Thank you for your response to my letter concerning the Cornville road widening project. I cannot adequately express my fear and concern from the information that you sent me. "In the switchbacks area, there will be a 2’ wide paved shoulder on the south side only – there will be no paved shoulder provided on the north side." I do not understand this logic. If you only have room for a 2' shoulder, why on earth would you put this shoulder on the south side of the road? As a cyclist I do not need a shoulder on the south side. This would be a descent and I can travel at the same rate of speed as the motorized traffic. Very few, if any, cars will need or attempt to pass me on my bike on the south (east bound) side of the roadway. It is the north (west bound) side of the roadway that MUST have a shoulder. As a cyclist, I can only travel at speeds from 5-10 mph on the west bound side of the roadway. Depending on the traffic and speed of my ascent, I may be passed by 18-40 vehicles. On one occasion I counted no less than 22 vehicles (one was a commercial tractor trailer, and another was a dually truck pulling a fifth wheel horse trailer) that passed me while ascending this short section of Cornville Rd., and this was not a heavy traffic day. To add to my fears, my route up the north side of the roadway is currently hindered by guard rails to keep traffic from going down into a steep canyon, while at the same time giving me NO way to avoid colliding with those vehicles who are not providing me with enough room to travel.
Your suggestion of the use of the park and ride facility and/or existing "trails" is impractical for someone using a road bike. A road bicycle is not designed for trail riding, and using the park and ride defeats the purpose of using a bike at all as a means of transportation. While those solutions may work for others, they do not address my specific concerns.
Please... I am asking for a meeting with you and/or Supervisor Davis to talk about this. It is imperative that the Cornville road widening project provide a shoulder on the north side of the roadway through the switchbacks!
Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss this matter in person. Perhaps a meeting could be arranged with representatives of the local cycling community via the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition. I look forward to your reply.
Kevin Dix
Teacher/Cyclist
(928) 202-1338
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