There are so many different types of bike groups in SA from social rides, advocacy groups, bike shops, city groups, etc. Let’s all meet to talk about our projects and how we may help one another out to improve our city for cyclists!
If you’re not part of a bike group but are interested in learning how to get more involved, join us!
Please share with other people or bike groups you know about.
After we can bike on the Mission Trail.
We have been meeting with stakeholders along Broadway to talk with them about the importance of a protected bike lane on Broadway. Below is a Powerpoint we have been presenting. References for the facts stated.
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On January 9, 2019 BikeSA Director Janel Sterbentz presented to the AAMPO Bicycle Mobility Advisory Committee.
Audio of the presentation starts at 2:45
The videos mentioned in the presentation
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I would like to see more enforcement of cars parked illegally in bike lanes, as well as ‘no parking signs’ along ALL bike lanes. Bike lanes and shoulders with debris/parked cars are dangerous and costly to cyclists. They increase the chances of falling, or getting a flat/blow-out.
Most cyclists know how costly, time-consuming and inconvenient this is. To avoid getting a flat, or to get around larger obstacles, cyclists are often forced into car traffic, which endangers lives. Despite complaints to the city, there hasn’t been consistent enforcement of these lanes/shoulders. Please act to get these bikeways enforced consistently.
Thank you,
Samantha Flores was riding her bike home from work around midnight last Friday, September 7th, when she was hit by a vehicle that left the scene. She’s now in the hospital suffering from severe injuries. She had holes in her liver and one of her lungs, a dislocated elbow, lacerations on her spleen and stomach, a broken femur with a buildup of tissue in the knee, which was also dislocated. She also has a broken fibula in her left foot. She was knocked unconscious but regained consciousness in the hospital.
She’s 23 and works 2 jobs, one of which is at Kimura, a ramen restaurant downtown. The manager, Victor Cortez recalls, “Sam had a lot of regulars who came specifically to see her, so a lot of her customers are distraught because she’s not around. She’s a really generous and thoughtful person. She’s also vegan, so she’s very interested in preservation of nature and animals.” Kimura is donating $2 to Sam from every vegan ramen sold.
On Friday night she was working late at Cherrity Bar where she’s a manager. Cherrity Bar is a nonprofit that donates a portion of their proceeds to other nonprofits. She spent months cultivating it from the ground up, and it opened last weekend without her there.
“The best way to describer her is giving, she gives to every person she meets,” said one of her friends. Regular Kimura customer Idaira remembers, “I would come to this place and even though it was really busy, she would always have a smile and be kind to everyone, you don’t see that at all the bars.”
The crash happened just north of 410 on Nacadoches. At midnight she couldn’t take the bus, and being that most streets in that area are cul-de-sacs, Nacadoches is basically the only route she could take on her bike.
We owe it to those who chose to bike or who have no other options, to make our streets safer.
San Antonio is not projected to reach its Vision Zero goal of zero pedestrian/cyclist fatalities and injuries by 2020. As of 2016, there were 2,912 pedestrian/cyclist injuries and fatalities. These are actually increasing. People for Bikes named San Antonio one of the most dangerous large cities for biking.
The SA2020 goal for Complete Streets is 6,465 miles by 2020. Yet, as of 2016, there were only 2,370 miles of Complete Streets. In San Antonio, 80 percent of severe or fatal crashes occur on main arterial roads with speeds posted at more than 35 mph. Protected bikeways can cut traffic crashes up to 90 percent!
Her medical bills are piling up. To donate visit her gofundme page.
There will be an SATX SR bike ride for Sam on Wednesday 9/19.
A total of 247 people took the Bike Survey. Respondents ranked San Antonio 49 out of 100, 100 is feeling very safe biking in the city. Over a third have been in a crash while cycling. 77% of those crashes were auto related, 16% were due to poor infrastructure and 8% other. So about 1 in 4 respondents have been in auto related crashes while cycling in San Antonio. A majority (64%) want more bike paths and lanes. In a Facebook poll, Broadway got 236 votes for a protected bikeway. See all results here.
Hi San Antonio Cyclists,
I’m Janel Sterbentz and I decided to start this new bike advocacy group because I saw a dire need for it. Although I’m not from here, the longer I’m here the more I love it and want to improve the city while preserving it. I have a Master’s in Urban Studies and have worked for transportation departments, bike advocacy groups, grassroots organizations and for-profit businesses.
Many have been telling me that there are lots of different bike groups here, but they’re not connected. Cyclists tell me how unsafe they feel on the streets, and how often they’re harassed and yelled at by people in cars.
I hear from friends that another cyclist was killed or severely injured, but I don’t see it in the news, and I can’t find any details about just how many have been killed and why. This is why Bike San Antonio is needed, to organize cyclists and demand safer streets!
We’re dealing with a mental health crisis in the US, with more people depending on costly pharmaceutical drugs or turning to illicit drugs, both of which can lead to health problems or death. There’s an obesity epidemic here in San Antonio, and whether or not you believe in climate change, the fact is that pollution from cars leads to many health problems.
If you do believe in climate change, you know we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels now to prevent more catastrophic and costly disasters. The US transportation sector produces about 30% of all US global warming emissions, more than almost any other sector.
Bicycling is such an amazing activity because it can easily and simply solve all of these issues. Cycling has been proven to reduce cardiovascular diseases, cancer, premature death, isolation and depression. We can all easily contribute to cleaner air and water, reduce climate change disasters, and reduce healthcare costs — all the while increasing our mental and physical well being!
Often people rally against bike improvements because they think it will take away their parking or increase traffic, but from my experience this doesn’t have to be the case. I worked with a group in San Francisco where we were able to get protected bikeways installed on streets in the middle of the city.
It required the removal of about 60 parking spaces. This is in a neighborhood where you can circle around for half an hour looking for an open space. The city was able to re-stripe parking spaces and find underutilized areas to make up all the spaces.
Yes, sometimes installing a protected bike lane requires removal of a travel lane, but often the capacity of the roadway is great enough and traffic light enough that it doesn’t affect traffic. Also, the more bike infrastructure there is, the more people travel by bike which decreases overall car traffic.
I’ve already put in a lot of unpaid time, and spent my own money on flyers, a banner and stickers. Please support Bike San Antonio by getting a membership. Once this organization gets stable funding we will hire an Executive Director and as much staff as we can to make the streets safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable for everyone.
With a membership you get a membership card and sticker. Eventually members will get discounts from participating businesses. Also, join us for our third meeting!
We are a collective of cyclists passionate about San Antonio.
We are advocates for safety, infrastructure, access, education and collaborative approaches to sharing the road.
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