The University of Arizona Parking and Transportation Services initiated a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for campus in spring 2012 to improve bicycle and pedestrian conditions for students, faculty, staff and visitors for today and for the future. With over 11,000 commuters walking and biking to campus each day, it is important to provide safe facilities and education in order to minimize risk and maximize attractiveness of non-motorized modes of transportation. In addition, there is an opportunity to increase bicycle and pedestrian trips to and from campus considering 40 percent of the drivers to campus live within five miles. The regional benefits of increasing the bicycle and pedestrian traffic to the University of Arizona (UA) include reduced congestion, improved air quality and healthier communities.

The plan will identify specific improvements to the bikeway and pedestrian infrastructure within the study area in order to achieve a more cohesive and functional system that is integrated with existing infrastructure, accommodates future growth on campus, encourages bicycle and pedestrian trips and integrates with transit services on and around campus.

Project Partners
The plan is being developed by Alta Planning and Design, a leading bicycle and pedestrian planning firm based out of Portland, Ore.  Alta is teaming up with Tucson’s Kimley-Horn engineering firm to deliver a high-quality product.

The study has five main goals, which are interrelated and would work together to improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in the UA area.

1. Reduce collision risk - Identify potential conflict points on campus and create solutions to better manage bicycle and pedestrian flow to reduce accident risk.
2. Improve existing infrastructure - Identify strategies to develop and enhance the existing campus and area bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure with a focus on access, connectivity and safety.
3. Develop design standards - define bikeway and pedestrian infrastructure standards to guide future development in the study area
4. Increase bicycle and pedestrian mode share and safety - guide development of both marketing and education programs to increase the bicycle and pedestrian mode share and safety in the study area.
5. Implementation - Outline implementation strategies to help UA and the City of Tucson carry out the specific improvements and programs identified in the document.