Encouraging Active Transportation in Tucson By: Loran Shamis Mentor: Arlie Adkins, PhD. Sbe 498 Fall 2015 Table of Contents

Literature Review

Furthermore, a positive association has been found between the more time spent driving and higher body weights; on average about 64 minutes were spent daily driving per person in 2001 in the United State (Frank, 2009). In Tucson, the mean travel time to work is about 22 minutes, resulting in a round trip commuting time of close to 45 minutes (US Census Bureau, 2013). Since nearly an hour is spent in the car, assuming this is the only commute of the day, Tucsonans are less inclined to obtain their daily recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity 5 times a week; motivation and time are two of the most common excuses not to partake in leisurely physical activity. Thus, leaving only 48 percent of Arizonans to receive adequate physical activity as recommended by the Center for Disease Control (Center for Disease Control, 2013).

One of the simplest solutions to the diseases aforementioned caused by the private vehicle is the promotion and investment in active transportation, which is an alternative form of transportation that requires physical effort, such as walking or bicycling, for utilitarian purposes. Walking and bicycling have been associated with lower risk of obesity thus lowering the risk of non-communicable diseases (Active Transportation, 2015). Encouraging walking and biking is simple because they are accessible, inexpensive and timesaving; however it is more difficult to encourage them as a means of transportation in the typical American city due to the convenience of driving a car. Though the car does allow one to travel a further distance in a shorter time and with little effort, about half of the trips in the United States are about three miles or less. Thus, by bicycling for two to three miles for a total of 30 minutes round trip would result in achieving the Center for Disease Control’s activity recommendation.

Building an environment at the scale of the pedestrian and bicyclist also brings about many economic incentives as well. Encouraging active transportation helps to create a health economy at all scales, including the individual, the business and the region. Individuals commuting by foot or by bike can save money by avoiding the cost of owning and fueling a car as well as money spent on health insurance. The local and state economic sector benefit from the creation of jobs, taxes, and local dollar circulation, resulting in more money remaining in the local economy. Lastly, the federal government saves money on funding the highway infrastructure, and investing significantly less to fund the infrastructure to accommodate active commuters. Consequently, all levels and participators of the United States economy benefit from the investment in active transportation.

Owning a car is no frugal purchase. After accounting for the purchase of the car, gas, maintenance, and insurance, the Consumer Expenditures in 2006 found that the average price of owning a car is about $8,000 per year (Smith, 2007). Shifting from vehicular travel to active commuting for daily obligations could significantly reduce this number. Another cost of commuting by car is the price of health insurance from a sedentary lifestyle. Inadequate physical activity can lead to a plethora of health issues that will ultimately require thousands of dollars in health insurance. A study published by the Center for Disease Control found the difference in health insurance costs ranged from about $500 annually if insufficiently active to $1500 annually if completely inactive between those who are considered active (Carlson, 2015). The individual could be saving thousands of dollars annually by participating in active transportation.

The local and state sectors of the economy also benefit greatly when catering to the needs of active commuters. Bicycling, specifically, profits cities and states’ economies across the country through tourism and job creation. For example, Arizona Department of Transportation found that out-of-state tourists impacted the state’s economy by $88 million, annually, through means of events, retail sales and job creation (Arizona Department of Transportation, 2013). Not only does active transportation benefit industries relating to cycling but it also has been shown to impact local businesses districts. With the money pedestrians and cyclists are saving on health insurance or not owning a car they are able to spend that money at local businesses, especially the ones that are most accessible by foot or bike. Active commuters are also more likely to make repeat trips to their local stores because of the distance limitation when walking or biking. Therefore, businesses can benefit greatly by catering to this specific demographic.

Of course there are also national economic benefits. Cities that are built around cars are requiring large sums of federal investment in order to maintain and construct new roads for growth. The funding for highways is split about 50 percent to maintenance and 50 percent to expansion; however, the money spent on expanding the highways only benefits about 1.3 percent of the country’s roads (Schmitt, 2015). Cities that are using the money to invest in infrastructure for active commuters will more efficiently accommodate for population growth. Also by spending money on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, active recreation will even further expand from already contributing an estimated $133 billion, annually in the United States as well as 1.1 million jobs (Clarke, 2012).

Lastly, shifting the transportation system to cater to active commuters can benefit the environment. The systems of the environment are all interrelated and impacted by all actions of mankind. Thus, several elements of the environment feel the burden our societies’ activities. The Sonoran Desert is a delicate ecosystem with issues affecting the health and quality of life of all of its residents; many ranging from concern about obtaining sufficient amounts of quality water and the apprehension of climate change that is increasing days of extreme heat, drought, and flooding.

Of course, air pollution is directly correlated with the capacity of drivers on the roads. As of now, personal vehicle transportation accounts for about a fifth of the total global carbon dioxide emission; about a third of the nations greenhouse gas emissions are due to daily household travel (Frank, 2009). Every gallon of gasoline burned by driving contributes to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. “In 2011, daily driving in Pima County contributed to 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide to air pollution” (Tangerine, 2013). Unfortunately, emitting greenhouse gases triggers a positive feedback loop with the need to consume more energy. These polluting chemicals result in higher temperatures, resulting in a desire to cool by air conditioning, and therefore consuming and polluting more greenhouse gases. Encouraging Tucsonans to commute by foot or bike can mitigate the amount of emitted greenhouse gases and will assist in breaking the demand cycle.

Also, by changing the transportation system to prioritize cyclists and walkers for daily commutes, the need to rapidly accommodate large quantities of new drivers will diminish and as a result the demand for more surface area of urban infrastructure will begin to plateau. Not only do extensive highway systems encourage people to drive and emit greenhouse gases into the air but, also, large quantities of surface area cover of impervious material results in rapid rates of water runoff whisking away all of the chemicals and contaminants into surface water. These waters potentially disrupt ecosystems and the quality of the community’s water supplies, resulting in more money spent on clean up and a smaller water consumption supply. That water is also unable to infiltrate the water table and receive natural filtration, resulting in scarce supplies of ground water for consumption. By reducing need for more highways, it implies several other beneficial consequences for the environment; such as, lower sprawl rates, less resources and materials, reduced urban heat island effect, lower energy consumption, etc.

Data

Safety in Tucson

Figure 1: Tucson Bicycle Crash Database

Another pattern that was observed by the Bicycle Crash Database is the most common collisions involving motor vehicles and bicyclists. The graphic below displays the type of collision percentages. The category “other” has the largest percentage and includes collisions with parked cars, pedestrians or animals, door zone collision, cyclist losing control or equipment failure, cyclist riding into the street, and other unique or location specific incidents. The most prevalent type of collision, outside of the category of “other”, involved the motor vehicle turning right with a cyclist approaching from the right, riding on the wrong side of the street. This type of incident occurs at the intersection of side streets or driveways. Next, crosswalk account for a large occurrence of bicycle collisions where one or both parties fail to stop at a stop sign or stop signal.