I said I was going to do it when I moved down here. I even bought the VIA monthly pass from USAA. Today I did it. I rode the bus to USAA from downtown and back. I took the 91 from downtown which is the most direct route to USAA. Each time I rode the trip was an hour and a half, door to door. That’s 30 minutes getting to and from the stops and one hour on the bus. Will I do it again? Probably, but I really had some second thoughts as I finally boarded the bus this morning at a time when I could have been sitting at my desk had I driven from downtown. This morning when I tweeted my status I had several friends who gave me some things to prepare for on the trip. So I be you’re wondering how the experience was. Read more…
One of the things I did to help me in my move downtown was to purchase a VIA monthly pass so I could leverage public transportation as much as possible. The pass is reasonable at $30 and allows you to jump on any VIA bus or trolley without any hassle. It makes the entire downtown area accessible and easy to traverse. That’s a great thing considering there are three trolleys that run past the building (Red, Yellow, and Purple) and Commerce/Market is a main thoroughfare in the VIA transit  network. One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve started riding the buses and trolleys is that there are several things VIA really should look at to improve the system. Read more…
Last night at the Alamo Heights City Council meeting a comprehensive plan for the future of Alamo Heights was presented by Community Development Director Ann McGlone. The plan was a result of the Community Development Department and relied on both public and expert input. In an article by Colin McDonald of the Express-News McGlone stated the plan was the city’s first blueprint since 1965. The plan addresses many of the needs facing the small municipality contained within the city limits of San Antonio. Some of the areas addressed include transportation, flooding, preservation of resources, and infrastructure. After seeing some of the issues facing San Antonio isn’t it time for the nation’s 7th largest city to have a long range plan of its own? Read more…
As I was sorting through my mail this weekend I ran across a public notice from VIA for a series of public comment meetings on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project being planned for the Fredericksburg corridor to be completed sometime in 2012. I’m all for public input on major projects. The trouble is last year Judge Nelson Wolff put light rail back on the table causing VIA to put BRT on hold for three months while they study that option according to the E-N article. Now it appears we’re back on the BRT approach. As I look at this activity, that of the Alamo RMA, and many other transportation projects under consideration it is very apparent Bexar County needs a consolidated transportation plan to avoid wasting money, especially with stimulus dollars in the mix. Read more…
In the middle of all the issues being discussed by the mayoral candidates is one about transportation. It comes in a lot of flavors – toll roads, super streets, light rail, HOV lanes, etc. The question is if this is really an issue or just a cool thing to talk about to the voters in San Antonio. Any other major city in Texas I would agree it’s at the front of the discussion. However, San Antonio seems to give it lip service but doesn’t really seem to get to the heart of the issue. Part of that is our attitude in this city. Until that attitude changes or San Antonio really experiences a transportation crisis it’ll continue to be great filler in the debates. Read more…
As the mayoral race progresses in San Antonio I want to continue to explore the issues being addresses by the candidates and some of their proposed solutions. One of the bigger issues facing San Antonians is transportation, be it toll roads or mass transportation. At its core transportation affects the quality of life in our city. Since I first moved here in 1988 San Antonio has always had to deal with issues of continued growth and developing means to move residents throughout the city. I remember IH-10 before the double-deck and dealing with the construction as the freeway was widened from 4 lanes to 10. But is continued construction of massive freeways the only way to deal with the problem? Read more…
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