San Antonio’s Transportation Department conducted the two-day survey last month. Some groups point to the Bike Network Plan the city passed last year

SAN ANTONIO — A city-led survey conducted last month may challenge preconceived mobility assumptions when it comes to getting around San Antonio, especially around bike riding.

The five-question survey used the FlashVote system, a community engagement tool that allows local governments to gather resident feedback using short surveys. It ran from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25.

The Transportation Department ran a similar survey last year using the FlashVote system; it covered neighborhood safety and found residents were “highly perceptive” to issues affecting their neighborhoods.

More than three-quarters of respondents would accept at least one additional minute of travel time if it meant street safety improvements, the survey found.

“More than half—53 percent—said they would accept four minutes or more,” the department said on its website.

The survey’s final question broached a subject the city has mulled for sometime: Should people be allowed to bike on sidewalks?


Could San Antonio legalize sidewalk bike riding?

The issue, while technically rooted in city ordinance as prohibited, appears to be on the department’s radar. 

Currently, violations of the ordinance would mean a Class C Misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $200, according to a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson.

In a big-picture scope, San Antonio’s Bike Network Plan — adopted by city council in January 2025 — suggests the city decriminalize sidewalk riding, but with exceptions.

The Transportation Department found the survey’s responses were mixed, with respondents pointing to the need for specific exceptions.

By percentages, the two highest-responded answers were yes, though they covered different aspects. One response, at 41% of the vote, said “if they go slow and stay clear of people walking,” while the second, at 42%, said, “if there was no bike lane.”

On the same question, 25% said they should stay on the roads only, and 14% answered that they thought bikes were already allowed on sidewalks.

This issue and the installation of potential no-vehicle-parking in bike lanes signs are “being examined this year,” the department said on its website.

As it exists today, the city bans vehicle parking in a bike lane on a case-by-case basis, per a 2014 ordinance. However, the Bike Network Plan’s documents suggest the city prohibit parking, idling and driving in all bike lanes citywide. Pending the typical council process, the plan sets a target sometime in 2027 for the change.


Survey shows public interest in safer cycling, groups say

Joey Pawlik, executive director of the San Antonio-based active transportation nonprofit ActivateSA, says the department’s survey shows public interest in the use of “multiple tool to create more options for San Antonians to be able to safely cycle around our city.”

“A bike lane with a car parked in it isn’t a bike lane; it pushes people on bikes into traffic. And people ride on sidewalks because there isn’t a safe bike lane or the street simply doesn’t feel safe.”

ActivateSA was one of several community organizations pushing for the Bike Network Plan’s passage last year.

Pawlik believes the “real fix” is a connected cycling network “that gives San Antonians the best option overall,” which the Bike Network Plan has aspirations to do, the Transportation Department has said in the past.

“We support these measures and encourage the City to bring these changes to Council as soon as possible, starting with education and fair enforcement,” Pawlik said.

In a separate, though related survey, the city is taking feedback on a Downtown Accessibility and Mobility Study. Covering a broad swath of mobility, the input will “help the city plan affordable and easy-to-use travel options.” 

That survey is open until 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12.