Sun Link streetcar opens
Several decades and $197 million later, Tucson’s modern streetcar opened its doors to passengers on July 25. In the first weekend, more than 60,000 people took a free ride on the streetcar, Tucson transportation staffers reported. Sen. Steve Farley, one of the streetcar’s early advocates, shared a poetic moment with Sarah Garrecht Gassen about the first time he saw a streetcar running in Tucson.
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“It was like a majestic whale,” Farley said. “It was so big and so smooth and so silent and graceful.”
Preliminary testing found it takes only one improperly parked car to stop the streetcar in its tracks. Cars even as small as a Mini Cooper that park outside the white lines at meters near the tracks can cause a temporary shutdown.
Parking fines to drop in 2015
The Tucson City Council approved a measure in October to cut the cost of its parking fines, which were some of the highest in the state. For example, overstaying your meter will now cost a $40 fine; the previous penance was $62.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted in January to end its contract with American Traffic Solutions, which operated 11 cameras on county highways. But drivers should be wary: Cameras within city limits are still flashing.
Sun Tran workers negotiated pay raises in a new one-year labor contract just hours before the old deal expired on Aug. 8. The workers union was set to strike the next day if it failed to reach a deal.
Dozens of cyclists bit the dust trying to ride near or across streetcar tracks in the last few years.
The Living Streets Alliance has documented at least 86 crashes since August 2012. The group said the actual number of crashes is probably much higher because the data are self-reported.
People parking downtown, near Main Gate Square and on Fourth Avenue can now pay with plastic or coin.
The city of Tucson was scheduled to install 850 new “smart” meters in December. Expect to pay more to park in some places. The new meters will have a $1-per-hour rate, twice what it costs to park downtown using the old meters.
Revisit these stories in more detail at tucson.com. The Road Runner online includes links to the original stories written by staff reporters.
