San Antonio’s potential foray into rail-based transportation seems to be getting a lot of play lately, and for good reason. VIA is floating a number of proposals to both the city and the county to help fund a rail project with the most likely candidate being streetcars in the downtown area. While the county seems to be committing up to $55 million for almost any plan mentioned, the city is being a little more cautious on its commitment of funds, to the point of having city staff analyze the various proposals. Now it appears Mayor Castro and the city have a desire to move forward with a plan, albeit it different than what the county agreed on with VIA. The interesting part is that the city’s new plan is somewhat of a hybrid of what VIA had originally proposed after a period of studies and planning. So what plan are we committing to in San Antonio? Where’s the darn thing going to run?
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Lately I’ve been using VIA to get around downtown and points close to downtown. Even though gas prices are falling, it just makes sense to leverage the bus and trolley system when I can. When things fall in place, it’s one of the best experiences in many ways. You get outside, you don’t have to worry about parking or fighting traffic, and you have a sense of doing the right thing. But when things aren’t lined up it can be a big hassle. Trolleys can be few and far between at times, walking up to a bus stop without knowing the schedule can result in standing or sitting in the hot sun for a long time. There must be a better way.
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Tomorrow is Earth Day, celebrated around the world as a way to highlight activities focused on helping improve our presence on this planet. Started in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), the purpose was to inspire awareness and appreciation for Earth’s natural environment. As Nelson stated “I am convinced that all we need to do to bring an overwhelming insistence of the new generation that we stem the tide of environmental disaster is to present the facts clearly and dramatically.” It’s a great celebration but it’s also something that should create lifestyle change.
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Starting tomorrow night VIA Metropolitan Transit will be hosting a series of open houses to hear about and provide feedback for their SmartWaySA Long Range Plan. The plan provides a roadmap through 2035 outlining VIA’s proposed changes to its bus system and the beginning of high-capacity transit options, including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Based on the draft system plan it appears that rail options will be proposed for two primary routes and a streetcar option in downtown. In the past, VIA has been open and receptive to public input and hosted several public forums. It’s a great way to get into the details on VIA’s plans to see how it might impact or improve transit in San Antonio. So what might you expect to see at these forums?
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Tonight I attended a meeting at Jefferson High School held by VIA to discuss the draft Environmental Assessment for their proposed Bus Rapid Transit system. For those not familiar with the proposal VIA is planning a higher speed transit option down the Fredericksburg corridor from downtown to UTSA. The system is a lower cost alternative to the failed light rail system that was defeated by voters several years ago. This set of meetings is the second in a series of public hearings on the project. I can tell you that VIA took public input from the first set of meetings and has greatly improved the plan. Read more…
It’s been a while since blogged about living downtown so maybe it’s time for an update. After last Saturday’s fun and the great weather this weekend it’s been the perfect time to enjoy the experience downtown by getting out. Last weekend started off with Chalk It Up sponsored by ArtPace. It’s a collection of artists, students, and children who use Houston Street from about Main Street to Alamo Plaza as their canvas. Lots of kids got to have some fun playing in the street and drawing their most creative impressions. What was even better was to see the other people who came down to enjoy the art and weather. But that’s just the start of the fun happening downtown. Read more…
There’s been a lot of talk in San Antonio recently about public transportation and some options to consider. VIA just completed their SmartWaySA public hearing series where public input into transit options was discussed including light rail and streetcars. Mayor Julian Castro recently weighed into the conversation after VIA’s announcement of a commission to review options for streetcars and light rail. Mayor Castro said in the article that San Antonio was the last major U.S. city that hasn’t invested in passenger rail. In the article he said “It’s time for San Antonio to make a significant investment in mass transit.” But before we launch into any major plans for passenger rail, be it streetcars or light rail, I feel it is critical and important to take a hard look at other cities around Texas and the nation to see what works and what doesn’t. Read more…
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…
San Antonio’s potential foray into rail-based transportation seems to be getting a lot of play lately, and for good reason. VIA is floating a number of proposals to both the city and the county to help fund a rail project with the most likely candidate being streetcars in the downtown area. While the county seems to be committing up to $55 million for almost any plan mentioned, the city is being a little more cautious on its commitment of funds, to the point of having city staff analyze the various proposals. Now it appears Mayor Castro and the city have a desire to move forward with a plan, albeit it different than what the county agreed on with VIA. The interesting part is that the city’s new plan is somewhat of a hybrid of what VIA had originally proposed after a period of studies and planning. So what plan are we committing to in San Antonio? Where’s the darn thing going to run?
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