Some places around town seem impossible to get into or out of.
While the problem is constant throughout the year, the issue is amplified during the holiday shopping season when harried drivers find themselves scratching their heads wondering who's responsible for this mess?
Planning and transportation officials must approve site plans for every commercial development, but Star readers say somebody must have been asleep at the wheel when plans for some of these places passed.
Star readers submitted 27 nominations for the worst business access in town. After a behind-the-wheel review of the nominations, Star staff members unscientifically unveil the five big winners — or losers, if you will — in no particular order.
The frustrating five
Tucson motorists nominate locations they find hardest to navigate; here are the worst
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Starbucks
Location: Northwest corner East Broadway and Campbell Avenue
The problem: Drive-through traffic backs up onto westbound Broadway, a safety and efficiency issue for the street.
The reason: This was a single-family house zoned for commercial use before it was turned into a drive-through Starbucks. The city has added signs to tell drivers on Broadway no parking, stopping or standing is allowed there, and drivers stopped on Broadway can be cited by the Police Department, said Vince Catalano, a traffic engineering manager for the city of Tucson. The city's land-use code requires the business to provide room in the drive-through and on the property for six cars to wait in line. Starbucks has allowed room for seven cars, so it meets requirements, Catalano said.
Trader Joe's
Location: Northwest corner North Campbell Avenue and East Limberlost Road
The problem: Visibility of southbound Campbell traffic is difficult because of the elevation of the bridge over the Rillito River. This affects turning north or south from the shopping center.
The reason: This area was "hard-zoned" to allow for this use before it was developed, so no public hearing was held. The city reduced the developer's driveway exit allowance from three on Campbell to one, and required landscaping be trimmed for the best visibility possible, Catalano said. The city recommends using the exit onto Limberlost because it is farther from the bridge and allows better visibility for turns to Campbell. Bike lanes are planned to be added to the bridge as part of the regional transportation plan, which will widen the bridge and provide better visibility.
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Superstore
Location: 7255 E. Broadway, east of Kolb Road
The problem: Eastbound traffic turns into what seems to be the correct driveway, only to find themselves in the wrong parking lot with no connection to the Jo-Ann parking lot.
The reason: This development was put in place before the city's Transportation Access Management Guidelines were approved in 2003, Catalano said. The policy now requires shopping centers to have a "cross-access agreement," or a way for cars to get from one parking lot to another without going back out onto a major thoroughfare, Catalano said. "Today we would require cross-access," said Michael Graham, spokesman for the Tucson Department of Transportation.
Denny's
Location: Northeast corner North Oracle Road and East River Road
The problem: Going southbound from this corner is challenging because traffic on River often backs up past the driveway, so one cannot turn from the shopping center onto River Road left turn lanes. A turn onto northbound Oracle Road (to make a U-turn southbound) leaves little visibility for southbound Oracle traffic coming down the hill.
The reason: The restaurant was built in 1978, before current county standards for driveways and access were in place, said Carla Blackwell, deputy director for Pima County Development Services. Current standards require driveways to be at least 230 feet away from an intersection or another driveway, and that length can be increased if other factors are in place, such as higher speeds, low sight distance, right turn lanes, high traffic area, Blackwell said. Plus, both River and Oracle Roads have been widened and traffic at the intersection has increased since the restaurant was built.
Best Buy
Location: 6025 E. Broadway, across from Park Place
The problem: After turning into the eastern driveway, drivers must make a few tight 90-degree turns, which can back up out onto westbound Broadway when the store is busy. Traffic here gets so backed up the store has hired security guards to direct traffic during holiday shopping periods.
The reason: The city didn't have input on where the driveway was located on this project because it was zoned before Best Buy developed it, Catalano said. The city's Transportation Access Management Guidelines, approved in 2003, would now require a longer "throat" length for vehicles to continue forward once they turn into the shopping area, Catalano said. An alternative to using the short driveway is for eastbound traffic to turn at the HAWK crosswalk at Broadway and Indian House Road, which takes vehicles into the parking lot for Jared Jewelers. There is a connection from that parking lot to the Best Buy parking lot, he said.
Photos by Lindsay A. Miller / Arizona Daily Star
