Letter: Aspirational vs practical 5th street diet

I read with dismay Tim Steller’s article about the proposed “street diet” for 5th Street. Reducing 5th Street to one lane in each direction in favor of sidewalks and bike lanes is misplaced aspirational thinking. It will drive more traffic onto the already congested Speedway and Broadway arteries while turning 5th Street into a driving nightmare. Tucson is simply too geographically spread-out. Creating more sidewalks and bike paths in the hope that many more people will start walking and biking to the City’s far-flung destinations may sound great, but is it practical? The great majority of Tucsonans are going to continue to drive to their destinations in the city. Ironically, increasing automobile congestion in favor of little-used sidewalks and bike lanes on an important artery is more likely to increase automobile-caused air pollution and road rage by increasing the time engines are running while frustrated drivers try to get to their destinations on over-congested roads.