#ride4Devona

A member of our community has recently gotten hit by an careless driver.  Please attend and help her pay her medical bills.  http://www.gofundme.com/d-rod

Advice on Improving VIA Part I

I wrote before how VIA sucks back in August, and ask anyone who takes the bus, on a daily basis for they'll agree with the sentiment. It's not really VIA's fault that they suck. Roughly 80% of the the reasons they suck are things they have no control over such as the fact that they have to serve a very large spread out city and they only receive 1/2¢ sales tax to pay to operate the system. Compare that to Dallas, Houston and Austin which receive a full cent sales tax, VIA have to be thrifty with their cash. They are unable to operate in places like Live Oak, Hollywood Park, Helotes, Windcrest and other independent municipalities that just don't want to pay the sales tax and they just don't like public transit at all. They also have to comply with the American With Disabilities Act and the Federal Transit Administration which means that they have to pick up any wheelchair even though the bus is full and running late. 

The 20% that VIA has control over such as bus stop location, park-n-ride location, types of buses they use every day, how they collect fare. It is this 20% that VIA can work on fixing and this is where my advice comes in.  So for the new VIA board chair, Hope Andrade, here are my suggestions to fix the image of your failing bus service.  Yes your bus drivers are nice and I know a few.  Yes you have the best mechanics in North America and how you pay for them is WONDERFUL, but in the end, that is only doing so much.

1. Put Connecting Bus Stops Closer Together.

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On some of it's routes, they do a terrible disservice on where they locate bus stops.  This is a big problem mainly on the Looper 550/551.   I pointed this out in my Streetcar series, Streetcar Part I, VIA Sucks when I pointed out the fact on how the 28 and 515 bus stop #16838 is nearly a quarter of a mile away from the connecting route of the 550 bus stop #96897. (For the record, I mistook bus route number for I always get confused on which number of the 550/551 Looper is going.)  For some reason, VIA feels it necessary to discriminate against the hostage users (my term for transit dependent people) on my side of town.  This is not the only bus stop, for the connecting bus stop of the 551 was recently moved from the traffic island on WW White and Rigsby (Image 32-1) and was moved south to the Hold Caterpillar Training Center.(Image 32-2)  Yes TxDOT recently repaved the sidewalks on this part of WW White, but now this bus stop is further from places where people go to such as the 99 Cent Only Store and the CPS Energy bill paying center. (Image 32-3)  Why they couldn't put this bus stop just pass the Burger King is beyond me, (Image 32-3) but as the actions of VIA speak louder than words, they obviously saying that you should buy a car so you don't have to worry where they locate the bus stops. 

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This isn't the only bus stop like this for the 550/551 Looper Bus Stops are notoriously placed far away from connecting routes especially along the frontage rd of Loop 410.  This is one of the reason why the majority of the hostage users in San Antonio considers VIA to suck.  I understand that sometime you cannot get the bus stop where you would want it in the first place, but that doesn't mean that you should give up on not striving for good location and keep the walking distance down to a minimum between connecting bus stops because if the goal of VIA is to keep Paratransit usage down, then keeping the bus stops far apart will only encourage those who qualify for Paratransit to use it more often.  VIA also wants more people to ride their buses, well when San Antonio sidewalks suck, (#sasidewalkssuck) having those bus stops to where they don't have to walk as far just makes sense.

This is not the only example for they're plenty of examples on the 550/551 Looper, all across town. The worse being able to connect from the Looper to the VIA PRIMO, 100 route at Wonderland Mall of the Americas.  Please fix that one before you tackle the ones along Loop 410.

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2. Transit Center Locations.

VIA has a mix history when it comes to transit center locations.  For this reporting, I will also include clusters of bus stops like Naco Pass.  The Transit Centers they got right and put in the right places are Kel-Lac, Mainland, Walmart at 281 and Loop 1604, North Star, and the Walmart at Rigsby and 410.  The ones they got in the wrong places are Madla, Naco Pass, and Randolph. I'll just won't talk about Crossroads, for VIA is considering to get rid of it and move it closer to the Primo Station on Fredricksburg Rd near Crossroads BLVD. I also will not be talking about the Medical Center Transit Center and Ingram for I have mix feelings about them unless someone asks me to in a future post. And from my understanding, VIA is about to make mistakes on it's future transit centers such as the one planned for Brooks City Base and Stone Oak. 

What Via Got Right

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Hostage users like myself depend on the bus to be able to get to the grocery store, to get to work and to be able to go to other places to run errands.  When VIA chose the location for the Kel-Lac Transit Center, (Image 32-4) they located it in the best possible spot, right next to a neighborhood, and right next to a Shopping Center where K-mart and Handy Andys use to be. Today the shopping center has several shops including a Family Dollar and a flea market. It's better than the old location between US 90 Access Rd and the Freeway which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Kudos to VIA for working out a deal so the buses could use the backside of this shopping center for a quick way through back to Military Dr.  I can only hope that the owner of this shopping center will improve upon the location and turn it into a mix use area with apartments, and maybe even a grocery store like there use to be.  Also I bet that VIA is actually adding value to this property.  So if they're paying increase property tax to the County and the City because of Kel-Lac, then shouldn't that increase amount that the property is paying go to VIA? That is how they use to fund transportation, not by a user fee, but by a Land Value Added Tax.

The North Star Transit Center replaced the old bus stops on Rector, and although those bus stop shelters still exist, they at least placed this Transit Center right in the middle of the action.  Due to height changes in the terrain, it is somewhat cut off from from the mall.  But due to TxDOT's improvements to the sidewalks in this area, it's now a better place to walk, and you can still access the mall from the transit center location by either walking, or catching a bus to the old bus stops on Rector. Although VIA could work on shortening the distance one must walk to the mall from this location, for the most part, it's properly located so one can access nearly all of the businesses on foot both inside and outside loop 410 all be it, a somewhat of a distance to walk.

Also the cluster of Bus Stops at Walmarts such as Mainland, 281 At Loop 1604, and Rigsby At Loop 410 are also good choices as well.  Now I'm not a big fan of Walmart, but when your grocery stores are limited to only two which are HEB and Walmart, and when you live with out a car like I do, (hostage user) your glad that the bus stops right next to the store instead of being at the edge of the parking lot along the stroad.

What VIA Got Wrong

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The transit centers that VIA got wrong are Madla, Naco Pass, and Randolph.  These transit centers are located away from places where people want go. In Madla's case, (Image 32-5) it located away from South Park Mall, it's located away from the apartments on S Zarzamora, and there just happens to be a fence on Cantrell Dr blocking access to the neighborhood from the transit center.  Now it just happens to be in a perfect spot for a future train station for the Lone Star Rail, however, I will stand by my opinion, it is simply a study collecting dust and there will be no train station at this location ever.  If VIA is ever to improve service on the South Side around South Park Mall, they better put it in a better location, like in South Park Mall's parking lot.  

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Randolph Park And Ride has a history. The buses that serve this place was once located at Windsor Park Mall, now the home of Rackspace.  Back in 1992, (maybe I got this year wrong) a terrible murder took place there.  A man waiting for the bus to go home just had 40 cents in his pocket, the bus fare amount back then.  Another man came along and in the process of robbing him, killed him for not having any money on him except 40 cents.  It was this tragedy that prompted VIA to move the transit center to it's current location at I-35 and Loop 410. (Image 32-6)  People don't know, but the neighborhoods around Windcrest are very dangerous neighborhoods. What VIA got wrong at this location was where they put the parking lot, and where they put the bus shelter.  In a perfect world, the transit shelter would be located next to the intersection of Randolph Blvd and Crestway Dr, while the parking lot would be located next to the interstate. But no, they had to do it the other way so people would have to walk farther.  I don't think that the designers of this place were thinking about walking in the July heat, but I can only hope that today's designers, architects, and engineers will take into account that walking long distances in a 100 degrees heat is a no go for everyone. Other locations could have been sought out such as Perrin Beitel and Loop 410, but no matter.

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Now Naco Pass (Image 32-7) is another failure for it is located far away from the businesses such as HEB, Walgreens and the Walmart around the intersection of Thousand Oaks and Nacogdoches.  The problem is that this cluster of bus stops is that it is located behind a bowling alley at Uhr Ln and Naco Pass.  Maybe one day, VIA can forgo this location and put this cluster closer to the intersection of Thousand Oaks at Nacogdoches, but until then, we hostage users are just going to have to suffer, either wait an hour for a bus going to the proper place, or walk to these places.
 

Future Transit Centers

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They're many new transit centers and park-n-rides planned all across San Antonio and Bexar County. One such transit center is being proposed for Brooks City Base.(Image 32-8)  If VIA want to improve it's image, they better located this transit center at the intersections of Goliad and SE Military, or at City Base landing and SE Military.  It should be quite obvious why it should be located here, because if it's located further into Brooks, then it will simply be cutting off people from where they want to go, like the HEB, the Walmart Supercenter, the Best Buy and even the Target.  The same rules should also go for the future transit centers of Stone Oak, Beorne, and even New Braunfels. Kel-Lac should be the example that VIA strives towards, connecting their patrons to the place that they need to go to.  Transit centers are there to connect multiple bus routes at one location.  They do a better job when they also are able to connect to places that people need to go.

So far what I have written should tell you that we're not just transit users, but we're pedestrians and people just don't like to walk very far.  So closing the distances between bus stops and where people want to go should be a goal for future transit centers and connecting bus stops. This blog is getting pretty long, so I leave the other suggestions in my next blog post in two weeks, so until then, enjoy.  

Images:

32-1: A Google Street View of the former location of the 551 Bus Stop at Rigsby showing by accident where the 30 bus stop is Viewing North.

32-2: Current location of the 551 bus stop showing it to be farther away from Rigsby viewing North

32-3: A Google Satellite Map showing where bus stops where, and are currently and where some business are where people need to go.

32-4: A Google Satellite Map showing where the Current and old Kel-Lac transit center are at US 90 and Military Dr.

32-5: A Google Map showing the location and how things are cut off from Madla Transit Center on the South Side of Town.  I didn't choose the Satellite Map because I wanted to show the walking distance from a random address in the neighborhood next to the transit center and how it's pretty much cut off from everything.

32-6: A Google Satellite Map of Randolph Park-n-Ride showing where the Transit Shelter and the parking should have been placed. 

32-7: A Google Satellite Map of Naco Pass Showing how it is poorly located.

32-8: A Google Satellite Map of Brooks City Base Showing the future failure of VIA's future Transit Center.

San Antonio Barely Makes the List

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Every two years, Bicycling Magazine creates this list of the 50 top bicycle friendly cities in America published in Oct 2014. We're down to #48 (Image 21-1) from #47 back in July 2012 (Image 21-2).  83 Miles north of us, is the Weird city of Austin, and they're also on the list at #11 from #13 back in 2012 (Image 21-3).  Another blogger recently wrote about this in Fit In S.A. saying quote: "The completion of the Mission Reach is one of the reasons San Antonio made it onto the list." That's the only reason why we're even on the list folks because of a "recreational trail" and with B-cycle serving it.

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Don't get me wrong I love the Mission trail, but unlike back in 2012, Bicycling Magazine also mentioned the bicycling community quote: "An emerging cycling-friendly vibe fueled by 1,700 miles bike network of lanes, paths, and sharrows."  What the hell happened, oh, that's right, the City council voted for the removal of such a system with only one member, Shirley Gonzales voting to keep it.  Also happened was that Boneshakers got it's property cut off by the San Antonio River Authority, and they went out of business at their river location and their Hays Street Bridge location. Cars still park in the cities only cycletrack on Avenue A, and to top it all off, the city don't give a damn about cars parked in your bicycle lane.

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But I don't think it is because of our expanding B-cycle or a completed recreational trail that we made the list, in my own opinion I believe it is the fact that San Antonio has a rich bicycle culture.  It is you the people who come out to Frankenbike, Downtown Highlife Bicycle Club Ride , the Zombie ride, and all the other rides in San Antonio.  It's bicycle groups like The Wild Dawgs, the Street Ratz and many many more.  It's those who get on their bicycle or as I like to say "put the fun between your legs," and ride everywhere just because.  You see it every First Friday with people just riding down S Alamo and going to the bicycling friendly places like Alamo Street Eats, and other bicycle friendly places like the Bottom Bracket Social Club.

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It's funny as I look back at our position of #47 and see an echo of it through the Tweet of Diego Bernal of District 1 claiming how San Antonio is planning to 1,700 miles of bike lane (Image 21-4).  Just like Ron Nirenberg saying how we need a plan to improve transportation in San Antonio, it goes to show you how useless it is to have a plan if your not willing to follow through. 

Recently, Several Stroads where recently repaved in District 1 near downtown.  Here on Colorado St, they finish repaving it and repainting it (Image 21-6).  According to the Bicycle Master Plan, Colorado St from I-10 to Caesar Chavez (Image 21-5) has a plan for a road diet similar to what was done to S Flores. But as you can see in my recent photo of the place it has the same configuration that makes a stroad a stroad.  Hey Mr Bernal, where's the bike lane that you promised? (Image 21-4) 

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But lets face the reality here, San Antonio is too stuck behind the wheel of a car to ever envision a Netherlands network of bike paths and Cycletracks or ever have light rail transit.  Although the city is constructing a cycletrack in front the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center along I-37, chances are it won't be used like the city ever intended because there's no signs, sharrows, or painted green like you would see on a similar path in Austin (Image 21-7).  If things don't start changing, we will not be on the Bicycle Magazine list come 2016 while I'm betting that Austin will be comfortably in one of those top ten positions because they're committed to building more bus stop islands like this one on Guadalupe St (Image 21-7).  Keep Austin Weird, Keep San Antonio Lame.

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Images:
21-1:  A picture of the Bicycle Magazine October 2014 rating of San Antonio, TX as #48 of one the top 50 Bicycle  Friendly Cities in the USA.
21-2:  A picture of the Bicycle Magazine July 2012 rating of San Antonio, TX as #47 of one the top 50 Bicycle  Friendly Cities in the USA.
21-3:  A picture of the Bicycle Magazine October 2014 rating of Austin, TX  as #11 of one the top 50 Bicycle  Friendly Cities in the USA.
21-4: A Screenshot of my Facebook Re-posting of Diego Bernal's FB posting of how San Antonio has 1,700 miles of bile lanes planned and my friends response to his comment.
21-5: A Screenshot of page 28 of the Bicycle Network PDF of the Bicycle Master Plan.
21-6:  Colorado St Looking North one block north of Martin St.
21-7:  The Bus Stop Island on the Guadalupe St Cycletrack in Austin, TX.

Streetcar Part I, VIA Sucks.

Via isn't the most popular at all, so it comes to no surprise that once again, San Antonio said no to the streetcar.  Yet the reason for that is simple, we don't trust Via to do the right thing and they do things that just suck.

On Thursday, July 24, a picture popped up in my Facebook feed of a Bus that crashed into a house.  I heard about an accident on Ceralvo and naturally I knew it had to be the 66.  But I wasn't aware of the bus actually running into the house until my friend posted a picture on a friend selfie waiting for the 100 at Crossroads.  When I saw this picture, I realize this is the best representation of the long history this city has had with the transit agency.  A Bus crashing into a house because of the idiot car and SUV driver from San Antonio causing the problems we face daily. (Image 17-1)

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It was the car that didn't see a stop sign and plowed into a SUV and then hit a bus barreling on by.  To me, the car represented all those who think the solution to public transportation is everyone owning a  car, which was more concerned with driving and making sure everyone else in San Antonio drives.  It hits an SUV which represented ignorance of transportation issues and how it effects his life.  Since the SUV is a driver himself in turn reacted with the drivers ideals and push forth the removal of the alternative transportation thus making Via seem like the villain.  This picture is a metaphor representing San Antonio's feeling towards Via and alternative transportation in general and the result you see is the reaction of the supporters of those choosing those alternatives.  If the transportation choice ain't for cars, then my golly it sucks.  And lets face it, Cyclist, Pedestrians, and Transit users are treated badly in the Alamo City. 

The Average San Antonion feels that Via sucks overall.  Even though some improvements have come, it's still sucks to wait outside in the afternoon sun or during a downpour waiting for a bus.  Riding it also sucks, I can drive far faster to my destination than a Via bus getting me there on a toilet seat. And worse of all, the lineup didn't make a stop at the bus stop for which I rang the bell, but the kept on driving letting me off a mile away from the bus I needed to get off at.  That's how many feel about Via, a system that sucks, that when they finally get a car, they're glad they ditch it.

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Now I'm a supporter of Via overall.  I, unlike the rest of San Antonio, understand that Via is constrained by laws, budget woes, and a city not built with a street grid in mind.  But like the bus crashing into the house, Via, even you make me wonder sometimes why the fuck am I stick my neck out for you.  You see, a week ago or so, I saw this on my twitter feed (Image 17-2) of Via asking people how could you get people to ride who normally don't ride?  In the transit world, these customers are called "choice users"  and when you  have a high number of these type of user using your transit system, then your doing something right.  Via has a low number of these users because well, they suck. The users that are force to use public transit is something I dubbed "hostage users."  Either you ride Via, or you stay at home, that's what it's like being a hostage user and I've been one most of my life. 

We'll here's my advice, and just like the advice I've given in my last posting on Hemisfair, these solutions don't cost a lot of money and here they are....

1. Put Bus Stops down in closed off areas:  For the longest time, If you tried to catch a bus to Randolph Park and Ride on Walzem, chances are you'll would be walking a mile or two just to reach a bus stop.  Windcrest use to have Via services, then they removed the sales tax that supported that service.  Via's response was to remove all the bus stops on the Windcrest side of Walzem.  Since the redo of Walzem, only two bus stops are still gone, the one at the Starbucks and the one that is across Walzem from the Starbucks.  If we're not careful, the same thing is about to happen On Jackson Keller and Blanco Rd which border Castle Hills. I can only hope that Via doesn't repeat history but knowing how history is, I can't help but worry.  Funny how Via isn't mentioning this to any of it's riders when it talks about Castle Hills.  I wish they would also put some bus stops along 281 on the Hill Country Village Side, but then again, they can't because Via Sucks. 

2.  Have the Line-ups stop at all the bus stops:  Bus Driver 9295 loves to miss stops that the other drivers just stop at.  His excuse is that there's a rule that prevents him from stopping at bus stops that don't have his number.  Well I don't see no 9-10 numbers on any of the bus stops along the 9-10 lineup routes.  Now I see 9 bus stops, 10 bus stops, 9 & 10 Bus stops,  9/ 10 &14 bus stops, but no 9-10 lineup bus stops specifically.  When I have a chance to catch the 9-10 line-up from work, It normally stops at the St Mary's Street Bridge, but this guy loves to make everyone on board his bus miss their Line-up connections by bypassing the St Mary's Street Bridge bus stop and stopping at the wait spot on Commerce which by the way don't have a 9 or a 10 on that bus stop.  God forbid this bus driver 9295 ever happens to drive the 30-28, 22-24 and the 25-26 line-ups because if he's not stopping at the St Mary's Bridge, I bet he won't be stopping at the other bus stops along the way especially the Looper bus stops along WW White were people actually get off the bus when they ride the line-up.  Bus Drivers like this Keep San Antonio Lame and I wish Via would put a stop to these bus drivers doing these stupid things.

Riding the 9-10 line-up is also a mistake if your trying to catch the Looper heading to Randolph Park and Ride.  The bus drivers notoriously never make stops at the Looper Stops along the Loop 410 section of the 9-10 Line-up forcing the irate passenger to stay on the bus and catch the 14-17 Line-up.  See, Via's a great service, they make you stay on board and miss some sleep so your late to work the next day. Yet another act of stupidity that helps get people into cars.

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3.  Your Bus stop Shelters suck:  Now why do they suck you ask, simple, they don't keep the sun nor the Rain out.  I don't know why you can't hire some designers who can take into account of the movement of the sun over it's course in the sky so we the "hostage users" waiting for the bus can stay out of the sun's heat. (Image 17-3)
The same with the rain, how about design new bus shelters to (get this) keep the rain out.  Think about that for a moment Via, it's raining and it's pouring, and everyone is safe and sound inside the shelter and NOT GETTING WET.  I'm a dreamer, yes but I'm not the only one. 

4.  Allow Folding Bicycles on the buses:  If you were to look up Via's Policy on Bicycles, you will see no mention of the policy of folding bicycle.  As the Racks full up, people will start to look for ways around the bike racks and start to invest in folding bicycles.  Yet knowing how some bus drivers will react to a folding bicycle is expected to be "no" answer when bring one on board.  Even these electric scooters are not allowed on the bus even though the same parts that you find in one of these scooters is the same you'll find in an electric wheelchair is beyond me.  Just another example I've experience over the years when It comes using Via.

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5.  Bring your bus stops closer together:  (For the record, I mistook bus route number for I always get confused on which number of the 550/551 Looper is going.) In many places, your bus stops next to connecting routes are virtually a mile apart from each other.  A good example of this is at WW White and Southcross.(Image 17-4)  Why you can't move the 551 Bus stop to the Valero is beyond me because the connecting bus stop from the 28 & 515 is pathetic.  Why walk across that battlefield of fast moving cars, hot sun and pot holes, when you can use a sidewalk around the Valero from bus stop #16383.  But I'm not expecting Via to understand, after all, they all drive cars, not have to walk everywhere in a 100F Degree heat. This is not the only one, but there are many in the system especially when trying to connect with the Looper.

6.  Finally enforce the rules especially no.5: It's annoying to hear banging pots but even worse on the bus.  This is the most important rule in the Code Of Conduct, but it doesn't get enforced as often as it should.  The same with the no smoking rules at bus stops.  Now I know you can't enforce this rule over the entire system, but you could at least do it at major bus stops downtown. 

The Smart things Via Does:  Now Via does some thing really smart such as not outsourcing it's fixed route bus operations to a corporation such a First Transit, Veolia and such.  It's the main reason why Via has some pretty good and friendly drivers that serve San Antonio and also is the main reason Via boast  that it gets more bang for it's buck unlike the other transit systems in Texas.  What Via and the Rest of San Antonio need to understand that these corporations rob from the communities that they are hired to serve and pay their employees basically minimum wage.  It's the opposite with some of the Paratransit operations because Via does outsource some of the operations to a third party providing complaint after complaint to Via about lousy service and miss pickups stranding the most vulnerable in our community.  If Via wants better paratransit services, how about take ownership of the operations yourself and watch you guys save money in the long run.  Great bus/paratransit operators should be rewarded, not punished for doing a good job with low pay.
 
San Antonio believes that you get all your funding through the fare box and not Sales Tax.  They also fail to realize that most of the state and federal money you guys get go to bus stops, infrastructure and vehicles.  You guys rarely mention this simple little fact on your buses and to the determent of your approval rating.  So they see people riding the bus and they assume that you should have lots of money and should be able to add more bus service but assume that Via just wants to suck.  Why you fail to mention that your bus service is better than Fort Worth's is beyond me because The T basically have nothing but line-up routes on Sundays from 7am to 7pm yet you fail to mention this fact to your patrons.  I believe that Fort Worth gets about a 1/2 cent sales tax to fund transit.  Also when promoting rail, you should advertise the pros of having rail transit such as not folding your stroller, bicycles coming on board, no questions asked, and fast loading and unloading of wheelchairs.  You can also point out the simple fact that having Subways and Monorail will cost more than Light rail which many San Antonions want in the first place.  And worse of all, you said that Light rail would be slower than the buses which after riding Houston Metro, DART system in Dallas, and other light rail systems that ain't true at all.  

So Lets go over all of this again.  If you want more people to ride the bus, a creation that by default encourages everyone to own a car, then my golly make it comfortable to the hostage users.  Provide plenty of places to get off and on your bus and connect to other buses easily.   Inform your riders where the funding comes from to pay for the services.   Enforce the rules that are in the code of conduct and embrace chaotic and smart like allowing bus drivers to make exceptions from the bottom up instead of your regular of orderly and dumb from the board on down.  I'm not asking for much, I'm just asking for common sense for which an organization like yours constantly fails to keep in mind.  And if you want rail in San Antonio's future, you better start treating us "hostage users" a lot more nicely. 

Go to the mysa.com story on the bus crashing into a house, well go ahead and look at those pictures. Eventually the bus is still in one piece while the car and SUV are totaled.  Goes to show you that eventually Via, bicycling and walking will again stand up tall. 

Go Fund Me Campaign

It still up, and I could use the help to be able to take some pictures I need to illustrate the my story on the Streetcar issue.  It's going to be a three part story, and the result of this trip will be posted some time around August 13th.  If you want to help me out, please help pay for my Greyhound ticket at http://www.gofundme.com/b8rmq4 


Images:
17-1:  A photo apparently posted on FB by KABB Fox 29 on the bus accident. If you know who's the owner of this photo, please contact me. 
17-2:  The tweet from Via asking what could be done to encourage more choice users.
17-3:  The bus shelter at the Corner of Broadway and MacArthur View; Looking Southeast.
17-4:  The distance between the connecting bus stops from Google Maps. 


 Up Coming Important Meetings
If you want to make a difference, please attend.

 

Lee's Creek, Joe Ward and Sunset Hills Parks Plan Review Public Meeting

When:  Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:00 PM

Where:  Joe Ward Community Center,  435 E. Sunshine, San Antonio, TX 78228

What Should You Ask For:  The thing to ask for at this meeting are good sidewalks,  20 mile per hour speed limits and safe ways to get to the park down Hillcrest and St Cloud such as bike lanes down those stroads.  

 

Menger Creek Drainage Project Meeting

When:   Wednesday August 13, 2014 6pm to 7:30 PM

Where:  Ella Austin Community Center 'Auditorium' 1023 N Pine, 78202

What Should you Ask for:  Bike lanes on the stroads connecting the Linear Park and lots of ADA accessible ramps. 

Up Coming Bicycle Events

 

Bike Ride To Mission San Jose

When:   Saturday Morning, August 9, 2014, 9AM

Where:  818 S Flores, San Antonio, TX

Description:  A bike ride down the Mission Reach of the Riverwalk. 

 
 Cycle In-Cinema .  
When:   Every Thursday, June-August at Dusk, 8:45pm
Where:  Main Plaza, 115 N Main Ave, 78205
Description:  Out Door Movie.  

FrankenBike #51
When:   Saturday August 16, 2014  10AM to 4PM

Where:  Earn A Bike Coop ~ 2619 Guadalupe St ~ 78207

Description:  San Antonio's Bicycle Swap Meet and Flea Market

Siclovia:
When:  Sunday Sept 28, 2014 10AM to 3PM
Where: Broadway downtown
Description:  Where San Antonio returns the streets back to the  people for a few hours.  Really a great event.  More info at http://www.ymcasatx.org/siclovia

Tour De Tube No. 5

Go Fund Me Campaign

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Sorry for not publishing last week, but my job kept me busy. 

As the streetcar war heats up, I find my self lost at talking about the subject and writing about it.  The same opposition I see happening here in San Antonio actually took place in Cincinnati with all sorts of people that didn't live in Cincinnati beating a drum against it.  And yet, they didn't stop it at all, actually it should be up and running soon.  The Same thing will surly happen here for the opposition is beating the wrong drum.  Also as a supporter of it, I'm also aware of the fact that we don't need streetcars to have great neighborhoods, or improve transit, no that will take light rail at least.  What is holding me back is some photos of streets in Dallas that I wish to use as an example.  So since I'm having a hard time getting money together for a greyhound ticket (Image 14-1) and food, I decided to ask all of my readers to see if you can help me raise the needed cash to obtain the photos I need to illustrate my opinion on the matter at hand.  The goal is to travel either August 2nd or August 9th to take the photos.  And the Wednesday after that trip is when I wish to publish my story.  Please visit my gofundme page to donate.  Also all donations over $50 that I'm asking for will be donated to Earnabike Coop. 

Tour De Tube no.5

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On an early Sunday Morning of June 29, people who normally don't get to see a sunrise, got out of bed, got their swimsuits together, and rode their bicycles across the street from La Tuna to meetup and start the 5th annual Tour De Tube.  It's now an annual ride from San Antonio to the Comal River.  For the past four other years, I haven't been able to attend, but this year I made half commitment.  I rode out to Landa Park, but I didn't tube, I rode back to go to work. 

As 8am approached at the lot across the street from La Tuna saw the cars parked, the bikers riding in all dressed up in spandex, swimsuits, and other normal clothes (Image 14-3).  And then finally the pickups arrived with beer and two trailers as support craft.  Tito Bradshaw got up on one and started to announce the ride.  With Tacos and Bananas for breakfast, everyone lined up to get their arm bands and breakfast and finished up with collecting the $40 fee. 

14-3

As the ride started (14-2), we rode north up Main Ave and then through King William to S Alamo.  As we were making our turn, a drover in the White Dodge pickup gave me the middle Finger as all of us rode by.  The ride had several rest stops, the first was at Mahncke Park there on Broadway.


There were many more rest stops along the way.  As we made our way through the suburbs, we became a Critical Mass (Image 14-4) and I joked openly "Critical Mass Sunday."  Although for future rides, I think we need to designate a few people to be the traffic cops for the ride to hold up cross traffic at minor intersections and stop a the major ones. 

14-4

As we proceed to the open country out past Loop 1604, the road got narrower and narrower and the spaces along the road filled with fewer and fewer buildings.  As the noon day heat began to beat down on us all, it was real evident that there's a reason why we don't stay out in the noon day sun.  The Tour eventually ended up in New Braunfels where we made one last stop before making it to Landa Park.  We sat underneath the big trees waiting for the riders who fell behind to catch up. (Image 14-5)

14-5

As the ride came to a close, we got inline to the San Antonio Food Trucks that showed up.  My Three Sons Moving provided the bike transportation back. (Image 14-6)  AS the ride came to a close for me, I had to head back to SA for work was waiting for me.  As I rode back,

14-6

The coolest part of the ride was this guy who brought his dog with him.  (Image 14-7)

14-7

 

 

 Images: 
14-1:  The Cost for a Greyhound Ticket to Dallas.
14-2:  People lining up on E Cevallos St At Probandt looking east
14-3:  People walking around at the Slab across from La Tuna getting ready for the ride
14-4:  The Ride going down Nacogdoches just north of Loop 410
14-5:  The Last stop of the ride in New Braunfels On Landa St Just before Walnut Ave
14-6:  Instead of an 18 wheeler, we got just two trucks at the end of the ride
14-7:  The cyclist who brought his dog along for the ride.  Picture taken on Landa St right after the last stop.

 Up Coming Important Meetings
If you want to make a difference, please attend. 

 

What Should You Ask For:  The thing to ask for at this meeting are good sidewalks,  20 mile per hour speed limits and safe ways to get to the park down Hillcrest and St Cloud such as bike lanes down those stroads. 

What Should You Say:  The biggest thing is having cars come into the park.  This is the worse decision ever for if anybody know from experience, cars make a place unsafe and make people uncomfortable.  They don't let cars into La Villita, so why should cars be allowed here.  Also asking for La Villita types shops in the abandoned houses would be a plus too. 

Local Bike Advocate Training for Statewide Campaigns:

When:   August 3, 2014 1pm to 4pm
Where:  BikeTexas.org HQ  1902 E 6th St, Austin, TX  78702  or Online.  To Register, click here
Description: 

Do you want to learn key tactics to support bicycle advocacy in your area? Join people like you from around Texas for a special bike advocate training on Sunday, August 3, from 1-4 PM.

National experts from the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking and Walking will facilitate the workshop. They'll talk about statewide campaigns in the lead up to the 2015 legislative session, such as keeping TxDOT from moving funds away from programs designed to build bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Register for this training and be prepared for the next call to action!

The training will take place in our office at 1902 E 6th St (map), but you don't have to be in Austin to attend. Register as a teleconference attendee and we'll send you a link to join the broadcast. Please register by July 26 to secure your spot and receive updates on the training. See you on August 3!

This workshop is offered free of charge thanks to funding from Advocacy Advance. Please consider making a donation to BikeTexas to support better bicycling in Texas. Even a dollar helps!.  More info can be found at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-bike-advocate-training-for-statewide-campaigns-tickets-12258432301
Up Coming Bicycle Events

 
 Cycle In-Cinema .  
When:   Every Thursday, June-August at Dusk, 8:45pm
Where:  Main Plaza, 115 N Main Ave, 78205
Description:  Out Door Movie.  

FrankenBike #50
When:   Saturday July 19, 2014  10AM to 4PM
Where:  Alamo Bike Shop/Taps y Tapas ~ 1016 N. Flores St ~ 78212
Description:  San Antonio's Bicycle Swap Meet and Flea Market.

Glow Roll SA
When:  Saturday July 26, 2014 3PM  Ride Starts at 9PM
Where: Travis Park Downtown. 
Description:  The KickStand SA & SA Made by Hand Mercado presents "House Party in the Park @ Amor y Arte" & the 1st Glow Roll Social Ride in Downtown San Antonio

Date: Sat.July 26th
Destination: THE N. ST. MARY'S WALKABOUT event
What to do: Trick out all or parts of your bicycle with neon lights, or neon/glow in dark tape! Wear bright,neon,glow in the dark clothing for the ride too!
What to bring: ID, $$, extra tubes in case, bike and YOURSELF ready to have fun!
READY! SET! GLOW!
WHEELS DOWN @ 9:00PM!

**Amor y Arte: 3p-9p -- come by early to check out local artisans, live music & food trucks! SAMBH is providing a limited supply of glow sticks to decorate bikes. They will be set out @ 7:30p at The KickStand SA table...get there early to grab a few! Alamo Bike Shop will be set up offering tire service/minor adjustments too!