A group of Tucson advocates for pedestrian safety is calling for more support from city officials to continue its mission for more equitable and safer infrastructure.
The Pedestrian Advisory Committee, established in 2013, once allowed volunteer representatives from each of the city’s six wards to provide input on behalf of pedestrians to ensure mobility initiatives served all users.
A bobcat kitten found a snake in the backyard of a Tucson home and couldn't resist a tussle. The bobcat was born several months prior near the home. Video by Eric Schaffer.
Now there are worries the group could be disbanded or combined into a larger group as the committee was assigned to sunset on June 30 through a City Council resolution.
“Those of us who serve on the committee really believe that it’s necessary we’d be a separate committee and not just a couple of people appointed as pedestrian representatives on the larger committee,” said Wendy Lotze, chairwoman of the committee. “This is a group (pedestrians) that is routinely marginalized, that sort of doesn’t have a cohesive loud voice like some of the other use groups on the roadways might have.”
But over the past couple of years, the committee has experienced challenges with retaining members and meeting quorum of at least seven members out of 13.
Lotze said those committee positions “maybe weren’t a high priority” for council members to fill.
In an email to city officials, Lotze did not ask for more resources but focused the request on adding more committee members.
Krista Hansen, liaison to the committee and lead planner with the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility, said ultimately it’s up to the city council to appoint those positions.
“The Department of Transportation and Mobility has advertised the open positions and worked to recruit new members, but ultimately, members need to be appointed by ward offices, the mayor and the city manager. There are currently four open seats,” Hansen said.
The loss of the committee, Lotze said, would occur during a shift in mindset about equitable mobility options.
Lotze added it’s a shift in part that was helped by the committee’s years-long advocacy work.
Hansen said the group has made an impact with its efforts such as: raising awareness of pedestrian safety issues as well as the benefits of a walkable community; helping develop Tucson’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan; and successfully advocating for changes in roadway projects and policies to include more pedestrian facilities and prioritize safety.
It would also mean a loss in knowledge from a group that not only researches solutions but also seeks outside expertise to find what could address infrastructure problems.
“We have definitely seen during our tenure a shift in the city’s transportation department and within the larger community from this idea that pedestrians are sort of to blame for their own plight,” said Lotze, “to this concept that pedestrians are a vulnerable user group that needs to be considered in not only the design of our roadways, but also in enforcement of the traffic laws that we have and in the overall structure of our community.”
This shift is highlighted with the transportation department’s Move Tucson initiative to create an equitable infrastructure master plan for the next 20 years.
However, this has also attributed to the confusion about the committee’s survival.
“I think also what was happening is there was some confusion as to whether or not the committee would continue because of the new Move Tucson efforts and sort of the re-envisioning of the department of transportation that happened when Diana Alarcon came on as the new director,” Lotze said.
“One of our biggest problems has always been that people don’t self-identify as pedestrians. Everybody in the city is a pedestrian at one point or another during their day,” Lotze said. “You walk to your car from the grocery store or you walk to your car from wherever you’ve parked, you end up being a pedestrian at some point. A lot of people tend to think of pedestrian issues as something that happens to somebody else who needs to be protected.”
Down the Road
Pima County road repair: Motorists should expect road repair in the following areas through Thursday, April 8:
- South Alvernon Way from south of East Los Reales Road to north of Aeronautical Way
- North La Cholla Boulevard from West Overton to Magee roads
- North La Cañada Drive from south of West Ina to River roads
There is reduced speed and lane restrictions in each area.
I-10 bridge closure: A bridge over Interstate 10 west of Willcox will close Monday for bridge deck replacement.
The bridge at Exit 336, which connects Haskell Avenue to the south of I-10 and Taylor Road to the north of the interstate, will remain closed until fall.
The eastbound I-10 exit ramp to Haskell will remain open to allow vehicles to enter Willcox from the west.
While the westbound I-10 entrance and exit ramps to and from Taylor will remain open, traffic will not be able to cross over I-10. Also, the ramp from Taylor and Haskell to eastbound I-10 will remain closed during construction.
Speedway repairs: Crews will be repaving West Speedway between North Painted Hills Road and North Camino De Oeste on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Motorists should expect lengthy delays as a pilot vehicle will lead alternating one-way traffic in the area.
