Mobile-friendly map directs bicycle riders across Arizona
Jul 19, 2018, 8:40 AM
(Arizona Department of Transportation Photo)
PHOENIX — Bicycle riders making their way around Arizona now have a little more help at their fingertips to stay on track.
The Arizona Department of Transportation has unveiled a mobile-friendly cycling route map of local bike paths and the 573-mile Arizona stretch of U.S. Bicycle Route 90.
“We take everything from safety tips to local points of interest and literally put it in the palm of your hand, making transportation truly personal,” agency director John Halikowski said in a statement.
Users can click to find frontage roads, narrow bridges, extreme grades, state and national parks, trailheads and rest areas.
The department conducted a study in 2013 that concluded bicyclists brought more than $88 million a year to the state.
Route 90 was established in 2014 in Florida. The east-west course runs for nearly 1,000 miles The Arizona portion was approved in 2015.
The nonprofit Adventure Cycling Association helped push the route expansion, which uses existing roads and other infrastructure as designated bike routes.
Desktop users will be able to find routes after an update by ADOT.
“These updates will make it even easier for bicyclists of all comfort levels to enjoy the best of what Arizona has to offer,” program coordinator Michael Sanders said in a press release.