There was little doubt that San Antonio’s adoption of a bicycle share program would be great for the health of its residents. The surprise is how quickly San Antonio has embraced the national program, called B-cycle, making its success here a reason for other Texas cities to adopt the program and help rollback obesity trends in the state.
B-cycle, which was launched in March, is a bike-share program that allows participants to check out bicycles from 14 stations downtown. Thanks to a promotional period, annual passes can be bought for as low as $25. In as little as four months, the program has garnered almost 800 annual members and its users have logged close to 40,000 miles, according to B-cycle’s program director.
In Texas, where a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 37 percent of state residents were considered overweight and 28 percent were considered to be obese, there’s a palpable need for programs that encourage exercise and healthy living.
Health factors associated with overweight and obese adults include chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and even some forms of cancer, according to the CDC.
The cost of treating these preventable diseases is staggering. According to the Texas Health Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working collaboratively with government, business and academia to improve the health of Texans, overweight and obese patients cost the state $10.5 billion in 2001. If current trends continue, costs are projected to reach $40 billion by 2040.
These facts make the story of Phillip Schrank an important anecdote. Schrank, the Express-News reported, dropped about 45 pounds in the three months that he’s been using the bikes. He’s logged more than 750 miles and serves as a testament to how progressive city policies can effectively change a person’s habits.
Beyond redefining habits, the bike-share program is working to change our culture, attitudes and environment. While literally changing the downtown landscape, the B-cycle stations are reminding tourists and residents alike that there’s an alternative form of transportation.
The result is a community that sees more bikes on its streets, normalizing bike culture and morphing a trend into a community staple. And as our attitudes about sharing the road change, so too will our infrastructure.
The San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which shapes transportation policy and provides planning guidance for the region, hosts more than a dozen meetings a year that focus on bicycle mobility in the city. The public is welcome at all the meetings, most of which take place at 8 a.m.
Three “bike night” meetings, held at 6 p.m. in May, July and October, are designed specifically to give cyclists the opportunity to catch a meeting after work, lend a voice and shape bike policy.
The next one is Oct. 12. According to Lydia Kelly, MPO Bicycle, Pedestrian and Transportation Planner, when evening meetings first started three years ago, public turnout was low. Today, she’s seen “bike night” meetings grow to include 100 concerned cyclists.
As the bike-share program grows alongside other city health initiatives that promise to better the quality of life for San Antonio residents, our city stands poised to fight obesity trends.
Despite having a ways to go, B-cycle’s popularity is an early sign of its capacity for long-term success and viability — here and elsewhere. So while San Antonio works to reshape its image and the waistlines of its citizens, other cities can look to our streets for a model of bike-share adoption.