Bicycle Friendly Communities

Tucson & East Pima Region, AZ | Gold Level

Education: The City of Tucson and Pima County are working together as equal partners in a new Safe Routes to Schools Program to offer facility and educational improvements to elementary and secondary schools in the Tucson Region. The City of Tucson and Pima County have also worked together to create “Share the Road” guides for bicyclists and motorists that have been distributed to the police, schools, libraries, bike shops, council offices and private businesses throughout the Tucson region.

Encouragement: Tucson has a full time Bicycle Coordinator, Pima County has a full time Bicycle and Pedestrian Manager, Pima Association of Governments has a Bicycle and Pedestrian manager, and the Town of Oro Valley has a full time Bicycle Coordinator. Each of these agencies, together with the state DOT, the towns of Marana and Green Valley, and two Indian Nations have established a unique collaboration to secure the BFC designation. In 2007, Tucson celebrates the 25th anniversary of El Tour de Tucson, a ride that attracts thousands of riders from more than 20 countries, generating more than $30 million of economic activity.

Enforcement: Tucson is home to the Brad P. Gorman Memorial Bikeway Fund, which was started by Jean Gorman, the mother of Brad Gorman, a cyclist who was killed while riding his bicycle. Funding from this organization has helped purchase regional “Share the Road” guides, helmets and lights.

Engineering: Among Tucson’s most notable qualifications for the BFC award are the policy of the Mayor and City Council to include bike lanes on all new street construction, as well as on all reconstruction projects. Tucson completed the Diamondback Snake Bridge, an innovative bicycle/pedestrian bridge that provides a key link in a citywide bicycle/pedestrian pathway. Tucson also completed a second bicycle/pedestrian bridge, the Park/Euclid bridge, to provide the final link for a continuous connection on a shared-use path from east Tucson that parallels an expressway. In the last two years, the City of Tucson has added approximately 30 miles of bike lanes and three miles of wide shoulders. All roadway projects are required to include bicycle facilities as part of the major streets and routes plan. The City recently re-striped 20 linear miles of streets to add bike lanes to fill gaps.