SAN ANTONIO – Armadillos could come to a stretch of Cincinnati Avenue in District 1, but not the ones you might be used to seeing on the road.
The city council office is gathering community feedback from residents through an online survey on funding for a protected bike lane on the road between Interstate 10 and Zarzamora Street, Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said in an emailed statement to KSAT.
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“This project has been requested by residents who use this bike corridor,” Kaur said. “The survey asks whether residents oppose replacing on-street parking from their side of the road to create safety for cyclists.”
Armadillos, commonly used as a tactical urbanism tool, are low-profile, mountable plastic bumps that help create a “curb-like” barrier separating cyclists from vehicles.
A March 2024 posting from the Federal Highway Administration suggested separated bike lanes could reduce bicycle-vehicle crashes by up to 53%.
Residents can make one submission per household/address. Aside from general descriptive information such as street address and name, residents will be asked: “Would you be opposed to removing street parking from your side of Cincinnati Avenue in order to replace it with a protected bike lane?"
Residents can provide additional information in a final question before submitting the six-question survey.
The project would require removing on-street parking, Kaur said in a Nov. 30 Instagram reel, sparking concern among some residents.
“That’s a big ask, there’s so many people that park on the side of the road on that street. It’s been like that for YEARS,” one Instagram user wrote.
Another user, pointing to parking in driveways and adjacent streets, suggested future bike infrastructure to aid travel to parks, schools and the grocery store.
“What we really need are safe routes to get to groceries, parks, schools, and more on bike or foot and this type of conversion is a great use of existing ROW and infrastructure,” the user said.
The project would utilize “quick-build” strategies, according to a district spokesperson.
Kaur spoke in support of the practice during an April 2024 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting, saying, in part, her office had received “a lot of feedback on current bike lane infrastructure” across the district.
According to Smart Growth America, a nonprofit that advocates for community resilience, quick-build projects “are temporary installations to test new street design improvements that improve safety and accessibility.”
If the project gains enough resident support, then the council officer would request installation from Public Works, a district spokesperson said in a Wednesday afternoon email to KSAT.
The survey is open until Monday, Dec. 8
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