Plan Framework

Mobility Framework

Streets play a multifaceted role in the plan area, serving as arteries for traffic, as public spaces, and to help connect adjacent communities with important area destinations and amenities. Recommended design changes to current and future streets can help achieve the community’s overarching vision for the Regional Center. Modal priority corridors do not exclude other users. They help guide design treatments and tradeoff decisions that support a particular mode during the design of a specific street.

Automobile corridors are envisioned to support high levels of daily motor vehicle travel. These corridors are often interstates, highways, arterials, and primary roadways which provide connections to major destinations and link the Regional Center to other plan areas. Significant automobile corridors in the Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center include Pleasanton Road, Neal Road, and S Zarzamora Road near the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus.

Bicycle corridors are envisioned to provide convenient, safe, and comfortable biking options for all ages and abilities. An integrated network of bicycle routes along with a well-designed grid network of streets surrounding the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus is a key aspect of the multimodal system. The mobility framework focuses on creating a complete bicycle network that provides direct access to the campus, commercial and residential nodes, and trails. Priority bicycle corridors in the Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center include Zarzamora Street and Villaret Boulevard, which provide a direct connection between Palo Alto College and the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campuses. Protected bicycle facilities are also prioritized along the newly proposed multimodal/balanced corridors throughout the plan area, to provide safe routes for students going to or from campus.

Multi-use trail corridors are envisioned to provide continuous arteries of separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities that connect numerous destinations, parks, retail and commercial development, schools, libraries, and residential areas. Multi-use trails provide access to regional amenities and improve connections for people who walk, stroll or bicycle. The Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center will benefit from the expansion of the existing Medina River Natural Area trail, to provide connections to Pleasanton Road Trailhead near Mitchell Lake. An additional multi-use trail connecting to the Medina River Natural Area trail will extend beyond Mauermann Road to the campus area. Another priority connection provides a link between Mauermann Road and Hwy 16.

Balanced and multimodal corridors are envisioned as “complete streets.” Complete streets are designed to enable safe access for all users and to accommodate all ages and abilities, including children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. These corridors balance the priorities of multiple modes and require additionalcommunity conversations and case-by-case design to best align with the community vision. The function of the road, level of traffic by mode, and adjacent land use and intensity will help determine the road type and design features. As the Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center continues to grow in terms of employees, residents and commercial services, this Regional Center will build upon the existing balanced/multimodal corridors of University Way and Jaguar Parkway to include Zarzamora Street, and the future gird network of new connections serving the campus area, the Vida! San Antonio development, and industrial areas in the central portion of the Regional Center between Mauermann Road and Leon Creek.

Pedestrian focus areas refer to specific nodes that accommodate significant volumes of pedestrian activity. These focus areas aim to create high-quality street-level experiences to enhance the economic strength of commercial and mixed-use districts. These areas include wide sidewalks, safe and balanced intersections, ample crossing opportunities and design elements focused on keeping pedestrians safe. The Mobility Framework identified the existing and planned expansion of the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus and the Vida San Antonio community as priority areas for pedestrian-focused design treatments.

Intersection and crossing enhancements should be both intuitive and predictable for all users. Whether signalized or un-signalized, crossings where a high level of multimodal activity including pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles sharing space, should be prioritized. Intersection enhancements include lowering motor vehicle travel speeds and ensuring high pedestrian visibility. Priority intersection and crossing enhancement locations are identified where complex movements occur and potential conflicts between pedestrians, bicycles and drivers exist. The Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center has identified 15 crossing locations that need enhancements, including the intersections of the newly proposed multi-use trail at Mauermann Road and along Pleasanton Road.

Mobility hubs are envisioned as scalable nodes of mobility options, such as frequent transit, shared rides, bicycling and micro-mobility. These areas converge multimodal access and connectivity with adequate lighting, shelters, benches, real-time information, accessible sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. A mobility hub is identified at the intersection of Jaguar Parkway and University Way to serve both university students and residents of the Vida San Antonio community.

Gateway treatments can be an essential component of successful urban design. Gateways signal a change in character and are often used as a place marker. They are highly visible signs or arches which can showcase public art, and help establish area branding. It is suggested that four gateways are added to distinguish the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus. These locations include the intersection of Zarzamora Road and Loop 410; Zarzamora Road and Jaguar Parkway; University Way and Loop 410; and the intersection of two newly proposed automobile roadways, located west of Jaguar Parkway near the railroad.

Texas A&M-San Antonio Area Regional Center Street Types

Relationship between the Street and Buildings

Safe and vibrant streetscapes depend on how buildings integrate with surrounding sidewalks. Minimizing building setbacks, the distance between a building and the street, is crucial for creating a walkable environment. Buildings adjacent to the sidewalk directly connect pedestrians to destinations and create an enlivened urban space with opportunities to activate ground-floor uses and provide shopping or entertainment offerings.

Smaller setbacks are characteristic of Mixed-Use Local, or Urban/Suburban Local typologies, which prioritize pedestrian-oriented design. Meanwhile, larger setbacks that can accommodate front-end parking, are more characteristic of secondary arterials (whether suburban, industrial, mixed-use or urban). Primary arterials are designed to move vehicles and may require large setback minimums to accommodate additional parking.

A successful street hierarchy will align travel speeds with street usage and roadway function. While major regional roads may require higher speeds to accommodate heavy traffic flows, most smaller roadways serve lower volumes of vehicles. On these roadways, lower speeds ensure a safe environment for both vehicles and pedestrians/bicyclists.

Street typologies that focus on moving vehicles, such as Suburban Commercial, Residential, or Industrial Super and Primary Arterials, will feature higher speeds. However, typologies that focus on people and places, such as Mixed-use, Multi-family, Urban/Suburban Local Roads and Secondary Arterials, will feature lower speed limits to increase road safety for both people and vehicles.

Parking is one option for providing access to work, retail, or entertainment. Drivers in search of parking create serious traffic and safety challenges. Incorporating other safe street design elements, such as buffering between bike and travel lanes, can create a safer on-street parking environment.

Street types that emphasize people and places, such as those in Mixed-use or Multi-family contexts will restrict the supply of parking overall, which allows for more active uses, denser environments, and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, intermediary street typologies that support vehicles, as well as people and places, will likely offer some on-street parking, in addition to smaller on-site lots. Conversely, Suburban Contexts or Super and Primary Arterials may eliminate on-street parking altogether, in favor of large surface lots and structures.

A space between the curb and travel lanes provides an opportunity to serve many uses such as driveway access, bus lanes, cycle tracks, on-street parking, bicycle parking, drop-off delivery zones, or shared mobility hubs. This flexible zone can be converted based on demand and play a role in street activation. The design of the curb influences how cars and people enter and exit work, residential, and retail environments. In areas where traffic and turning movements increase the risk of accidents, implementation strategies will reduce conflicts between driveway traffic and pedestrians and improve roadway safety.

Suburban Commercial contexts and Super or Primary Arterials focus on the ease of ingress and egress for vehicles, while Mixed-use or Local street typologies focus on moving people and emphasize how vehicle access can coexist with safe, walkable environments.

Lane width determines how cities can allocate space for vehicles, transit, freight, bikes, and on-street parking. Streets often contain dedicated space for bike lanes, parking, safety islands, and travel lanes. The lane width will vary based on the surrounding context and modal priority. For example, transit, freight, and emergency response vehicles require at least 11’ travel lanes.

Wider lane widths are designed to move vehicles in high-speed environments. For example, a Suburban Primary Arterial will be wide enough to efficiently move cars through residential and commercial environments, while Mixed-use Local or Suburban Local environments support narrow lanes to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and to help promote slower driving speeds.