More than 50 cyclists and motorists cited during TPD enforcement

June 15, 2012 • Posted by: Michael McKisson

More than 100 cyclists and pedestrians were cited during the Tucson Police Department’s targeted enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian violations.

Danny Peralta, a TPD motor officer, said Wednesday at the Tucson Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting that 52 cyclists were cited during the two-week enforcement period. Peralta said 37 of those were sidewalk-riding violations.

54 motorists were cited during the same period for failing to obey the HAWK lights throughout the city.

The enforcement lasted for about two weeks.

Other notes

• Planners from Alta Planning were at the meeting to discuss their suggestions in the draft University of Arizona bicycle and pedestrian plan.

• The BAC is requesting the City of Tucson act quickly in replacing Tom Thivener the former bike and pedestrian program coordinator who left last month for a position in Canada.

• The BAC is also requesting that Pima County work with bicyclist organizations to streamline the permitting process for events after the Mount Lemmon Hill Climb was put into jeopardy because of inconsistent policies throughout the county.

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5 comments

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reef

did they actually cite any pedestrians for anything?

Also reported at the BAC meeting were three (I think) injury accidents at the bike lane pinch point on Toole just before the intersection from hell. I didn't get the details, but can guess the tracks came into play as cyclists are forced into the traffic lane there if they don't use that little jog provided to the right, then back onto the bike lane. I wish they would have 'un'squared that edge on the right to make it look a little more accommodating for bikes. By the way, we stand to lose even that little goodie during construction of the student housing on top of the parking deck. That along with the bike track between the parking deck and rail road property thus eliminating the ability to avoid the intersection from hell. SIGH.... I guess biking in Tucson is not 'low-stress' by anyone's interpretation of the term. Such situations continuing to exist and arising even as we make efforts to attract those not yet riding seem to be leading us to a net gain of zero. There is some second factor that needs addressing if the efforts to get people riding are going to pay off. Otherwise, we're wasting funding that could be utilized for the existing cycling population.

Martha Retallick

C'mon, Zeez, get with the program. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than accommodating the needs of the developers who are building student housing. Personally, I think that the rush to build all this student rental housing will end about as well as our single-family residential housing bubble did. Why? Because of what I've heard from a friend, whose son used to manage a student complex. It was a pretty nice place, but she said that it competed fiercely with the other complexes for a very small pool of customers. That customer base isn't growing, BTW. And face it, most of the kids going to the UA are not that affluent. For a lot of them, paying the UA's relatively low* tuition rates is a real stretch. So count them out of the market for high-end student housing. Add to this, Tucson's already high rental vacancy rate -- last I heard, it was around 15% -- and you have a recipe for even more empty rental units. ---- *By "relatively low" tuition rates, I mean what the UA charges compared to other state universities around the U.S. Take, for example, my alma mater, the University of Michigan. That place will really clean your clock, even if you're an in-state student.

rynsa

"...37 of those were sidewalk-riding violations." The fact that this is a punishable offense shows just how biased the TPD is towards the car culture. Many older Tucsonans and immigrants, fearful of the daily incursion of cars into bike lanes, etc., use sidewalks to ensure their safety. Given the record-breaking plague of pedestrian deaths in this town, moreover, the logic of staying off the roads, including in the bike lane, is inherently justified. Once again, BAC and greater Tucson cycling/pedestrian community, the Tucson Police Department is NOT AN ALLY!

Martha Retallick

Martha here with a confession. Here goes: I've been a sidewalk surfer for the same reasons that rynsa just mentioned. The bike lane is no magic guarantee of safety. It's just a white line on the road. Sometimes, you're better off on the sidewalk.