Tucson Councilmember Miranda Schubert Slams RTA Next as “Bad Deal for Tucson,” Urges Voters to Reject It

Tucson City Councilmember Miranda Schubert delivered a blunt and detailed critique of the proposed RTA Next transportation plan, arguing that the 20-year regional proposal shortchanges Tucson taxpayers while prioritizing highway expansion and sprawl over safety and transit.

Speaking to the Democrats of Greater Tucson on March 4, 2026, Schubert urged voters to reject the plan and push for a locally driven alternative that better reflects Tucson’s needs.

“This is a once-in-a-generation decision,” Schubert said. “And the numbers just don’t pencil out.”

Schubert emphasized that she has spent years working on transportation policy before being elected to represent Ward 6 on the Tucson City Council.

“I want you to receive me as somebody who has genuinely and earnestly worked for a long time on this issue,” she said, noting her past advocacy for transit funding, safer streets, and data-driven transportation planning.

Financia inequity

Her central argument against the plan is the financial inequity it creates.

Under the RTA Next proposal, Tucson would generate roughly 65% of the regional sales-tax revenue, yet the city would receive only 44% of the investment in projects.

“That would have us donating approximately $20 million per year outside Tucson city limits,” Schubert said. “We’re in a budget crunch. We can’t afford that kind of investment.”

Schubert said the imbalance is particularly troubling given Tucson’s pressing infrastructure and safety needs.

“We’re among the most dangerous cities for pedestrians and cyclists,” she said. “We have car crashes on our streets all the time.”

Despite those realities, she argued the plan devotes far more funding to expanding large roadways than to improving safety.

“Seven times more funding goes toward large roadways than toward safety and ADA improvements,” Schubert said. “Nine percent of the total plan going to safety doesn’t sound like enough when we’re having car crashes every day.”

Developer moneymaking scheme

The councilmember also criticized the proposal’s structure, describing RTA Next as a negotiated “project list” rather than a cohesive strategy.

“It isn’t really a strategy or a cohesive plan,” she said. “It’s a project list that was put together as a result of negotiation.”

Schubert said the plan promotes urban sprawl by prioritizing road expansion in outlying areas rather than improving transportation systems within Tucson.

“The majority of the plan’s projects are outside the city’s jurisdiction,” she said.

Supporters of RTA Next often cite its $726 million in transit funding as a major benefit. But Schubert argued that the figure sounds more impressive than it actually is.

“When you factor in inflation and other things, it’s actually investing less in transit than the first RTA plan,” she said.

That original RTA plan funded Tucson’s modern streetcar system, which Schubert said has produced measurable economic benefits.

“It brought enormous social and economic benefits,” she said, citing increased sales-tax revenue, new housing, and small businesses along the streetcar route.

Flawed governance

Schubert also criticized the plan’s governance structure, which gives Tucson the same voting weight as smaller jurisdictions in regional decision-making.

“I reject a voting structure that gives Tucson the same voting weight as much smaller jurisdictions,” she said. “That’s not proportional. It’s not logical. It’s not equitable.”

Instead of RTA Next, Schubert said Tucson should pursue a locally controlled transportation strategy modeled on the city’s Move Tucson master transportation plan, which was developed through extensive public engagement.

“I don’t like to be against things without having a solution,” she said. “We have better options at our disposal than a plan that is not only less than perfect, but actually detrimental to the kind of future we want for Tucson.”

If voters reject RTA Next, Schubert said community leaders should quickly organize a new proposal centered on safety, transit, and maintenance priorities identified by Tucson residents.

“We’ve heard over and over again what people care about,” she said. “They want safer streets. They want options for getting around. They want smart investments.”

For Schubert, the choice voters face is about more than a transportation package—it’s about shaping Tucson’s long-term future.

“This is a 20-year plan,” she said. “We should be voting for something people are excited about, not something they feel pressured to accept.”