We often talk about the Regional Transportation Authority plan (RTA) as a way to reduce regional congestion, improve mobility, and make it easier for us to move through the community. All that’s true. At the same time, RTA programs and funding also support carbon emission reductions.
This is possible because the RTA’s voter-approved half-cent sales tax funds expanded bus service, paratransit services, additional bike lanes, and miles of sidewalks throughout the community. RTA funding goes toward regional transit services such as Sun Shuttle, Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride, Sun Tran, and the Sun Link streetcar.
RTA-funded transit services and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure amenities have given the people of the greater Tucson metropolitan area alternatives to driving.
Exhaust from vehicles is one of the top sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and by using other mobility options, commuters can help reduce emissions and maintain clean air.
To date, the RTA has helped fund the following transportation amenities to support emission reductions:
- 80 pedestrian crossings
- 163 bus pullouts
- 183 miles of new sidewalks
- 370 miles of new bike lanes
In addition, the RTA works closely with jurisdictions to help expand the non-vehicular uses through improvements such as multi-use pathways, along with the expansion of the city’s bicycle boulevard program. Bicycle boulevards are a network of local streets throughout Tucson that prioritize bicycling and enhance conditions for walking and offer a more comfortable environment for those that prefer not to use the major roads.
By providing funds to a wide variety of transportation projects that deliver improvements to benefit all modes and users, RTA helps keep the region’s air clean for all of us.