The Third Street Bicycle Boulevard in Tucson, AZ runs east of the University of Arizona and sees 3,000-plus cyclists and 500 motor vehicles per day. Where it intersects with Country Club Road, a busy four-lane arterial with a traffic volume of 30,000-plus vehicles per day, the Tucson Department of Transportation installed the city’s first TOUCAN bicycle signal in 1998. A TOUCAN (TwO groUps CAN cross) signal provides a signal protected crossing for bicyclists and pedestrians on roads that prioritize non-motorized traffic.

Cyclists approaching the intersection are guided into an abbreviated two-way track/raised center median, where they push a button to indicate their arrival. Cars proceeding down Third Street are required to turn right at the junction, helping to protect cyclists from through traffic. A white lane was painted across the intersection to channelize bike traffic, but will be replaced by “dinner plate” bicycle markings.

The TOUCAN signal and center median were constructed at a cost of $400,000. Data collected since the signal’s installation has shown a 100% increase in bicycle traffic on Third Street. This project was designed and implemented by the Tucson Department of Transportation in 1998 at East 3rd Street and North Country Club Road in Tucson, AZ. The city continues to install TOUCAN signals at intersections for cyclists, but uses a revised design with minimized capital construction costs.