Once again the University of Arizona’s Spring Fling is requiring cyclists to find alternative routes to get through campus.
The carnival is located on the east end of UA Mall and blocks off access for pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles.
Spring Fling organizers have posted a PDF detailing the the detours and have put out signs helping cyclists navigate through the area.
The detours legitimize riding on sidewalks for short distances both north and south of Third Street to connect to alternative east/west routes.
The closure started this week and will continue until next week while crews remove the carnival equipment.
For cyclists who want to ride to the carnival, the UA bike club will host a free bike valet.
More details about the event can be found here.
I thought it was legal to ride on sidewalks on UA campus because it is state property.
What I heard from a League of American Bicyclists instructor who works sometimes at the fix-it station on the UA campus is that Tucson has ordinances forbidding sidewalk riding. But the state has no such rule, and some cities actually prefer people ride their bikes on the sidewalk rather than the road (despite being more dangerous).
What this LAB instructor told me is that it’s perfectly legal to ride on sidewalks on UA campus, just not on sidewalks that are City of Tucson jurisdiction. That might explain why I’ve never seen sidewalk riding enforced by UAPD, but I have seen every other infraction enforced against cyclists.
If I’m wrong, please correct me on this.