Bike Share Program Coming To Park

Date: August 8, 2012
Contact: Krista Sherwood, 210.534.8833
Contact: Al Remley, 210.534.8833

Bike Share comes to the San Antonio Missions

NPS

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is partnering with the City of San Antonio and San Antonio Bike Share to expand the San Antonio B-cycle bike share system south of downtown to connect to the park.

Called the San Antonio B-Cycle Mission Reach Expansion Project, it will link all four missions in San Antonio Missions to each other and to the larger Mission Reach section of the San Antonio River Improvement Project (sanantonioriver.org). This expansion will utilize the new Mission Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvement Project and will incorporate eight miles of non-motorized recreation trails with educational signage and "portal" parks along the route connecting the park to the San Antonio River.

Representing the first bike share system in Texas, the San Antonio B-cycle system was implemented over a year ago and has proven to be widely popular with locals and tourists alike. Currently consisting of 23 stations with over 220 bikes distributed throughout the city, the expansion will provide seven additional stations at or near the four missions which are protected by the National Park Service.

The expansion is a natural extension to the system and one of the most requested projects by B-cycle users. Since the NPS park boundary is non-contiguous, the new bike share stations will enhance non-motorized accessibility for visitors to the park and provide greater connectivity to downtown and the surrounding community. The City of San Antonio and Bexar County have also enhanced street and local park improvements between the Alamo, San Antonio's downtown mission, to the southernmost mission, Mission Espada, a distance of eight miles.

This project is made possible through a Federal Transit Administration Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks grant. The City of San Antonio's Office of Environmental Policy applied for this grant with assistance from San Antonio Bike Share, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and from the NPS Rivers, Trails, & Conservation Assistance Program. The National Park Foundation provided further support by funding a Transportation Scholar to assist in this project as part of the larger goal to enhance transportation to and within the National Park. Other partners include Bexar County and the San Antonio River Authority.