New ‘A’ Mountain restrictions cause conflict among Tucson residents

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TUCSON (KVOA) – Starting Monday, “A” Mountain will be closed to all traffic for the next two weeks while crews work on repairs to the “A” s structure, but some residents think the city is using the break as an excuse further restrict access to the mountain.

Tucson Parks and Recreation said the closure was necessary after an inspection earlier this year showed the need for structural repair to maintain the “A” long term.

The opening times and access to the park will be different after it reopens.

Sentinel Peak will close on Monday and reopen on September 28th. This means that no pedestrians, cyclists or vehicles are allowed to drive past the lower parking lot.

“I think they are using the closure as an excuse to limit opening hours. Since people are used to not going at all when they open with limited hours, people will see this as a plus, ”said Beryl Baker of Tucson.

As soon as the mountain is reopened, the city will introduce new parking times. The park will be open from sunrise to sunset, which was the case during the first pilot program.

Vehicle access will continue to be restricted on Mondays. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, cars can drive up the mountain from 2 p.m. until sunset. Vehicles are allowed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until sunset.

“We’re trying to strike the perfect balance between pedestrian and bicycle access and car access,” said Lara Hamwey, director of Tucson Parks and Recreation.

Almost 3,000 people responded to surveys on pilot restrictions as early as 2019. According to this, 66 percent of people supported a reduction in access times for cars. Some local residents expect these restrictions to increase further.

“It doesn’t allow a regional park to be a regional park,” Baker said. “It makes one of Tucson’s icons inaccessible to the vast majority of people.”

Baker argues that families with young children, the elderly, the disabled, and others who need a vehicle to get to the top have fewer opportunities to see the views of Tucson from the top of “A” Mountain by taking the Restrict access to vehicles.

“I think at the end of the day we realize that Sentinel Peak is important to everyone and we’re really trying to strike a balance for all users,” said Hamwey.

According to the survey results, almost half of the people said they would get to the mountain by car. However, setting car-free times was one of the top three improvements that would encourage people to visit more often.

These new hours are for three to six months.

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