West of 24th Street, there is a paved path running along the Arizona Canal with underpasses at heavily traveled streets. This path provides a smooth, safe ride for bicyclists traveling through North Central Phoenix, Sunnyslope, and beyond toward Glendale and Peoria. East of 24th Street, however, the path is unpaved, disrupted by the Arizona Biltmore resort, and difficult to use at its unsignaled intersections with arterial streets.

Scottsdale is now in the process of building a multi-use path along the south bank of the Arizona Canal. When that project is done, Phoenix will be left with an unimproved portion of the canal from 24th Street to 60th Street. Phoenix should try to address this gap by paving the path along this segment and adding underpasses or HAWKs where the canal intersects arterial streets in the Biltmore and Arcadia neighborhoods.

In addition, there are some improvements that can be made to the segment west of 24th Street. While the pavement and underpasses there help a great deal, the path is unlit and slightly confusing in areas. Specific improvements to the western segment of the canal path could include the following:

-- Lighting. Tempe has already done this with its canal paths, and Scottsdale is making lighting part of its newly constructed path. Lighting makes these paths much more appealing and safe to use after dark.

-- Users of a paved path shouldn't have to travel over gravel when they enter and exit the path. Currently, paved connectors exist only at the 7's. It would be good to have them at every arterial street, as they do along Scottsdale's Indian Bend Wash path.

-- Wayfinding signs, especially at Maryland Avenue, Glendale Avenue, and 16th Street. The underpass at Glendale does not follow the same alignment as others along the path. Signs in the area should clearly indicate which path to follow in order to proceed as directly as possible to the next underpass.

See the link below for a map illustrating these ideas: