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A University of Arizona Police Department officer passes a truck parked in the bike lane on second street. Bikes have to veer out of the bike lane and into the streetcar tracks to get around the truck.

Streetcar construction has wrapped up, but people are still violating parking rules on a daily basis creating dangerous conditions for cyclists.

It’s time for the University of Arizona and Tucson Police Departments to crackdown on motorists like they do during their bicycle enforcement.

The most common violation is parking in no parking zones and not parking within the lines along Fourth Avenue. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t see one of these violations.

It’s already making it dangerous for cyclists by putting them in the door zone or forcing them to cross the tracks to go around cars parking in no parking zones. It will be even worse when the streetcar is running.

I know motorist don’t understand that they are creating dangerous situations, but police have gotten pretty efficient and education and enforcement for bicyclists. It’s time to return the favor along the streetcar route.

Here are a few recent examples:

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9 thoughts on “It’s time to enforce parking rules along Streetcar route”
  1. What, you mean tickets from these guys?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAvROwPxjew
    I asked Mike on Twitter what he thought of that but didn’t get a response. I’ve seen 3 Pima County at a time twice before, but never this. I think it’s a really shitty, irresponsible thing for them to do.
    Anyway, how many drivers even know what a “Share The Road” sign means much less a sharrow? How many know how that turn signals let everyone around them make safer decisions? How many give a shit until they start getting tickets?

  2. yeah they should start handing out warnings now before the streetcar starts rolling. Give people a heads up and allow the word to spread. If that doesn’t change behavior then actual fines should be next.

  3. Neither the Tucson Police Department nor the University of Arizona Police Department serve the primary role of parking enforcement for their respective institutions. The enforcement you’re hoping for would most likely be carried out by the COT’s Parkwise and the UA’s Parking and Transportation Services.

  4. Well, yes. Parking ordinances should be enforced on all routes.

    In looking at Donavon Durbin’s Parkwise car-centric website, it’s not clear that Parkwise has any involvement with any kind of automobile parking along the modern streetcar’s route. Or, …( the silo Parkwise being difficult to understand).

    But we do find an interesting link, the COT parking code (which may need modernized)…

  5. Donovan Durband, well yes Parkwise is fairly busy these days trying to build their empire of parking garages along 4th Ave.  Just in case you thought the mandate of Parkwise was parking enforcement here’s some reading that helps you understand what it is they really do.  Lose money by subsidising parking.  
    http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/files/planning/PC_082113_ITEM5_4th_Ave_BD_Parking_Study_Update_07-18-13_Fi.pdf

    The parking issues along 4th and University just being one in a litany of complaints.  U-turning automobilists in search of that special close in back in angled parking spot, drivers with absolutely no understanding of how a 4 way stop is supposed to work, drop offs in the middle of the roadway and my current favourite left turns at Tyndall from the roadway, not the turn lane.

  6. The Parkwise Department of Corruption and Subsidized Restaurant’s secrets are secure in the former department head’s safety deposit box somewhere.  i know I feel better when I see those bulky white pick-up trucks hauling some fat-assed agent and the little ticket-writing gizmo hard at work.  The  bureaucratic Russia we were taught about in school all those many, many years ago?  We’re almost there.

  7. StrawHousePig 
    I’d guess they were out on a training ride to become familiar with the bike path.  I doubt they will run regular patrols on the path.  I could be wrong tho.

  8. 3wheeler StrawHousePig There were outside jurisdictions represented here that, particularly being traffic cops, should never have any reason to be on the Loop at all, even to respond to a call.
    I would guess it’s purely ride training. Or maybe it’s for fun. Either way, having just come up from the underpass I feel very lucky to have not been a minute later.

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