When choosing a demographic to focus on for Walk 3, I wanted it to reflect something meaningful about Tucson as a whole. That’s when I remembered the growing number of spaces for bicyclists in recent years, especially in the Downtown area, which is known for its active and social community. This led me to select bicyclists as the demographic that I wanted to focus on.
For my exploration, I decided to start along E. Congress St., beginning near the Hotel Congress and ending on N. Stone Ave., near the Joel D. Valdez Main Library. As I walked down the street, I looked for signs of how bicyclists interact with and are supported by the city's environment.
One of the first things I noticed was a simple street marking of a white painted bicycle symbol with an arrow above it, indicating that bikes are welcome to share the road with other vehicles. Along the sidewalks, I saw a large amount of bike racks, many of which had bikes securely locked to them. Given the intense Tucson heat, I assumed the cyclists were either running errands at nearby shops or taking a brief break from the scorching sun.
I also came across several cautionary signs directed at bicyclists, warning them about the tracks in the roads, which highlights an important safety consideration. At the Ronstadt Transit Center, I saw that there were two main public transportation options, which were the city buses and the TUGO Bikeshare stations, which offers both an easy and accessible way for people to rent bikes around the city.
The most interesting and significant moment of my walk was when I turned onto N. Stone Ave. I noticed that there were two dedicated bike lanes alongside the main road. In certain areas, a concrete curb was there to separate these lanes from car traffic, which helps to create a safer environment for both cyclists, pedestrians, and car drivers.
Based on the evidence I gathered during my walk, it’s clear that Tucson has made significant efforts to support the bicyclist community. The designated bike lanes, safety signs, and bikeshare options show that the demographic is highly thought of and thriving within the city’s downtown.
Hello Aaliyah! I really enjoyed the path you decided to take with this walk, especially noticing the bike paths and where some were locked, and wondering where the people riding them were in the heat. I also like how the map clearly shows your walking path. I think something you could add to the map is dots indicating the locations of your images or the bike racks you found, so you can see where they were on your walk. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaliyah!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this writing and how you presented it. Your photos genuinely added so much to it because of how much we are around Tucson during the school year. It was almost weird to see it again because I can tend to forget how it is. Your writing was very clear and concise.