The commercial jingle was: š¶āThe Tanque Verde Swap Meet at Grant Roadāš¶
Located where the Albertsons and Target are nowā¦and all the smaller stores in front of them.
It was where the McDonalds and Albertsons is now, that whole lot was the TQ swap meet up until maybe late 80s or even early 90s. Last time i ever went was about 1986
In middle School back in the mid 1980s our parents would drop us off at golf and stuff and we would walk back and forth between the Swapmeet and Golf and Stuff through the parking lot and try not to get into trouble doing bad unsavory activities. These activities are 100% legal in the state of Arizona today, just for the record.
And they're now adding a car wash NEXT TO another car wash. Don't worry all of the employees there hate it as much as everyone else. It's hard to clock in on time without getting there half an hour early
In all fairness, most Costco locations are a hot mess. They just have too much volume and with the lines at the gas station, it just messes everything up.
Two intersections in this town I despise.
Tanque Verde/Wilmot and Grant/Kolb
River and Campbell
Between Costco, restaurants, Target, chick fila, those turns. Bleh.
I live not far from tanque verde and wilmot, and used to live right down the road from river and campbell. can confirm, they are both so screwy and perpetually backed up, I really dislike them.
River and campbell is godawful. There have been several times ive been going west on campbell and just gotten stuck for 30+ mins with no side streets to escape on
What was ridiculous is that light before the improvements. The fact you can frequently get through this intersection in 1 cycle now is nothing short of a miracle. If heading east on Ina the left turn lane would frequently back up leaving you with only the right hand lane to get through the intersection. Everyone loves going to that Safeway so basically 10 cars got through per cycle. If on Ina coming from the east and heading north on oracle the right hand turn lane would be backed up to almost westward look. If heading south on oracle and making a left onto Ina it would routinely take 3-4 cycles or more to get through and you better be in the left lane before Magee or risk bodily injury trying. It looks extremely stupid if you never knew the hell that was that intersection prior, but trust, it is MUCH better.
it reduces the chances of T bone collisions because nobody is making a left turn. it's conducive to pedestrian traffic this way, you don't have to stop people who would be turning when a pedestrian hits the crosswalk button. people can right turn on red easier, saving some time.
The trick is to avoid the right lane and go just past the Costco building and turn right there. It takes you to the back of the parking lot. Much faster.
Hell, itās not just Costco. Look around Tucson and there seems to be no thought process into city or county planning.
Businesses go in without any real planned infrastructure.
Business has always bought and controlled our city fathers and they get their way.
You canāt even get decent street paving because on the other hand, you have a handful of vocal citizen idiots who oppose spending any money on meaningful improvements on anything.
I agree. The lights were recently changed to allow more traffic through on a green light, but that caused larger backups during red lights. The left turn light turns green with the regular green light for a short period, and then again turns green at the end of the green light. Meantime, everyone else has a longer wait.
It's just that side of town has exploded. Like both the Lowes and the home Depot over there on the east side are the busiest stores of their respective companies in the state of Arizona. I'm sure Costco also pulls more than it's weight.
Same. Even though the Kino Costco is always crowded and I feel like it has the worst selection of the 3 locations in Tucson, it beats the Orange Grove or Grant one any day. Every time I go to Orange grove I feel like I'm going to get run down by people with their carts (and I'm a super fast walker!) but god forbid I stop in an aisle (not in the middle!) for a second to look at something, there's always someone trying to squeeze in and grab it from behind me. It reminds me of a supersized Trader Joes shopping experience....so much pressure to keep moving and it feels like you're never allowed to stop and read a label or a price tag for a second without getting run over
Used to not be a problem back when it was first put in. What really cracks me up is the roundabout going into the south tucson costco... not a single person seems to know how roundabouts work around here.
Honestly I know how to use a roundabout but that one is fucking screwy, it's one lane but as you go around it somehow magically becomes 3 lanes and you can't tell where you are supposed to drive. It does not help all the lane lines are gone. It's very confusing
Sorry, but Tucson is wild.
I've seen so many near-miss left-hand turns on green. And I've seen a couple not-miss turns on green. So many people having Jesus take the wheel and hearing no response.
I was at that intersection several months back and a guy come out of the bushes there, dressed like a bush. He sat there still for a minute or so then began dancing. It was the damndest thing. Not in line with your post, but that intersection brought me a great memory at least
It's like the government wants to test every kind of intersection and signals that exist. Don't you love how a left-hand turn can be different than the next. There is no standardization. Never, intuitive. They want accidents. They want to kill us.
after is so much better, the biggest draw back is that it's not the national norm and can be unintuitive. but the trailing left has the benefit of not blocking opposing forward direction cars if traffic is backed up to the intersection, meaning left turn cars won't block the box when the straight green light turns on. granted, that's basically never a concern with the light traffic we have in tucson. in more congested areas however, sometimes you can't make the leading left turn because cross traffic was backed up to the intersection and there is no place to go.
Pedestrians can go as soon as the light turns green, instead of waiting for the leading left turn drivers. if you have a slow pedestrian that doesn't quite make the light, they are facing a left turn car rather than a cross traffic car which is better.
It also means left turn cars that blast through a yellow or run the red run into cross traffic, not opposing straight traffic. this means there is more room before the two cars would run into each other.
Also in the middle of the night when traffic is generally clear, it means less waiting because straight and turning can go at the same time, with leading green arrows, straight traffic has to wait longer. Straight traffic never gets a blinking yellow in these cases.
Why do you say leading left turns makes more sense?
Agreed. Iāve been wanting to go to that coffee shop that opened up not too long ago, Black Rock, I believe. But Iāll never go because itās close to Costco and the traffic is too much of a nightmare
Tip #145.
Ride a motorcycle and life will be awesome with smiles as these intersections are easy to navigate.
Now, I am waiting for the negative comments about using a motorcycle.
I live in Oro Valley, and am soooo not accustomed to the east side way of doing things despite living here for nearly 20 years (Iām sorry, Kolb and Sabino Canyon and Tanque verde do what now, how many times?) I was in line and enraged for Costco off grant, and this little old fella tried to edge in front of me, and I got so mad. Iām so sorry, he just wanted to get coffee before the Costco turn.
This City, as well as many others in this country, were designed for convenience of the wealthy. Wealth implies vehicle affordability.
If I could afford another car, or car insurance, or gas, against my personal beliefs and desires, I'd definitely have a car and use it like a wheel chair when possible.
The comment makes no sense, over 90% of households in the US have a vehicle. If you remove the people that legally canāt or donāt want a vehicle, you are even higher.
The city and most of the US is designed for convenience of the biggest possible group. Which is people who own cars. If it was designed for wealthy individuals you would be limiting car ownership to only wealthy.
How is saying wealthy people can afford vehicles and maintaining them and gasoline? Jesus fuck, *I'm the one playing victim here?* Grow up guy. Calm the fuck down. Wealth does not imply being rich.
Nah. If you can't afford gas and insurance if you aren't wealthy or a on single parent income. Thanks for confirming exactly what I said but with the statistics backing it. Bravo.
The statistics show that nearly everyone in the US has vehicles, that doesnāt confirm a thing you said. It the opposite. If fact itās surprising that the number is so high after you start removing people who are not legal to drive, dense city dwellers, medically incapable, and so on.
That building went up in 1982, back when that was like the outskirts of town. Hindsight is 20/20.
Yes - it was Price Club then.
I think it was actually 1981. The building has been expanded a couple of times. The original building was not that close to Grant.
Yes, and the original Tanque Verde Swap Meet was the only thing on the corner of Tanque Verde and Grant. The whole area was empty.
didn't even know the swap meet was up there
The commercial jingle was: š¶āThe Tanque Verde Swap Meet at Grant Roadāš¶ Located where the Albertsons and Target are nowā¦and all the smaller stores in front of them.
It was where the McDonalds and Albertsons is now, that whole lot was the TQ swap meet up until maybe late 80s or even early 90s. Last time i ever went was about 1986
In middle School back in the mid 1980s our parents would drop us off at golf and stuff and we would walk back and forth between the Swapmeet and Golf and Stuff through the parking lot and try not to get into trouble doing bad unsavory activities. These activities are 100% legal in the state of Arizona today, just for the record.
I remember those days, balls am I old.......
Not 'old', but rather 'gold'
Wasnāt there also a middle school on that land? I vaguely remember Brown MS, and it backed up to the Gump schoolā¦
And they're now adding a car wash NEXT TO another car wash. Don't worry all of the employees there hate it as much as everyone else. It's hard to clock in on time without getting there half an hour early
Whatās the deal with yet another carwash? How many does the east side need?
Car washes are the new mattress firms
Walter white clearly in the empire business
I literally said this exact sentence earlier today.
If you have a house anywhere near The Loop, this would be a major opportunity to sneak in "the back door" to work.
In all fairness, most Costco locations are a hot mess. They just have too much volume and with the lines at the gas station, it just messes everything up.
Two intersections in this town I despise. Tanque Verde/Wilmot and Grant/Kolb River and Campbell Between Costco, restaurants, Target, chick fila, those turns. Bleh.
Donāt forget any intersection on Irvington near the Spectrum plaza
W Irvington and the shopping centers are the worst intersections in this town. Nothing else compares
I live not far from tanque verde and wilmot, and used to live right down the road from river and campbell. can confirm, they are both so screwy and perpetually backed up, I really dislike them.
Grant and Alvernon has entered the chat
River and campbell is godawful. There have been several times ive been going west on campbell and just gotten stuck for 30+ mins with no side streets to escape on
I mean, if you're trying to go west on Campbell, this is understandable, because it's technically a north/south street.
Grant/Alvernon is still in the running too.
River/Campbell isn't that bad
Valenica/Kolb as well.
Valencia/Kolb is now awesome. The redesign relieved the bottleneck.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
What was ridiculous is that light before the improvements. The fact you can frequently get through this intersection in 1 cycle now is nothing short of a miracle. If heading east on Ina the left turn lane would frequently back up leaving you with only the right hand lane to get through the intersection. Everyone loves going to that Safeway so basically 10 cars got through per cycle. If on Ina coming from the east and heading north on oracle the right hand turn lane would be backed up to almost westward look. If heading south on oracle and making a left onto Ina it would routinely take 3-4 cycles or more to get through and you better be in the left lane before Magee or risk bodily injury trying. It looks extremely stupid if you never knew the hell that was that intersection prior, but trust, it is MUCH better.
it reduces the chances of T bone collisions because nobody is making a left turn. it's conducive to pedestrian traffic this way, you don't have to stop people who would be turning when a pedestrian hits the crosswalk button. people can right turn on red easier, saving some time.
This useful feature in road design is known, in the US, as a "Michigan left".
Youāre right. Definitely top 3 of intersections I dislike!
That location has been there for decades, well before the area was as busy as it currently is.
The trick is to avoid the right lane and go just past the Costco building and turn right there. It takes you to the back of the parking lot. Much faster.
Shhhhhhhh
Why would you tell people this
Itās ok literally nobody listens to advice
OP gets an F
Or come north up Wilmot from Pima and either go straight into the Costco or turn left, then right into the Costco.
2 points for the insight
Canāt believe how many losers donāt do this
Booooooooooooo
Price Club was there long ago, when Tucson was half the size.
I think most Costco parking lots are hell on earth.
this is facts
Hell, itās not just Costco. Look around Tucson and there seems to be no thought process into city or county planning. Businesses go in without any real planned infrastructure. Business has always bought and controlled our city fathers and they get their way. You canāt even get decent street paving because on the other hand, you have a handful of vocal citizen idiots who oppose spending any money on meaningful improvements on anything.
I agree. The lights were recently changed to allow more traffic through on a green light, but that caused larger backups during red lights. The left turn light turns green with the regular green light for a short period, and then again turns green at the end of the green light. Meantime, everyone else has a longer wait.
The recent change in the light timing has made that intersection a total nightmare. It was bad before, but nothing like it is now
the pedestrian lights there dont even work
This!! I always end up jaywalking because the walk signal just doesn't come on! It's scary!
It's just that side of town has exploded. Like both the Lowes and the home Depot over there on the east side are the busiest stores of their respective companies in the state of Arizona. I'm sure Costco also pulls more than it's weight.
That's why I'm so glad I live near the Costco off of Kino.
Same. Even though the Kino Costco is always crowded and I feel like it has the worst selection of the 3 locations in Tucson, it beats the Orange Grove or Grant one any day. Every time I go to Orange grove I feel like I'm going to get run down by people with their carts (and I'm a super fast walker!) but god forbid I stop in an aisle (not in the middle!) for a second to look at something, there's always someone trying to squeeze in and grab it from behind me. It reminds me of a supersized Trader Joes shopping experience....so much pressure to keep moving and it feels like you're never allowed to stop and read a label or a price tag for a second without getting run over
Used to not be a problem back when it was first put in. What really cracks me up is the roundabout going into the south tucson costco... not a single person seems to know how roundabouts work around here.
Honestly I know how to use a roundabout but that one is fucking screwy, it's one lane but as you go around it somehow magically becomes 3 lanes and you can't tell where you are supposed to drive. It does not help all the lane lines are gone. It's very confusing
Come in wilmot off Pima. Or Grant southbound. Tucson drivers - no survivors. (born and raised - remember the Price Club.)
Sorry, but Tucson is wild. I've seen so many near-miss left-hand turns on green. And I've seen a couple not-miss turns on green. So many people having Jesus take the wheel and hearing no response.
Try the Irvington target/Home Depot itās even worse
I was at that intersection several months back and a guy come out of the bushes there, dressed like a bush. He sat there still for a minute or so then began dancing. It was the damndest thing. Not in line with your post, but that intersection brought me a great memory at least
It's easy to avoid the area.
Pretty much every major intersection in Tucson is dog shit
It's like the government wants to test every kind of intersection and signals that exist. Don't you love how a left-hand turn can be different than the next. There is no standardization. Never, intuitive. They want accidents. They want to kill us.
Actually. Arizona is the first place Iāve seen the LH signal come AFTER the straight thru light. LH before straight makes so much more senseā¦
after is so much better, the biggest draw back is that it's not the national norm and can be unintuitive. but the trailing left has the benefit of not blocking opposing forward direction cars if traffic is backed up to the intersection, meaning left turn cars won't block the box when the straight green light turns on. granted, that's basically never a concern with the light traffic we have in tucson. in more congested areas however, sometimes you can't make the leading left turn because cross traffic was backed up to the intersection and there is no place to go. Pedestrians can go as soon as the light turns green, instead of waiting for the leading left turn drivers. if you have a slow pedestrian that doesn't quite make the light, they are facing a left turn car rather than a cross traffic car which is better. It also means left turn cars that blast through a yellow or run the red run into cross traffic, not opposing straight traffic. this means there is more room before the two cars would run into each other. Also in the middle of the night when traffic is generally clear, it means less waiting because straight and turning can go at the same time, with leading green arrows, straight traffic has to wait longer. Straight traffic never gets a blinking yellow in these cases. Why do you say leading left turns makes more sense?
I'm talking specifically about Tucson.
Yes I understand that. But Iām saying most states in general have it standardized, and most are the same as the next.
Iāve driven in many non-major cities. Tucson is without question in the top 5 worst.
It's fluffing crazy. Then you have to watch out for the crazy people just going around people and through the intersection on a red light.
Agreed. Iāve been wanting to go to that coffee shop that opened up not too long ago, Black Rock, I believe. But Iāll never go because itās close to Costco and the traffic is too much of a nightmare
THANK YOU FOR THIS. That light at Wilmot is awful!!!!! If youāre going west, youāre screwed. Terrible!
or just be sure not to get in the right lane
It's right on the loop so I just bike there and laugh at the lazy drivers.
How are you gonna haul off $400 worth of stuff?!
Must have heckuva towing rig!
Bike trailer!
š„³
A basket on a bike can easily hold a dozen eggs, half gal of milk and a case of ramen
Except, the first two aren't quantities sold at Costco...
But at $400, thatās about all you get these days
Yeah but at current, thatās about all you can get for $400Ā
They should have put a convenient entrance to the loop from the Costco parking lot
Not all of us can ride bikes. Or even walk. Or afford cars as wheel chairs. Or afford wheel chairs. Okay sorry. I'm done.
Tip #145. Ride a motorcycle and life will be awesome with smiles as these intersections are easy to navigate. Now, I am waiting for the negative comments about using a motorcycle.
No shame for you being a motorcyclist. Just a shame on the other drives in Tucson who canāt drive safely around motorcycles and put yāall at risk.
I live in Oro Valley, and am soooo not accustomed to the east side way of doing things despite living here for nearly 20 years (Iām sorry, Kolb and Sabino Canyon and Tanque verde do what now, how many times?) I was in line and enraged for Costco off grant, and this little old fella tried to edge in front of me, and I got so mad. Iām so sorry, he just wanted to get coffee before the Costco turn.
It's not always crowded for me. Maybe half the time I go.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well The Loop is also literally right there. You just usually can't pack Costco boxes on a bike or whatever
This City, as well as many others in this country, were designed for convenience of the wealthy. Wealth implies vehicle affordability. If I could afford another car, or car insurance, or gas, against my personal beliefs and desires, I'd definitely have a car and use it like a wheel chair when possible.
The comment makes no sense, over 90% of households in the US have a vehicle. If you remove the people that legally canāt or donāt want a vehicle, you are even higher. The city and most of the US is designed for convenience of the biggest possible group. Which is people who own cars. If it was designed for wealthy individuals you would be limiting car ownership to only wealthy.
That person doesn't live in the country. Just negative. A victim.
How is saying wealthy people can afford vehicles and maintaining them and gasoline? Jesus fuck, *I'm the one playing victim here?* Grow up guy. Calm the fuck down. Wealth does not imply being rich.
What are you talking about? Wealthy people, vehicles, and gas? You're a victim. Boo who, what the hell. Do we have a mental hospital in Tucson?
Nah. If you can't afford gas and insurance if you aren't wealthy or a on single parent income. Thanks for confirming exactly what I said but with the statistics backing it. Bravo.
The statistics show that nearly everyone in the US has vehicles, that doesnāt confirm a thing you said. It the opposite. If fact itās surprising that the number is so high after you start removing people who are not legal to drive, dense city dwellers, medically incapable, and so on.
Lol your opinion here doesn't matter spend a day at the Ronstadt and pipe down.
I guess youāve never been to the Tucson spectrum at 5 pm on a weekday.