Eight cyclists have died on Tucson roadways since the beginning of 2023 after being struck by cars, a testament to the dangers of cycling on Tucson city streets.

Four of those fatalities happened in the first four months of 2024.

But despite potential dangers, some longtime Tucson cycling advocates say there are ways to safely navigate Tucson streets.

“The biggest thing is finding a good route and looking at the different ways you can get where you want to go in a way that is low stress,” said Michael McKisson, one of Tucson’s most active cyclists and a staunch advocate for cycling safety. “But I also think finding someone who has experience and can guide you is also really helpful. Like if someone came to me and said ‘I live here and want to bike to the U of A, what’s the best way to do it?’ then I can be like, you should take these streets because it’s going to be the best way to get there.”

One of the city’s most dangerous roads for cyclists is East Grant Road, where there have been more than 25 accidents involving cyclists since 2021 including a fatal collision in January. Police said the cyclist was riding near the curb on Grant when he was struck from behind and killed, according to Tucson Police.  

On April 18, a cyclist was injured in a hit-and-run on Euclid Avenue and Helen Street. 

In two of the three fatal cyclist collisions in 2024, the cyclists were riding on the wrong side of the roadway and not following other recommended safety precautions. In one of the accidents, one of the victims was only 7 years old, and not wearing a helmet. 

The Tucson Department of Transportation is no stranger to cyclist and pedestrian safety. The Bicycle Safety Advisory Committee of Tucson-Pima County and Tucson Delivers is working on road improvements funded through $140 million generated from sales tax revenue through Prop 411. The money is earmarked for road improvements citywide for cyclists and pedestrians. 

“I think when you have a built environment that is in some cases kind of difficult to navigate or sometimes chaotic when you’re not driving, it makes everyone who’s walking or biking look worse,” said Ryan Fagan, transportation project manager for the City of Tucson. “There are things people do on bikes that may be safe but don’t seem that way to drivers.”

Certain streets in town like East Grant Road do not have sidewalks or bike lanes, so cyclists have to share the road with vehicles. That means drivers have to slow down and go around cyclists. 

There are bike routes in Tucson including the Chuck Huckleberry Loop that connects 131 miles of paved roads that bypass city streets along the Rillito and Santa Cruz rivers from Marana to Rita Road and back to Oro Valley. The city also has so-called Bicycle Boulevards that prioritize cyclists and pedestrians and route through residential areas.

“I personally think that the built environment (infrastructure) is the most important thing. It not only gives space to operate in or not, it defines how safe or comfortable that space is,” Fagan said. “I also think that it informs behavior (…) you’re going to have people using those facilities and drivers are going to be respecting them more.”

While the city has attempted to make bike lanes safer on busy streets with bollards on Main Avenue and 12th Avenue or the designated Bicycle Boulevards, the safest route is the one you are most familiar with. In addition to taking safer routes, cyclists must also be diligent about keeping their focus on the road and drivers, according to McKisson. 

“I think the thing that scares me the most is just (drivers) not paying attention,” McKisson said. “Because no infrastructure can solve the problem of people not paying attention.”

The bollards and extended bike lanes have done little to stop vehicles from straying into bike lanes. The bollards, which look like the tops of tires and are painted white, only break when hit and could lightly damage a car, but the vehicle can still crash into the bike lane itself. 

“I would advocate for more infrastructure that is a more significant separation to the point where if a car were to run into it, it would damage the car,” McKisson said. “So I appreciate the city trying interesting things, but ultimately, drivers suck.”

McKisson said his daughter bikes to and from school, but he warns her to always be diligent and pay attention to drivers. He tells her to always make eye contact with drivers.

Both McKisson and Fagan advised that those riding a bike to the University of Arizona should consider routing through the nearby neighborhoods with less traffic including the Bicycle Boulevard on Third Street for those coming from the east and Mountain or Highland avenues for those coming from the north. 

Tucson can be dangerous for bike riding without the proper precautions, so newer cyclists looking to find reliable routes can consult apps like Strava, which allows users to track their riding and running and shows commonly used routes. 

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.