Bicycling in the Old Pueblo

(just found this in an archive - wish I'd sent it then. In the meantime I've been riding the Pondersa a great deal, have accepted (nay, EMBRACED) tubeless and have yet to ride Golder) So I finally upgraded and have moved Old Blue to the role of hack. I now have a Novarra Pond 29er and I must say: they've come a long way in 25 years.

My issue is this: while Tucson has never been known for the safety of it's streets or the awareness of it's drivers (at least not in any positive light that I can ascertain) the city and county have been working on making the bikelanes more defined and extensive, setting up the 'Urban Loop' etc. Somehow, I'm still not comfy with taking CaeliBug or Zoo or both out on the road - too many stories of hit-and-runs (notably on Silverbell), still WAAAY too many impaired drivers rushing from one chaotic lifestyle choice to another.