City of El Paso wants public input on updates to bike plan

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - The City of El Paso hosted a community meeting Saturday looking for the public's input on the City's Comprehensive Bike Plan.

Ten years after the Comprehensive Bike Plan being adopted, the City of El Paso and its Capital Improvement Department have added over 1,000 miles of cycling facilities.

The open house was hosted at the Chamizal Community Center, allowing citizens to ask questions to city officials and even make suggestions for changes in the next decade to coincide with El Paso's cycling network changing according to city officials.

"Making El Paso more friendly would have a big impact on our public health as well as our environmental air quality," said Transportation Planning Administrator Anna Mesa-Zendt. "Allowing people to have cycling as a mode of transportation rather than cars will reduce congestion on the roads, you know, reduce the amount of auto emissions, and gives us a healthier, active opportunity to transport ourselves around the city."

One El Pasoan at today's open house, Alex Ureño, has been cycling for 15 years and has even decided to give up his truck and car to bike everywhere, saying that decision has improved his life not only financially but health wise as well.

"I no longer drive. I bike everywhere, and that has improved my life tremendously," Ureño said. "Not worrying about a car payment, insurance, registration, or gas is a huge stress reliever. I get to enjoy 360 days of sun a year in this city's beautiful weather almost every day on the way to work, on the way to school, on the way to a friend's house and to grandma's house. I love to ride, it makes my life that much better."

"It create. It creates, a lifestyle for me where I don't have to work as hard. I don't have to make so much money. And then I'm able to spend more time with family. Spend more time doing what I love." he said.

In Ureño's attempts to persuade people to switch to a two-wheeled vehicle instead of a four-wheeled one, his pitch is simple. Start small.

"What I say is just try, give it a shot, start small," Ureño said. "Start with a ride to the corner store. Start with a ride to the grocery store. Start small and you'll see that riding a bike is just a much more fun, healthier way to get around."

In terms of how the decision is made to add bike lanes and bike accessibilty, Mesa-Zandt said there are many factors including community input, connections to El Paso's cycling network, low air quality, lack of access to cars and which areas cyclists may require more safety.

Ureño said he's noticed the improvements, even saying the city has gotten a lot more bike friendly but he still had his own suggestions for the future centered around biker safety.

"I've noticed a lot more bike lanes on the east side, Mountwood, Yarborough, McCray, all the way down to North Loop. They all have nice big bike lanes that I really appreciate. So I've seen an improvement. I really love how the city has incorporated bike racks to the bus." Ureño said.

"First, I would love a bike lane on Mesa. It's is a very vital street. It's a vital street because it's a way for people to get to the West Side but it's very dangerous, it's not bike friendly at all," he said. "What I would love to see is the city add bike lanes little by little all the way to the Upper West Side. I'd also love to see the city do a social media campaign promoting cycling to tell drivers to look out for cyclists, protect cyclists, and let drivers know we are human."

As the city took this opportunity to seek community input, Ureño believes more people will become cyclists like him.

"I think once the message is out that cycling creates a better mood, a better day for everybody. I think more and more people are going to get on their bikes," he said. "I think every day a new cyclist is born and more people are learning cycling is just a much better way to get anywhere than driving. Not just the cost, but the headache."