Cyclovia Tucson is now in it’s fourth year and is a free, family friendly event for bicyclists, skateboarders, skaters, joggers, walkers, etc. who follow the street maps along the route which is closed to traffic. (We bicycled one of these earlier routes near the University of Arizona, and it is lots of fun, with activities along the way, such as arts & crafts, exhibits, puppet shows, demonstrations freebies, etc.)

Here’s the specifics below for the April 7 Cyclovia, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. It’s being advertised as “car free, and care-free”.

The North End
(Armory Park & Tucson Children’s Museum)
Axé Capoeira Tucson
BICAS Bike Rental
Jumping Castle by Cox
Safford K-8 Magnet School Band

The East Side
(Santa Rita Park & Restaurant Row)
Interactive Games by Pima County
Giant Chess Set
The Pima County Book Bike

The South End
(Arizona Children’s Association & Mission View Elementary School)
DJ Javi
Mission View Chill Zone

The West Side
Santa Rosa Park
Fur and Flower
Your Bike Station by El Grupo
Free Bike Helmets for Kids (while supplies last)
Kids’ Bicycle Obstacle Course
Pima County Loop Information
Bicycle Commuting & Safety Info

Ochoa Elementary School
Literacy Station
Dance Movement Station
Arts and Crafts Station by U of A Early Childhood Learning Center

En Route Activities:

(Near 4th Ave and 24th St)

- TriSports Activity Van: basketball hoops, FREE water bottles!!!
- Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicylist: bicycle-plate decorating, bicycle prizes, guided rides
- Sun Tran “bike-on-the-bus” demo
- REI

And save the date for the 2nd Cyclovia Tucson event this year on April 28, also 10 to 3 p.m. in North and Central Tucson. Click here for route.

“Cyclovia Tucson is a project of Living Streets Alliance, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote healthy communities by empowering people to transform our streets into vibrant places for walking, bicycling, socializing, and play. Living Streets Alliance is improving access to alternative modes of transportation in the region through outreach, education, advocacy and research”.

It was on May 8, 2010 that the inaugural 2nd Saturday Downtown became a huge urban happening. I was there to witness it, along with several hundred people, increasing to several thousand over the past 2 years. I’ve been blogging every month since then about each 2nd Saturday Downtown event, and attending most of them.

With the temporary closing of part of E. Congress Street for the Sun Link modern streetcar construction, going downtown has been a bit of a challenge. However, 2nd Saturdays Downtown did happen last month on April 14, and will be held again on Saturday May 14.

Downtowntucson.org reports that Scott Avenue will be expanded down to Jackson Street to accommodate the construction: http://www.downtowntucson.org/2012/05/2nd-saturdays-moves-to-scott-avenue/

Full event schedule at the 2nd Saturdays Downtown website, www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com.

And click here for a detour map: http://www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Detour-Plan.pdf. Consider taking the Sun Tran bus, biking, walking, skateboarding, to ease up some of the traffic going downtown. But remember that 6th Avenue south of E. 6th Street is now two ways for easier access, so there is parking still available, just not on Congress.

Support downtown and continue to enjoy this wildly popular & successful urban street fest, with lively music, great selection of food, crafts, movies, art receptions, science exhibits, classic cars, etc. etc. Most events are free except for the food.

Showing at The Drawing Studio, 33 S. 6th Avenue are whimsical and satirical cartoons by David Kish, who draws the Hoopleville Comics in The Tucson Weekly. I went to the opening reception last Saturday, and the show is open again this 2nd Saturday, and will continue till May 26.

This public forum is sponsored by the Tucson BUS RIDERS UNION Organizing Committee, call 520-624-0312 for more info.

I ride Sun Tran bus to go downtown to hear cases at Small Claims Court and do other work. After years of riding on the bus I well know that most of the people I ride with need public transportation at a low cost, as they are students (elementary, middle, high school, college), unemployed, disabled, commuters that can’t afford a car or the high cost of parking at a garage, those who don’t own a car/truck, job seekers, housewives & househusbands, families, bike riders, newcomers, etc.

Parking downtown is difficult & costly, plus using public transportation is environmentally sound. And I think that people in Tucson are too dependent on their cars, and need to explore alternatives such as biking, walking, using the bus or the proposed modern street car when it is built, taxi vouchers. Cars also are costly: the initial purchase, insurance, ongoing maintenance, fees & taxes, rising gas prices, radar enforced traffic tickets.

Perhaps the top City of Tucson officials –who live in the City– shouldn’t have car allowances but instead be provided with monthly bus passes (about $42/month), which would be a lot cheaper for the City budget. And this policy would actually support the City’s public transportation system – Sun Tran.

More info on Sun Tran: www.suntran.com.