Tucson cyclist's death raises urgency for "A" Mountain safety improvements

The recent death of a cyclist has given neighbors renewed urgency in seeking safety improvements on Sentinel Peak Road, the road up “A” Mountain.

Richard Ellwanger, a 73-year-old bicyclist, was riding uphill on the road on Oct. 11, when he was struck and killed by a wrong-way driver whom police say was impaired.

A day earlier, Ellwanger and his friend, Dean Marvin, had gathered for what would be their final ride together.

“He and I usually would sit at the front of that ride and talk science and things,” Marvin said.

“He was killed the next day.”

Yanibra Moreno, 20, faces charges in connection with the deadly crash. Moreno, who also hit two pedestrians on her way down the mountain before crashing into rocks, had a blood-alcohol level five times higher than the state’s legal limit, police say.

Marvin said he rarely rides up Sentinel Peak, and never does so when it’s dark.

“It’s a narrow road and nobody in their car drives the speed limit. So it’s not only a problem for cyclists, it’s a problem for people doing other kinds of exercise on that road.”

Residents in the “A” Mountain community have been trying to get safety improved for months. They first contacted City Councilwoman Regina Romero’s office in December 2017.

“I think the tragedy of Mr. Ellwanger’s death has given everyone more impetus to bring about some safety measures that could perhaps help prevent something like this from happening again,” said Michael Chihak, who has been advocating with other neighborhood residents to see changes.

On Oct. 15, residents met with Romero and other city officials to provide input on possible safety measures for the mountain road.

“Monday’s meeting was an improvement,” Chihak said, as the two previous meetings with officials didn’t yield much change. The meeting was scheduled before last week’s fatal crash, he said.

City staffers told residents that improvements are forthcoming.

That includes adding more 15-mile-per-hour speed-limit signs.

“We’re going to add some warning signs to let people know they’re in a park and they need to drive nice and slow,” said Lane Mandle, a city spokeswoman. She added that existing speed humps will be checked to make sure all are in “good working order.”

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Enforcement remains a concern.

Signs wouldn’t have stopped the crash that killed Ellwanger, says Mandle.

“That was a terrible tragedy and I’m afraid rumble strips or some signs would not have helped that,” Mandle said. “We are in talks with Tucson Police Department to see what we can do to bring extra enforcement to that area.”

While there’s no immediate expectation for increased police presence, it will continue to be pursued be residents, Chihak said.

“All of these things don’t guarantee that people won’t speed, but every one of them helps people to be more aware of what the speed limit is and to slow down,” he said.

Tucson officials and the “A” Mountain community await the road-safety assessment, which is to be completed by early November.

The assessment will provide recommendations for additional safety improvements on the road. The next community meeting is scheduled after the assessment is completed.

“I would like to see more restricted hours for motor vehicles, maybe allow them up starting at noon,” Chihak said. Access is currently open to all from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Any talk about potentially banning vehicles is not on the table, for now.

“‘A’ Mountain is a beloved landmark not just for the residents on the west side but through the entire community,” Mandle said.

“We would need to have some pretty extensive discussions with the community, some serious community engagement and outreach before we made any changes to such a popular landmark.”

DOWN THE ROAD

Bridge rehabilitation work at Interstate 10 and Pinal Airpark Road starts Wednesday, Oct. 24. Motorists traveling west will need to use the Marana Road or Red Rock exit, depending on their direction of travel.

During most of the project, which is expected to last until spring 2019, I-10 will be reduced to two lanes in each direction. Ramps to and from eastbound I-10 will not be affected, the Arizona Department of Transportation says.