New class targets University of Arizona students; teaches safe track crossing

August 28, 2012 • Posted by: Michael McKisson

A new class and informational brochure have been created to target University of Arizona students who are riding around campus and attempting to navigate the newly installed streetcar tracks.

The class and brochure are a response to safety concerns with inexperienced cyclists and the addition of several miles of tracks being installed for the streetcar.

Matt Zoll, the county’s bike and pedestrian program manager, said in an email that there have already been several crashes caused by the new tracks including a young woman who broke her wrist when she fell on the tracks.

The class, which is billed as a “UA area bike ride” is described as a free, one-hour ride around the UA campus to get the riders familiar with campus bike routes and how to safely ride around campus — including riding over the new tracks.

In addition to the class, the county has created a brochure to hand out illustrating how cyclists should cross the tracks in order to avoid getting a wheel caught in the gap.

Download the brochure here.

The ride schedule is:

Tuesday, Sept. 4: 8:30-9:30 a.m., UA/Pima County Bike Station, UA Mall & Highland

Thursday, Sept. 13:10:30-11:30 a.m., UA/Pima County Bike Station, UA Mall & Highland

Wednesday, Sept. 19: 9:00-10:00 a.m., UA/Pima County Bike Station, UA Mall & Highland

Tuesday, Sept. 25: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., UA/Pima County Bike Station, UA Mall & Highland

If you are interested in attending the ride, call 520-243-BIKE

Check out the Arizona Daily Wildcat story about the streetcar and safety concerns.

← Link roundup: August 28

Link roundup: August 28 →

4 comments

Sort: Newest | Oldest

Kevin

The City needs to pull on-street parking and put nice buffered bike lanes in those spaces, several feet away from the parallel tracks along University Blvd and 4th Avenue. It's too bad the Street Car designers didn't listen to the plea's of bicyclists when this project was in design.

I'm not too in favor of advocating for the elimination of cars on these streets. That's too much for the average car-head to handle right now. It makes no sense, though, to devote so much space to stationary vehicles on a route that has been uploaded with larger vehicles that put a substantial number of existing users at risk.

Martha Retallick

Will the city listen once bicyclists start getting killed? Or will it have to be sued a few times before it wakes up? Recall that the city was held partially liable in death of Jose "Guapo" Rincon.

Martha Retallick

If there's no vehicular traffic, I think that the bike lane next to the streetcar would work. But, even so, being that close to it would make me nervous.