Yuma Sun: Is it safe?

Yuma’s bicyclists say they need bike lanes and respect. Twenty-six years ago when Tom Johnson started bicycling in Yuma, he could cruise down 4th Avenue and not bother anyone. But Yuma has grown significantly since then and he said riding on two wheels rather than four isn’t that safe anymore. “Yuma’s not even close to being a cycling town,” said Johnson, who is a member of the Yuma Bike Club.

He said this is unfortunate because the city is great for bicycling. With little or no pollution and few huge hills, Johnson said Yuma is the perfect place to bike, at least in the winter. The city of Yuma is trying to change these negative perceptions by updating the overall bike plan. Right now, the city is asking for people to take a biking survey to find out what they want. 

“Our goal is really in the end to connect all our parks through bikeways, whether they’re routes, lanes or paths, and that is a trend throughout the nation to connect parks within the municipality across the state,” said Lesley Zlatev, senior planner for the city. For enthusiasts like Johnson and Yuma Bike Club president Doug Flynn, their survey answer comes down to two main points: They want bike lanes and respect. They want three feet of space marked out on roadways for them, and they want motorists to understand that they are entitled to the roads as well.

As things stand now, many riders do not feel safe on city streets. Johnson joked that all he needs to ride safely in Yuma is a bike lane — “and a loaded AK-47 and full hockey goalie gear.” Johnson has been hit twice by cars in the city. He was lucky enough to walk away both times. While bicyclists may feel like second-class citizens on the road, sometimes life doesn’t seem much easier for motorists who have to deal with heavy traffic on Yuma’s congested streets. In 2006, there were 37 accidents involving bicyclists in the city, according to YPD Lt. Mike Kohmetscher.

He said the streets are already congested with vehicles, but YPD feels felt that even one accident is too many. “We do what we can to make the streets safe,” he said. “We encourage helmet use for those under 18, and we encourage helmet use for everybody.” Flynn said crash statistics could be improved with more bike lanes and fewer bike routes. Flynn said he goes out of his way to travel down Avenue C near Cibola High School because it has the perfect bike lanes that make riding safe.

A recent New York City study found that bicycle lanes improve safety dramatically, finding only one fatal crash had occurred with a motor vehicle when a bicyclist was in a marked bicycle lane. Yuma is dealing with problems that result from outdated infrastructure, such as being forced to purchase expensive rights-of-way and sometimes compensate for homes taken through eminent domain to widen streets.

But Flynn said it isn’t too late for the right improvements to be made to turn Yuma into a bicyclist’s dream destination. “Tucson’s done it, Phoenix has done it, San Diego has done it. I ride in San Diego occasionally, and it’s safer to ride in San Diego. We ride all over the place. It’s safer to ride there than it is here,” Flynn said.

“That’s got to tell you something about how effective bike lanes are.” Flynn said the Yuma Bike Club has worked and wants to continue to work with the city so that Yuma can become a city that is great — and safe — for bicycling. The city’s most used bike path is the East Main Canal path, which is a paved stretch from 1st Street to 32nd Street.

The 2000 Census revealed that about 300 people used bikes to commute to work, and Zlatev now estimates twice as many people commute on two wheels. Johnson would like to be one of those who commutes by bike, but even taking the East Main Canal path concerns him because busy roadways like 8th and 32nd streets must be crossed.

Also, he said there needs to be more routes that cross the city. Zlatev said these sorts of opinions are what the city is looking for in providing the survey. She said recent roadway studies have shown a number of bicycle accidents and the city wants to provide more and safer bicycling opportunities. “It is our inclination that the safety could be improved for bicyclists.”

Jeffrey Gautreaux can be reached at jgautreaux@yumasun.com or 539-6858.

BIKE SAFETY IN NUMBERS:

• In 2006, there were 37 accidents involving bicyclists in the city of Yuma, according to the Yuma Police Department. This averages out to one crash every 9.8 days.
• In 2001, there were two bicycle fatalities in Yuma County. There were none in 2002, one in 2003 and two in 2004, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site.
• There were 33 bicyclist fatalities in all of Arizona in 2005 — an average of one every 11 days.
• Also in 2005, 720 bicyclists were killed in traffic accidents nationwide. According to NHTSA, the number of bicyclists’ deaths across the country has been between 500 and 1,000 every year since 1989.