Expanding a Municipal Bike Share System into an Urban National Park through Community Partnerships: The City of San Antonio and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

摘要

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is located in the urban outskirts of downtown San Antonio, Texas. Since establishment as a National Park Service (NPS) site, visitors have primarily arrived to the park by personal vehicle. Reducing motorized vehicles near the historic missions and promoting alternative transportation options for visitors will improve resource protection and enhance the overall visitor experience. The first bike sharing system in Texas, San Antonio B-Cycle, launched in 2011 in downtown San Antonio. Shortly after, partners in the City of San Antonio?s Office of Sustainability, San Antonio Bike Share, and the NPS?s Rivers, Trails, & Conservation Assistance program proposed a linear expansion of the bike share system from downtown, south along the San Antonio River and a newly built recreation trail, to connect to the park. A successful project proposal was developed for a Federal Transit Administration grant, and in 2012 the City was awarded $324,000, with an additional $295,774 the following year. This case study documents the process for expanding the San Antonio urban municipal bike share system in a non-traditional linear way, within a National Park, by leveraging community partnerships. The study presents contextual information on the local setting and its transportation challenges, identifies relevant strategic initiatives prompting citywide improvements, summarizes the bike sharing concept, and details project development steps. The study concludes with usage data analysis indicating project success and distills project challenges and key findings in order to serve as a useful tool for other bike share implementation or expansion efforts.