SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council formally passed an update to the city’s Complete Streets policy on Thursday, setting in motion a framework for street design that accounts for all users.
The city originally adopted its policy in 2011, but street safety and multimodal transportation advocates have been working alongside the city and the Transportation Department for over a year to bring these updates to life.
The updates were included in the larger budget conversation that occurred at the top of the council meeting.
It included an update to the city’s Vision Zero program, which is expected to influence both the complete streets policy and the Bike Network plans.
The Complete Streets model is an approach to planning, designing and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit users.
Bike lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks and road medians are some aspects that make up complete streets. These efforts aim to mitigate traffic fatalities, and the city can expect the policy to further support its goals with Vision Zero.
“Complete streets are roads that are safe and easy for everyone to use, whether you are walking, biking, riding the bus or driving a car,” said Catherine Hernandez, director of the city’s Transportation Department, during an August budget work session meeting.
Other examples are Avenue B, which runs along Broadway, and East Nueva Street in Hemisfair.
Both before and after public comment ahead of the policy’s passing, several community members expressed their support.
District 6 Councilmember Melissa Cabello Havrda said infrastructure was one of District 6′s top concerns, based on a survey sent to residents.
“This budget delivers on one of their top concerns,” she said.
Lily Teran, the community outreach coordinator with Earn-A-Bike San Antonio, said the updated Complete Streets policy would help alleviate a lack of necessary infrastructure, especially for those who choose alternative transportation — namely walking and bicycling — as their commuting options.
“Although it can’t be implemented in all streets, we do need to start somewhere,” Teran said.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said progress is being made on bike facilities. Moreover, Kaur said streets and sidewalks were among her constituents’ top concerns in a survey.
During an April Transportation and Infrastructure Committee briefing on the city’s Bike Network Plan, Kaur described an interest in “quick-build,” citing current bike lane infrastructure feedback.
Last week, the Transportation Department received over half a million dollars in funding to begin the installations, in addition to funding for other programs.
Joey Pawlik, executive director of ActivateSA and lead organizer of the Complete Streets Coalition who has advocated for the update, described the initiative as “more than just a policy update” but rather a commitment to “a safer, more inclusive and vibrant San Antonio.”
What will the update bring?
New measures taken by the team behind the updated policy assert an accessible and equity-based approach to multimodal transportation, effectively keeping pedestrians, bicyclists and traffic in mind.
“An updated Complete Streets policy serves to create a connected, safe, accessible, resilient, and equitable multimodal transportation network through a shift in street design that ensures equitable access to community resources for all people,” the policy draft said.
A leading part of the “Vision and Intent” for this new policy lies in standards set by CityHealth, a group that rates city policies addressing health and wellbeing, according to the policy draft.
See below for the full policy:
Each year, CityHealth reviews and awards the nation’s 75 largest cities medals for their policies on access to greenspace, affordable housing and complete streets.
A gold medal is the highest rating a city can achieve, according to standards set by CityHealth. In 2021, San Antonio earned a gold medal in the complete streets category; however, new policy requirements were set, and the city did not receive a medal in last year’s ranking.
“Now in 2023, the City seeks to build off the valiant Complete Streets efforts of the past and get back to a “gold” standard with this updated 2023 Complete Streets Policy to better meet the City’s current and future needs,” the city’s updated policy draft said.
Under the vision and intent portion, the policy continues with a list of commitments. One of these is committing to Vision Zero, which aims to reduce severe injuries and fatalities on San Antonio’s roads.
“Through the implementation of the Complete Streets policy, the city will be creating effective infrastructure to improve the safety of all users on San Antonio’s roadways,” the policy said.
Under “The Value of Streets,” the policy commits to rebalancing transportation investments across the city. The Complete Streets team hopes this will make access to the model more comfortable.
The policy said some streets around San Antonio would transform and become “inviting places to be.” Wide sidewalks, green infrastructure, and public art would be included.
“The City also recognizes that Complete Streets is not an end goal but a continuous process for improvement and adaptation to the evolving uses of San Antonio streets,” the policy said.”The goal of this document is to provide the necessary steps, oversight, and measuring tools to implement the City of San Antonio’s Complete Streets Policy.”
Among several commitments in the policy, including one aimed at strengthening public transportation, the policy should also guide and encourage “incorporating nature into design.” The document suggests that in doing so, air and water quality could improve along with public health.
“The Transportation Department will begin development of the design guide and integration into City policies within a year’s time of this policy’s adoption,” the draft said.
How did we get here?
Efforts to update the policy have gone on for nearly a year.
The city’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee saw a final draft of the policy in late May.
Committee members saw the draft in its entirety and discussed the policy with the department.
- Members from ActivateSA and disABILITYsa expressed their support for the policy.
- District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda pressed on the issue of the policy’s implementation amid the city’s growth. She also expressed interest in deciding “which street comes first.”
- District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez highlighted the importance of landscaping measures to influence design and curb the use of excessive concrete and asphalt, common drivers of the urban heat island effect.
- District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito asked the Transportation Department if the policy incorporated lessons learned from a pilot initiative along Cincinnati Avenue near St. Mary’s University, which gave pedestrians and bicyclists a brief, dedicated space on the street. Hernandez said the study’s findings would be included in the policy and the city’s Bike Network Plan.
After passing through the committee, the policy passed the Planning Commission on June 12, setting its future for a city council agenda.
‘Not a one-size-fits-all solution’
The draft makes one thing clear when it comes to land use and sensitivity: The Complete Streets approach is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution.
The Transportation Department in the past and the draft in the present have both said that the model’s implementation would operate in a context-sensitive manner, respecting the immediate community.
Moreover, the policy suggests that the city consider every transportation project a chance to improve mobility options and means of travel other than cars.
During the May committee meeting, Transportation Department Director Cat Hernandez described the processes of the project’s first two phases:
- Phase 1 focuses on updating the plan and aims for completion in summer 2024.
- Phase 2 will cover the actual implementation of the policy, which is expected to start in fall 2024. Work will create a technical review task force to oversee internal operations while ensuring the project’s checklist is met.
- Work on any code updates and aligning the policy with project designs and construction will occur in 2025, Hernandez said.