Wurzbach Parkway crossing to McAllister Park from Salado Creek Greenway is CLOSED

[John]

Due to construction on Wurzbach Parkway (formerly Starcrest) at the southern entrance to McAllister Park, the street crossing for cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians has been closed. It is now marked with signs and barriers showing that the crossing is closed. Yesterday, the Park Policeman, who I have met several times as he is regularly assigned to Tobin Park, was waiving off cyclists and runners who were trying to cross the street and ticketing those who crossed despite the warning. Unfortunately, a male-female cyclist couple were arguing with the officer and yelling profane epithets at the Park Policeman. As the police officer who is part of the Bike Patrol is a nice guy, I was embarrassed by the cyclists behavior and repeated attempts to break the law.

Please be nice to the Park Police, especially when they are just doing their job. In this case, with the speeding traffic on Wurzbach Parkway, the officer was just trying to save lives at a dangerous crossing.

[weekendrider09]

Ditto

[George]

Ditto

What is embarrassing is the seeming complete and utter lack of coordination between TxDOT and the Greenway project people. They had *JUST* put up the pedestrian crossing lights not a few months before they turned around and closed the crossing. Talk about a waste of taxpayer money.

[HammerTime]

I can only imagine the public outcry if that crossing hadn't been put in place when the construction of the pathway on both sides of Starcrest was completed.

It is unfortunate that we have temporarily lost the safe crossing at that point, but TxDOT will be realigning and constructing the crossing as part of the Wurzbach Parkway project, so it will be restored...eventually.

We are our own worst enemy.

[Blammo]

What would N.W.A have to say about this?

[Mr. Z]

I don't think people are smart enough to cross a street. They should pass a law that you must stay safe on your block....to protect us. If just one life is saved it will be worth it.

"America the free" my ass.

[Skowvegas]

Hello all I'm new to the board and am NOT trying to start anything hostile. Does San Antonio have an active bike advocacy group? There should be some type of solution to this OTHER than waiting for the "mid 2013" completion date that TxDOT has stated on their website. I commute twice a week from 1604 to FT.Sam, it sucks coming home and either playing frogger or using Naco and heading west on the parkway to Mcallister. Wetmore is out of the picture as that would be suicide. I don't plan on giving up on commuting by a long shot. Their must be a solution? Return the light only have it active once every half hour, it wouldn't impede traffic that much AND trail users could cross safely. Just seems that SA is not serious about implementing the so called bike plan they devised. I appologize for the rant, any info on SA cycling advocacy would be appreciated thanks.

[TangerineDream]

Just seems that SA is not serious about implementing the so called bike plan they devised. I appologize for the rant, any info on SA cycling advocacy would be appreciated thanks.

Essentially you are correct. While there are some in government here who are advocates of a more complete transportation infrastructure there is often a complete disconnect between what one department, of say, the City of San Antonio is trying to accomplish and what another department of the same city government is actually doing. Like building a linear creekway trail and then closing it completely, with no alternate route, so that they can widen the overpass above it (Leon Creek at Prue). Or like opening a protected bike lane, then barricading it off to park construction equipment dump construction debris all over it, all of which is a precurser to actually going and tearing chunks of asphalt out of that protected bike lane (Avenue B).

With this in mind imagine what happens when different levels of government try and work beside each other. George and Greg both sit on a committee where several departments of the City and TXDOT are represented; clearly the agencies involved are making great use of this opportunity to work in concert. Both of these guys are really trying and I think both of them should by now have flat spots on their foreheads from repeatedly beating their heads against the table in these meetings.

[Skowvegas]

Thank you, that gives me a bit of a different perspective on it.

[Anita Handle]

One of the dudes I ride with is a former SA traffic engineer. Based on what he's told me, you should email your councilman and the traffic dept itself. I'm not sure how many players there are involved here but the traffic dept does look into specific requests and public input.

[aLaN]

It is unfortunate that we have temporarily lost the safe crossing at that point, but TxDOT will be realigning and constructing the crossing as part of the Wurzbach Parkway project, so it will be restored...eventually.

Hammer,

Do we have an ETA on this?


I am "team captain" for our work MS 150 "team". I'd like to use Mac as a meeting place for "team" training rides...

[Toobin' Tobin]

Is there a legal place to cross?

I'd like to ride to Mac from work... if it's legal for me to do so.

[HammerTime]

I'm not sure of the latest schedule, but I think it's safe to say that it won't be soon. If I can get some more specific information on the schedule or alternatives, I'll pass it on.

[John]

According to the Park Police, you will be ticketed for crossing Starcrest/Wurzbach Parkway where it is blocked off. After ticketing a young couple for crossing the barrier going south, they asked to return to where their car was parked at McAllister Park. He told them that they had to find their way to Wetmore Road and ride on Wurzbach Parkway to the entrance to McAllister Park. It did not take them very long to make it back to the entrance, but it looked dangerous to me. I did not see where they entered Wetmore Road, but noticed there are some openings in the fence. Maybe we should do some exploring.

[George]

And therein lies part of the complete idiocy of the issue. To get back to where their car was, they had to subject themselves to the same traffic but over a much longer stretch of road.

[Robert G.]

And therein lies part of the complete idiocy of the issue. To get back to where their car was, they had to subject themselves to the same traffic but over a much longer stretch of road.

Apparently, you can ride on the road, but not cross it legally.

[fat bob]

What an embarrassment! Way to fail CoSA, keep San Antonio fat and driving.

[roubaixtx]

this sounds like a Monty Python sketch. Unreal

[rovertd]

I used the crossing several times a week before the closure. Now I have to drive to ride in Mac. I would argue that the quick crossing is safer than riding any distance on Wetmore, Wruzbach/Starcrest. This area that has traffic merging from the Wetmore feeder combined with drivers jockeying for position leading into the lane closure is not somewhere a cyclist or jogger should be. I don't understand why slowing the traffic down further in what is already a construction zone, and adding plenty of signage around the crossing for car and pedestrian/cycling traffic isn't an option.
The stupefyingly bad coordination between the responsible parties and the complete and utter deference to car traffic is amazing.

[Mr. Z]

I used the crossing several times a week before the closure. Now I have to drive to ride in Mac. I would argue that the quick crossing is safer than riding any distance on Wetmore, Wruzbach/Starcrest. This area that has traffic merging from the Wetmore feeder combined with drivers jockeying for position leading into the lane closure is not somewhere a cyclist or jogger should be. I don't understand why slowing the traffic down further in what is already a construction zone, and adding plenty of signage around the crossing for car and pedestrian/cycling traffic isn't an option.
The stupefyingly bad coordination between the responsible parties and the complete and utter deference to car traffic is amazing.

I would argue that I'm smart enough to cross a street.