated into the Active
Transportation Program to reflect other active modes and growing popularity in
lightweight wheeled vehicles that are not bikes, such as e-scooters and mobility
devices. It also acknowledges infrastructure that serves people on bikes may also
serve people on foot or in wheelchairs, including multi-use paths and safer street
crossings.
Specifically, this report provides information about: the bicycle lane miles installed in
Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 and first two months of FY 2021; bicycle lane miles planned for
installation as part of the Pavement Maintenance Program through FY 2024; and
bicycle lane miles currently planned for installation outside of the Pavement
Maintenance Program. The report also addresses the development of the upcoming
Active Transportation Plan, the City’s most recent bicycle counts, and Phoenix’s recent
designation as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community.
Background
Interest in active transportation in Phoenix has been growing for several years as
residents have asked for more sidewalks, recreational paths, and safer street
crossings. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to
walking and biking outdoors in greater numbers looking for opportunities to exercise
and social distance during the current public health situation. Streets is addressing the
increasing demand for active transportation in multiple ways, including building
infrastructure, updating policies, and planning for a city where active transportation is
seamlessly integrated into everyday life for Phoenicians.
Infrastructure
Page 1 of 4
Attachment C
Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation 
Subcommittee
Report

Agenda Date: 10/7/2020, Item No. 17
Streets is tasked with implementation of the 35-year Transportation 2050 (T2050) goal
to add 1,080 bi-directional miles of new bicycle lanes. In the first 4 1/2 years of T2050,
183 new bike lane miles have been added to the City’s bicycle network. Streets has
added 40.4 miles of new bike lanes in FY 2020 and an additional 7.8 miles of new bike
lanes in the first two months of FY 2021 through its Pavement Maintenance Program (
Attachment A). Streets is also focused on providing additional safety and protection to
bicyclists. As part of this effort, Streets incorporated buffers on 28.9 miles and 4.1
miles of existing bike lanes in FY 2020 and the first two months of FY 2021,
respectively (Attachment A). Streets is planning to add another 53.5 bike lane miles
through its Pavement Maintenance Program over the next four years through FY 2024
and also plans to incorporate bike lane buffers on 59.8 miles of existing bike lanes
through FY 2024 (Attachment B). The Pavement Maintenance Program has been,
and will continue to provide, the greatest opportunity for increasing the number of
miles of bicycle lanes on City streets. Streets also plans to add an additional 27.6
miles of new bike lanes through its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) (Attachment
C). All planned or proposed bicycle lane installation projects are always subject to
further analysis and public feedback prior to actual implementation. Streets is also
focused on providing additional off-street active transportation infrastructure.  Earlier
this year, the City celebrated the opening of the Grand Canalscape project, marking
the completion of a 12-mile continuous multi-use path through the heart of Phoenix.
Streets is actively pursuing additional active transportation infrastructure projects
adjacent to irrigation canals that travel across the City. In partnership with the Salt
River Project (SRP), Streets received approval to utilize SRP Municipal Aesthetics
Program funding to design and construct two additional canalscape projects:
·
Grand Canal Phase III: 75th Avenue to 47th Avenue
·
Western Canal Phase I: 4th Avenue to 24th Street
Both projects represent exciting opportunities to enhance and promote increased
active transportation along canal banks within growing communities in the western and
southern parts of Phoenix. Design will start later this calendar year, and construction is
scheduled to begin in early 2022.
Planning
In a city that has traditionally been built for cars, there is currently high demand for
active transportation projects. Addressing these needs effectively and in an equitable
manner takes a deliberate planning and prioritization approach. Before the end of the
calendar year, the Active Transportation Program team will launch the planning
process for the Active Transportation Plan, which represents a major update to the
Page 2 of 4

Agenda Date: 10/7/2020, Item No. 17
City’s 2014 Bicycle Master Plan. The Active Transportation Plan process and
outcomes will focus on a key strategy from the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan: “Review and
update of City policies, procedures, codes, ordinances, guidelines, and standards to
promote bicycle safety and facilities.” The effort will emphasize an innovative,
equitable, and safe public outreach, with a focus on better understanding Phoenician’s
values and priorities when it comes to their streets. Feedback from the public will help
the Active Transportation Program team to pursue policies and infrastructure that
support the community’s values in an equitable manner. In place of traditional mapping
exercises, the Active Transportation Plan will focus on creating an iterative and
responsive approach to facility planning. The focus on policies and procedures will
establish the tools needed to create a connected active transportation network.
Streets is continually planning for better active transportation projects, with an
emphasis on projects that create or expand regional connections. Phoenix recently
submitted for pre-design funding for a bicycle/pedestrian bridge at the 3rd Street
alignment across the Salt River through the Maricopa Association of Governments
(MAG) design assistance program. In August 2020, the 3rd Street bridge project was
recommended by the MAG Active Transportation Committee and was evaluated as the
highest-ranked project in the region from among 17 submittals. The bridge would
provide a key active transportation connection between the south and north banks of
the Rio Salado multi-use pathway. The Rio Salado multi-use pathway runs through
Phoenix and connects into Tempe, tying into the regional network of trails. The final
project funding approval is anticipated at the MAG Regional Council meeting later this
month.
Bicycle Counts
In conjunction with the start of T2050, Streets has conducted spring and fall counts of
walking and biking since 2017. The most recent counts were conducted in April at 22
Citywide locations (Attachment D). Although four of the 22 locations are primarily
recreational, the remaining 18 locations are considered non-recreational areas.
Overall, bicycling and walking counts have shown an increase, with increases showing
most dramatically on the recreational routes and activity heaviest on the weekends.
Some non-recreational locations had slight decreases in both walking and biking
activity, with those decreases most notable on weekdays.  Across the entire week,
recreational routes showed 138 percent and 118 percent increases in biking and
walking respectively in 2020 over the previous year. And for non-recreational routes,
biking increased by 13 percent while pedestrian activity decreased by six percent
between 2019 and 2020.
Anecdotally, the increase in biking was also reflected in local bike sales, with local
news reporting a bike sales boom in April 2020. Bike purchases suggest an increased
Page 3 of 4

Agenda Date: 10/7/2020, Item No. 17
interest in bicycling, which highlights the need for the City’s investment in active
transportation infrastructure.
Bicycle Friendly Designation
In May, Phoenix was designated as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the
League of American Bicyclists. The City was previously designated Bronze level in
2013. The ranking system is competitive and evolving as cities across the country
work to improve their bicycling infrastructure. The Bronze level designation
demonstrates that Phoenix has improved as a bicycling city but has not yet caught up
to other cities like Denver (Silver) or Tucson (Gold). The Bicycle Master Plan (2014)
set a goal to achieve Platinum by 2034. In order to take the first step towards this
achievement, Streets has drafted a “Game Plan for Getting to Silver” as identified in
Attachment E. The game plan highlights the next steps the Department will take
based on recommendations from the League of American Bicyclists.
Streets continues to expand its capacity to deliver on the goal of 1,080 bi-directional
miles of new bicycle lanes by 2050. Staff is continuing to inform City Council and the
community through various outreach methods on travel lane reduction, new bicycle
lanes, buffered bicycle lanes, protected bicycle lanes, or any impacts to on-street
parking. The upcoming Active Transportation Plan will be an opportunity to chart out
the next ten years for Phoenix to build comfortable and safe active transportation
infrastructure for its residents and visitors.
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street
Transportation Department.
Page 4 of 4

Street
From
To
Council Dist.
One Way Miles
91st Ave
Thomas Rd
Indian School Rd
5 & 7
2.0
Mountain Pkwy
Ray Rd
Chandler Blvd
6
1.9
Buckeye Rd
17th Ave
7th Ave
8
1.5
107th Ave
Camelback Rd
Indian School Rd
5
2.0
59th Ave
Baseline Rd
1,000 ft S/O Baseline
8
0.1
71st St
350 ft S/O Paradise Ln
Sandra Ter & Scottsdale 
Rd
2
0.6
Baseline Rd
7th Ave
Central Ave
7 & 8
1.0
39th Ave
Maryland Ave
Glendale Ave
5
1.0
40th St
McDowell Rd
Loop 202
8
0.8
19th Ave
Bell Rd
Greenway Rd
3
2.0
20th St
Mitchell Dr
Greenfield Rd
4
0.8
Cave Creek Rd
Bell Rd
Greenway Rd
2 & 3
1.9
Durango St
27th Ave
35th Ave
7
2.0
Baseline Rd
57th Ave
Loop 202 Fwy
8
1.1
Ballpark Blvd
Camelback Rd
North Bridge
5
2.8
Carver Rd
51st Ave
55th Ave 
8
1.0
Circle Mountain Rd
43rd Ave
I-17
1
0.5
31st Ave
Roeser Rd
Burgess Ln
8
1.4
Roosevelt
8th Ave
Central Ave
7
0.9
Desert Peak Pkwy
Cave Creek Dam Rd
23rd St
2
1.2
Lower Buckeye Rd
107th Ave
103rd Ave
7
1.0
39th Ave
Van Buren St
Roosevelt St
4
1.0
FY20 New Bike Lanes Installed

FY20 New Bike Lanes Installed, cont
Fully or Partially Buffered Lanes
Desert Peak Pkwy
Lieber Pl
23rd St
2
0.7
2nd St
Adams St
Portland St 
7
0.5
Earll Dr
7th Ave
3rd Ave
4
0.5
Jackson St
7th Ave
4th St
7
1.0
McDowell Rd
67th Ave
75th Ave
7
2.0
Riverview Dr
16th St
24th St 
8
2.4
48th St & Piedmont
52nd St & Elliot Rd
6
1.9
Cave Creek Dam Rd
Desert Peak Pkwy
Mariposa Grande
2
1.0
Sweetwater Ave
31st St
32nd St
3
0.2
Sky Crossing Way 
3300 East Black 
Mountain Blvd
2
0.9
Bryce Ln
Sky Crossing Way
Black Mountain Blvd
2
0.4
Total
40.4

Street
From
To
Council Dist.
One Way Miles
15th Ave
Pasadena Ave
Rancho Dr
4 & 5
1.6
71st St
Kierland
350 ft S/O Paradise Ln
2
0.9
39th Ave
Monte Vista Rd
Edgemont Ave
4
1.0
39th Ave
Verde Ln
Osborn Rd
4
0.9
12th St
McDowell Rd
Thomas Rd
4
1.8
20th St
Indian School Rd
Mitchell Dr
4
0.9
31st Ave
Melvin St
Roosevelt St
4
0.9
27th Ave
Loop 101
Rose Garden Ln
1
0.8
31st Ave
Roosevelt St
Encanto Blvd
4
2.0
Pointe Golf Club Dr
Sharon Dr
Thunderbird Rd
3
2.8
15th Ave
Camelback Rd
Thomas Rd
4
2.5
Sweetwater Ave
28th St
31st St
3
0.8
12th St
Dunlap Ave
Mountain View Rd
3
0.5
Desert Willow Pkwy
Cave Creek Rd
Cave Creek Rd
2
2.4
Desert Willow Pkwy
Cave Creek Rd
Dynamite Blvd
2
4.2
43rd Ave
Pinnacle Peak Rd
Fallen Leaf Ln
1
1.8
91st Ave
Lower Buckeye Rd
Illini St
7
1.3
Stetson Hills Loop
Happy Valley Rd
Happy Valley Rd
1
1.9
Total
28.9
FY20 Existing Bike Lanes with New Buffers Installed

Street
From
To
Council Dist.
One Way Miles
Fully or Partially Buffered Lanes
Lower Buckeye Rd
79th Ave
81st Ave 
7
0.4
56th St
Lone Mountain Rd
White Pine Dr
2
0.3
101st Ave/Montebello
101st Ave & Oregon Ave Montebello Ave & 99th 
Ave
5
1.5
Missouri Ave
99th Ave
101st Ave
5
0.5
Bryce Ln
Sky Crossing
Black Mtn Pkwy
2
0.4
19th Ave
Union Hills
Loop 101
1 & 3
1.9
Hatcher Rd
19th Ave
6th Ave
3
2.1
20th St
Cambridge Ave
Oak St
4
0.6
Total
7.8
Street
From
To
Council Dist.
One Way Miles
Lower Buckeye Rd 
75th Ave
79th Av
7
1.0
 56th St 
Lone Mountain
800' S/O White Pine Dr
2
0.3
48th St 
Ray Rd
Loop 202
6
2.0
Knox Rd 
40th St
36th St
6
0.9
 Total
4.1
FY21 Existing Bike Lanes with New Buffers Installed through 8/23
FY21 New Bike Lanes Installed through 8/23

Street
From
To
CD
One-way miles
PINNACLE PEAK RD
E/O 19 AVE
W/O 11 AVE
1
1.4
GRAND AVE
NW/O ROOSEVELT ST/15 
AVE
NW/O WILLETTA ST/18 
AVE (MCDOWELL)
4
1.1
ROSE GARDEN LN
W/O 27 AVE
E/O 19 AVE
1
1.7
LOWER BUCKEYE RD
E/O 99 AVE
W/O 91 AVE
7
2.0
51 AVE
PINNACLE PEAK RD
HAPPY VALLEY RD
1
2.0
ENCANTO BLVD
31 AVE
27 AVE
4
1.0
GREENWAY RD
 51 AVE
 43 AVE
1
2.0
43 AVE
BUCKEYE RD
VAN BUREN  ST
7
2.0
Partially or fully buffered bike lanes
CAREFREE HWY
I-17
7 AVE
2
5.9
CHANDLER BLVD
W/O 48 ST
MARICOPA FRWY
6
0.9
7 ST
PEORIA
THUNDERBIRD
3
5.2
67 AVE
HAPPY VALLEY RD
JOMAX RD
1
2.0
Total
27.2
Street
From
To
CD
One way miles
PINNACLE PEAK RD
W/O 23 AVE
W/O 19 AVE
1
1.3
36 ST
RANCH CIR N
EQUESTRIAN TRL
6
2.3
40 ST
s/o DEER VALLEY 
s/o PINNACLE PEAK
2
2.1
DEER VALLEY DR
e/o TATUM BLVD
w/o 56 ST
2
2.0
13-25
MCDOWELL RD / 
ENCANTO BLVD
19 AVE / 15 AVE
4
4.0
56 ST
L101
END OF ROAD (N/O DEER 
VALLEY DR)
2
1.1
51 ST
WARNER RD
ELLIOT RD
6
2.2
BROADWAY RD
W/O 99 AVE
E/O 91 AVE
7
2.0
RANCH CIRCLE NORTH
RAY RD
RAY RD
6
2.7
TATUM BLVD
BELL RD
UNION HILLS DR
2
2.0
ILLINI ST / RIVER POINT 
PKWY / WOOD ST
30 ST
32 ST
8
1.0
BASELINE RD
E/O 19 AVE
W/O 7 AVE
7
1.0
MOHAVE ST
E/O 51 AVE
W/O 43 AVE
7
2.0
DOVE VALLEY RD
W/O NORTH VALLEY 
PKWY
E/O 22 AVE
2
1.3
Total
27.0
FY21 New Bike Lanes Planned
FY21 Existing Bike Lanes with New Buffers Planned

Street
From
To
CD
One way miles
GRANT ST
E/O BLACK CANYON 
FRWY
W/O 19 AVE
7
0.9
19 AVE
BELL RD
UNION HILLS DR
1
1.0
Partially or Fully Buffered Lanes
55 AVE
N/O PINNACLE PEAK RD
S/O HAPPY VALLEY RD
1
2.0
SHEA BLVD
W/O 40 ST
E/O TATUM BLVD
3
2.0
DUNLAP AVE
7 ST
15 ST (END ROAD)
3
1.8
83 AVE
LOWER BUCKEYE RD
BUCKEYE RD
7
2.0
Total
9.6
Street QS
From
To
CD
One way miles
BEARDSLEY RD
W/O 32 ST
E/O CAVE CREEK RD
2
2.0
DEER VALLEY RD
E/O 19 AVE
E/O  7 AVE
1
2.0
BEARDSLEY RD
20 ST
W/O CAVE CREEK RD
2
1.0
UNION HILLS DR
W/O 19 AVE
E/O 7 AVE
2
1.0
19 AVE
PIMA FRWY
DEER VALLEY RD
1
1.9
CAVE CREEK RD
BELL RD
UNION HILLS DR
2
1.0
LOWER BUCKEYE RD
E/O L202
W/O 51 AVE
7
1.6
51 AVE
N/O BROADWAY RD 
(W/BND)
S/O LOWER BUCKEYE RD
7
1.5
Total
12.0
FY22 New Bike Lanes Planned
FY22 Existing Bike Lanes with New Buffers Planned

Street QS
From
To
CD
One way miles
NORTHERN AVE
E/O 16 ST
SR51
6
1.2
19 AVE
HAPPY VALLEY RD
JOMAX RD (W/BND)
1
1.8
43 AVE
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AVE
BASELINE RD
7
0.5
Partially or Fully Buffered Lanes
BUCKEYE RD
W/O 43 AVE
E/O 35 AVE
7
2.0
7-38
UNIVERSITY DR / HILTON 
AVE
44 ST / SR 143
8
2.4
Total
8.0
Street QS
From
To
CD
One way miles
7 ST
S/O UNION HILLS DR
PIMA FRWY
2
1.9
RANCHO PALOMA DR 
(SOUTH 1/2)
W/O 52 PL
N/O LONE MOUNTAIN RD
2
2.1
HAPPY VALLEY RD
BLACK CANYON FRWY
19 AVE
1
1.7
CAVE CREEK RD
DUNLAP AVE
CACTUS RD
3
5.2
PINNACLE PEAK RD
35 AVE
BLACK CANYON FRWY (I-
17)
1
2.4
MARYLAND AVE
18 ST
20 ST
6
0.6
15 AVE
GLENDALE AVE
NORTHERN AVE
3
1.0
15 AVE
BETHANY HOME RD
GLENDALE AVE
5
2.0
Total
16.8
FY23 New Bike Lanes Planned
FY23 Existing Bike Lanes with New Buffers Planned

Street QS
From
To
CD
One way miles
CHANDLER BLVD
N/O PECOS RD
S/O SHAUGHNESSEY RD / 
CHANDLER BLVD
6
0.3
CENTRAL AVE
N/O DUNLAP AVE
END OF ROAD
3
0.5
JEFFERSON ST
E/O I-17 BLACK CANYON 
FRWY
W/O 19 AVE
7
0.1
CENTRAL AVE
S/O NORTHERN AVE
S/O DUNLAP AVE
3
0.7
31 AVE
N/O NORTHERN AVE
S/O DUNLAP AVE
1
1.0
EL MIRAGE RD
CAMELBACK RD
MISSOURI AVE
5
0.5
VAN BUREN ST
75 AVE
67 AVE
7
1.0
VAN BUREN ST
67 AVE
59 AVE
7
1.0
CACTUS RD
W/O 31 AVE
E/O 19 AVE
1
0.8
12 ST
BELL RD
UNION HILLS DR
2
0.5
39-23
UNION HILLS DR / UTOPIA 
RD
27 AVE / 23 AVE
1
0.3
48 ST
N/O SOUTHERN PACIFIC 
RAILROAD
S/O WASHINGTON ST
6
0.2
16 ST
N/O GREENWAY PKWY
S/O BELL RD
3
0.3
CENTRAL AVE
S/O NORTHERN AVE
S/O DUNLAP AVE
3
1.0
Partially or Fully Buffered Lanes
PALOMA PKWY
END OF ROAD
S/O CAREFREE HWY
2
0.2
47 AVE
OSBORN RD
INDIAN SCHOOL RD
4
0.5
Total
8.7
Street QS
From
To
CD
One way miles
48 ST
N/O RAY RD
N/O WARNER RD
6
0.7
CAMELBACK RD
COUNTY LINE
107 AVE
5
0.7
66 ST / ACOMA DR
68 ST
GREENWAY PKWY
2
0.8
61 AVE
CHARLOTTE DR
HAPPY VALLEY RD
1
0.5
7-9
LOWER BUCKEYE RD / 
DURANGO ST
83 AVE / 79 AVE
7
0.6
UNIVERSITY DR / 
MAGNOLIA ST
E/O 24 ST
E/O 24 ST
8
0.5
LIBERTY LN
24 ST
32 ST
6
0.3
Total
4.0
FY24 Existing Bike Lanes with Buffers Planned
FY24 New Bike Lanes Planned

Street
From
To
Council 
Districts
Estimated 
Construction 
Year
Type of 
Infrastrucutre
One way 
miles
Buckeye Road
107th ave
75th Ave
7
FY21
Bike lane
10.8
Jomax Road
27th Ave
Norterra Pkwy
1 & 2
FY21
Bike lane
0.4
Pinnacle Peak Road
45th ave
35th ave
1
FY21
Bike lane
2.4
7th Ave
Mountain View 
Rd
Cheryl Dr
3
FY21
Bike lane
0.6
Oak Street Bike 
Improvements
3rd St
20th St
4
FY21
Bike improvements
3.6
3rd and 5th Ave
Washington St 
McDowell Rd
7
FY21
Protected Bike Lane, 
Bike Lane
2.4
3rd St
McDowell Rd
Indian School 
Rd
4
FY21
Bike lanes
4
3rd and 5th Ave
McDowell Rd
Thomas Rd
4
TBD
Protected Bike Lane, 
Bike Lane
2
Roeser Rd
32nd St
37th St
8
FY21
Bike lanes
1.4
Total
27.6
CIP Projects with Planned Bike Infrastructure

August 2020 
Page 1 
Draft internal paper that will be submitted to ITE summarizing spring bike/ped counts 
Effect of the Pandemic on Bicycle and Pedestrian Activity in Spring 2020 in 
Phoenix, AZ 
The City of Phoenix has been conducting bicycle and pedestrian counts at 40 citywide locations 
and 10 project-based locations every year for the past three years as part of the Transportation 
2050 (T2050) evaluation of Mobility and Access. T2050 is a Transit and Streets improvement 
program, which includes enhancements to active transportation infrastructure such as bicycle 
lanes, sidewalks, and ADA ramps funded by a voter-approved, 35-year, half cent sales tax 
initiative.  
The counts are captured using video cameras. Post processing is done by manually viewing the 
video and summarizing the counts by one-hour intervals which can be broken down by sidewalk 
versus street, direction of travel, and side of street. The citywide counts are conducted for five 
consecutive days starting on a Wednesday and extending through Sunday, during the hours of 
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Twenty-two of the 40 citywide bike counts are done in mid-April. Nearly half of 
the spring counts start on the Bike-to-Work Day in Maricopa County (Bike-to-Work Day was not 
observed in 2020 due to the pandemic). The remaining spring counts are done in the last week 
of April. 
The spring 2020 counts coincided with the Arizona Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay 
Connected” order1, which was issued to minimize the spread of Covid-19. This allowed us to 
compare the bicycle counts during the pandemic conditions with the prior two years at the same 
22 citywide count locations. There were four locations, which were primarily along recreational 
routes, where the counts increased substantially in 2020, indicating that many people were out 
using the bicycle facilities during the pandemic. Comparison of bicycle counts along non-
recreational and recreational routes is shown in Table 1. 
The pedestrian counts at 22 spring locations showed a similar trend: an increase in overall 
pedestrian activity along the recreational trails/routes and an increase in weekend pedestrian 
activity on the non-recreational routes. A comparison of pedestrian counts along non-
recreational and recreational routes is shown in Table 2.  At the same time, walking along the 
non-recreational routes decreased by 17%, compared to an increase in walking of 21% on 
weekends in these same areas. 
Temperature and precipitation data were also gathered to determine if environmental factors 
affected the active transportation counts from year to year. There has been no recorded rainfall 
on any of the count days, and the temperature fluctuations observed was within the normal 
range for each year.  Environmental factors did not appear to have a noticeable effect on 
1 State of Arizona Executive Order 2020-18, Physical Distancing to Mitigate COVID-19 Transmission, 
https://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/eo_2020-18_stay_home_stay_healthy_stay_connected_1.0.pdf, 
effective March 31, 2020.

August 2020 
 
Page 2 
 
walking or bicycling activity during the three-year study period. In fact, the counts are conducted 
in April and October, which are the ideal times to be outdoors in the Phoenix metropolitan area 
due to the ideal temperature and weather conditions. It is often too hot during the day during the 
summer months to see much active transportation activity from midday to the afternoon time 
periods. 
 
The team also conducted seven of the ten three-day project-based counts (which are done 
Thursday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) in late March and early April. Most of these 
were “before” counts where new facilities are planned for the near future. One of those locations 
(Indian Bend Wash Trail west of Tatum Boulevard) was counted two years ago on a single day 
(Saturday). The 2020 project-based counts and the before and after comparison of one site are 
shown in Table 3. 
 
In summary, from the comparison of counts, it can be concluded that both bicycle and 
pedestrian activity has been positively affected during the pandemic, especially on recreational 
routes and trails. The comparison also shows that weekday bicycle travel on most commuter 
routes and streets has stayed more or less constant from 2018 to 2020. On the other hand, 
pedestrian travel along commuter routes was lower during the pandemic during weekdays but 
higher on the weekends. 
 
Anecdotally, the pandemic has corresponded to a surge in bicycle sales in Phoenix2,3 and 
throughout Arizona as some former transit riders are turning to bicycling to create more social 
distancing, and other individuals find it as an ideal way to commute, exercise, and enjoy their 
community.  
 
The remaining 18 citywide locations will be counted in mid-October 2020. This will enable the 
team to evaluate the lasting effects of the pandemic on bicycle and pedestrian activity. The 18 
locations will include a mixture of commuter and recreational routes. The collection and 
analyses of bicycle and pedestrian counts are expected to continue in 2021. 
 
 
 
 
2 Phoenix-Area Bicycle Shops See Surge in Demand Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, AZ Central.com, March 26, 2020,  
https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/phoenix/2020/03/26/phoenix-area-bike-shops-
roll-coronavirus-spurs-surge-demand/2914055001/ 
3 Pandemic Leads to a Bicycle Boom, and Shortage Around the World, KTAR News, by the Associated Press, June 14, 
2020, https://ktar.com/story/3281938/pandemic-leads-to-a-bicycle-boom-and-shortage-around-world/

August 2020 
 
Page 3

August 2020 
 
Page 4

August 2020 
 
Page 5 
 
Table 3

Expand the bicycle network for 
all ages and abilities
Implement Complete Streets
Adopt design guidelines for 
biking infrastructure
Add more high quality bike 
parking
Expand bicycle safety education
Adopt a comprehensive road 
safety plan
Set bike ridership goals and 
conduct counts
Assess all pavement projects for 
potential bike lanes, seek funding for 
bike paths along canals, and add buffers 
to existing bike lanes where feasible
Review all new capital projects and 
development projects to make sure 
they follow the Complete Streets 
ordinance
Create design guidelines for active 
transportation in Phoenix during the 
Active Transportation Plan process
Update and expand the existing Bike 
Rack Program
Add another staff person to the Safe 
Routes To School program
Look for funding opportunities to draft 
a city-wide Road Safety Plan
Research counting technology and 
identify a pilot opportunity
NEXT STEPS FOR THE STREET 
TRANSPORTATION DEPT.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 
LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS
In May 2020 Phoenix was designated a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community 
by the League of American Bicyclists. The following game plan highlights key steps 
the City will take to achieve Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation. 
AUGUST 2020
Active Transportation Program Update, Attachment E: Draft Game Plan For Getting To Silver