I spent the last week in Arizona – specifically the city of Mesa.
I was impressed by the bike lanes installed on all of the major streets on the east side of Mesa (the newer areas). Unfortunately, no one seemed to be using them. In the four days I was there, I saw one guy in full kit riding the lane on Power Road around 4pm.
Now, I saw many riders both old and young, using the sidewalks and crosswalks. All but one were going the wrong way. Apparently, Mesa needs to supplement their aggressive build out plan with rider education. (This is the conclusion of my short week of ‘research’.)
We made a side trip to the Grand Canyon, and I only saw two bikes the entire trip. One was chained to the bike rack at the Flagstaff Wendy’s, and the other to a tree on the south rim of the canyon. The temps were near or below freezing, and it was snowing, so I didn’t expect to see too many riders.