Tucson Looks To Reverse Trend Of Rising Road Deaths

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TUCSON, AZ – In 2021, Tucson has an average of one pedestrian death every 10 days.

There were nine pedestrian deaths in the Old Pueblo in the first 90 days of this year, more than the eight deaths in all of 2020, angering those in charge of the city’s streets.

One such person is Krista Hansen, who serves as the chief transportation and mobility planner for the city of Tucson. Hansen spent much of the past year digging through the data to find out what was going on in Tucson.

The number of fatal car accidents and pedestrian deaths in Tucson has been increasing every year since 2016. Hansen said it is nowhere near the only church facing such problems.

“A local life [lost] there is too much on our streets. … I don’t want to break this down to numbers and statistics, “said Hansen traffic deaths.”

Hansen identified a number of root causes of the increasing number of pedestrian and vehicle deaths. The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to reduce their driving time, which has resulted in irregular driving when they get back behind the wheel, she said.

Another possible factor: nuisance increases as a factor in collisions even as overall traffic decreases in Tucson and beyond, she said. “I’m not sure what to associate this with, but I think across the country we are definitely seeing speed and impairment as contributing crash factors,” said Hansen.

“It looks like the majority [of deaths] There have been accidents in the middle of the block, which means it wasn’t at a signaled intersection or a zebra crossing, “she added.” And I think it’s easy sometimes to try to blame whoever was wrong in this situation. “

Regardless of the cause, the number of fatal accidents in Tucson nearly doubled from 52 in 2016 to 102 in 2019, according to City-Data.com.

In response, Hansen and the city created a citywide transportation master plan called Move Tucson, which shows ways to make the city’s streets safer. The plan has already gone through a phase of public engagement with the aim of implementation by spring or summer.

One possible solution: adding crosswalks and pedestrian crossings over major thoroughfares, which are where most of the city’s deaths occur.

“I think that both the design, including the human factors in deciding when and where to cross, and looking at the speed are critical,” said Hansen. “Because even at speed we know that the faster someone goes, the longer it takes to react.

“So we identified our high accident network made up of these major highways with speed limits of 35 and more,” she added. “And so we have both short-term and long-term action points with us.”

Short-term measures include establishing security corridors to which police pay attention and where speeding and accidents are known to be more common. Other elements include the addition of flashing lights, rumble strips and signage along arterial roads. Such measures are intended to make it easier for drivers to recognize pedestrians on the road and to reduce the risk of collisions.

The city’s Move Tucson campaign also aims to improve the timing of zebra crossings and add speed feedback signs to alert drivers when they are driving too fast.

Another important part of the traffic plan is avoiding accidents with motorcyclists. The city recorded three deaths related to such crashes in the first 90 days of this year, making the total for 2020 as a whole.

Hansen is confident that Tucson is ready to create safer roads for residents. “

I think there’s a lot of momentum and energy there, “said Hansen.” I think both internally and across our city, people want safer roads and the construction and design of roads that incorporate all modes of transport. Whether you walk, bike, drive, or take the bus, it has really changed in both our internal framework and our goals, we are moving forward and realizing that people want walkable streets. “

For now, the goal of Hansen and the city’s transportation and mobility team is to get the message across that overspeeding kills.

“Understanding that even a few miles an hour faster can make a big difference to someone who is on a motorcycle, walking, or cycling,” said Hansen.

She hoped drivers would find a way to get rid of distractions in the car and keep their eyes on the road. Slowing down and paying attention can ensure drivers don’t add to the growing number of road deaths in Tucson, added Hansen.

“As we all know, distractions in our cars, phones, and everything, even those tiny seconds can make a huge difference in seeing and stopping the person,” she said.

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