The goals of the program are to improve
safety, facilities, and access for
walkers and cyclists throughout Pima
County.
This program works in partnership
with the Tucson- Pima County Bicycle
Advisory Committee, Brad P. Gorman
Memorial Bikeway Fund, Pima Trails
Association,
Pima County Department of Environmental
Quality, Pima Association of Governments
(PAG),
City of
Tucson, Arizona Department of Transportation,
Greater Arizona Bicycling Association,
Perimeter Bicycling Association, and
other interested groups who are striving
to improve walking and cycling conditions
in our community.
In brief, the goals of the program
are grouped in categories known as
the five “E’s”:
Engineering
• Construct and enhance bike
lanes and pedestrian
facilities as part of new and reconstructed
roadways
• Construct bike and pedestrian
facilities to improve safety for
children walking to and from school.
• Secure additional federal,
state, and local funding to
construct more off-street paths, pedestrian
facilities,
bike lanes and numerous other projects.
• Incorporate paved shoulders
and bike lanes as part of
roadway repaving projects to expand
the bikeway
network throughout the region.
• Upgrade existing shared-use
pathways and complete
the planned pathway network, including
the Rillito
River Linear Park, the Pantano River,
and the Santa Cruz River Linear Park.
• Improve bicycle and pedestrian
safety through work
zones by providing special safety signs
and wider travel
corridors, or by guiding cyclists and
walkers to
safer alternate routes.
• Improve land use development
practices to include
bicycle and pedestrian routes at appropriate
intervals
throughout developments.
• Develop special pedestrian
and bicycle traffic signals
and roadway underpasses and overpasses
to improve
access and safety to key destinations.
Education
• Working with the Brad Gorman
Fund, the City of
Tucson, PAG, and the Bicycle Advisory
Committee,
publish a “pocket-size” bicyclist/motorist
safety manual
and posters with key traffic laws and
safety tips for
use by cyclists, motorists, and police.
• Work on a “Share the
Road” campaign to improve
interaction between motorists, truck
drivers, bus
drivers and bicyclists, and pedestrians
using public
service announcements and other methods
to
promote safer travel.
• Manage a regional Safe Routes
to Schools program for elementary
school children
as one of the best methods to improve
safety and
access for children to get to schools,
to increase
children’s independence and
physical activity, and to
reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
• Develop an informative and
interactive website to
indicate the best routes for bicycling
in the region
and to provide suggested detours around
construction projects.
• Implement a Middle School
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program
to educate 7th grade students throughout
Pima County on safer bicycling
and walking practices and to provide
bike
lane pavement markings and signs
near schools to enhance safety.
Enforcement
•
Work with the Pima County Sheriff’s
Department and<
the Bicycle Advisory Committee to increase
education
and enforcement for major traffic infractions
caused
by drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
• Provide bicycle and pedestrian-specific
training for the
local police departments and increase
communication
with bicycle groups throughout the
region.
• Strengthen legislation providing
for improved rights
and protection of bicyclists and pedestrians.
Encouragement
• Support community events that promote
walking and
bicycling including the regional
BikeFest, El Tour de
Tucson, the Tour for Tucson’s
Children, Tucson Bicycle
Classic, the fall International
Walk to School Day, the springtime
Walk
n' Roll to School Day, and
other popular walking and bicycling
events.
• Work with promotional events,
the PAG Travel
Reduction Program, and the Pima County
Department<
of Environmental Quality to provide
incentives
for people to take up walking and cycling
as an integral
part of their everyday lifestyles.
• Implement a regional "Bike
Ambassadors" program with local
citizens to provide safety outreach,
training, and materials to cyclists
and to help improve safety for persons
with disabilities.
Evaluation and Planning
• Work with PAG, area jurisdictions,
and others to update the regional
bicycle plan the regional pedestrian
plan and
deterimine near-term and long-range
facility improvements to promote
bicycling and walking.
• Coordinate with PAG, citizens,
and others to implement bicycle
and pedestrian projects and Safe
Routes
to School projects as part of the
PAG Regional Transportation Authority
(RTA)
20-year plan.
• Work with PAG, area jurisdictions,
citizen groups, local police departments,
and others to improve programs
for safety and access for pedestrians
and
cyclists.
