SAN ANTONIO – Improved bike lane infrastructure around Woodlawn Lake will again be discussed at a public meeting with San Antonio’s Transportation Department.
The meeting will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at 905 Kentucky Avenue. A Spanish presentation will follow at 6:30 p.m.
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According to the meeting’s SASpeakUp page, the Transportation Department is currently assessing the existing bike lanes around the West Side park.
The assessment is designed to:
- Study possible bike lane improvements
- Examine right-of-way concerns
- Consider comfortable and safe bike infrastructure
- Make streets safer around the lake for all users
The page includes a top-down view of the park, showing a six-segment project area.
Joe Conger, a public information officer for the Transportation Department, said the team was still early in the process for the project.
As for when the project could officially break ground, Conger said it would rely on residents' needs and city council approval.
“If there is support from the residents and city council, we’d look into how much to scope and fund such a project,” he said.
Harley Hubbard, assistant to the director of the Transportation Department, said the project is included as a recommendation in the 2011 Bike Network Plan and an updated draft set to be adopted in January, she said in an email to KSAT.
“Our current effort is a feasibility study and concept development to determine what could actually fit the community’s needs in and around the beloved park,” Hubbard said.
The Transportation Department provided a small budget for early concepts, engineering and public engagement efforts for the project, Conger said.
However, any further funding opportunities for engineering and construction would come based on the study’s outcome, Hubbard said.
The project has been a joint effort between the department and the District 7 city council office.
Wednesday’s meeting is the second time the department has spoken with the community. A block walk in the neighborhood and a meeting on Sept. 24 yielded responses from residents.
Such responses touched on the types of bike facilities — essentially the designated space cyclists utilize, often separated from traffic — and were posted on the SASpeakUp page.
“Agree, bike lanes would improve Woodlawn lake. Would like to see bike lanes have curbing to keep vehicle traffic from encroaching. Bike lanes need to be (separate) from walking, running lane,” one user wrote.
Bike facilities across San Antonio range from painted lines to buffered bike lanes and bicycle boulevards. All three are highlighted in the city’s Bike Network Plan.
“A protected tree buffered bike lane would be perfect,” another user said.
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