Plan Framework

The City of San Antonio’s Vision Zero initiative aims to achieve zero fatalities on the community’s roadways and improve roadway safety for all users, whether driving, bicycling, or walking. The Vision Zero initiative evaluates and makes recommendations to improve safety in Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas (SPIAs), locations where two or more crashes close together have resulted in severe pedestrian injuries. Potential tools for improving pedestrian safety in Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas include leading pedestrian intervals, medians, pedestrian crossing islands, intersection crossing markings, curb extensions, and even widening sidewalks based upon analysis of the unique factors that contribute to crashes in each location and depending upon the results of engineering assessments. Improvements in pedestrian amenities, including safe lighting and landscaping, can also make these areas more inviting and visible. Another approach to improve safety involves dedicating more space in the roadway to bicyclists and pedestrians. From new ways to protect bicycle lanes with separated barriers such as bollards, to landscaping and planters and raised medians, San Antonio has many available tools to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. The City of San Antonio Vision Zero Action Plan lists additional tools for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The Downtown Area Regional Center has a wealth of opportunities for improving transportation and safety. Transportation investments that focus on safety, such as improving crossings and investing in complete streets can have a significant positive impact throughout the Downtown Area Regional Center. In particular, the 2017 San Antonio Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas Report (pages 25-26) identifies six Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas (SPIAs) within or adjacent to the Downtown Area Regional Center that should be priorities for study and investment:

• Flores Street from Euclid Avenue to El Paso Street;
• Martin Street from Comal Street to Flores Street;
• Commerce Street from Alamo Plaza to Bowie Street;
• Commerce Street from Smith Street to Santa Rosa Street;
• St Mary’s Street from Commerce Street to Travis Street; and
• Market Street from St. Mary’s Street to Alamo Street;

Additional analysis of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle crash data, along with community input, also identified additional points of conflict between people and vehicles that should be studied for future improvements. Major highways, such as IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37, and their associated frontage roads, create barriers for many pedestrians and bicyclists. The unwelcoming environment of fast speeds and incomplete networks limits travel options for those walking or bicycling. Major roadways, like St. Mary’s Street,Broadway, Cesar Chavez Boulevard, and Alamo Street have insufficient accommodations and less than ideal conditions for pedestrians and bicycles to travel on and cross safely. In addition, numerous driveways and some valet stands create many potential conflict points between automobiles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Employing strategies to reduce and prevent these points of conflict can increase safety in the study area.

Investments that focus on safety, such as the Vision Zero tools listed above, can have a significant positive impact on Downtown, and especially in these identified conflict areas. Reducing speeds in appropriate areas can also greatly improve safety for all users by reducing the likelihood and intensity of crashes.

Multimodal and connected networks are key aspects to providing mobility for all users, regardless of ability or financial status. Transit improvements ensure areas are accessible while bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure provide last-mile connections to and from transit and key destinations. Urban design elements such as driveway relocation, street calming, and complete streets further support these improvements while providing safe and inviting spaces.

Shifting users from driving alone to alternative modes of transportation can alleviate congestion along a corridor or within an area. This becomes more viable when alternatives are convenient, such as through improved access to transit and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. This strategy directly supports the community's, City’s, and VIA’s goals and objectives, improving access to key destinations, decreasing vehicle miles traveled, and increasing walkability. To support growth and continue the vibrancy of the region’s economic centers, the community needs easy, comfortable, reliable, and congestion-proof choices for traveling to and from work, school, and key destinations.

Priority Streetscape Improvements

Streetscape improvements such as trees, decorative street lighting, benches, or other place identifiers can enhance the unique qualities of a place and make walking and exploring more enjoyable. The vision for these corridors is one where people walking, biking, or taking transit or rideshare brings street-level activity to create safer and more vibrant streets.

Such improvements are envisioned on the following roadways that are not part of the 2012 or 2017 Capital Improvements Bond Programs:

• McCullough Avenue from IH-35 to St. Mary’s Street;
• McCullough Avenue and Nolan Street from Bonham Street to Cherry Street;
• San Pedro Avenue from IH-35 to Main Avenue;
• Flores Street from IH-35 to Martin Street;
• Martin Street from IH-35 to Flores Street;
• Frio Street from Martin Street to Commerce Street;
• Frio Street from Cesar Chavez Boulevard to Guadalupe Street;
• Cherry Street from Commerce Street to Iowa Street;
• Labor Street from Cesar Chavez Boulevard to Presa Street;
• Flores Street from Guadalupe Street to Cevallos Street;
• Cevallos Street from Flores Street to Probandt Street;
• Alamo Street from Flores Street to Probandt Street; and
• Steves Avenue from Probandt Street to Roosevelt Avenue.

Downtown Pedestrian Priority Zone

In a vibrant downtown, automobile level of service is of less importance than safely and comfortably moving people walking, riding bicycles, and using other modes of transportation. The area within the core of the Downtown Area Regional Center Plan has the highest concentration of activity in the area but is also the most constrained in terms of physical space available to provide streets and sidewalks. In light of this, the Downtown core should be a pedestrian-oriented space that prioritizes the movement of people walking, riding bicycles, and using transit over the movement of people driving cars. Street design and signal timing should support slower vehicle speeds and prioritize pedestrians. Driveways should be consolidated and/or relocated to minimize the number of curb cuts and potential points of conflict between pedestrians and vehicles. Streetscape improvements such as trees and landscaping, wide sidewalks, decorative street lighting, benches and other furnishings should be provided to enhance the pedestrian realm and make downtown sidewalks more comfortable and inviting places to spend time.

Priority Multimodal Improvements

Bicyclists currently endure unsafe conditions like riding directly adjacent to vehicle traffic along busy roads. Additional bike infrastructure, such as designated lanes, is needed for safer streets. These measures will improve riding conditions for today’s commuters and welcome newer, less confident bicyclists, otherwise unaccustomed to riding alongside vehicles.

Within the Downtown Area Regional Center every street should ideally provide spaces accessible for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists alike, a concept known as “Complete Streets.” However, the space available to reconstruct streets in the Downtown Area is constrained due to historically narrow right-of-way and many buildings built on or near property lines, setting them very close to the street. Such limitations necessitate careful consideration of how each street segment functions and which modes should be prioritized and can safely coexist in the same right-of-way. To ensure we make the greatest impact on mobility of all street users in the Downtown Area this plan must prioritize street segments for improvements. Streets were prioritized based on their location relative to a focus area, connection to Downtown adjacent neighborhoods, and significance to connectivity within the Downtown Area Regional Center Plan. The following are recommended for priority multimodal street improvements:

• St. Mary’s Street (from Cesar Chavez Boulevard to Roosevelt Avenue);
• San Pedro Avenue (from IH-35 to Main Avenue);
• Martin Street (from Colorado Street to Broadway Street);
• Houston Street (from IH-37 to Cherry Street);
Frio Street (from Cesar Chavez Boulevard to Alamo Street);
• Cherry Street (from Dawson Street to Iowa Street);
• Probandt Street (from IH-10/ US Hwy 90 to West Theo Avenue);
• Mitchell Street (from Flores Street to Presa Street);
• Alamo Street (from Frio Street to Probandt Street);
• Flores Street (from IH-35 to Mitchell Street);
• McCullough Avenue (from IH-35 to IH-37);
• Nolan Street (from IH-37 to Cherry Street);
• Guadalupe Street (from Flores Street to Alazan Creek); and
• Cesar Chavez Boulevard (from Santa Rosa Street to Cherry Street).

These streets will also connect to recreational trails and parks, such as the existing Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails and San Antonio River Walk Trails, and the nearby Mission Reach, which connects four 18th century Spanish missions.

Priority Trails

Key trails nearby or within the Downtown Area Regional Center, like San Pedro Creek Cultural Park, the San Antonio River Walk (including the Museum Reach, and Mission Reach), and the Alazan and Apache Creeks Greenway Trails provide critical continuous arteries of separated pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure, connecting numerous parks, retail locations, schools, and libraries. The critical access points to these regional amenities provide opportunities to improve connections for people walking, strolling or bicycling with deliberate side paths or on-road infrastructure like crosswalks, sidewalks and bicycle facilities.

Preferred Bicycle Routes

Bicyclists currently endure unsafe conditions like riding in mixed-traffic on high-speed and high-volume roads. Additional bike infrastructure, such as protected and separated lanes, is needed for safer streets. These measures will improve riding conditions for today’s commuters and welcome newer, less confident bicyclists, otherwise unaccustomed to riding alongside vehicles. The provision of bicycle parking and bike share at transit provides an important connection for people wanting to access transit by bicycle and helps to address the ‘last mile’ challenge, helping people connect from their destinations to and from transit.

Based on input from the Downtown Area Planning Team and other community stakeholders, the plan identifies priority bicycle routes including:

• Navarro Street/St. Mary’s Street/Roosevelt Avenue (from IH-35 to Hansford Street);

• Jones Avenue (from IH-35 to IH-37);
• Alamo Street (from IH-35 to Houston Street);
• Nueva Street/Montana Street (from South Pecos La Trinidad Street to Cherry Street, through Hemisfair Park); and
• Probandt Street (from IH-10 to Theo Avenue).

Corridors identified for complete streets should also incorporate cycling infrastructure as a component of the design based on future studies by the Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI) Department to determine feasibility and the types of facilities needed.

Both Alazan Creek and the railroad tracks are physical barriers between Downtown and the near westside, limiting connectivity for all modes of travel to a few crossing points. Psychological barriers, such as real and perceived unsafe conditions, dilapidated and vacant buildings, and lack of pedestrian-oriented streetscapes exacerbate the poor physical connectivity.

A new physical connection should be created by extending Cesar Chavez Boulevard beyond its current terminus at Frio Street, traversing the railroad tracks by under-pass, over-pass, or grade crossing, and bridging Alazan Creek to link with West Cesar Chavez Boulevard. This new connection should include facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles and should not displace Tafolla Middle School.

Psychological barriers should be addressed through improvements to streetscapes to prioritize the experience of pedestrians and people riding bicycles. In particular, the Guadalupe Street Bridge should incorporate expanded sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and bike facilities.

The proliferation of shared and micromobility options is changing how people travel. Transportation and land use policies can foster an environment which encourages usage of these new mobility options and offer safe alternatives to driving alone. Street design can dedicate a larger proportion of curb space for shared mobility and autonomous vehicles. These uses can support reallocated space dedicated to parking or vehicle throughput, as these shared vehicle and micromobility options (e.g. scooters) can replace single-occupancy vehicle trips with a smaller spatial footprint.

Shared Mobility

These new and emerging technologies, such as Transportation Network Companies (“TNCs” -- like Lyft and Uber), peer-to-peer car-sharing, and ridesharing offer on-demand alternatives for short trips and reduce the need for a private vehicle (in particular the need to park as many private vehicles).

Autonomous Vehicles

Anticipation around autonomous vehicles is simultaneously fueling speculation about how these new technologies will change travel behavior and how San Antonio’s streets can accommodate these changes. As technologies change rapidly, adaptive street design and policies will ensure their integration within a multimodal transportation network.

Micromobility

These options, which include e-scooters, and dockless and docked bike sharing, are rapidly revolutionizing trips within the study area. Safe street design and parking will help these technologies co-exist with current roadway users and pedestrians.

Freight Deliver

Changes in freight delivery patterns are also changing traffic flows and curbside demand. Same-day and last mile delivery are changing how goods and materials reach consumers and commercial establishments. Previous models of large-scale, centralized freight deliveries had more predictable delivery times and needs. Now, direct deliveries court smaller-scale retailers or consumer’s home location, within hours of order placement, either from a centralized warehouse/distribution center or other regional retail facilities. These shifts place new demands on curbside provision and regulation.

Flexible regulations will need to be updated frequently to keep pace with how emerging technologies will change parking and trip demand. By encouraging these technologies, San Antonio can improve roadway safety and mitigate congestion. In addition, improved data collection and management strategies will facilitate improved regulation.

Downtown San Antonio is host to countless special events and critical construction projects that place heightened strain the street network and creates challenges for people using alternative modes of transportation. This additional congestion requires strategies that encourage multimodal choices and allow one-time or infrequent visitors to navigate transportation options and Downtown parking areas more efficiently.

Parking and Construction Mitigation

Parking management solutions integrating both privately- and publically-operated facilities provide information on parking availability at key locations, as well as traffic conditions, and utilize guide signs help visitors find their way to desired parking areas. These same strategies can also be used to effectively direct vehicles through construction-related congestion. Pricing strategies also generate revenue for parking spaces based on demand and incentivize alternative transportation if cost becomes a barrier to parking. Identification of safe and convenient alternative paths for pedestrians, cyclists, and micromobility riders integrated into construction traffic plans is also critical.

Peak Congestion

While congestion can be viewed as a sign of economic health, delays caused by congestion waste valuable time and create transportation emissions that reduce air quality. A series of targeted operational and multimodal interventions can provide more travel options and reduce the demand on our roadways. Key investments to reduce congestion and conflict zones that delay transit can help transit stay on schedule and move more rapidly on San Antonio’s roadways. These improvements, such as peak hour or school zone bus only lanes, queue jump traffic signals, and grade separated railroad tracks, paired with other VIA Metropolitan Transit investments in service, can help make transit a more attractive travel option. This recommendation is responsive to the community goal to “Connect Districts and Neighborhoods with an Accessible Multimodal Network” and the SA Tomorrow Multimodal Plan’s goal of multimodal transportation. These strategies can support the vibrancy of the region’s economic centers, by connecting residents with easy, reliable, and congestion‑proof choices to and from work, school, and key destinations.

Special Events

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Alamodome & Sunset Station, and Hemisfair Park each generate sufficient congestion to mandate special events traffic plan strategies. Key improvements could improve the experience for those using transit, shared mobility and micromobility during special events, including special event priority lanes to give priority to buses during the traffic surges of planned events or bus bulbs to allow buses to pick up passengers without exiting and re-entering traffic. Specific plans to facilitate ease of use of shared mobility options and micromobility will help relieve stress on the transportation network during special events. Studies will need to be conducted to determine the appropriateness for each strategy for the areas of local congestion.

Two proposed VIA Metropolitan Transit Rapid Transit Corridors anticipated to operate east-west (on Commerce Street and Market Street) and a north-south line (on San Pedro Avenue, Navarro Street, Mary’s Street, and Roosevelt Avenue) require prioritized transit supportive land use and development policies and infrastructure, such as reduced parking requirements, and cohesive networks of sidewalks, crosswalks, and curb ramps improvements to provide safe connections to the transit line for people walking, bicycling, or getting dropped off in a vehicle.

Providing last mile connections between transit and key destinations, such as jobs and public spaces, improves mobility throughout the area while supporting walkability and safety for all transportation users. These improvements are outlined by the community’s goals and objectives for the Downtown Area Regional Center and are applicable to the future rapid transit corridors proposed east-west (on Commerce Street and Market Street) and north-south (on San Pedro Avenue, Navarro Street, Mary’s Street, and Roosevelt Avenue). Key components of VIA Metropolitan Transit’s approach of making a place transit-supportive include designing streets for pedestrians, improving the safety of all users, and supporting compact, mixed-use developments that provide access to a variety of services reachable on foot.

Additionally, every person that gets on or off a bus or other transit vehicle is a pedestrian. Safe, comfortable and direct access to transit for people walking or biking to a transit station or stop will improve their experience as a transit rider and will increase the number of people choosing walking, bicycling, and taking transit as their preferred travel choice. These improvements also contribute to the overall quality of neighborhoods and communities. As indicated on the Mobility Recommendations map, these priority transit areas that also experience major congestion include Flores Street (from IH-35 to Alamo Street), Martin Street (from IH-35 to Houston Street), Cesar Chavez Boulevard (from Frio St to Presa Street), and IH-37 (from Jones Avenue to Cesar Chavez Boulevard). Key improvements that could improve transit mobility enforcement of bus-only lanes that give priority to buses in times of peak traffic; queue jump traffic signals that allow buses a chance to get ahead of the traffic; and bus bulbs to allow buses to pick up passengers without exiting and re-entering traffic. Studies will need to be conducted to determine the appropriateness for each strategy for the areas of local congestion.