Study aims to make Tucson streets safer for bicyclists, pedestrians

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - The Pima Association of Governments is counting the number of bicycles and pedestrians on Tucson streets.

The numbers will then be used to hopefully make the streets safer for both.

Counts in the past have shown the number of bikes has increased nearly 6 percent over the past three years. The counts are conducted in 136 sites throughout the county.

The 2014 count shows the University area with the highest concentration of both bikes and walkers.

The study shows just half of the people who ride bikes wear helmets.

Of the 22,288 bicyclists counted, 11,230 did not wear protective head gear.

"I think sometimes its the perception of the coolness factor," says Gabe Thum, a senior transportation planner for the RTA. "We need to get it out there more that helmets are a good thing and a positive things and they need to be worn by more people."

The National Insurance Institute estimates head injuries from people who crash bikes without helmets cost $2.3 billion a year.

Of those head injuries, 85 percent could be prevented by wearing helmets.

It appears a good education program may be in the near future, especially if that trend continues.

The count also shows nearly three times more men ride bikes than women.

Pedestrian deaths in Pima County have gone up from seven last year to 11 this year despite efforts to educate the public and drivers.

Pedestrians were not added to the count until 2010.

The numbers, while raw data, can be useful in knowing where to target efforts to protect pedestrians.

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