SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio has launched a new initiative geared toward improving bike safety and infrastructure with a major focus on community engagement.
“Really, it’s about creating a network that has all of those connections, connections from street to street, connections from street to trail and this will also give us an opportunity to look at a health impact assessment as well as create funding strategies,” said Catherine Hernandez, the city’s interim transportation director.
The city opened an online survey on Monday to launch the Bike Network Plan with the hopes of gauging San Antonians concerns and suggestions for enhancing the biking experience.
The San Antonio Bike Plan of 2011 served as the foundation for outlining the Alamo City’s needs for bicycle facilities. But the city’s transportation department noted online, “it became evident that the 2011 Bike Master Plan (BMP) required an update to policies and the introduction of feasibility studies to support further implementation of multimodal infrastructure.”
The Florida-based RS&H consulting firm was hired by the city to help facilitate the multi-phased plan over the next two years.
“We’re doing engagement events in every district all across the city but this can be a plan that unites San Antonians,” said David Bemporad, RS&H transportation planner in San Antonio.
The community input aspect of the Bike Network Plan will be crucial in developing the comprehensive framework for years before submitting for city council approval.
“We know that we want this done because they spoke to us with the bond election, providing us with $10 million in bond dollars for bicycle facilities,” Hernandez said.
San Antonio is ranked as the 16th most dangerous city for cyclists, according to federal data cited in a report by carinsurance.org
Among the several bike groups in San Antonio advocating for improved recreational and commuter bike infrastructure is Bike San Antonio.
“Why do you need six lanes on a 40 mile per hour street (San Pedro Avenue) I don’t know. You can certainly take one lane away, make a very, very good sidewalk and integrate a bike lane,” said Bike San Antonio board member Bryan Martin.
Martin pedals throughout the city’s trail systems and downtown corridor.
“San Antonio’s a beautiful city and it has world class trails. Now what we need are some spokes that get you inside to the core of the city,” Martin said. “The main mission of Bike San Antonio is to not just keep biking for recreation but also to try to also allow biking and walking for transportation or active transportation,” Martin said.
The former district 10 city council member candidate also runs an electric bike company known called Bronko Bikes. Martin urges bikers and non-bikers to participate in helping shape the Bike Network Plan, which aims to improve “safety, connectivity and equity,” according to an online press release.
To learn more about the Bike Network Plan, go here.