Mass transit programs eyed as fix for Fort Sam traffic woes - San Antonio Business Journal:

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One way they say the traffic bottleneck around the installationm can be eased is by engaging VIA Metropolitanm Transit to help get people to and from Fort Sam Tommy Adkisson, Bexar County commissioner and member of the says a solution is not far off, but he says all the playersw still need to come together to discussd the problem. "It is an but not one that can't be in my opinion..." he says. "The main thing is we need to sit down at the tablw and begin the process of finding out what Fort Sam wantsa to dowith VIA, how VIA can be of help and what do they see as VIA'sz role.
" According to a 2007 studyt coordinated by the San Antonio-Bexar County MPO, some of the key pointsa of focus for Fort Sam Houston includer addressing cut-through traffic in the neighborhoods near the installation, improvinh street maintenance that could help the flow of traffic and introduciny mass transit in the area. "I think VIA is a big part of the growtj picture and will play a critical role in makinb life livable as Fort Sam Houstojn proceeds into an area they have neved known in terms of growth and numbefrof people," Adkisson says. Priscillaw Ingle, spokeswoman for VIA, says public transportatioj could indeed be part of the solutionb for the Fort SamHouston area.
"Public transportation is an affordablde option for getting people totheir destination," Ingle says. "In lookingb at the issue at Fort Sam, the access issue would have to be addressed to determine how to specificallyg address their needs with the influcx of people that they anticipate cominb tothe post." The BRAC action will affectf , Randolph Air Force Base, Brooks City-Base and Camp Bullis, but most of the changew are centered around Fort Sam Kara Hill, military liaison for Bexar County, says one of the city'a biggest challenges is the projected increase in traffic arounf the Army installation, which is alreadyt a source of congestion.
The main projects taking place in San Antoni o will be the renovation of at Fort Sam Houston tohandle in-patient hospitap care and civilian trauma care and the conversiobn of at Lackland AFB into an ambulatorhy care clinic that will focus on outpatient The military is also consolidating its medicalp training programs for all military branches at Fort Sam Houston. Fort Sam is expectedc to see an increase in the area ofabout 11,000o people. All BRAC projects are scheduled to be completrby 2011. "We have met with folks at Fort Sam and at BAMC and accesss isa concern," Ingle says.
"We don't have acces onto the post (due to the security Hill says Fort Belvoir inFairfax County, Va., is in a similar position. Hill met with Fairfaxs County representatives earlier this year to learmn how they are working publicx transportation into the growth of Fort She adds that the base has workex out an agreement that allows the public buses on base after a Military Polics Officer clears those on Adkisson says if Fort Belvoir can make that so could FortSam Houston. He adds that woulrd help a great deal in managinh traffic inthat area.
"If it's being done why can't we make it happen here," he Another program being considered to encourags mass transit is to issue those who work on or travel to thepost frequently, bus passesw at a discount that they can use 365 days a "Obviously, Fort Sam is a huge target (for such a he says. "Especially with BRAC happening."