“Bill and Jean are
absolutely phenomenal,” said Santa Cruz Bicycle Advocacy
Committee member Chuck Hill. “It is truly amazing what they have
been able to accomplish for bike safety.” Hill, along with
fellow SCBAC members John Pilger, Jim Jordan and Tony Crosby,
made Adamson’s case in a letter dated March 19. In the letter,
they state that, “We in the Green Valley are particularly
fortunate having Bill as our own and to have witnessed the
emergence of a true advocate.”
Meanwhile, Gorman began her work as a safety advocate in 1999
after her son Brad was killed in a cycling accident. “The
next thing I knew,” Gorman said, “I was on my way to the House
of Representatives and the Senate.” Gorman threw herself
into politics and successfully lobbied for the 3-foot bike law,
where every vehicle was required to give cyclists a yard of
room. The law was signed in April 2000 and went into effect that
July. Gorman didn’t stop there. She set forth to make sure
her cause (Bicyclists Ride Alongside Drivers — BRAD) gained as
much support as possible.
“Jean is a remarkable success,”
Adamson said. “She has to be the most devoted person I’ve seen with
regard to victims’ advocacy. She is always there to lend a helping
hand.” She served as the Tucson mayor’s cycling safety
representative until last August, when her eight-year term expired.
When she took the job in 1999, she said there was roughly 200 miles
of bike paths in Southern Arizona. Today, that number is closer to
800. She has remained active in the Pima County BAC,
volunteering in the facility, enforcement, education and outreach
subcommittees, sponsoring bicycle safety classes in Tucson and
working tirelessly to provide support for any injured cyclists.
“This is something my son would’ve done,” Gorman said.
Adamson formed the SCBAC with Jordan in 2003 and hit the ground
running, tripling the number of bicycle lanes in Southern Arizona
and establishing relationships with Pima County and the Town of
Sahuarita to provide the safest possible cycling environments. His
“master plan for multi-use lanes and trails in Green Valley” helped
to pave over previously dangerous shoulder areas and “ensure that
bicycle and pedestrian needs were considered” in any construction
project. He also interacts with Tucson in every major cycling safety
meeting “to make sure that Green Valley isn’t forgotten.”
Adamson helped spearhead the many initiatives that led to Green
Valley becoming one of only nine areas to earn a gold safety
designation in March 2008. As a result, a handful of “Bicycle
Friendly Community” signs will be placed in high-traffic cycling
areas within the next couple of months.
“Green Valley takes pride as being a very bike-cautious community,”
Green Valley Community Coordinating Council President Stan Riddle
said in a Feb. 19 meeting.
While Adamson and Gorman are the first recipients of this award,
they said such an honor wouldn’t even be possible without the hard
work of the countless other individuals who volunteer their time and
energy toward the cycling advocacy cause. “This was a total
team effort,” Adamson said. “We have so many great people who are
truly devoted to this cause.”
The next major event on the cyclists’ calendar is the Ride of
Silence on May 20. |
