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Bicycle Advisory Committee presents AARP Community Challenge audits, outlines Verde Connection phase 1
Summary
The Yavapai County Bicycle Advisory Committee presented results of an AARP Community Challenge audit and described phase 1 of the Verde Connection route linking Cottonwood and Clarkdale. Committee members asked the council for continued collaboration, letters of support for a Broadway grant opportunity and inclusion in predesigns.
Jen (Bicycle Advisory Committee representative and County Community Health staff) presented the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) report to the Clarkdale Town Council on May 13, summarizing an AARP Community Challenge effort and a countywide set of bicycle audits.
The presentation reported that the BAC and partners completed audits at 13 locations across Cottonwood, Clarkdale and nearby corridors and that the committee submitted two AARP Community Challenge grants — a microgrant and a proposal to advance the Verde Connection route linking Cottonwood and Clarkdale. “Congratulations. You have been granted both of these,” Jen said after opening the applications, and the group described moving quickly from award notice to implementation planning.
The audits recorded who is bicycling (mostly adults and older adults, with few children), where people ride (streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and multiuse paths), travel direction relative to traffic and likely trip purpose (recreation or basic transportation). Jen said the team observed a roughly even split between recreational riders — often in higher-end gear and helmets — and transportation riders traveling point-to-point. The audits were conducted twice monthly over three months at different times of day and included volunteers from BAC, county community health staff and local hiking groups.
Why it matters: BAC members said the audit and the Verde Connection route are intended to improve safety and connectivity between towns, trails, parks, schools and neighborhoods. The group highlighted several locations for priority work: Lanny Lane and Old Jerome Highway (a preferred corridor for recreation and a potential alternate to the 89 bypass), and a large roundabout near Cement Plant Road that committee members described as a challenging crossing for cyclists.
Committee recommendations and next steps included: - Use consistent pavement markings and signage (committee members noted green bike lane paint and sharrows as effective tools). - Incorporate BAC input into transportation predesigns and community design processes. - Pursue small-scale education and safety campaigns for both cyclists and motorists, including school outreach and bicycle-safety events. - Council support in the form of letters for a Broadway grant application (committee asked the council to consider a letter of support).
Council members asked clarifying questions about the Verde Connection route and which segments are included in the initial phase. Jen and other BAC members said the first phase connects Cottonwood and Clarkdale and that additional alignments such as a Lanny Lane loop were discussed for future phases, but that some segments remain subject to partner approvals (for example, state transportation agencies and private parcel issues). BAC members also requested that the committee be consulted on future predesign work.
The presentation concluded with BAC members offering continued technical help to town staff and thanking the council and community for past and future collaboration.
