Why are they good for Tucson?

Benefits of Bicycle Boulevards

Safety data for 3rd St. Bicycle Boulevard vs. Bicycle Lane on Major Arterial. Click Image to see full-size

Are bicycle friendly for all user types – families, children, elderly, etc. – and feel “safer”
Create safe routes to school for children — there are 109 schools — public and private elementary and middle — within ¼ mile of the proposed Bike Blvd projects. That’s out of a total 384 schools and 239 total public and private elementary and middle schools.
Promote a healthy and active lifestyle
Calm traffic
Utilize residential/local streets and require very little modification to become effective
Allow all types of transportation – bicycle, pedestrian, and motor vehicles – to safely coexist
Increase overall ridership
Have proven to be “cost-effective facilities that work for the vast majority…”
Create safe crossings for bicycles and pedestrians at major intersections
Help create way-finding for cyclists throughout the region
Relieve bicycle/car conflicts on major roads by offering alternate routes
Often offer better access to local resources for daily commuters
Cleaner air!!! Air quality benefits are provided due to provision of space for bicycle commuting
Safer than bicycle lanes because it allows cyclists to safely avoid being “doored” by parallel parked cars
Reduces risk of auto/bicycle collisions due to automobiles making right-hand turns
Pavement life is increased by the considerably smaller impact that bicycle have on it than cars
Create bicycle awareness on the behalf of automobile drivers

Reduced heat-island effect: Trees are one of the amenities typically offered to enhance streets when they become bike boulevards. These trees not only help provide shade for bicycles and pedestrians, but also help shade the pavement, thus reducing the amount of heat directly absorbed during the course of the day.
Stormwater management: In Tucson, there are a number of progressive traffic calming amenities which can double as passive rainwater harvesting mechanisms. These include traffic circles, chicanes, and curb cuts
Improved safety through “Eyes on the Street”: A street that is well used by locals and by daily bicycle commuters throughout the day and night is much less likely to fall by the way side than those that are only populated by vehicles during peak hours of the day.
Increased neighborhood and home value: The “walkability index” has created a rating system that is standard in home real estate today. It measure how many places – and how many types of places – can be reached from one’s home without the use of an automobile. Bicycle boulevards increase these ratings tremendously. Homes located along bicycle boulevards are also much more family friendly.
Added play-space: Remember back in the day when parents could let their kids play in the streets without fear? Well, bicycle boulevards have the capacity to create safe streets for children to play in, by calming traffic and making them much more hospitable to pick-up games of catch, etc.

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