SAN ANTONIO – Automated cars, advanced rapid transit lanes and a transportation app that's all-inclusive are just a few of the recommendations ConnectSA made for San Antonio's transportation system.
The nonprofit was formed earlier this year to tackle San Antonio's long-term transportation goals.
The average driver will spend an additional 40 minutes stuck in traffic by 2040, according to a study done by VIA Metropolitan Transit. That's why ConnectSA presented a 25-page draft proposal to Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Wednesday.
You won’t find rail lines in that plan, but there's a big push to better the bus system so the public can have access to a bus stop within 10 minutes of where they live, along with advanced rapid transit lanes.
“It’s a long bus on rubber tires that moves not at the speed of traffic, that doesn’t get held up at the lights and backed up,” said Henry Cisneros, chairman of ConnectSA and former mayor of San Antonio.
Cisneros said the buses would have their own lanes and priority at lights. He said he believes this is the answer rather than a rail system, calling a rail system too expensive and something that takes up too much space.
Here’s where those advanced rapid transit lanes, or ART lanes, would run, with the goal for them to run through all sides of town by 2040:
Other things on the list of recommendations include:
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40 miles of additional lanes for bikes and scooters
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200 miles of sidewalks
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A universal transportation app that includes ride-shares, bus routes and a way to pay
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Exploring automated cars with designated lanes
Nirenberg said he is optimistic about the draft that was presented to him.
“This now provides us the framework into realistic options to move forward, to have a highly efficient, multimobile system that is future-proof, that doesn’t show us options we can’t afford,” Nirenberg said.
It won't be cheap. The price tag: $2.7 billion will be needed in additional funds by 2030.
The plan has several options on how to pay for it through fees and taxes, along with reallocation of existing taxes and funds.
“If we want to add capacity to our system and add more choices to our system, we have choices to make that ultimately need to be voter approved," Nirenberg said.
For a list of the recommendations, click here.