In the dimming light of Sunday evening, 13 people sat around two tables pulled together in the courtyard of Jobot Coffee Shop. Most of them were strangers to one another, but they were all coming together for a common cause: bicycling.
This group is known as the Downtown Bicycle Action Group, which its members humorously abbreviate to D.B.A.G. The group gets its name from the similar organization, Tempe Bicycle Action Group. But while T.B.A.G. has been in the works for several years, D.B.A.G. hosted its first official meeting Sunday night.
Anna Allebach-Warble is the driving force behind D.B.A.G., which she decided to form after experiencing one too many unfriendly encounters as a cyclist.
“One day I was riding and I was in the bike lane trying to turn but all of these cars kept turning in front of me,” she said. “One woman flipped me off and I thought, ‘That’s it!’”
After that incident, Allebach-Warble decided to form a call to action, creating a group on Facebook and asking other residents of the downtown area to join her in creating a positive mindset about the biking community.
At the group’s first meeting, Allebach-Warble and the other members mapped out the key issues they want to address concerning cycling including safety, education, community outreach, advocacy, accessibility and awareness. They also discussed whom they hope to reach out to and specific goals to accomplish.
“First and foremost, you don’t have to have a bicycle to be a part of the group,” Allebach-Warble said. “You don’t have to live downtown. The only requirements are that you show up and that you give a damn.”
Group member Jeff Linden does not currently own a bike because it was recently stolen out of his backyard, but he said he won’t let that deter him from sticking to two wheels.
“I haven’t had a car in 12 years and I don’t want one,” Linden said.
Caesar Chaves, another group member, brought ideas of what he would like to see D.B.A.G. accomplish.
“I’d love to raise funds through a PSA campaign, something that will humanize bicyclists,” he said.
John Romero, group member and co-owner of The Bicycle Cellar in Tempe, joined in on that same thought.
“It’s not about creating a group that’s anti-car,” he said. “It’s about building relationships with bikers and drivers.”
Romero added that the way to do this is through better understanding on both sides.
“If a driver can predict rider behavior, they can better maneuver with them,” he said.
Many of the members expressed that educating the public about bicycling was important.
“I would like to see more people on bikes,” Allebach-Warble said, adding that she thought it could help downtown Phoenix become a “happier, healthier and more connected community.”
She also thinks education can lead to fewer accident and biker fatalities. “Bike lanes don’t matter if the motorist doesn’t see you. Helmets don’t matter if the motorist doesn’t see you,” she said.
But members of the public aren’t the only ones who need education; some D.B.A.G. members said they found it important to educate bikers as well.
“When bikers are out there with a sense of entitlement, it creates resentment,” Romero said.
One way D.B.A.G. hopes to rid this sense of bitterness among non-cyclists is by exposing the biking community through group rides, where people can see the friendly, conscious aspects of the greater bicycling community.
D.B.A.G. will host its first group ride on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 4:30 p.m., and is inviting members of the community to attend. The group will meet under the bridge at Margaret T. Hance Park at 4:30 p.m. and will depart at 5 p.m. The ride will end at The Duce for D.B.A.G.’s second official meeting at 6 p.m.
Much more work lies ahead for the group, as they take on fundraising, community projects and forming an executive board with their members. But for now, the group is focusing on reaching out to the community and finding people who want to join the cause.
“I’ve only been on a bike since November of last year and I see how frustrating it is,” Allebach-Warble said. “But I don’t want just people who ride bikes to be a part of the group. I want everyone to be a part of the conversation.”
Contact the reporter at linnea.bennett@asu.edu
