keeping san antonio in motion!

KEEPING
SAN ANTONIO
IN MOTION!
SAN ANTONIO IS AT A CROSSROADS.
S
an Antonio is America's 8th largest city: And it is estimated that by
2025, Bexar County's population will reach 1.8 million'l-c- 20% higher
than it is today. Meanwhile, funding for public transportation, street improvements
and highway projects has not been able to keep up with the growing community
needs. There is a plan to keep San Antonio moving as we keep growing.
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Population Estimates
•
IMPROVED STREETS, HIGHWAYS, & PUBLIC
TRANSIT COULD HELP WITH GROWTH.
The more our community grows, the more our traffic problems will grow. Economic growth, such as the new Toyota plant,
creates need for expanded roads and public transportation options. And segments of our community that rely on public
transit the most-students,
elderly, and disabled--are already growing rapidly. Fully coordinated sh-eet, highway, and
public transit planning is one way to deal with this situation.
Improvements to existing streets and non ..toll highways
are a part of the plan.
Consider the ongoing need for street Tepairs, new sidewalks, safety projects, expanded highway lanes, and intersections.
These projects affect all of us. The City of San Antonio and the Texas Department
such matters-yet
of Transportation
toll projects under consideration
by TxDOT do not address all of San Antonio's
street and highway needs.
Public transit can also help
ease traffic congestion.
By providing over 38 million passenger trips each year,
VIA already keeps a lot of excess traffic off the streets. In
fact, without VIA, San Antonio drivers would spend 3.5
million more hours each year sitting in traffic.
to budgetary constraints,
**
But due
VIA is unable to do much more
to address today's needs, much less expand service to a
growing community. Recent city growth and unfunded
mandates from Washington
have put strains on VIA. The
cost of VIAtrans service alone, which is an essential service for people with disabilities, has grown to 20% of VIA's
annual budget. The agency has had to dip into reserves to
fund annual operations. In short, VIA has stretched its 1/2
cent sales tax funding as far as it can go. Without additional
resources, it will have to decrease current bus services,
eliminate downtown streetcars, delay new transit facilities,
and reduce VIAtrans service for people with disabilities to
the minimum federal guidelines.
*TxDOT
** Texas
(T xDOT) oversee
these entities face their own combined shortfall of $8 billion for projects already planned."
Texas Metropolitan Mobility Plan Draft Report, San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization, July 2004
Transportation Institute, Mobility Data for San Antonio
Even the
CREATINGAN
ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT
TO MEET THESE NEEDS.
To respond to these transporrarion
additional
AOV:N~E~
T~A:S~O:TATT>DN
l<aepingf;,m Antnnio in motion.
challenges, the citizens of San Antonio
1/4 cent sales tax to create an Advanced Transportation
community-wide effort between the City
of San Antonio, T xDOT, and VIA. The
election will be held on November
2, 2004. If approved, the
ATD would use new tax money to help fund advanced
portation
projects
are being asked to invest an
District (ATD), an entity allowing for a
undertaken
trans-
by all three agencies.
Basic
project plans for the first ten years will be described
in the
pages that follow. Based on input from the community, and
resolutions passed by the' VIA Board of Trustees, these funds
would not be used for light rail or for projects on eoll rocds.
~~ Add and improve sidewalks to enhance connectivity
between neighborhoods and major roadways.
» Minimize highway conges6on by ~ting
Offer more transit options; passenger facilities, and other
rider conveniences.
How the ATD funds will be divided.
How
YOUR 1/4 CENT WILL KEEP
SAN ANTONIO IN
MOTION.
Adding
1/4 cent to the sales tax amounts to one penny for
every $4. And everyone who buys anything
Antonio--including
tourists-will
in San
be contributing.
Yet
small as it seems, thar fraction of a penny is expected
amount
to an additional
$34 million per year-all
to
slated to
provide street, highway, and public transit solutions.
Even with the increase, San Antonio's
portation
sales tax for trans-
will still be 1/4 cent less than that of Dallas,
Houston or Austin. And San Antonio's
be less than that of those cities-and
state projects.
~~ Utilize technology to provide faster bus trips and
extend bus service hours.
overall sales tax will
even that of Balcones
Heights, Castle Hills, Converse, Live Oak, Selma, Shavano Park, and other neighboring
cities,
HALF OF THE ATD FUNDS WILL
IMPROVE HIGHWAYS, STREETS, & RELATED
INFRASTRUCTURE.
TxDOT will be able to complete non ..toll highway projects sooner.
One fourth of the money collected by ATD will be used by T xDOT to leverage federal matching funds. This will increase
T xDOT's budget for local work and speed up projects that would otherwise take years to even get started.
~
Expand highways-on
~
Improve intersections
and ramps.
~
Undertake
safety projects including sidewalks, bike lanes and continuous
impartant
non-toll roads only-to
relieve congestion.
STATE PROJECTS
-~ -~ -.......,~~-~~""~ -~~-~-..--¥.~--~PLANNED
~ ~,-~.. ATD
----~~~,
~ "'"~~~,--,
HIGHWAY
highway lighting.
.~, .~~""'~"""-'-""'-~-","'-
FROM
To
DESCRIPTION
Nacogdoches
Austin Highway
Upgrade to l G-lane freeway and traffic management
,.,......,
MAP REFERENCE
system
~16;
Foster Road
Reconfigure
ramps & intersection
Reconstruct
and expand 2 to 4 lanes with turn lane
Blanco
Glade Crossing
Wilderness Oaks
Bandera
Ligustrum
Cincinnati
(east & west bound)
®
Highway and street
projects planned by
-
Information
provided by the Texas Department
of Transportation.
I TxDOTthat
will be accelerated
The City of San Antonio will have more funds to improve streets.
One fourth of AID funds will be used to increase the city's resources for street improvements. The City plans to make specialized improvements
along major arterial streets throughout the city (see chart below) to enhance connectivity between neighborhoods and major roadways.
~~ Reduce
traffic congestion with improved traffic signal timing, additional
signals, construction
of new turn lanes, widening"
and other mobility improvements.
»
»
Improoe sidewalks-AID
Make ADA-compliant
funds will be used to add or improve sidewalks with priority given to those on or adjacent to transit corridors.
improoements
to sidewalks, curbs, and wheelchair ramps.
~~ Improve and I or add cl"Osswalks, pedestrian street markers, and other facilities.
CITY STREETS AND AREAS PLANNED
~~Applewhite/Zarzamora/SH
•• Austin
16
~~Hildebrand
HtghwayfEisenhauer
••
~~Bulverde
~~Huebner
~.
.~
»
Business District
Commerce/Buena
Vista
»
»
East
Houston/Commerce
~~Ingram
IMPROVEMENTS
Nogalitos/Zarzamora
Prue West
East
~~
Road
Park Mall
Jones Maltsberger
Commercial/Division
ATD
Hildebrand Midtown
~~Broadway/Alamo
~~Central
FOR ONE OR MORE
»
»
Southcross/Loop 410
Stone Oak
~~Marbach/Hunt
~~Thousand
~~ Military/Goliad
~~Vance
Oaks West
CUIebr9/Bandera
~. Fredericksburg Road North
» ~icksbtugJBal.cones
Heigli~
Fredericksburg/Deco District
Ftedencksbufg/Five
CITY
Milltary/Lackbmd
~~ Nacogdoches/Wetmore/Broadway
POints
ATD
Jackson
IMPROVEMENTS
Information provided by the City of San Antonio.
~~Wetmore/Bulverde/Classen
zw
HALF OF THE ATD FUNDS WILL
IMPROVE OUR PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
VIA will provide better services, better facilities, and
additional public transit options.
~
Better service on busiest routes-increase
routes with IS-minute
or better service, improve travel times ro destinations,
and extend service hours (24 hours, 7 days a week on key routes inside Loop 410 and in the Medical Center).
~
Expanded sevvice to new a1'easwith high ridership potential, such as the new Toyota plant, and launch pilot programs
for (1) vanpooli.ng and (2) commuter bus service between job centers (such as the Medical Center)
and outlying residential areas.
••
Better passenger
facilities-add
~
New technology-introduce
1,100 more benches,
700 more bus shelters, build more
Park & Rides and transit centers, and 50 "Super Stops" at high ridership locations.
signal priority systems for up to 20% improvement
times, plus rider amenities such as new Smartcard
and online trip planning
rider payment,
in bus tmvel
realtime bus arrival displays,
stations.
VIA plans to enhance passenger facilities and construct high-usage
"Super Stops" such as this one in Florida.
PL~NNED SITE..<;FOR NEW!
UPGRADED PASSENGER FACILITIES
Brooks
MAP
REFEllli'lCE
Express Commuter
Routes connecting
employees from outlying
<D
Area Station
University Park & Ride Upgrade
rn
@
communities to their
worksites in
San Antonio
-'-'
4'i~.:...,,~
IH-35 North and Loop 1604
MedicaL Center Upgrade
San Pedro and Loop 410
®6I,,'~:~:';i"
--'
[l.. ~I
:,~~,,~tCl
,~,0t·~
US 281 North Park & Ride
®
2J.~
West S;de Multi-Modal Facility
®
,
• .I~AI
.".
Information
provided by VIA Metropolitan
Transit.
--'
I 24 ..Hour
oI
Bus Service
Preliminary sites for
new or upgraded VIA
Park & Rides and
passenger transit centers
THE ATD WILL BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY.
The ATD is designed to reduce traffic congestion
and increase mobility within San Antonio,
so everyone who lives here can
benefit. Ride the bus? The ATD will work to offer you more service hours, faster trips, and better facilities. Drive your own
vehicle? The ATD will work to reduce highway traffic congestion
benefit from additional
bike lanes. And pedestrians
and improve traffic flow at intersections.
will receive better access through additional
Bicyclists will
or improved sidewalks.
Need More Information?
For more detailed information on the Advanced Transportation District and its specific plans, attend an Information
September (see list below). To get more ATD information from VIA, you can:
~~ Call362-2222
»
Fair in
Log on to AdvancedTransportationDistrict.org
ATD Information Fairs
Saturday, September 18
VIA Metro Center, 1021 San Pedro
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Thursday, September 30
Medical Center Transit Center, 7535 Merton Minter
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Citizen Oversight
of the ATD
ON NOVEMBER 2, You DECIDE.
Get the facts and decide for yourself how you want to vote on this issue. Early voting begins
October
18, 2004, at locations throughout
the city (see list below).
Election Day - November 2, 2004 (7:00 am..7:00 pm)
Early Voting
The Advanced Transportation District
will operate under a stringent ethics
policy that will guide all decision-making
processes. In addition, an
Oversight Committee, composed of a wide
range of San Antonio citizens, will
provide the Am with valuable input, opinio
and expertise - helping ensure
that the projects planned will be delivered.
Advanced Transportation District
Oversight Committee
October 18 - October 29, 2004
Ruben M. Escobedo, CPA, Chair
Main Early Voting Location:
Certified Public Accountant
Bexar County Justice Center, 300 Dolorosa
(NOTE: This location closed Sat., Oct. 23 and Sun., Oct. 24, and dosed at 6 pm Oct. 25 - 29)
Rabbi Barry Block
Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth-El
Other Early Voting Locations:
Blattman Elementary
. 3300 N. Loop 1604 W
"_'
City Public Service
509 S.w. Milirary
Cody Library
11441 Vance Jackson
Larry Clark, ASLA
McCreless Mall
Activity Center
-c ,
-.
!.-
Local Business Owner
7001 Culebra
Fernando Fernandez
VIA trans Rider/VIA Citizens Advisory Council
5047 De Zavala Rd.
Shavano Baptist Church
Bender Wells Clark Design
Richard Contreras
3!
I'
Northside
-;--
Landscape Architect,
4100 S. New Braunfels
c-
Glen Alan Graham
_
Cortez Library
2803 Hunter
South Park Mall
2310 S.w. Milirnry
Dcllcrcst Shopping Center
1800 S. W,WWhite
Thousand OakslEl Sendero Library
4618 Thousand
Great Northwest
9050 Wellwood
VlA Metro Center
1021 San Pedro
•
',;
VIA Bus Rider
Milton Guess
Chairman,
Oaks
San Antonio
Area Tourism Council
Dr. Ana M. "Cha" Guzman
President, Palo Alto College
Library
Nettie Patricia Hinton
VIA Citizens Advisory Council
Las Palma, Library
515 Castroville Rd.
Westlakes Mall
1401 S.\V Loop 410
Barbara Johnson
President, San Antonio
Conservation Society
Early Voting Times:
Mon., Oct. 18 - Frl., Oct. 22
John P. Kelly, P.E.
Former T xDOT San Antonio District Engineer
VP Major Projects in Texas, DMJM & Harris
Sister Odilia Korenek
Sun., Oct. 24
12 noon - 6 pm (Justice Center, closed all day)
President/CEO, Blessed
Sacrament Academy
Charles Lutz, III
Voting times and locations are subject to change. Information is available
through the Bexar County Elections Office at 335-VOTE.
This is what voters will see on the ATD item on the November ballot.
Advanced Transportation District Election
The question presented is whether VIA Metropolitan Transit will be authorized to create an Advanced
Transportation District within the City of San Antonio, Texas. The District would be funded by a sales
and use tax of one-fourth of one percent (1/4 of 1¢) to be allocated as follows:
»
One-half (50%) of the tax proceeds will be used for projects including advanced
transportation
services, operations, passenger amenities, equipment, and other advanced
transportation
purposes.
~~ One-fourth (25%) would be used to construct, improve and maintain streets, sidewalks and
related infrastructure designed to improve mobility, and other advanced transportation
or
mobility enhancement
purposes within the District; and
» One-fourth
(25%) would be used as the local share for state and federal grants for improved
highways, transportation
infrastructure designed to improve mobility, and other advanced
transportation
or mobility enhancement
purposes within the District.
"The creation of an Advanced Transportation
District and the imposition of a sales and use tax for
advanced transportation
and mobility enhancement
within the District at a rate to be set by the
governing body of the Advanced Transportation
District at one-fourth of one percent (1/4 of 1¢)."
J P Morgan Chase
Bill Martin
Former Mayor, City of Castle Hills
Chair, VIA Citizens Advisory Council
Aurora Ortega-Geis
Director, San Antonio
Partnership
Office, Fannie Mae!
Josue (Joe) Robles, Jr.
Executive Vice President,
CFO and Corporate Treasurer, USAA
Major General US. Army (ReL)
Bob Salvatore
President, Building Trade Council, AFL-C10
Sherry Shaw
President, Blossom Park Neighborhood Association
VIA Citizens Advisory Council
Dr. Morris A. Stribling
President, Foot Care of Central San Antonio
Chairman, Alamo City Chamber of Commerce
Rev. E. Thunuan Walker
Antioch
Baptist Church
Ray Wilkinson
President, Texas Allied Landscape
VIA Citizens Advisory Council
Gary Woods
President/COO,
McCombs Enterprises
VIA/ATD Board of Trustees
Timothy N. Tuggey,Chair
Charles R. Munoz, Vice Chair
Leo Lopez, Secretary
Gracie Acuna
Hank Brummett
~ing
210-362-2222
s:anArrroniain motion.
• www.AdvancedTransportationDistrict.org
Barbara Christian
Dr. Charles Cotrell
Heriberto(Eddie)Herrera
Oliver Hill
I
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