DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability, Public Works
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mary C. Hammer, Anthony Chukwudolue
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT:
Update on the San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy
SUMMARY:
Staff briefing on the City Council adopted San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy to include an overview of the Plan and its implementation results to date.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On September 29, 2011, City Council adopted San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy. The plan is a regional master plan for a bicycle network along with goals for policy, funding, and staffing for implementation. The project involved multiple stakeholder meetings and community input including the involvement of the Bicycle Mobility Advisory Committee; a technical advisory committee involving representatives from Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT), Bexar County, San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization (SA-Bexar MPO), VIA Metropolitan Transit, Public Works Department, Metro Health Department, Parks and Recreation Department, Planning and Community Development Department, Capital Improvement Management Services, San Antonio Police Department; and the general public. The plan also was endorsed on June 8, 2011 by the Planning Commission.
Priorities of the Plan include an accessible, direct and continuous downtown network, connections to the Greenway trails, connections to universities and transit centers, connections to the Medical Center, and other high need areas. Overall, the plan outlines improvements totaling approximately 1,700 miles of varying facility types. 2012 Bond projects and Advanced Transportation District (ATD) projects (FY12-present) were and are currently being reviewed in conjunction with the San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy.
In addition to infrastructure improvements, San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy discusses policy, staffing, and funding goals for a comprehensive bicycle program. Maintenance, including sweeping and lane restriping, is critical to the development of the program, as is enhanced wayfinding and signage. Further, consistent encouragement, education and enforcement campaigns are key to increasing bicycle mode share.
In addition to the Bond 2012 Street Improvement projects managed by Capital Improvement Management Services (CIMS), Public Works engineers recommend bicycle facility projects chosen from San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy on an annual basis within the Infrastructure Management Program (IMP) dollars with ATD funding. Since adoption of the plan, $3 million from ATD ($1 million in FY 2012, FY 2013, and FY 2014) has been budgeted for program and infrastructure implementation. The projects are included in the IMP briefings with each Council office before the IMP is finalized.
As a result, 40.7 miles of bike lanes, routes, and sharrows have been implemented through FY 2012 and FY 2013 city-wide, and 20.48 miles are planned for FY 2014. At least fourteen (14) miles of bicycle facilities will be implemented through the 2012-2017 Bond program.
ISSUE:
Staff briefing on the City Council adopted San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy to include an overview of the Plan and its implementation results to date.
The over-arching goal San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy of is to create an efficient region-wide bicycle network as well as prioritize bicycle facilities in an effort to create an integrated multi-modal transportation infrastructure as required by the City of San Antonio Master Plan. There is an opportunity to communicate progress both to elected leadership and the general public. Additionally, stakeholders may need to be notified prior to the commencement of any projects that may be sensitive to competing needs in the right-of-way to address overall city and community goals. The Office of Sustainability and Public Works will continue to collaborate on the best implementation strategy given current conditions and considerations.
ALTERNATIVES:
There are no alternatives, as this is a staff presentation only. No immediate City Council action is required.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this presentation.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an update of the City of San Antonio on the San Antonio Bike Plan 2011 & Implementation Strategy. No immediate City Council action is required.