Response from Tempe City Council Candidate Kolby Granville – Tempe Election 2012

The board of Tempe Bicycle Action Group recently sent questions to all of the candidates for Tempe Mayor and City Council prior to the upcoming Tempe Mayoral and City Council election, so that the voters of Tempe can hear the candidate’s positions on cycling and cycling related issues.

Responses from all of the candidates can be found here: https://www.biketempe.org/tempe-election-bicycle-qa-candidates-responses/

Response from City Council Candidate Kolby Granville:

Personal questions

1. Do you ride a bicycle on the valley area roads/trails and why?

YES. I HAVE A CRUISER BIKE THAT I RIDE, ON AVERAGE, 1-2 TIMES A WEEK TO MILL AVENUE, OR TO THE LIGHT RAIL STOP. I RIDE MY BIKE FOR EXERCISE, AND SO I DON’T HAVE TO LOOK FOR PARKING.

2. Do you think cycling in Tempe is safe for you, your family members and friends? What would do do to improve the safety of the cycling environment?

IT IS RELATIVELY SAFE, THE ISSUE IS THE NEED FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF BIKE LANES. THE LARGER ISSUE IS THERE SIMPLY ARE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT BIKE, SO DRIVERS ARE NOT TRAINED TO LOOK FOR THEM. IN A PERFECT WORLD, THERE WOULD BE A DIVIDED AREA FOR BIKES, LIKE IN DENMARK, BUT IN THE SHORT TERM, MORE BIKES LANES ARE THE KEY.

3. What have you done or worked on in the past that shows your record of being involved in bicycle safety or road/trail improvement campaigns? Please elaborate.

I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE “TOUR DE TEMPE” TO INCREASE BIKE AWARENESS.

Specific improvements in Tempe

4. Where do you think cycling fits in Tempe or any city’s transportation  infrastructure and planning?

IT SHOULD FIT IN AS PART OF ANY ROAD ALTERATIONS IN THE FUTURE, AS PART OF A LONG TERM PLAN TO ADD BIKE LANES TO EVERY STREET IN TEMPE.

5. Many streets in Tempe do not have bike lanes (Broadway Road, Rural Road, McClintock Drive, Southern Avenue) and are not comfortable for any users other than automobile drivers. What measures would you support to improve the state of bike lane frequency in Tempe (i.e. road diets, shared spaces for bikes/buses, increased bike lanes)?

SEE ANSWER #1. EVERY MAJOR ROAD IN TEMPE SHOULD HAVE A BIKE LANE.

6. How will you work with ADOT to obtain more bicycle and pedestrian facilities adjacent to and over the local freeway system like Country Club Way and Alameda Drive?  Bicyclists have requested freeway crossings at Alameda and the I-10 and the Western Canal and I-10 and Balboa and 101 etc…

THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE PART OF A MUCH LONGER TERM PLAN. WHILE I AM IN FAVOR OF IT, IN CONCEPT, I WOULD NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADOT’S PLANS BEFORE GOING INTO GREATER DETAIL ON REALISTIC TIME FRAMES.

7. The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is surrounded by roadway devoid of bike lanes. How would you make the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport accessible by bike?

THIS IS NOT AN AREA WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF TEMPE. WHILE I AGREE THAT THE AIRPORT SHOULD HAVE BIKE LANES LEADING UP TO IT, AS WELL AS A PLACE FOR LONG TERM BIKE PARKING, ALL THAT TEMPE CAN DO IS SERVE AS A VOICE AMONG OTHERS IN ENCOURAGING THE CHANGE.

8. How would you increase Tempe’s standing in the broader bicycle community? For example, how would you help Tempe grow from its “silver” status with the League of American Bicyclists to a “platinum” status?

ADD BIKE LANES, ADD BIKE LANES, ADD BIKES LANES. AND, ALTHOUGH YOU DID NOT ASK THIS QUESTION, THERE MUST BE A LONG TERM PLAN TO DEAL WITH BIKE THEFT IN TEMPE. IF RESIDENTS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE LEAVING THEIR BIKE AND HAVING IT SAFE, CYCLING WILL NEVER TRULY TAKE OFF IN TEMPE.