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World Day of Remembrance
Traffic deaths are the leading cause of death of youth in the U.S. And seniors, people walking and biking, and communities of color and low-income communities are all disproportionately harmed by traffic violence.
And the problem is worsening: In 2020, 42,060 people died in traffic crashes in the U.S. -- an 8% increase over 2019, despite fewer people driving due to pandemic conditions. This equates to a 24% spike in the rate of traffic deaths, according to National Safety Council (NSC) estimates. And 2021 is shaping up to be even more deadly, with an estimated 16% increase in traffic deaths in the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, according to the National Safety Council.
This year’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims will be commemorated on Sunday, November 21 as a global event to remember those who have been killed and injured in preventable traffic crashes (#CrashNot Accident) and to demand change for safe streets.
Locally, we're not organizing any in-person vigils or advocacy events this year, but we would like to amplify the experiences of Tucsonans whose lives have been impacted by traffic violence. If you'd like to share your story, please do so here. We'll be posting on social media throughout the month and will highlight the personal stories as well as articles, infographics and calls to action to bring attention to the urgent need for safer streets here in Tucson.
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{Image: NACTO}
Better bike lanes headed to 6th Avenue
6th Avenue has been identified for bike lane upgrades as part of the voter-approved Proposition 407 Parks + Connections bond package. Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility is ready to start hosting community engagement events for the proposed protected bike lane project on 6th Avenue between 7th Street and Speedway Boulevard.
We're very excited about this project since it will bring safer and more comfortable biking to the doorsteps of our office, connecting us to some of our favorite nearby destinations. Protected bike lanes can also improve safety for everyone on the street and not just those who are getting around by bike.
Do you live, walk or bike on 6th Avenue? If so, we hope you can stop by at one of the upcoming in-person or virtual events and share your thoughts with the project team.
Park Party and Free Bike Repair @ Catalina Park
Saturday, November 20th | 2:00-5:00 PM
Pop-up Plaza @ 6th Ave & 7th St
Tuesday, November 30th | 7:30-9:00 AM & 4:00-6:00 PM
Virtual Town Hall
Thursday, December 2nd | 6 PM
Project details coming soon on the Tucson Delivers website.
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Next up for Cyclovia Remix: Tour de 4th
The first month of Cyclovia Remix was a blast! In October, we celebrated South 12th Avenue (aka La Doce), enjoying group rides to local businesses, tons of great food, a variety of community events, an awesome soundtrack, and BMX bikes flying through the air at Mission Manor Park. A huge thank you to everyone who participated and much gratitude to all of our partners, artists, community organizers, and neighbors who make these places great year-round.
This month, we head over to 4th Avenue to reconnect with a route featuring Tucson's first official Bicycle Boulevard: 4th/Fontana. Join us this November for Tour de 4th, including more ride meetups, park parties, local business highlights, and sounds + art from the neighbors around the route. Scroll down for a preview of select events, and visit the community calendar to see the full line-up.
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An opportunity to repurpose [portions of] parking lots into outdoor dining space
One of the positive results of the COVID pandemic is that it helped temporarily transform asphalt into outdoor dining space. You've heard us talk a lot about streateries—on-street parking spaces turned into outdoor space for restaurant dining. Now the city is exploring an additional way to provide outdoor dining by looking at private parking lots and the potential for some of those spots to become outdoor dining space.
Planning & Development Services is hosting two public meetings to gather feedback on a amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) that would allow restaurant patio expansions to be permanent. They're also gathering feedback on commercial parking requirements related to providing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
This is yet another important opportunity to repurpose asphalt into spaces for people. Make sure to attend one of the meetings and share your support and thoughts!
(Virtual meeting)
Monday, November 15, 5:30 pm
Register here
(In Person meeting)
Wednesday, November 17, 5:30 pm
Sentinel Building, 320 N Commerce Park Loop, Tucson, AZ
Register here
Click here for background and meeting information.
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4th Ave Slow Roll
Sunday, Nov. 7, 9-11:15 AM
Keeling Desert Park
Join us for a relaxed, family-friendly ride to meet some friends, check out the route, support local businesses...and win prizes! Meet at Keeling Desert Park at 9am for free coffee + donuts.
RSVP on Facebook | More Event Info
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Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: An evening with Chuck Marohn
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 6-7:30 PM
MSA Annex Festival Grounds
267 South Avenida del Convento
How can we build our towns to be more resilient? The solution is to focus on bottom-up strategies for making investments that will actually build wealth, all while improving quality of life for residents of a community. Join Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns as he discusses strategies and big ideas during this FREE outdoor lecture.
Find out more event info
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Party in the Park
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2-5 PM
Catalina Park
The Cyclovia Remix Tour de 4th continues with a pop-up block party at Catalina Park. We’ll have free bike repair services & helmets, tons of lawn and board games, music and smiling faces! Come out to get your first Cyclovia Remix Route Bingo Sticker—Collect all 6 for a special surprise at Cyclovia Classic in April.
More Event Info
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For additional rides and events, visit our Cyclovia Remix Community Calendar.
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Continue voicing your support for ADUs
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Last month, we urged you to learn about ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) and take action to make them possible in Tucson. It worked! Tucson Mayor & City Council approved of code amendments to move ADUs forward.
Unfortunately, it's not over. Despite having gone through a thorough public process, and having made a vote on record, there's a good chance the item will come back and portions of it will get overturned.
Tucson for Everyone has created a petition to help voice your continued support for ADUs in Tucson and they also have helpful facts and information to share. Have a look!
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Calling all volunteers: Remix is ready for you!
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There are so many ways to support Cyclovia Remix. Join us as a volunteer and you can help by doing outreach, leading rides or activities, staffing meetups, cleaning up a route, taking photos, promoting equity through advocacy, and so much more. Fill out a simple volunteer form to let us know what excites you and we'll get you plugged in!
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Want timely advocacy action alerts as they come up? Subscribe to our Action Alerts email list to stay updated between monthly newsletters.
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Barcelonian Parents Start Massive Movement, Bike Pool to School with Kids
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"It started with a few kids and now it's a whole movement." What do you do when the school bus shortage hits your school? Watch adults take to the streets to create their own bike bus of sorts in Barcelona.
{Image: Fatherly}
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Why Cars Don’t Deserve the Right of Way
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“Traffic enforcement needs to be totally removed from the police …” began a tweet that sparked a career and big City changes. With looming staff shortages, it's a great time to think about how to influence traffic in other ways besides policing.
{Image: Lea Suzuki / The San Francisco Chronicle / Getty}
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Lives Lost On the World's Roads
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An estimated 1.35 million people die from road crashes around the globe annually, and something like 50 million more are seriously injured or disabled, according to the World Health Organization. “That’s the equivalent of a Covid-19 pandemic every year," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, its director-general, said of the carnage.
{Image: REMEMBRANCE/VISION ZERO NETWORK}
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The mission of Living Streets Alliance is to advocate for a thriving Tucson by creating great streets for all of us.
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