Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bike Lanes

San Antonio to Tear Out the “Best Thing” City Has Done for Cycling

Score one for the NIMBY crowd in San Antonio.

The blog Bike San Antonio called the South Flores Street bike lane the best thing the city had ever done for cyclists. Photo: Bike San Antonio
Bike San Antonio called the South Flores Street bike lane the best thing the city had ever done for cyclists. Photo: Bike San Antonio
The blog Bike San Antonio called the South Flores Street bike lane the best thing the city had ever done for cyclists. Photo: Bike San Antonio

City Council representatives have voted 10-1 to remove 2.3 miles of bike lanes on South Flores Street, which the local blog Bike San Antonio says is one of the few cases where the city put a bike lane "where one needs to be." Council members apparently caved to nearby residents who claimed the bike lane caused traffic delays and complained about receiving insufficient notice of the changes.

The restriping of the two-way road, done during a resurfacing project, changed the configuration from four general traffic lanes to two, plus a center turn lane and bike lanes. City traffic studies found that that the bike lanes caused no impediment to motor vehicle traffic, while crashes declined somewhat. But that apparently wasn't good enough for the majority of council, including Rebecca Viagran, who represents most of the area with the bike lanes.

The San Antonio Express-News editorial board said the decision was shortsighted and disappointing:

What we're looking at is a failure of leadership from council, particularly from Viagran.

Not only is it a monumental waste of money to appease a small group of overreactive residents, but it also flies in the face of stated city goals to improve bike infrastructure, the urban core and promote better health.

A group of about 50 people on bikes took to the street last week in protest, the Express News reports. BikeTexas circulated a petition urging the City Council to keep the lanes, but the group noted, "It appears that the City is simply listening to whoever shouts loudest."

Now the city of San Antonio plans to spend almost half its bike lane budget on removing the South Flores bike lanes and routing cyclists onto side streets, which will cost about $740,000.

The lone dissenting vote, Council Member Shirley Gonzales, defended the project passionately, according to the Express News.

“What I think is most important for me is we make a safe environment for all people," she said.

Back in April, Bike San Antonio called the South Flores project the best thing the city has ever done for cyclists: "Lets give credit where credit is due, the city of San Antonio actually put a bicycle lane where the bicycle lane was needed."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

July 11, 2025

New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough

The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.

July 11, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025
See all posts