Tucson Traffic in Summer Heat – Better or Worse?

By The Husband and Wife Law Team on August 20, 2018

Like its neighbor cities in Arizona, Tucson gets very hot in the summer. And while it’s typically five to ten degrees cooler than Phoenix, the heat still sends residents either indoors, or to a cooler city altogether, making the roads in Tucson much quieter during the summer months than in the winter.

How the Heat Is Hurting Tucson

The summer heat is so bad in Tucson, typically reaching temperatures over 105 degrees, that News 4 Tucson did a story this past May 2018 about how businesses are suffering. Main Gate Square, with its hub of eateries, clothing shops, and bars, felt the crunch as traffic—both by vehicle and on foot—all but stopped. Even increased advertising, adjusted business hours, and additional discounts didn’t help these businesses, as most in Tucson find it simply too hot to go outside during the day.

In fact, many residents of Tucson don’t stay in Tucson at all. Many head up to Mount Lemmon, Flagstaff, and Bisbee, to name just a few destinations, where it’s much cooler and there are shops and restaurants that can be enjoyed comfortably. Day trips, and even week-long trips, are commonly taken by those who live in Tucson and want to escape the heat for a short time.

While that means they have to head out on the roads to do it, they’re not on them for very long. In fact, few people are. Some residents of Tucson are fond of saying that in the summer months, you can scream across the city because there are so few people in it.

Of course, the simple fact that it’s hot out isn’t the only reason there are fewer people on Tucson roads. There’s also the fact that college and university students have gone home for the summer. The city is home to many wonderful post-secondary institutions, such as Tucson College, University of Arizona, and University of Phoenix – Southern Arizona. When the summertime hits and exams are done, the students who fill the streets in the fall and winter months are not there, accounting for less traffic on the roads and a drop felt by some businesses.

There’s another population that also heads out of Tucson during the summer months—snowbirds. These individuals leave the sub-zero temperatures of their home states during the winter months and head on down to Tucson. By April, the snowbirds have flown because the temperatures in their home cities are much more comfortable. Just about every city in Arizona has a snowbird population. But because Tucson is always a little cooler, and not the concrete jungle of Phoenix, it sees even more. This also adds to the increased traffic Tucson is used to during the winter months.

Tucson Traffic Is Worse in Winter, But Danger Lasts Year-Round

There’s little doubt that the populations that add to that hustle and bustle—snowbirds, students, and those who live in Tucson—make traffic much worse in the winter months than in the summer. In fact, in January 2017, the Tucson Police Department increased its presence at some of the most dangerous intersections in Tucson. One of these was Grant Road and Alvernon Way, an intersection that saw multiple pedestrian deaths and injuries in 2016.

In addition, the department identified three other intersections that were so dangerous they had to set up extra patrols. Those were: Kino and 36th Street, Oracle Road and Grant Road, and Broadway Boulevard and Wilmot Road. In May of the same year, officers identified four other intersections they considered to be just as dangerous: Speedway Boulevard and Campbell Avenue, Golf Links Road and Swan Road, Speedway Boulevard and Kolb Road, and Campbell Avenue and Valencia Road.

Anyone who has spent time in Tucson during the summer knows just how hot it can be, and how it can sometimes feel like a ghost town compared to the winter. But clearly, accidents involving vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists can happen any time of the year. When they do, accident victims need to know that they have rights and that an attorney can help.

A Tucson car accident lawyer can help hold the at-fault driver liable, to help the victim physically, emotionally, and financially recover from the accident. Tucson has already seen far too many accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians. Perhaps with an increased police presence on the roads, everyone can slow down in Tucson, regardless of the season. At Breyer Law Offices, P.C., we wish everyone safe travels this summer. If you do get into an accident in Tucson, please call us at (520) 624-4228. We have an office on 2 East Congress Street and will meet you there or we will come to you if you are unable to travel for a free consultation.