San Antonio Bike Light And Safe Passing Ordinance

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The City of San Antonio has adopted a Bike Light Ordinance. This ordinance is the same as State of Texas law requirements which require a front white light, and rear red reflector or red rear light. Not complying with the ordinance is a Class C Misdemeanor punishable up to $200 fine. SAFE PASSING ORDINANCE The City of San Antonio has adopted a “Safe Passing” ordinance which sets a requirement of safe passing by motor vehicles for vulnerable road users. It establishes a duty of due care and the requirement of a motor vehicle operator not to interfere with vulnerable users' legal use of the road. Safe passing distance is defined as 3' for cars and 6' for commercial or large trucks that only applies when road conditions allow. Violation of the ordinance is punishable as a Class C misdemeanor and fine not to exceed $200.00.

The ordinance provides the foundation for an education campaign of tolerance and acceptance for "active" forms of alternative transportation, which furthers the City's goals of promoting San Antonio as a Bicycle Friendly Community, as well as the enhancement of walkable streets and neighborhoods. City Ordinance does not allow bicycles to be ridden on sidewalks (except for law enforcement and emergency personnel) [City of San Antonio Ordinances Sec. 19-286]

Sign-up for Street Skills Training

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New to city cycling? Returning to bicycling from a long hiatus? Just want to be more in tune with bike progress in the Alamo Area or become more confident riding on streets?

The MPO’s new Street Skills class is a free, 45-minute program for adults and mature teens who want to understand where they fit on the street. It will cover important street riding information in a quick, off-bike session.

Join fellow bicyclists (and bicycling new-comers) to learn from the MPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Planner in an informal, classroom-style presentation and discussion. The MPO’s Street Skills class will provide concrete examples of city cycling scenarios and how best to handle them so that you enjoy pleasant, stress-free rides.

Each class participant will receive a helmet and bike light set, thanks to funding through a 2015 TxDOT Safety Grant. Street Skills classes are open to adults and teens who are at least 14 years old. Participants between 14 and 18 years old must attend with a legal guardian.

Advance registration is requested of all participants, so please sign up for one of our next classes below. More classes to be scheduled soon!

Street Skills - February 17 @ 6 p.m.

Street Skills - February 19 @ 5:30 p.m.

Interested in becoming a BMAC member?

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The MPO is seeking applications to fill three vacancies on its Bicycle Advisory Committee (BMAC). The positions represent:

Citizen at Large: This member will represent the community as a whole and must reside in the MPO's study area.

Professional Organization: This member should be serving an officer or staff role in a professional organization (examples include the American Institute of Architects, a Chamber of Commerce, or Institute of Transportation Engineers.) The vacant position is currently an alternate. The applicant who is appointed will fill the primary position when the current member’s term expires on October 31, 2015.

Bicycling Organization: The San Antonio Wheelmen Currently holds a seat on the Board. The vacant position is currently an alternate. The applicant who is appointed will fill the primary position when the current member’s term expires on October 31, 2015.

The MPO is accepting applications through 5 p.m. Friday, February 13th. Please help spread the word, or apply now!

VIA Expands Bike lid parking

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With every VIA bus equipped with bike racks, about 1,300 VIA riders combine these two modes of transportation everyday. Now a pilot Bike Lid program has increased the option of securely parking your bike at the Medical Center Transit Center and is set to expand to the Ingram Transit Center.

Read Texas Public Radio's coverage of Bike Lids.

View a video showing how to load our bike on a bus.

Join SAW's Tour de Cure Team!

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Calling all riders!! Veterans and rookies alike. Are you new to the club or maybe even new to cycling and looking for a fun local event to ride in to try out your newly tested skills? Or are you an experienced cyclist itching to do more than just weekend rides and wanting to break away from your boring routine and be a part of something really big and life changing that will help impact our local San Antonio community and quite possibly your personal family life as well? Then you need to join the San Antonio Wheelmen's team for this year's Tour de Cure!

This is a really fun cycling event put on every year by the American Diabetes Association to help promote awareness and support for all the millions that suffer with diabetes on a daily basis. Here in San Antonio, this is especially important, because we currently have one of the highest percentages of diabetes prevalences in the nation, at roughly 14%, or 1in 7 people in the San Antonio metropolitan area, which is twice the national average. So we probably all easily have one, or maybe even many people close to us that has diabetes. That means this is personal for each and every one of us.

This year the event has moved south. No longer having to face the daunting hills north of us in the Texas Hill Country but rather now enjoying many miles of more pleasant flatter roads in south Bexar County as our new host site is the Texas A&M San Antonio campus. We have 4 routes to choose from: 20, 38, 65, and the 102 mile that will take you around a very scenic section circling Lake Calaveras. For the first time in Tour history all routes this year will begin by visiting the 2 farthest south missions: Mission San Juan and Mission Espada, as well as Stinson Airport, where we will have our first rest stop. So Tour 2015 will take us back to our roots as a city. And once again, as we've done the last few years, it will take place Mother's Day weekend, on Saturday, May 9.

Anyone interested in participating in this year's Tour or anyone with any questions about it should come to our Tour de Cure Kick-off event at Blue Star this Thursday, Feb. 5 from 6-8 pm to find out more about this totally awesome event that benefits so many of our loved ones. If you cannot make this event, feel free to contact our San Antonio Wheelmen team captain, Karl Gilbert, with any questions you may have at: 210-677-5407 or karlginusa@yahoo.com or directly through the SA Wheelmen Tour de Cure team's webpage.

San Antonio Fire Department EMT Bike Patrol

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In 2014, the SAFD formed an EMT Bike Patrol with used bicycles from the SAPD Bicycle Patrol. The bicycles were used in support of activities such as NIOSA and other evening events.

There was limited funding available for the EMT Bike Patrol. As a result, this year, the Patrol requested funding support from the Wheelmen in order to procure items such as lights to permit night operations. The Patrol also requested city funding and will apply for a TXDOT grant to purchase additional equipment in the future. 

In January 2015, the Wheelmen Board discussed and approved a $1,320 donation to the Patrol for the purchase of lights for their bicycles. Any future Wheelmen contributions to the EMT Bike Patrol will be considered based on specific requests for support.

2015 Bicycling Education

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There will be two Introduction to Road Riding classes (Road Riding 101) in 2015. These classes are for adult riders who are new to cycling or adult riders who are returning to the sport after an extended period off the bike. It would also benefit riders who previously took the class but have not been riding on a regular basis. Week one is academics followed by rides on weeks two through five. Students must attend week one in order to do the rides and must do three of the four rides to graduate. Send an e-mail to info@sawheelmen.com to sign up for the class. Contact Cliff Hickel any evening at 210-957-0464 if you have questions.

You can find class details and our class schedule on our website.

Member of the Quarter for Q1 CY2015

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Our member of the quarter, Victoria Cabello, in her words:

Personal Information:  I am currently 26 years old and was born and raised in Laredo, TX. I moved to San Antonio in July of this year to pursue a career in dental hygiene.

Wheelmen membership: I've been a SAW member since September when I first signed up for their Rider Education Series RR101. I dedicated a few Saturday mornings for a couple of months to ride with instructors and fellow students to obtain a better understanding of the sport of cycling. Because of the great instructors in the RR101 class, I have a newfound respect and passion for cycling. I currently serve as the secretary for the club, and look forward to working with the board and fellow members to fuel the passion for the sport and educate others who are willing to share the joy of riding.
 
Bike you ride: I'm currently riding a Women's 2013 Jamis Satellite road bike--Not the best of bikes, but It's my first road bike and it does the job!
 
Bike you would like to ride: Soon, I would hope to ride a Women's Specialized Amira Sport road bike!
 
Describe your favorite ride:  Although I don't have a favorite ride at the moment, any ride over 30 miles is enjoyable! Gotta love putting in those miles!
 
Describe your riding experience: I'll admit I'm a newbie to cycling. I've only been riding for about 6-7 months. However, the RR101 class really helped me develop the skills I needed to feel comfortable on the road. I never thought I would be capable of riding 15 miles..much less 40, but with the help and support from Cliff, Bill, and other Wheelman instructors, I was able to do just that! Thanks to them, I am more confident on the bike, which has made my riding experience that much more enjoyable!
 
Other information about yourself: Dental hygiene school has taken up much of my leisure time, but when I do have a chance for a study break, I enjoy cooking and baking, reading, and exploring the outdoors any way that I can (which is mostly when I'm on my bike).