From left to right: Ian Johnson, Farhad Moghimi, Jonathan Rothschild and Daryl Cole cut the ribbon on the new bike lane in downtown Tucson.
From left to right: Ian Johnson, Farhad Moghimi, Jonathan Rothschild and Daryl Cole cut the ribbon on the new bike lane in downtown Tucson.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild touted Tucson’s newest protected bike lane in a dedication ceremony Tuesday morning. 

He led a bike commute from Whole Foods on Speedway to the new separated cycle track on Stone Avenue.

The two-way cycle track separates bicyclists from motorists with a curb and car parking. The cycle track is the first in downtown and stretches from Toole Avenue and Alameda Street on the east side of Stone Avenue.

The city’s bicycle and pedestrian manager Ann Chanecka said the section cost about $40,000 to complete.

She added that there will be additional signs helping people navigate the entry and exit of the new bike lane.

Ian Johnson who works on the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee said the lane replaces a connection lost when the new courthouse was built at the intersection.

Check out the video of the cycle track including the delivery car that decided to park in it:

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6 thoughts on “Mayor dedicates new protected bike lane in downtown”
  1. I don’t agree that segregating cyclists from traffic is the correct way to address cyclists’ safety.

  2. I’m excited to ride on this new piece of bike infrastructure!
    The video shows really nice curbcuts and stormwater basins. It’s really reassuring to see the city is thinking about drainage and not allowing water to pool in the bike lane. Plus, we’ll get some nice shade from those trees in a few years.
    Every new road, path, and sidewalk should really address drainage. That’s my biggest disappointment about the streetcar through campus; drainage is as atrocious as ever.

  3. arsolot  I think projects like this are not only about safety, but also convenience. But it’s also hard to see why this would be unsafe, per se.

  4. arsolot It doesn’t really have to do with safety in this case. Since Stone is a one-way street between Broadway and 6th Street, it allows for bicycles to legally ride against traffic for a block to get to the few northern exits to downtown. 
    My only complaint would be that it would be much more useful if it stretched through the entire length of one-way Stone Ave. Instead cyclists will have to zigzag up to Scott Ave.

  5. arsolot  This is just the city’s replacement for bike access lost with the removal of Grossetta Ave. due to the new court house. You can now get outta downtown going north in a mostly reasonable way.
    Is a replacement for what was lost equal to an improvement? You decide, but I think hardly ribbon-cutting worthy. The segregation reassures cars that bikes aren’t breaking the law going against traffic there. This is no step toward reassuring the meek yet timid that it is now safer to ride downtown.

  6. I work and live downtown and I’ve used this segment of infrastructure literally every single day since it was built. I didn’t even realize it needed improved but it’s so helpful. I wish it went all the way down Stone, though.

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