City of Tucson finishing work on protected bike lanes Downtown  | Local News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — The City of Tucson is working to make biking Downtown safer. It involves adding protected bike lanes down Stone Avenue and the project is almost complete. 

“Having it be protected is going to take it to a new level to where I feel really comfortable going down this road instead of nervous,” said Steve Torok, the General Manager of Fair Wheel Bikes.

For a long time now, “like a decade, maybe a little over 10 years,” Torok has been an avid cyclist. 

“Certain roads that kind of have an infrastructure in place I feel a lot safer on those roads. But there are certain roads like 6th, it’s a little sketchy,” said Torok. “There’s no bike lane so it’s like, oh man, the cars come really close.”

The City of Tucson is working to change that, adding protected bike lanes Downtown on Stone. 

There is a clear separation between where cars can drive and where cyclists can ride. It’s not just a line painted on the ground, it’s a raised barrier.

“I think it’s huge because nobody wants an accident to happen, not even the driver or the person riding a bike. It just gives us a little more safety, a safe feeling when you’re riding. If someone’s not paying attention, at least I have this barrier here,” said Torok. 

When this project is complete, protected bike lanes will run on Stone Avenue from Toole to Ochoa.

For Tucsonans who bike Downtown frequently, this is a very welcome addition to their routine routes. 

“It just makes it feel a lot safer than being 5 inches away from the car. And I’m somebody that’s prone to falling off the bicycle so the added layer of safety makes it feel a lot better,” said Gabriel, biking Downtown. 

“It’s just great for infrastructure, and for people commuting. It just makes it a lot more peaceful,” said Alvaro, also biking Downtown.

City officials say they expect the entire stretch of protected lanes to be complete and ready for bikers by early December.