The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Miranda Schubert
This March, Tucson faces a once-in-a-generation choice. Before we vote to shape how our region grows and moves over the next two decades, let’s picture the future we want.
I envision Tucson in 2046, a city humming with vitality under the Sonoran sun. Sidewalks are cooled by native trees irrigated by stormwater runoff. Tucson’s Storm to Shade program, launched in 2021, has transformed hot, barren roads into shaded, livable streets, helping to cool our city.
Children pedal alongside adults in protected bike lanes. Traffic deaths and serious injuries, too common in the 2020s, are now rare. We exceeded the 2045 Regional Mobility and Accessibility Plan’s safety goals because we chose to confront traffic violence directly, redesigning dangerous streets, reducing car travel, and holding ourselves accountable with clear, measurable targets.
Neighbors walk to mixed-use storefronts and pocket parks. An electric bus glides past and pulls into a shaded, clean, dignified stop displaying real-time arrival information. The bus arrives every eight minutes, a frequency reached in this vision because we chose to invest in transit as essential public infrastructure, unclogging our streets.
This view of Tucson isn’t fantasy. It’s achievable, and we are actively working towards this vision today. Through the Middle Housing Ordinance, Community Corridors Tool, Tucson Resilient Together, the city’s climate action plan, and guiding principles like the Prosperity Initiative, Tucson is using an evidence-based approach to reshape how and where people live, work, and move. These policies allow more affordable homes near jobs and services, support walkable neighborhoods, and reduce the need for long, expensive, and sometimes deadly car trips, all while respecting Tucson’s scale and character.
This forward-looking vision won’t be achieved with the RTA Next plan and its funding through Propositions 418 and 419 presented to voters on March 10, 2026. While Tucson is laying the groundwork for a cooler, more walkable, safer city, RTA Next takes us backwards, committing us to more concrete and cars, and an archaic vision of how safe cities work.
Supporters of RTA Next defend the plan, saying it’s “the best we could do” or that we must be “pragmatic, not idealistic.” But pragmatism should be measured by results, not resignation. Tucson’s forward-looking land-use reforms are based on data, best practices, and lived experience from cities that have successfully reduced traffic deaths, lowered household transportation costs, and improved quality of life. It is not idealistic to expect our transportation investments support the same vision our policies have laid out.
RTA Next devotes its largest share of funding to widening, rebuilding, or constructing new roadways. These projects incentivize more cars and undermine safety and walkability. They will make our city hotter and dirtier. Meanwhile, RTA’s investments that make cleaner, cooler mixed-use neighborhoods function — frequent public transit, safe crossings, protected bike lanes, shaded sidewalks — are not nearly enough. That mismatch matters because what we fund determines what gets built, and what gets built determines how people live.
Contrast that with the work happening locally. The Middle Housing Ordinance enables duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard apartments to fit seamlessly into existing neighborhoods. The Community Corridors Tool guides growth into walkable hubs instead of traffic-snarled sprawl. These reforms acknowledge the realities of climate change, rising housing costs, and an aging population. And they rely on transportation systems that prioritize people over gas-guzzlers.
So what kind of Tucson will you vote for in March? One where neighbors share stories at local businesses in vibrant neighborhoods, or one where the greatest investment remains in dangerous, wider roads where higher speeds increase the frequency and severity of crashes?
We don’t have to accept a false choice between ambition and realism. Tucson is already proving that thoughtful, people-centered planning works. What we need now is a transportation plan that matches that progress. Tucson can fund its own priorities with a half-cent sales tax for Move Tucson, our long-range transportation plan developed with extensive community outreach.
I’m voting no on Propositions 418 and 419 because Tucson deserves better than a long-term commitment to fund yesterday’s priorities. Vote with vision. Vote No on RTA Next.
