The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:
Nikki Lee
Paul Cunningham
On the Eastside of Pima County, transportation is not an abstract policy discussion. It is how families get kids to school, how workers get to their jobs, how first responders reach people in crisis, and how our community continues to grow responsibly.
As Eastside City Councilmembers, we represent an area with different needs than other parts of town. Our neighborhoods are more spread out. Many families rely on cars as their primary way of getting around. Density looks different here, and so does transit. That reality should shape how we think about transportation investments, not be ignored.
That is why we support RTA Next and why we are urging voters to approve both Proposition 418, which adopts the plan, and Proposition 419, which continues the existing funding that makes it possible.
Public safety is foundational to this conversation. Roads that are too narrow, congested, or outdated put drivers, pedestrians, and first responders at risk. On the Eastside, corridors like Houghton Road, Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Harrison Road, and Colossal Cave Road are heavily traveled every day by families, new teen drivers, school buses, and emergency vehicles. RTA Next completes long overdue improvements on these corridors, reducing crash risks, improving visibility, addressing flooding issues, and ensuring emergency response vehicles can move quickly when seconds matter.
But transportation safety on the Eastside is not limited to roadways alone.
Transit plays a role here too, and it has to be approached honestly and thoughtfully. Eastside residents have been clear that they want transit that is safe, well managed, and appropriate for the way our communities are built. That means acknowledging that transit must work alongside lower density neighborhoods, longer travel distances, and different patterns of daily use.
In addition, transit must serve a wide range of users. This includes children, working adults, retirees, and our friends and neighbors with disabilities. Paratransit has too often been overlooked or treated as an afterthought in transit planning. With RTA Next, paratransit can grow with our community and provide more reliable options for people with disabilities across the region.
One area where there is strong agreement across the Eastside is transit safety. We have heard clearly from residents, bus operators, riders, nearby businesses, and neighbors who live and work near transit centers and bus stops that safety must improve for everyone involved. RTA Next provides over $2 million per year dedicated to transit safety improvements, giving us the resources to move beyond conversation and into action.
We are currently refining a comprehensive transit safety plan that will define and cost out solutions such as improved lighting, better environmental design at stops and transit centers, and enhanced security infrastructure. Importantly, this funding can support expanding law enforcement capabilities within the transit system, including commissioned officers or personnel with law enforcement authority on buses, at transit centers and bus stops, and within the streetcar system. That matters for riders, operators, and the surrounding community alike.
RTA Next is not a perfect plan. No regional plan ever is. Depending on who you ask, someone will always want more of one thing or less of another. But this plan reflects years of public input and balances real needs across the county. The cost of waiting or delaying is too high. Infrastructure does not improve on its own, and the risks to safety only grow when investment is postponed.
Proposition 419 does not create a new tax. It continues the half cent sales tax voters first approved nearly 20 years ago. That investment has already delivered safer roads, expanded transit service, and real economic growth across Pima County. Letting it expire would stall progress just as our region continues to grow.
The Eastside does not exist in isolation. Our roads and transit systems connect us to schools, jobs, healthcare, and each other across city and county lines. RTA Next recognizes that reality and invests accordingly.
We encourage voters to support a practical, balanced approach to transportation by voting yes on Proposition 418 and yes on Proposition 419.
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