Traffic and the Tucson Festival of Books

March 8, 2013 • Posted by:

TFOBOne of Tucson’s coolest non-biking events is happening this weekend, but it means cyclists need to pay extra attention.

The Arizona Daily Star’s Tucson Festival of Books will take over the University of Arizona mall this Saturday and Sunday. Riding your bike will help you avoid the parking fiasco, but be aware of all those people who won’t be looking for cyclists.

Combine the massive crowds on one of the city’s biggest bikeways, thousands of people looking for parking and closed streets because of the streetcar construction and you have a nasty mix.

Signs have gone up along University Boulevard telling bicyclists to walk their bikes and if you’ve ever been, it’s pretty hard to ride through the throngs of people walking around the area.

My suggestion it to avoid the area as much as possible unless of course you are going to ride down there to check it out. Check out the suggested routes in the map below to help you navigate the area during the festival.

Do you have any secret route? Will you be going?


View Tucson Festival of Books routes in a larger map

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MarthaRetallick
MarthaRetallick

Nasty mix? Tell me about it! Yesterday afternoon, I was headed over to the UA for a show. Who should I see on the much-vaunted 4th Avenue Bike Boulevard, but a cycling neighbor. And she was in tears. Why? Because she came within an inch of being struck by an inattentive driver. That was down at the corner of 4th and Helen. Of course, the driver sped off instead of stopping to apologize. So, there's my neighbor, in tears because she's having flashbacks to last December. When she was hit by a car Downtown. And that triggered my own set of flashbacks. From my near-miss last June. So, to conclude this tale, I have this to say: Fellow cyclists, be careful out there. There are drivers who couldn't care less if we lived or died out there.