UA, Tucson in talks over Park Avenue ownership transfer
The University of Arizona and the City of Tucson are in talks about transferring ownership of a stretch of Park Avenue between Speedway Boulevard and Sixth Street to the university, raising questions about bike lane enforcement and road safety.
The University of Arizona and the City of Tucson are in talks about transferring ownership of a stretch of Park Avenue between Speedway Boulevard and Sixth Street to the university, a move that would make it the busiest road under UA control.
The stretch borders the UA campus and several university buildings, including the UA Global Center, McClelland Park, the Art Building and four residence halls. Two high-rise student apartment buildings, Hub Tucson First and Malibu Student Apartments, also face the road.
Details of what such an agreement would look like remain scarce, and neither party has confirmed a timeline.
UA spokesperson Mitch Zak said more information will be made available once talks with the city have been concluded.
The UA already owns several streets within its campus. Generally, the roads within the borders of Speedway Boulevard, Sixth Street, Park Avenue and Campbell Avenue fall under UA ownership, according to Zak.
Unlike city-owned roads, UA-owned streets make the university responsible for maintenance, parking enforcement and right-of-way management. A transfer of the Park Avenue section would extend those responsibilities to that stretch.
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A change in ownership would likely have no effect on law enforcement. The University of Arizona Police Department's patrol zone, as established by the Arizona Board of Regents Planning Boundary, already extends west to Euclid Avenue, which means the entire stretch of Park Avenue under discussion already falls within UAPD's jurisdiction. A transfer of ownership would not change existing operations.
The section of Park Avenue between Speedway Boulevard and Second Street saw an average of 6,661 cars per day in 2025, according to the Pima Association of Governments' traffic volume counts map, with the southbound route averaging 146 more cars per day than the northbound route.
That number has increased slightly each year since 2023.
While that figure is not particularly large on a citywide scale, it would make Park Avenue the UA's busiest street by a noticeable margin if transferred, surpassing other roads that run through the main campus.
By comparison, a portion of Second Street cutting through campus from Park Avenue to Cherry Avenue saw 4,574 cars per day in the same year. The portion of University Boulevard east of Park Avenue averaged 829 daily, while the stretch west of Campbell Avenue averaged 2,010.
An Instagram account called carfreetucsonaz recently criticized enforcement of no-parking rules on the southbound bike lane along the stretch, which prior to summer break was frequently packed with cars in violation of traffic laws.
The account said emails with Tucson's Department of Transportation and Mobility revealed that the city is holding off on installing barriers for the bike lane in case the UA takes ownership of the road and removes them, even as cyclists are forced into traffic daily.
The post noted that temporary barriers have been discussed but no action has been taken, and counted 17 illegally parked vehicles, representing $2,125 in uncollected parking fines.
The account has been documenting the issue for months, with a March post accusing the city of choosing not to prioritize safety over driver convenience and suggesting that consistent parking enforcement could generate enough revenue in citations to fund physical lane protections.
The post noted that a parking enforcement officer earns less than $20 an hour, while each illegally parked vehicle is eligible for a $125 fine.
Ward 6 Councilmember Miranda Schubert, whose ward includes the stretch of Park Avenue under discussion, commented on the post, urging constituents to weigh in.
"While I'm doing everything I can to push and advocate for funding for solutions, it will always help if I can say that I'm backed by a broad range of constituents," Schubert said. "It's less powerful if I only have Instagram comments to refer to."
Ian Stash is University of Arizona alum and freelance journalist in Tucson. Contact him at ianjgs16@gmail.com.
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