TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson City Council is immediately reducing speed limits on 14 roadways and nine bicycle boulevards to enhance public safety following a spike in traffic-related deaths.
According to the city, "The Bicycle Boulevard Master Plan proposed a reduction of the posted speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph upon implementation of Bicycle Boulevard improvements. A 20 mph Bicycle Boulevard speed limit allows the posted speed limit to coincide more precisely with speeds consistent with traffic calming treatments that are typically in place along Bicycle Boulevards."
As for the roadways, the speed limits will drop by five or 10 miles per hour on the affected streets. The changes follow traffic studies conducted by the Department of Transportation and Mobility to improve road conditions and implement design features that reduce crashes.
"Pedestrian deaths are up nearly 300% for this year compared to the same time in 2025," Ward 6 Council Member Miranda Schubert said.
One of the affected roadways is Valencia Road from Interstate 19 to Country Club Road, where the speed limit is dropping from 40 to 30 miles per hour. This reduction comes nearly two weeks after a 3-year-old girl died in a high-speed crash at that intersection.
READ MORE: 'I miss her terribly': Candlelight vigil honors 3-year-old girl killed in car crash
"TPD said the 22-year-old and 16-year-old drivers were street racing when it caused a crash that split another vehicle in half. This only happens when vehicles are going at very high speeds," Schubert said.
RELATED: Two arrests in high speed wreck that killed 3 year old girl
Schubert detailed other recent fatal crashes, including a crash her wife witnessed.
"April 7th alone a 37-year-old and a 36-year-old both died within minutes of each other on separate locations. One was a cyclist. The other was a pedestrian. 25-year-old motorcyclist also lost their life," Schubert said.
"The other thing that happened when I was making my traffic violence report last meeting was my wife and her friend were literally witnessing a cyclist getting hit and partially rolled over by a car on 6th Avenue near downtown. When the paramedic lifted up the back of the cyclist's shirt, my wife could see the tire marks."
Mayor Regina Romero says she and the council are allocating funds in next year's budget to help police crack down on drag racing,
"We put forward I believe about $900,000 to really empower our police department and deploy as much as we possibly can to prevent these tragedies," Romero said.
She says an update of the progress or lack of, of this issue will be brought forward to the May 5 study session.
"We will be discussing that and other possibilities to make our streets safer," Romero added.
Because the city considers the issue urgent for public safety, the speed limit reductions take effect immediately.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
——
Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
