BikeSafeSanAntonio

By: A. Veronica Petralia – San Antonio’s Ride Like A Girl

On Monday afternoon, several cyclists headed to Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio to ride their bikes with Mayor Julian Castro & Councilman Ray Lopez. The turn out was small due to the time & day they planned to hold the ride. There were maybe 50 cyclists that joined in. Leaders from several local cycling clubs & many avid riders all in their colorful jerseys.

Mayor Castro responded to a question from a reporter asking about how San Antonio could never be bike-friendly, as evidenced by the tragic incident with Greg & Alex Bruehler on Bandera Road just last month.  The mayor quickly responded, saying “Truth be told, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to create a network of bicycle lanes across the city to make it safe everywhere”.

Some of it was just plain humorous.  The two hadn’t been on a bike for a while.  SAPD’s bike patrol had to tuck the mayor’s suit pant leg into his sock. (I initially tied my bandana around his pants, but he requested it be removed, the mayor felt that ’pink’ is not his best color.)  SAPD made a valiant attempt at showing the mayor how to put his foot into the cages that were on the pedals.  I suggested they remove the cages as a safety precaution. Spoke with him briefly about how to secure the heel of his dress shoe to the backside of the pedal while riding. He found it amusing, especially when I told him I rode 34 miles on Saturday in high heels.

The bike they brought for the mayor to ride didn’t shift well.  I had the pleasure of riding along side him, with hopes of being able to discuss some local biking issues.  Instead talk focused on getting the bike into a lower gear & how to safely maneuver through the traffic, potholes & drainage ditches.   At one point we had to stop, with him jumping off the bike, so we could get it shifted to a harder gear, before the red light changed.

Some of the motorists were in true form, not even paying attention to the SAPD uniformed bike patrol.  Couple of cars came very close to us, prompting the mayor to state more than once that he was beginning to understand the cyclists challenges with the traffic.  We proceeded south on St Mary’s St. to the King Williams area.  At that point the mayor had to get back to his office.  The remainder of the riders continued on to Mission Trails.  I decided I needed to get back to the office, as well.

After the ride, Councilman Ray Lopez told press, “It’s a different experience being behind the handlebars than it is being behind the wheel of a car.  It highlights the vulnerability.  It’s something you have to experience to understand”.

While it was great of the mayor to participate in this ride, cyclists of San Antonio need to continue to advocate & work towards being heard.  As evidenced by the lack of cycling experience of both the mayor & councilman, they do not have a good understanding of cyclists needs.  And they don’t need to.  It is up to us to become proactive & involved to help make San Antonio more bike-friendly.

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