Environment + SUSTAINABILITY
Tucson, Ariz.’s bike share program, launched Nov. 17, 2017, started with 36 stations and 330 bikes.
Overall, the Envision rating system performed well in assessing the sustainability of non-traditional infrastructure like a bike share program.
sion would assess a non-traditional or unique infrastructure program such as a bike share. I made a call to the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Ann Chanecka, and we agreed to work together on using Envision to assess Tucson’s program. Upon completion of our review, the program was rated at the Envision Gold Level for a number of reasons. It rated well above the Platinum level in the Quality of Life category. A few highlights include: QL1.3 Develop Local Skills and Capabilities — Conserving: While the number of local jobs created wasn’t large, the city is working with Second Chance Tucson, which finds jobs for people overcoming prior convictions, to employ workers for the bike share program. In addition, Shift (the operator of the bike share system) only has four national em- ployees for all of their bike share systems. The rest are locally sourced. QL2.4 Improve Community Mobility and Access — Conserving: The City of Tucson went through an extensive assessment of com- munity needs, including meeting with local business owners and local jurisdictions to coordinate adjacent facilities when selecting locations for the stations. QL2.5 Encourage Alternative Modes of Transportation — Con- serving: The project provides additional opportunities for public transportation, including $5 annual fares for those with low incomes. The bike share program performed at the Gold Level in the Leadership, Resource Allocation, and Natural World categories. A few highlights include: LD1.4 Provide for Stakeholder Involvement — Conserving: The city performed a crowdsourcing survey to help determine anticipated high-use station locations and held numerous public and neighborhood meetings on the project. RA2.2 Use Renewable Energy — Conserving: To conserve energy,
Tucson bike share Using the Envision sustainability rating system to assess a unique project. By Kevin T. Thornton, P.E., ENV SP, STP
The popularity of bike sharing programs is growing across the country. During a recent visit to Minneapolis, I decided to try out their bike share system and ended up really getting to know the city, riding more than 20 miles over a couple of days. Bike sharing programs bring a number of pluses to a community. It is a healthy transportation option and an affordable alternative for people with flexible transportation needs. It’s also a great way for tourists to get acquainted with a city. Bikes are generally well maintained and users don’t have to worry about locking them up as long as they stop at a bike share station. I was excited when I learned that my hometown of Tucson, Ariz., would be getting a bike share system. The City of Tucson is considered a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists and has one of the most bikeable downtowns in the nation. Launched Nov. 17, 2017, the program, called Tugo, has all the ele- ments to ensure success. It’s starting out with 36 stations and 330 bikes, with plans to expand. The city has river parks, bike boulevards, and cycle tracks as well as more traditional bike lanes. Bike stations are strategically placed to take advantage of Tucson’s existing bike infrastructure and, in this first phase, are largely centered on the Uni- versity of Arizona and Downtown Tucson. It is often said that the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s (www.sustainableinfrastructure.org) Envision sustainability rating system can rate any infrastructure project. Given my interest in biking, bike infrastructure, and sustainability, I was curious to see how Envi-
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may 2018
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