SAN ANTONIO – Two transportation briefings this week will tackle aspects of San Antonio’s ongoing Bike Network Plan (BNP) update.
San Antonio’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will be briefed on the general Bike Network Plan update thus far ahead of a full city council approval in late January.
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Secondly, the committee will be briefed on a federal grant the Transportation Department is leading around “quick build” installations, a collaboration with the Public Works Department.
The meeting is likely expected to generate conversations from a committee that has expressed interest in and sometimes frustration with San Antonio’s ongoing transportation improvements or lack thereof.
Establishing a quick build program
During the Transportation Department’s last engagement phase, it was selected by the Federal Highway Administration as a recipient of a Safe Streets & Roads for All grant.
The grant will help to create the program, which is “designed to enhance safety and mobility through rapid, low-cost roadway improvements,” a city news release said.
On top of buy-in from several city departments — with some calling the program a “necessary tool for our transportation system” — the quick build tool has garnered the support of some committee members.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, during an April committee meeting, expressed interest from constituents in her district for quick builds to address concerns about a lack of bike infrastructure.
Kaur said her office had received “a lot of feedback” on the issue.
After the Transportation Department announced the grant, Kaur said in part, “The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant provides us with a critical opportunity to work toward a safer community—not just for cyclists, but for pedestrians and drivers as well.”
The Transportation Department, under an “identification phase,” will develop a “Quick Build Guide” to develop demonstration locations, according to a memo posted to the agenda page.
- The guide functions as a rubric for identifying locations, potential improvements and establishing performance methodology.
- Five demonstration locations will be determined. The city’s Vision Zero plan and the BNP will be used to determine the locations.
- Selections will be based on safety, need and project readiness.
- The guide will include engineering concepts for installing the actual quick builds.
During the identification phase, the Transportation and Public Works Departments will work in tandem to install the infrastructure over three months.
The project locations will be monitored over a period ranging from six months to two years, the memo said.
Public feedback and partnerships with local research institutions are expected to influence data gathering at the locations.
During the evaluation phase, the Transportation Department will weigh the gathered data and feedback to determine if the location requires a more permanent project at the location.
The Transportation Department will take a federal grant agreement document to San Antonio City Council for full approval. An agenda for that meeting is not yet known.
Should the program be approved, a consultant will be secured, and the program will begin, the memo said.
Bike Network Plan nears council consideration
The city’s Bike Network Plan update is coming off an approval from the Planning Commission last week.
Several residents from Beacon Hill expressed jubilation at the approval, a necessary step to get the update in front of city council.
While Tuesday’s discussion is not required for the council agenda, it will likely draw conversation, as it has not appeared before the committee since April.
The Transportation Department began and closed its third phase of public engagement from April to July 30.
Across the three engagement phases, over 3,700 responses were gathered. The feedback was used to finalize the recommended network, according to a city memo.
The plan “will guide how we build things like trails, bike lanes, and crossings and help identify where they are needed most,“ according to its website.
District 7 Councilwoman Marina Aldrete Gavito said during the April meeting that she and other council members often hear from residents about the city’s “all talk, very little action” approach to bike infrastructure.
Harley Hubbard, an assistant to the director of the Transportation Department, acknowledged the concern and said that progress in the new infrastructure is not stopping.
“There’s definitely always more work that can be done,” Hubbard said. “There is bike infrastructure going in the ground right now, both through the transportation department and (the team) at Public Works.”
A final plan is expected to be issued in 2025 after it is presented to city council, according to the bike network plan’s website.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 1:30 p.m.
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