cite city's comittment to bicycling
San Antonio, where bicyclers used to say that you biked at risk of death, has made Bicycling Magazine's list of the fifty most bike friendly cities for the first time ever, 1200 WOAI news reports.
"Debuting at number 47," said Julia Diana with the city's Office of Environmental Policy.
"We're certainly headed in the right direction."
For years, cyclists would complain that the streets were unsafe for cycling, and motorists would drive them off the road. Only in the last few years have new and renovated streets been built with bicycle lanes.
An explosion of bicycle friendly activities began a couple of years ago. Bicycling Magazine cited the city's Siclovia bicycling event, as well as the construction of new bicycle trails in the city's creekside linear parks, and the 'B-Share' bicycling sharing program downtown.
"The fact that we have passed a major comprehensive bicycle master plan is giving us some direction, and I think we'll start to see a real show in the bond projects which were just recently voted in by the public," she said.
Diana says with San Antonio's parks, it's historic neighborhoods, and its lack of hills in the city, the Alamo City is perfect for bicycling, and she hopes that this designation is the first step toward building a truly bicycle friendly city.
"Austin is our great competitor up the highway," she said. "They have done a lot of great things, and we are hoping to do equally as well, and we hope to do some different types of things, such as bike share."
Of the city's bicycle culture, Bicycling Magazine said:
Claims to Fame: An emerging cycling-friendly vibe is fueled by a proposed 1,700-mile bike network of lanes, paths, and sharrows, a new bike-share system, and an inaugural Síclovía that drew 15,000 riders. Boneshakers Bicycle Pub borders a riverside bike trail, houses a bike shop, and serves only Texas beer.
The only other Texas city on the top fifty list is Austin. The number one city in the country for bicyclers, not surprisingly, is Portland Oregon.
