Pedestrian deaths increase for another year in Tucson

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - With only a few days left in 2016, pedestrian deaths this year are higher than they were the year before and the year before that, according to the Tucson Police Department.

Fifteen pedestrians have died so far in 2016, according to TPD records. There were 13 by this time in 2015 and a total of 9 for all of 2014.

The department recently announced its acceptance of a $25,000 gr ant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. The money will be spent on pedestrian and bicycle safety, according to Sgt. Mark Allen with TPD. He said it's a renewal grant from the previous year and $5,000 less.

He said 26 patrols will focus for several hours on both drivers and pedestrians who could be at fault for potential crashes.

Locations for the patrols will be selected based on statistics and community input for areas popular with pedestrians, cyclists and previous crashes.

Police patrolled around 6th Ave and Ajo way in July of 2016 using a similar gr ant. Officers issued nearly a dozen citations in a couple hours.

The city's Pedestrian Advisory Committee has provided feedback for some of the targeted areas. Committee member and spokeswoman for AAA Southern Arizona Valerie Vinyard said it's important for drivers to remember that they are also pedestrians at some point.

Allen said close to 75 percent of the pedestrians and cyclists who are killed in crashes in Tucson are not the fault of the driver.

Vinyard said a statistic like that does not take into account the whole story because it's based on the claims of the drivers, who may or may not admit to a distraction like the radio or cell phone.

She said she's hoping PAC will continue its work with the city.

The committee is set to be dissolved on June 30, 2017, according to the resolution that created the volunteer committee in 2013. An email from the mayor's office said Wednesday that those dates are more like reminders for city leaders to look for any changes that need to be made for a committee, not necessarily the end of one.

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