When the city of Tucson released a memo on bus safety last week, they noted the city had done two surveys, and the Primavera Foundation had done a third.
But only one of the cityâs surveyâs, along with a bit of the Primavera results, were released. City officials decided not to put the results of an online survey in the packet of information given to City Council members.
âAs it is not possible to validate that online survey responses were provided by actual transit riders, a summary of the results of the paper surveys is included here,â the memo said.
On Monday, Oct. 6 and Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Star asked city officials for a copy of the online survey but didnât get it. Finally, City Council member Paul Cunningham asked for the results, and received them on Friday Oct. 10 from Transportation and Mobility Director Sam Credio.
At the Wednesday, Oct. 8 study session, Credio explained why they didnât share the online survey results.
âWe have concerns that the online survey was shared broadly. So itâs very hard, even though the first question is âWhich routes do you ride?â, itâs very hard to confirm the validity of who filled out that survey. The paper survey, you had to actually get on the bus and fill out the survey on the bus.â
City officials initially didnât release the results of an online bus-safety survey to council members, citing doubts that some respondents actually ride buses. When it was released, the survey was much more negative than other surveys.
Considering the cityâs reticence to release the online survey, the differences are probably not a surprise: Online survey results were much more negative than the paper ones. Itâs unknown, though, whether they represent a legitimate, darker view of Sun Tran safety by actual transit users, or responses by non-users who, for example, may not like the cityâs free-fare policy.
When asked how safe they feel while using Sun Tran, the 228 respondents to the paper survey responded this way:
- Very unsafe: 28%
- Unsafe: 11%
- Neutral: 25%
- Safe: 29%
- Very safe: 15%
In other words, the majority, 69% reported feeling safe or neutral while riding the bus. But the 1,656 responses to the online survey went like this:
- Very unsafe: 41%
- Unsafe: 24%
- Neutral: 15%
- Safe: 13%
- Very safe: 7%
In this case, only 35% reported feeling safe or neutral while riding the bus.
Tucson City Council members only received the results of a paper survey, showing more favorable results on bus safety, when they discussed the issue Oct. 8. A less favorable online survey was not presented, city officials said, because they could not verify the respondents were actual bus users.
The other questions, on topics such as transit center and bus-stop safety, followed a similar pattern: The 228-person paper survey, from verified transit users, gives a much more positive perspective on safety than the 1,656-person online survey.
While the details of the Primavera Foundation survey were not detailed, city staff reported that Primavera staffers surveyed 300 users. They found that 52.7% of those who responded reported feeling âgenerally safeâ using Sun Tran.
Arizona Daily Star reporting has often shown that those who use Tucson transit services have a more positive view of them than those who donât use them. But concerns have been piling up this year after a long run of violent acts on buses, at bus stops, and in transit centers.
That, along with growing outcry from the public and bus drivers, led city officials to begin exploring new solutions in a council meeting last week.
No Kings protests Saturday
At least eight protests are scheduled across Tucson early Saturday in association with the nationwide âNo Kingsâ rallies.
These are some of the known sites and times as listed on the Mobilize.us platform and obtained through Star research:
Downtown Tucson: March from near Hotel Congress to Presidio Plaza, then protests in that area, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Oro Valley: North Oracle Road between Pusch View Lane and North First Avenue from 8 a.m. to noon.
Catalina Foothills: East River Road and North Via Entrada, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Midtown: North Country Club Road and East Speedway, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Rita Ranch: South Houghton Road and East Rita Road from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Vail: Mary Ann Cleveland and Colossal Cave Road, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Sahuarita: West Sahuarita Road & West Via Rancho Sahuarita, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Green Valley: North La CaÃąada Drive & West Esperanza Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
More protests are listed in Southern Arizona towns from Arivaca to Rio Rico to Douglas and Safford.
Who were those profs?
When 80 regentsâ professors sent a detailed letter to the University of Arizona president, recommending rejection of Pres. Trumpâs proposed compact, the criticisms came quickly. They were along the lines of, âProbably a bunch of gender studies profs!â
Well, we did the math, looking up each of the 78 named regentsâ professors (at least 25 of whom are on emeritus or emerita status), listing their department, and grouping the departments into familiar categories. This was a complicated task, since some have joint appointments or do most of their work in research centers. All of them, though, are considered top performers in their fields.
Nevertheless, it turns out, fully 50% of the signers are from hard science, engineering or math disciplines, including chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and electrical engineering.
Of the remaining half, 22% were from social science disciplines, anthropology leading the way with seven signers. Another 14% were from humanities disciplines, 8% were from business and law, 4% were from medical fields, and 3% from education.
Two professors signed the letter anonymously and were not counted. And yes, there was one gender studies professor in the bunch, but that paled in comparison to the six astronomers and five chemists who signed.
PAG transportation plan
The Pima Association of Governments is finalizing a long-term plan for âactive transportationâ â that is bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the Tucson metropolitan area.
The draft Regional Active Transportation Plan has been the subject of four public meetings so far. The last one is Saturday, Oct. 18 from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Marana Heritage River Park, 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive.
People may also read and respond to the plan online through Monday Oct. 20. Go to pagregion.com/active/ for more information.
Mayorâs letter was paid
A full-page ad appeared in Sundayâs Star featuring a letter from Tucson Mayor Regina Romero about her new Safe City Initiative.
It was supposed to be marked as a âpaid advertisement,â but accidentally was not.
