Mobility

The map below highlights the Mobility Framework identified for the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Area. Scroll down to learn more about the vision for Mobility in the Plan Area.

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Background and Vision

In 2016 the City of San Antonio adopted the SA Tomorrow Multimodal Transportation Plan, to make our city’s transportation system “sustainable, safe, convenient, efficient, and inclusive of all modes.” The plan adopted by City Council established “a shift in focus from moving vehicles to moving people,” in order to manage traffic congestion and improve transportation choices. The plan identified two primary and interdependent methods for managing future traffic congestion:

  • Develop a land use pattern and policy to promote and facilitate the ease of and improved access to local trips.
  • Encourage more transportation options beyond personal vehicles for people to commute to the Regional Center.

The SA Tomorrow Multimodal Transportation Plan acknowledged that we cannot build our way out of congestion by continuously adding additional lanes and that the Comprehensive Plan, and associated land use plans, are a primary opportunity to improve mobility in San Antonio. By welcoming more people to live, work and play in urban centers, regional centers, and transit corridors, we can shorten trip lengths, offer more transportation choices, and improve quality of life.

The combined costs of housing and transportation are often a large portion of a household’s budget, with experts recommending the combined total should not be more than 45% of household income. In the Greater San Antonio Region that total on average is 53%. Walkable communities that provide increased transit options and have less dependency on automobiles can reduce the household transportation costs for the average person. If people have alternatives to driving that are convenient and safe, transportation costs can be stable even when gas prices rise. As some people choose to go to their destination on foot, bicycle, or transit, the number of cars on the road will be minimized. This will reduce traffic delays for those people that choose to drive.

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Due to the presence of --> Lackland Air Force Base and Port San Antonio, which was previously Kelly Air Force Base, the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center has been an employment hub for the Greater San Antonio Region for over a century. Kelly Air Force Base was established in 1917 as an aviation training facility and in 1941 construction began to expand the base. This expansion eventually became a separate entity from Kelly Air Force Base and is today known as Lackland Air Force Base. In the 1940s through the 1970s, residential development near the air force bases primarily consisted of the base workforce. Kelly Air Force Base was decommissioned in 2001 and is now known as Port San Antonio. Today Port San Antonio is a significant freight hub and growing employer in southwest San Antonio. The Port San Antonio Area Regional Center, referred to as the Port San Antonio Area, incorporates this continued military presence with a dynamic technology and innovation campus with plans for an e-sports arena to further establish Port San Antonio as a destination specializing in innovation and technology. This area also still contains many of the residential neighborhoods, mostly consisting of single-family homes, that historically housed the Kelly and Lackland Air Force Base workforce.

With a focus on cybersecurity, aerospace, manufacturing, and incubating innovation in Port San Antonio, this Regional Center is poised to become a major employment center beyond its already large contribution to current employment opportunities. The mobility vision for the Port San Antonio Area focuses on linking this growing employment center with its surrounding neighborhoods and increasingly using transit to transport Port San Antonio Area employees that live beyond the Regional Center plan area. Although the transit routes focusing on West Military Drive are already well established and productive, access to transit will be key to this mobility vision. There will also be a particular focus on improving sidewalk quality and connectivity as a prime factor in providing access to transit. Pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure can support trips within or beyond the Port San Antonio Area. Existing right-of-way provides ample opportunities for building additional cycling and pedestrian infrastructure and connectivity to any new rights-of-way in future development of currently vacant or underutilized land.

Port San Antonio Area Regional Center’s Mobility Needs

Investments in transportation improvements are continuously made to move large volumes of freight efficiently, link neighborhood development to growing employment opportunities, and provide adequate transit routes that connect to areas outside the Regional Center. Growing populations demand that streets not only carry people, goods and services, but that they also serve as playgrounds, parks, and public spaces. Key mobility needs identified in this Regional Center include the following:

  • Balancing mobility and character throughout mixed-use corridors and high functioning arterials;
  • Ensuring quality of neighborhood connectivity and sidewalks and quality of access to transit, parks, jobs;
    • Supporting high capacity transit and using transit as a catalyst for economic development within the region; and
    • Providing cycling and trail infrastructure that takes advantage of existing right-of-way.
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    To address the transportation needs in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center, a set of high-level street classification recommendations have been developed to guide decision making. Recommendations include modal and intersection priorities, shown in the Mobility Framework map (Figure ##). Street type and use recommendations are shown in the Street Types map (Figure ##). These mobility recommendations will be further refined in a coordinated manner with the City’s Public Works Department and other relevant partners such as Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), VIA Metropolitan Transit (VIA), and the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO).

    Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Mobility Framework

    The Mobility Framework lays out the vision for accommodating the constantly expanding mobility needs of the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center. Below are guiding principles that will help ensure a mobility network that is safe and inviting for people walking, shopping, parking, and driving in the Regional Center.

    Modal Priority Corridors

    Streets play a multifaceted role in the plan area, serving both as arteries for traffic and as public spaces. Changes to street design can achieve the mobility vision of the Regional Center. The modal priority corridors reflect the vision for how motorists, bicyclists, transit users, and pedestrians will interact with key corridors throughout the area. Modal priority corridors guide design treatments of a particular mode. A modal priority corridor does not exclude other users but helps guide tradeoff decisions during the design of a specific street.

    Automobile

    Automobile corridors are envisioned to support high levels of motor vehicle travel daily. These corridors are often interstates, highways, arterials, and other primary roadways which provide connections to major destinations and link the Regional Center to other parts of the city. Significant automobile corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center include, but are not limited to, Loop 410, Covel Road, and West Military Drive. Automobile corridor improvements focus on relieving traffic congestion and enhanced roadway design to increase the safety of motor vehicle travel.

    Freight

    Freight corridors are envisioned to support the ability to move high levels of goods by freight trucks that will travel between industrial or commercial areas and major destinations. Growdon Road, Berman Road, Clarence Tinker Drive, and General Hudnell Drive are freight corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center due to their proximity to industrial areas and major rail lines and their connections to SW Military Drive, US 90, and Hwy 151.

    Bicycles

    Bicycle corridors are envisioned to provide convenient, safe, and comfortable biking options for all ages and abilities. An integrated network of bicycle routes along with well-designed streets in key activity areas aim to fill the gaps in the multimodal system. The mobility framework focuses on completing the bicycle network and recommends new connections to directly access trails and other amenities. Bicycles priority corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center are Five Palms Drive, which provides a connection from Lackland Airforce Base to adjacent areas that have a future land use designation of mixed-use, and along the Loop 410 access road, if a separated bike lane could be accommodated, to connect to Stablewood Farms Park.

    Transit/Pedestrian

    Transit and pedestrian corridors are envisioned to provide the community with easy, reliable, and congestion-proof choices for traveling to and from work, school, and key destinations. Streets, intersections, and traffic signals greatly influence transit service reliability and the passenger’s transit experience. Providing streets that enable reliable and frequent transit service and a walkable environment allows users to choose travel options besides driving – potentially alleviating the primary cause of congestion. As demand on public transit increases, improvements such as dedicated transit lanes, signal timing, and operational improvements along frequently used routes can keep transit vehicles moving regardless of traffic. Transit/Pedestrian priority corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center include Medina Base Road, Springvale Drive, Cupples Road, and West Thompson Place.

    Multi-Use Trail

    Multi-use trail corridors are envisioned to provide continuous arteries of separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities that connect numerous destinations, parks, retail and commercial development, schools, libraries, and residential areas. A multi-use trail provides access points to regional amenities and improves connections for people walking, or bicycling. There is potential to develop multi-use trail pathways providing east-west connections along US 90 with access to north-south connections along SW 36th Street, West Military Drive, and Medina Base Road.

    Balanced/Multimodal

    Balanced and multimodal corridors are envisioned as “Complete Streets”, with a street design that considers all users and accommodates all ages and abilities including children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. These corridors balance the priorities of multiple modes and require community conversations and case-by-case consideration to best align design with the community’s vision. The function of the road, level of traffic by mode, and adjacent land use and intensity will help determine the road type and design features. As the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center continues to grow in terms of employees, residents, and commercial services, proposed balanced and multimodal design treatments for Valley Hi Drive, Old Pearsall Road, SW 36th Street, General McMullen Drive, Billy Mitchell Boulevard, and Quintana Road should be prioritized to meet growth demands.

    Pedestrian

    Pedestrian corridors are envisioned as comfortable and safe pathways for residents connecting residential areas to amenities including transit stops, commercial development, parks, schools, and restaurants. Ray Ellison Boulevard and Springvale Drive south of Valley Hi Drive have been identified as priority pedestrian corridors within the Regional Center. Pedestrian needs and enhancements often include adding lighting, landscaping, buffered sidewalks, and connected crosswalks and pathways. These additions will increase the overall feeling of safety for all users and will encourage pedestrian travel to and from residential areas to commercial areas.

    Pedestrian Priority Zones

    Pedestrian priority zones refer to specific nodes that accommodate significant volumes of pedestrian activity. These priority zones aim to create high-quality street-level experiences to enhance the economic strength of commercial and mixed-use districts. These areas include large sidewalks, safe and balanced intersections, ample crossing opportunities and design characteristics focused on keeping pedestrians safe.

    Community members identified the need to make Valley Hi Drive and Springvale Drive more pedestrian-friendly by ensuring these streets have adequate lighting and are redesigned to be ADA compliant. In addition to the Springvale Neighborhood, other pedestrian priority zones were identified on the eastern end of Old Pearsall Road near Pearsall Park and in the Thompson Neighborhood Association community.

    Intersection / Crossing Enhancements

    Intersection and crossing enhancements are envisioned as intuitive and predictable crossings for all users. Enhancement locations are identified where crossing is considered as a priority and pedestrians, motorists, and bicyclists share space. Whether signalized or un-signalized, crossings with a high level of multimodal activity including pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicles, will facilitate predictability for all users. Intersection enhancements include lowering motor vehicle travel speeds and ensuring high pedestrian visibility. Priority intersection and crossing enhancement locations are identified where complex movements occur and potential conflicts between pedestrians, bicycles and drivers exist.

    Mobility Hubs

    Mobility hubs are envisioned as scalable nodes of mobility options, such as frequent transit, shared rides, bicycling, and micro-mobility. These areas converge multimodal access and connectivity with adequate lighting, shelters, benches, real-time information, accessible sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings. A mobility hub is identified at the existing Kel-Lac Transit Center and a future mobility hub is identified around the intersection of 36th Street and Billy Mitchell Boulevard.

    Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Street Types

    As communities evolve and grow, so do the demands on the mobility system. The location and type of growth in an area or along a corridor help determine the demand on the transportation network and the viability of various transportation options. This interdependence makes it crucial to plan for transportation and land use collectively. Streets are organized not only by role and function but also by the character and surrounding context.

    Land uses encouraging mixed-uses and higher density developments on major roadways will lead to additional pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, cars, and freight delivery trucks of various sizes. Future land use also influences other factors, such as drop-off delivery zones, shared mobility hubs, and walkability. The map below shows the interactions between future land use and transportation plans. The street type classifications integrate transportation and land use, to guide context-sensitive mobility solutions. Figure # shows how street type classifications were assigned based on transportation and land use.

    [See Figure 7 – Street Types Map]

    Relationship between the Street and Buildings

    Safe and vibrant streetscapes depend on how buildings integrate with surrounding sidewalks. Minimizing building setbacks, the distance between a building and the street, is key for creating a walkable environment. Buildings that meet the sidewalk directly connect pedestrians to destinations and create an enlivened urban space with opportunities to activate ground-floor uses and provide shopping or entertainment offerings. The close proximity of buildings to the street also creates a more inviting environment for pedestrians and gives the sense that pedestrians are prioritized in the environment and were considered during the planning and development process prior to the buildings being constructed.

    Smaller setbacks are characteristic of Mixed-Use Local, or Urban/Suburban Local street typologies, which prioritize pedestrian-oriented design. Meanwhile, larger setbacks that can accommodate front-end parking, are more characteristic of secondary arterials (whether suburban, industrial, mixed-use or urban). Primary arterials are designed to move vehicles and may require large setback minimums to accommodate additional parking.

    Vehicle Speeds

    A successful street hierarchy will align travel speeds with street usages and will decrease speeds accordingly by roadway function. While major regional roads may require higher speeds to accommodate larger volume and heavy traffic flows, most smaller roadways serve lower volumes of vehicles. On these roads, lower speeds ensure a safer environment for people and vehicles alike.

    Street typologies that focus on moving vehicles, such as Suburban Commercial, Residential, or Industrial Super and Primary Arterials, will feature higher speeds. However, typologies that focus on people and places, such as Mixed-Use, Multi-family, Urban/Suburban Local Roads and Secondary Arterials, will feature lower speed limits to create increased road safety for both people and vehicles.

    Parking

    Parking provides access to residential, work, retail options, or entertainment. Cars searching for parking create serious traffic and safety challenges. Incorporating safe street design elements, such as buffering between bike lanes and traffic, can create a safer environment on and around streets.

    Street types that emphasize people and places, such as those with Mixed-use or Multi-family contexts will restrict the supply of parking overall. Restricting space allocated for parking allows for more active uses, denser environments, and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, intermediary street typologies that support vehicles as well as people and places will likely offer some on-street parking, in addition to smaller on-site lots. Conversely, Suburban Contexts or Super and Primary Arterials may forgo on-street parking altogether, favoring large surface lots and structures.

    Curb Access

    A space between the curb and the travel lanes provide an opportunity to serve many uses such as driveways, bus lanes, cycle tracks, on-street parking, bicycle parking, freight drop-off delivery zones, or shared mobility hubs. This flexible space between the curb and the street travel lanes can be converted based on demand and play a role in street activation. The design of the curb influences how cars and people enter and exit work, residential, and retail environments.

    Addressing areas where traffic and turning patterns increase the risk of accidents will reduce conflicts between driveway traffic and pedestrians and will improve roadway safety.

    Suburban Commercial contexts and Super or Primary Arterials will focus on the ease of ingress and egress for vehicles, while Mixed-Use or Local street typologies focused on moving people will emphasize how vehicle access can coexist with safe, walkable environments.

    Lane Width

    Lane width determines how space is allocated for motorists, buses, trucks, bikes, and parked cars. Streets often dedicate space for bike lanes, parking, safety islands, and travel lanes. The lane width will vary based on the surrounding context and modal priority. For example, transit, freight and emergency response vehicles require wider travel lanes, thus modal priorities need to be considered when determining the appropriate lane widths for roadways.

    Wider lane widths are designed to move vehicles in high-speed environments. A Suburban Primary Arterial will be wide enough to efficiently move passengers through residential and commercial environments, while Mixed-Use Local or Suburban Local environments have narrow lanes to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and to promote slower driving speeds, which helps improve pedestrian safety.

    Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Mobility Framework

    The Mobility Framework lays out the vision for accommodating the constantly expanding mobility needs of the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center. Below are guiding principles that will help ensure a mobility network that is safe and inviting for people walking, shopping, parkingspan, and driving in the Regional Center.

The City of San Antonio’s Vision Zero initiative aims to achieve zero fatalities on the community’s roadways and improve roadway safety for all users, whether driving, bicycling, or walking. The Vision Zero initiative evaluates and makes recommendations to improve safety in Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas (SPIAs), locations where two or more crashes close together have resulted in severe pedestrian injuries. Potential tools for improving pedestrian safety in SPIAs include Leading Pedestrian Intervals, Medians, and Pedestrian Crossing Islands based upon analysis of the unique factors that contribute to crashes in each location and depending upon the results of engineering assessments. Another approach to improve safety involves dedicating more space in the roadway to bicyclists and pedestrians. From new ways to protect bicycle lanes with separated barriers such as bollards, to landscaping and planters and raised medians, San Antonio has many available tools to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. The City of San Antonio Vision Zero Action Plan lists additional tools for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The Port San Antonio Area Regional Center has a wealth of opportunities for improving transportation and safety, such as improving crossings and investing in Complete Streets. In particular, the 2018 San Antonio Severe Pedestrian Injury Areas Report (pages 33-34) identifies SPIAs within the Regional Center that should be priorities for study and investment, including Old Pearsall Road from Loop 410 to War Cloud Street (from previous 2011-2015 SPIA) and Cupples Road from Menefee Boulevard to Kirk Place (from the 2014-2018 SPIA). See Figure # - SPIAs Map.

Additional analysis of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle crash data (beyond data and information from the SPIA report), along with community input, also identified additional points of conflict between people and vehicles that should be studied for future improvements. Major highways, such as US 90 and Loop 410 and their associated frontage roads, create barriers for many pedestrians and bicyclists. The unwelcoming environment of fast speeds and limited amenities hinders travel options for those walking or bicycling. Major roadways, like Old Pearsall Road and West Military Drive, have insufficient accommodations and less than ideal conditions for pedestrians and bicycles to travel on and safely cross. Numerous driveways create many potential conflict points between automobiles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Employing strategies to reduce these points of conflict can increase safety in the Regional Center.

Multimodal and connected networks are key aspects to providing mobility for all users, regardless of ability or financial status. Transit improvements ensure areas are accessible while bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure provide last-mile connections to and from transit service and key destinations. Urban design elements, such as driveway relocation, street calming, and Complete Streets, further support these improvements while providing safe and inviting spaces. Balanced/Multimodal StreetsBalanced and multimodal streets, or “Complete Streets”, are envisioned for the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center, providing safe road designs for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists alike. The following streets are recommended for the Public Works Department to study for Complete Streets improvements: Valley Hi Drive from Ray Ellison Boulevard to Springvale Drive;Old Pearsall Road from Excellence Drive to Medina Base Road;SW 36th Street from US 90 to General Hudnell Drive;General McMullen Drive from US 90 to General Hudnell Drive;Billy Mitchell Boulevard from SW 36th Street to General Hudnell Drive; and Quintana Road from SW Military Drive to General Hudnell Drive. Priority Multi-Use TrailsKey Leon Creek Greenway trail connections on the periphery of the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center provide critical continuous arteries of separated pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure network, connecting numerous parks, retail locations, schools, and libraries. The critical access points to these regional amenities provide opportunities to improve connections for people walking or bicycling with deliberate side paths or on-road infrastructure like crosswalks, sidewalks and bicycle facilities. New connections are envisioned along:US 90 from SW 36th Street to Ray Ellison Boulevard; SW 36th Street from US 90 to Billy Mitchell Boulevard; West Military Drive from Quintana Road to US 90; and Medina Base Road from Five Palms Drive to West Military Drive.Preferred Bicycle Routes In many parts of the Regional Center, bicyclists currently ride in mixed-traffic on high-speed and high-volume roads. Additional bike infrastructure, such as designated lanes, is highly recommended where feasible as part of Complete Streets and other improvement projects. These measures will improve riding conditions for today’s commuters and welcome newer, less confident bicyclists that are unaccustomed to riding alongside vehicles. The provision of bicycle parking and micro-mobility at transit stops provides an important connection for people wanting to access transit by bicycle and helps to address the ‘last mile’ challenge. Overall, this helps connect people to and from their destinations and transit. Based on input from the Planning Team and other community stakeholders, the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Plan identifies priority bicycle routes at the following locations: Five Palms Drive from Old Pearsall Road to West Military Drive; andLoop 410 frontage road from US 90 to Ray Ellison Boulevard. Corridors identified for balanced and multimodal Complete Streets along Valley Hi Drive, Old Pearsall Road, SW 36th Street, General McMullen Drive, Billy Mitchell Boulevard, and Quintana Road will also incorporate cycling infrastructure as a component of the design based on future facility and feasibility studies by the Public Works Department.Transit Service Improvements Reliable transit service provides an additional option for people traveling to work, school, recreation, entertainment, and other daily activites who either cannot or choose not to drive a personal automobile. VIA Metropolitan Transit bus routes that link neighborhoods to such destinations increase quality of life and employment and education opportunities for area residents, employees, and students. Re-establishing fixed route VIA bus service along 36th Street will improve the Port San Antonio area transit network and better link the area to a variety of opportunities and amenities in other parts of the city.
Shifting users from driving alone to alternative modes of transportation can alleviate congestion along a corridor or within an area. This becomes more viable when alternatives are convenient, such as through improved access to transit and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. To support growth and continue the vibrancy of the Regional Center’s economic centers, the community needs easy, reliable, and congestion- proof choices for traveling to and from work, school, and key destinations.While congestion can be viewed as a sign of economic health, delays caused by congestion waste valuable time and create transportation emissions that reduce air quality. The transportation industry has learned we cannot build our way out of congestion by continuously adding additional lanes, however, a series of targeted operational and multimodal interventions can provide more travel options and reduce the demand on our roadways. Key investments to reduce congestion and conflict zones that delay transit vehicles can help them move more efficiently on San Antonio’s roadways and stay on schedule. These improvements, paired with other VIA Metropolitan Transit investments in public transit service, can help make transit a more attractive travel option. These strategies can support the vibrancy of the Regional Center, by connecting residents with easy, reliable, and congestion-proof choices for traveling to and from work, school, and key destinations. Key improvements that could improve transit mobility include peak-hour bus-only lanes that give priority to buses in times of peak traffic; queuing jump traffic signals to allow buses a chance to get ahead of the traffic; transit priority lanes; and bus bulbs to allow buses to pick up passengers without entering/exiting traffic. Studies will need to be conducted to determine the appropriateness for each strategy for the areas of local congestion, including: Railroad crossing of Zarzamora Street and Frio City Road; andUS 90 westbound frontage roads at Kel-Lac Transit Center. Based on input from the Planning Team and other community stakeholders, the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Plan identifies the following priority transit corridors for the Regional Center: Medina Base Road from Old Pearsall Road to Loop 410; Springvale Drive from Hwy 90 to Valley Hi Drive;Cupples Road from Hwy 90 to General Hudnell Drive; andWest Thompson Place from General McMullen to Cupples Road.
A future VIA Metropolitan Transit Advanced Rapid Transit Corridors is anticipated to operate east-west connecting the AT&T Center, Downtown, and Lackland Air Force Base along Houston Street, Commerce Street, and Enrique M. Barrera Parkway and US 90 . The intersection of West Military Drive and US 90 will require prioritized transit-supportive policies and infrastructure, such as reduced parking requirements, and cohesive networks of sidewalks, crosswalks and curb ramps improvements to provide safe connections to the transit lines for people walking, bicycling, or getting dropped off in a vehicle. Providing last-mile connections between transit and key destinations, such as jobs and public spaces, improves mobility throughout the Regional Center while supporting walkability and safety for all transportation users. Key components of VIA Metropolitan Transit’s approach of making a place transit-supportive are streets designed for pedestrians, improving the safety of all users, and supporting compact, mixed-use developments that provide access to a variety of services reachable on foot. Every person that gets on or off a transit vehicle is a pedestrian. Safe, comfortable, and direct access to transit for people walking or biking to a transit station or stop will improve their experience as a transit rider and will increase the number of people choosing walking, bicycling, and taking transit as their preferred travel choice. These improvements also contribute to the overall quality of neighborhoods and communities.

Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Mobility Framework

The Mobility Framework lays out the vision for accommodating the constantly expanding mobility needs of the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center. Below are guiding principles that will help ensure a mobility network that is safe and inviting for people walking, shopping, parkingspan, and driving in the Regional Center.

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Modal Priority Corridors

Streets play a multifaceted role in the plan area, serving both as arteries for traffic and as public spaces. Changes to street design can achieve the mobility vision of the Regional Center. The modal priority corridors reflect the vision for how motorists, bicyclists, transit users, and pedestrians will interact with key corridors throughout the area. Modal priority corridors guide design treatments of a particular mode. A modal priority corridor does not exclude other users but helps guide tradeoff decisions during the design of a specific street.


Automobile

Automobile corridors are envisioned to support high levels of motor vehicle travel daily. These corridors are often interstates, highways, arterials, and other primary roadways which provide connections to major destinations and link the Regional Center to other parts of the city. Significant automobile corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center include, but are not limited to, Loop 410, Covel Road, and West Military Drive. Automobile corridor improvements focus on relieving traffic congestion and enhanced roadway design to increase the safety of motor vehicle travel.

Freight

Freight corridors are envisioned to support the ability to move high levels of goods by freight trucks that will travel between industrial or commercial areas and major destinations. Growdon Road, Berman Road, Clarence Tinker Drive, and General Hudnell Drive are freight corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center due to their proximity to industrial areas and major rail lines and their connections to SW Military Drive, US 90, and Hwy 151.

Bicycles

Bicycle corridors are envisioned to provide convenient, safe, and comfortable biking options for all ages and abilities. An integrated network of bicycle routes along with well-designed streets in key activity areas aim to fill the gaps in the multimodal system. The mobility framework focuses on completing the bicycle network and recommends new connections to directly access trails and other amenities. Bicycles priority corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center are Five Palms Drive, which provides a connection from Lackland Airforce Base to adjacent areas that have a future land use designation of mixed-use, and along the Loop 410 access road, if a separated bike lane could be accommodated, to connect to Stablewood Farms Park.

Transit/Pedestrian

Transit and pedestrian corridors are envisioned to provide the community with easy, reliable, and congestion-proof choices for traveling to and from work, school, and key destinations. Streets, intersections, and traffic signals greatly influence transit service reliability and the passenger’s transit experience. Providing streets that enable reliable and frequent transit service and a walkable environment allows users to choose travel options besides driving – potentially alleviating the primary cause of congestion. As demand on public transit increases, improvements such as dedicated transit lanes, signal timing, and operational improvements along frequently used routes can keep transit vehicles moving regardless of traffic. Transit/Pedestrian priority corridors in the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center include Medina Base Road, Springvale Drive, Cupples Road, and West Thompson Place.

Multi-Use Trail

Multi-use trail corridors are envisioned to provide continuous arteries of separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities that connect numerous destinations, parks, retail and commercial development, schools, libraries, and residential areas. A multi-use trail provides access points to regional amenities and improves connections for people walking, or bicycling. There is potential to develop multi-use trail pathways providing east-west connections along US 90 with access to north-south connections along SW 36th Street, West Military Drive, and Medina Base Road.

Balanced/Multimodal

Balanced and multimodal corridors are envisioned as “Complete Streets”, with a street design that considers all users and accommodates all ages and abilities including children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. These corridors balance the priorities of multiple modes and require community conversations and case-by-case consideration to best align design with the community’s vision. The function of the road, level of traffic by mode, and adjacent land use and intensity will help determine the road type and design features. As the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center continues to grow in terms of employees, residents, and commercial services, proposed balanced and multimodal design treatments for Valley Hi Drive, Old Pearsall Road, SW 36th Street, General McMullen Drive, Billy Mitchell Boulevard, and Quintana Road should be prioritized to meet growth demands.

Pedestrian

Pedestrian corridors are envisioned as comfortable and safe pathways for residents connecting residential areas to amenities including transit stops, commercial development, parks, schools, and restaurants. Ray Ellison Boulevard and Springvale Drive south of Valley Hi Drive have been identified as priority pedestrian corridors within the Regional Center. Pedestrian needs and enhancements often include adding lighting, landscaping, buffered sidewalks, and connected crosswalks and pathways. These additions will increase the overall feeling of safety for all users and will encourage pedestrian travel to and from residential areas to commercial areas.

Pedestrian Priority Zones

Pedestrian priority zones refer to specific nodes that accommodate significant volumes of pedestrian activity. These priority zones aim to create high-quality street-level experiences to enhance the economic strength of commercial and mixed-use districts. These areas include large sidewalks, safe and balanced intersections, ample crossing opportunities and design characteristics focused on keeping pedestrians safe.


Community members identified the need to make Valley Hi Drive and Springvale Drive more pedestrian-friendly by ensuring these streets have adequate lighting and are redesigned to be ADA compliant. In addition to the Springvale Neighborhood, other pedestrian priority zones were identified on the eastern end of Old Pearsall Road near Pearsall Park and in the Thompson Neighborhood Association community.

Intersection/Crossing Enhancements

Intersection and crossing enhancements are envisioned as intuitive and predictable crossings for all users. Enhancement locations are identified where crossing is considered as a priority and pedestrians, motorists, and bicyclists share space. Whether signalized or un-signalized, crossings with a high level of multimodal activity including pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicles, will facilitate predictability for all users. Intersection enhancements include lowering motor vehicle travel speeds and ensuring high pedestrian visibility. Priority intersection and crossing enhancement locations are identified where complex movements occur and potential conflicts between pedestrians, bicycles and drivers exist.


Mobility Hubs

Mobility hubs are envisioned as scalable nodes of mobility options, such as frequent transit, shared rides, bicycling, and micro-mobility. These areas converge multimodal access and connectivity with adequate lighting, shelters, benches, real-time information, accessible sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings. A mobility hub is identified at the existing Kel-Lac Transit Center and a future mobility hub is identified around the intersection of 36th Street and Billy Mitchell Boulevard.


Port San Antonio Area Regional Center Street Types

As communities evolve and grow, so do the demands on the mobility system. The location and type of growth in an area or along a corridor help determine the demand on the transportation network and the viability of various transportation options. This interdependence makes it crucial to plan for transportation and land use collectively. Streets are organized not only by role and function but also by the character and surrounding context.

As the Port San Antonio Area Regional Center adds residents and employees based on the community’s updated land use plan and proposed focus areas and mixed-use corridors, impacts on the mobility needs of these new people and those of the current residents need to be considered. Land uses encouraging mixed-uses and higher density developments on major roadways will lead to additional pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, cars, and freight delivery trucks of various sizes. Future land use also influences other factors, such as drop-off delivery zones, shared mobility hubs, and walkability. The map below shows the interactions between future land use and transportation plans. The street type classifications integrate transportation and land use, to guide context-sensitive mobility solutions. Figure # shows how street type classifications were assigned based on transportation and land use.

Studies will need to determine common paths and volumes of pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, transit, and freight travel to ensure the area has sufficient infrastructure and careful prioritization of modes to help people safely reach their destinations.

Mixed-use and higher density developments in identified focus areas and along key corridors will require integrated mobility planning to ensure people can access, use, and pass through these areas safely and comfortably by all modes of travel. With additional density in land use, the major roadways can anticipate additional pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, single automobile vehicles and freight delivery trucks of various sizes. In the future, with potential increases in population could increase the demand for pedestrian and bicycle facilities and VIA transit service.


Relationship between the Street and Buildings

Safe and vibrant streetscapes depend on how buildings integrate with surrounding sidewalks. Minimizing building setbacks, the distance between a building and the street, is key for creating a walkable environment. Buildings that meet the sidewalk directly connect pedestrians to destinations and create an enlivened urban space with opportunities to activate ground-floor uses and provide shopping or entertainment offerings. The close proximity of buildings to the street also creates a more inviting environment for pedestrians and gives the sense that pedestrians are prioritized in the environment and were considered during the planning and development process prior to the buildings being constructed.

Smaller setbacks are characteristic of Mixed-Use Local, or Urban/Suburban Local street typologies, which prioritize pedestrian-oriented design. Meanwhile, larger setbacks that can accommodate front-end parking, are more characteristic of secondary arterials (whether suburban, industrial, mixed-use or urban). Primary arterials are designed to move vehicles and may require large setback minimums to accommodate additional parking.

Vehicle Speeds

A successful street hierarchy will align travel speeds with street usages and will decrease speeds accordingly by roadway function. While major regional roads may require higher speeds to accommodate larger volume and heavy traffic flows, most smaller roadways serve lower volumes of vehicles. On these roads, lower speeds ensure a safer environment for people and vehicles alike.

Street typologies that focus on moving vehicles, such as Suburban Commercial, Residential, or Industrial Super and Primary Arterials, will feature higher speeds. However, typologies that focus on people and places, such as Mixed-Use, Multi-family, Urban/Suburban Local Roads and Secondary Arterials, will feature lower speed limits to create increased road safety for both people and vehicles.

Parking

Parking provides access to residential, work, retail options, or entertainment. Cars searching for parking create serious traffic and safety challenges. Incorporating safe street design elements, such as buffering between bike lanes and traffic, can create a safer environment on and around streets.

Street types that emphasize people and places, such as those with Mixed-use or Multi-family contexts will restrict the supply of parking overall. Restricting space allocated for parking allows for more active uses, denser environments, and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, intermediary street typologies that support vehicles as well as people and places will likely offer some on-street parking, in addition to smaller on-site lots. Conversely, Suburban Contexts or Super and Primary Arterials may forgo on-street parking altogether, favoring large surface lots and structures.

Curb Access

A space between the curb and the travel lanes provide an opportunity to serve many uses such as driveways, bus lanes, cycle tracks, on-street parking, bicycle parking, freight drop-off delivery zones, or shared mobility hubs. This flexible space between the curb and the street travel lanes can be converted based on demand and play a role in street activation. The design of the curb influences how cars and people enter and exit work, residential, and retail environments. Addressing areas where traffic and turning patterns increase the risk of accidents will reduce conflicts between driveway traffic and pedestrians and will improve roadway safety.

Suburban Commercial contexts and Super or Primary Arterials will focus on the ease of ingress and egress for vehicles, while Mixed-Use or Local street typologies focused on moving people will emphasize how vehicle access can coexist with safe, walkable environments.

Lane Width

Lane width determines how space is allocated for motorists, buses, trucks, bikes, and parked cars. Streets often dedicate space for bike lanes, parking, safety islands, and travel lanes. The lane width will vary based on the surrounding context and modal priority. For example, transit, freight and emergency response vehicles require wider travel lanes, thus modal priorities need to be considered when determining the appropriate lane widths for roadways.

Wider lane widths are designed to move vehicles in high-speed environments. A Suburban Primary Arterial will be wide enough to efficiently move passengers through residential and commercial environments, while Mixed-Use Local or Suburban Local environments have narrow lanes to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and to promote slower driving speeds, which helps improve pedestrian safety.