The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is moving forward with its mission to enhance the bicycling infrastructure in San Antonio and is courting public opinion on the draft of its San Antonio District Bicycle Plan. The agency has announced an open call for feedback through August 9 on a plan that seeks, in part, to address a history of hazardous conditions that have led to multiple cyclist crashes and fatalities. According to a report by San Antonio Report, from 2017 to 2021, the San Antonio district saw 477 bicycle-involved crashes with 12 resulting in fatalities and 50 in serious injuries on state highways.
Public comments on the bicycle plan can be made on TxDOT’s website. Spanning 12 counties, the proposed plan evaluates the needs for bicycle infrastructure on state highways, pinpoints cycling improvements locations, and identifies what role different routes should have in the cycling network, the agency mentioned on its website. San Antonio, being the largest of the four initial metropolitan areas to receive a bicycle plan from TxDOT, which includes Bryan, Pharr, and Laredo, serves as a crucial component in a broader strategy to promote cycling safety and connectivity across Texas. "Developing a regional framework is vital as the state works to provide safe, thoughtfully designed, well-maintained facilities for bicyclists within each district and between districts, providing connectivity across the state," noted the draft plan’s introduction.
Over an 18-month long planning process, TxDOT has gathered data and feedback from various working groups, comprising city transportation staff, the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO), and VIA Metropolitan Transit, among other consultants. "This plan outlines the needs for our entire region to develop a system of safe, viable, and attractive options for people of all ages and abilities to travel by bicycle," Matthew Moreno, AAMPO's Multimodal Transportation Planner, wrote in a statement obtained by San Antonio Report.
With many state roads weaving through the city, San Antonio's transportation department has deemed the new plan "integral to the experience of cyclists within San Antonio," noting that a feedback window for the city’s Bike Network Plan is fast approaching on July 14, with completion expected in January 2025. "Safe, comfortable lanes are necessary to help shape the connective bike network that San Antonio wants to use as an alternative to automobiles," commented Harley Hubbard, the city’s Bike Network Plan project manager, in a San Antonio Report interview. VIA Metropolitan Transit’s involvement aims to incorporate the relationship between bicycle paths and public transit into the plan, suggesting improvements in signage, bike parking, and the synergy of bicycle and transit routing.
Focusing on areas with a history of high crash incidents, TxDOT's data indicates a pressing need for dedicated bicycle routes particularly on roads that accommodate a mix of trip types and host commercial and recreational destinations. The draft plan categorizes road segments within the San Antonio area into three tiers for prioritization: high, proactive, and opportunistic. Remarkably, 87% of the state highway system in the area is recognized by the plan as having at least one bicycling need.
