The San Antonio’s complete street policy is one of the progressive public policies the municipal government has ever had. Although the government continues to make significant progress in the number of complete street miles, the rate is not enough to meet the 2020 goal. The policy seeks to make the city better. The policy defines a complete street as roadways that take into account all users, including people driving cars, using transit, riding bikes, walking, and using wheelchairs. Basically, an effective transportation system is critical to many aspects of city life, such as flow of commerce, air quality, and the ability of residents conveniently get to and from work. Additionally, a good transportation system can not only create a sense of community by bringing people together, but also positive health outcomes. Thus, the complete street policy will make San Antonio a better city by enhancing the general welfare of the residents.
Details of the Policy
The policy states that San Antonio promotes healthy living and fitness through complete streets. The policy will help to curb the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and other health issues in the jurisdiction. San Antonio will achieve such an objective by supporting a transportation network that allows the residents to utilize the streets, sidewalks, and bicycle facilities safely. Additionally, the city is committed to implement a comprehensive bicycle network throughout the city by utilizing the Bicycle Master Plan. As a way of improving the wellness of the residents, San Antonio proposes to promote active forms of transportation for daily trips to such destinations as schools, work and shopping centers.
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According San Antonio’s complete street policy, the city will focus on supporting pedestrian oriented neighborhoods. As such, the policy will seek to enhance the safety of the pedestrians in a transport system that has for a long time been unfriendly to pedestrians. The proposed streets will support safe automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian travel through a well connected network of streets and pedestrian paths. Additionally, the connections to various destinations will take into account collector, arterial and local transportation modes from the neighborhoods.
Through the implementation of the policy, San Antonio intends to enhance commercial corridors and districts. Construction and reconstruction of roads will take into account travel to commercial corridors and districts by walking, transit ridership, biking, and driving. Additionally, amenities and landscaping will be encouraged to create shade, promote aesthetic environments, and create buffers. According to the policy, street art will be integrated into the streetscape in order to help in the identification of unique areas throughout San Antonio.
The policy will serve to maximize benefits of investment in capital projects. The streets that will be constructed or reconstructed will be designed in such a way that they will maximize benefits to all the stakeholders. Additionally, the complete streets will balance the construction costs with the community benefits of the facilities developed in the right of way.
The Impact of the Policy
The policy will have various effects on the San Antonio community. For years, the city has built roads and approved developments with little or no consideration for pedestrians and bikers. However, the region has been on the verge of violating the federal air standards and obesity rates have been off the charts. The policy comes at a time when it is really needed. Complete streets will provide many benefits for the city.
The San Antonio complete street policy will make economic sense in one of the favorite cities in Texas. A balanced transportation system will contribute significantly in terms of economic growth. Complete streets can help in bolstering economic growth and stability through accessible and efficient connections between residential areas, schools, workplaces, public transportation, parks, and retail destinations. The convenience associated with complete streets will enhance large scale commercial activities in the city.
The complete streets will help improve safety for drivers, bikers and pedestrians. The efficient connection provided by complete streets reduces crashes. Redesigning of the intersections and sidewalks serve to reduce pedestrian risks significantly (Anderson, 2018). The current streets are not safe for pedestrians, as they are more automobile oriented. Making the road networks inclusive will promote better utilization of the transportation networks. Therefore, the policy will promote safety in San Antonio Streets.
The complete streets will promote the health of the residents. A considerable proportion of San Antonio population is obese. The complete streets will encourage walking and bicycling. Public health experts advise people to walk and bicycle as a response to the obesity epidemic. Complete streets can help in the achievement of health. Walking and bicycling helps people to burn calories enough to attain the required body weight.
Implementation of the policy will also help in easing transportation woes in San Antonio. It is important to note that streets that provide travel choices can allow people to avoid traffic jams. This may go a long way in increasing the overall capacity of the city’s transportation network. Complete street policies are a strategy that can effectively increase the overall capacity of the transportation network. Additionally, complete streets can significantly reduce congestion.
Complete streets are beneficial to children, as they promote their safety. The policy will allow for the construction or reconstruction of roads that provide room for pedestrians and bicyclers. This helps children to gain independence and get physical activity. Essentially, more children tend to walk to school when there are safe sidewalks and bicycling routes. Additionally, such children normally have a positive view of their environment. Generally, the policy will turn all routes safe.
Complete streets promote good air quality, as people will use other alternative means of travel such as walking and bicycling (Javid et al., 2014). Poor air quality has negative impact on population health. For instance, air pollution in urban areas is linked to increases in respiratory diseases such as asthma. Using alternative means of transport other than cars can significantly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere.
Impacts on the Operational Budget
San Antonio’s 2018 budget was $2.7 billion. The proposed complete streets policy accounted for $104 million, with $99 million set for street maintenance and $5 million for pedestrian sidewalks. The capital investment was responsible in part for the 5 percent increase in the budgeted amount for operating and capital costs. The VIA Metropolitan Transit was also allocated $4.3 million for purposes of improving frequency on the 10 existing bus routes, as well as reduce travel time over the seven major corridors. For the first time, San Antonio used a perspective of equity to allocate funds to the various districts (Lee & Johnson, 2008). The budgeting decisions were made through an equity lens, and it allowed the city to set appropriate priorities for meeting the needs of the residents (Piedad, 2017). The new technique for allocating funds was effective because it was the best way to counteract years of historical segregation, particularly for the vulnerable districts.
The spending on infrastructure was a top priority for the residents of San Antonio. Thus, the implementation of the policy was a win for the public. The increasing population in the city calls for the expansion of the infrastructural capacity to ease congestion and promote safety. The second priority for the city was security where $3.8 million was allocated to the San Antonio Police Department. The money would be used to hire more officers, a move aimed at improving security in the area.
Generally, the public policy has significant benefits for the residents of San Antonio. The money allocated to the initiative will be worth the benefits that are likely to accrue from its implementation in the long term.
References
Lee, R.D. & Johnson, RW. (2008). Public budgeting systems (8th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 97807637466
Javid, R. J., Nejat, A., & Hayhoe, K. (2014). Selection of CO2 mitigation strategies for road transportation in the United States using a multi-criteria approach. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews , 38 , 960-972.
Anderson, R. N. (2018). A methodology to prioritize absent sidewalk infrastructure for San Antonio, Texas (Doctoral dissertation).
Piedad, J. (August 20, 2017). San Antonio’s 2018 Budget Uses “Equity Lens” To Allocate Funds, Texas Public Radio , http://www.tpr.org/post/san-antonios-2018-budget-uses-equity-lens-allocate-funds
San Antonio Complete Street Policy, https://www.google.com/search?q=san+antonio+complete+street+policy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b
