Throughout the month, the Pima Association of Governments is holding its annual bicycle and pedestrian count. Volunteers and PAG workers are placed in certain locations across Tucson and surrounding areas. The count started on October 11 and will continue until November 7.
Pima Association of Government's David Mitchell said the data collection is used for transportation planning and even public health outreach.
“For example if they were to do a bicycle or pedestrian improvements, our data would provide more information about those locations," Mitchell said. "We are able to identify locations that might be safety concerns or possible areas where design improvements can be brought to bring the pedestrian and bikes into a more safe environment.”
Mitchell said for the past 13 years, the data collection is conducted mostly by volunteers.
"About 80 percent of our locations are counted by volunteers," he said.
Volunteers like Melissa Mata arrived for her weekday shift that is from 7am to 9am. Armed with her coffee, jacket and comfy chair, she sits with her clipboard waiting for people go by.
"This data is really important when it comes to future infrastructure projects," she said. "It's really cool to be behind the scenes when it comes to a really big data collection."
Mitchell said they need 30 more locations covered by volunteers.
If you are interested in signing up for a volunteer shift, head to the Pima Association of Government's website. Each volunteer can click on the map and enter their name for their preferred location. There are two hour shifts during weekday mornings and evenings, and three hour morning shifts on the weekends.
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