The grand reopening of newly renovated Hays Street Bridge and the roll out of the "Get Cyched" campaign
Like most people, I do my best work when I am passionate about the effort. I feel very fortunate to have a job at KGBTexas that allows me to pursue my interests in community issues, public policy and sustainability. These are subject matters that have been at the core of my professional life since the beginning. Recently, however, I discovered a new passion as a result of my work, not the other way around.
KGBTexas pursued and won a contract with the City of San Antonio’s Office of Environmental Policy this year to promote bicycling and communicate several new ordinances to encourage bike safety that were passed by the City Council in 2010. The campaign that our creative team produced, called “Get Cyched”, launched this week.
My passion for the project was initially rooted in the broad community benefits of bicycling: reduced traffic, better air quality, improved public health and economic development. I hadn’t personally ridden a bike since my pre-teen days as a BMXer. But in researching the project, it started to dawn on me just how much I was missing. I bought a mountain bike, and a few weeks later, I am, as my wife puts it, “obsessed.”
Mountain biking has allowed me to discover a side of San Antonio that most people never see — the beautiful rock formations, towering bluffs and wooded groves that make up the natural creek systems that run through our region. This is largely undevelopable land that is dry most of the year but inundated during heavy rain events.
No, I’m not that cool. This is Greg Hammer, District 7 Representative on the Linear Creekway Parks Advisory Board
As you may know, in recent years, the City of San Antonio has used a 1/8th cent sales tax (up for renewal in the November 2010 election) to develop paved hike-and-bike trails along the Leon and Salado creeks and the San Antonio and Medina rivers. Spawning off of these popular paved trails are miles of off-road, natural trails — rugged terrain that is perfect for mountain biking. Until recently, I had no idea that the trails along the Salado Creek near my house existed; now, I’m out there every weekend, (literally) lost in the wilderness just minutes from my front door.
As a father of two young children with a demanding job, bicycling provides some much-needed “me time.” There’s an instant freedom that comes with pulling out of the driveway and feeling the breeze as I roll down the street. Running quick errands to the grocery store is far more enjoyable than it was before. Having connected with a number of people in the local cycling community, I’ve quickly made new friends with people that have similar interests. In short, bicycling has added tremendously to my life.
And it all started with a project at work. Thank you to Julia Diana, our client, who leads the San Antonio Bikes program. As the ads that we produced say, “I’m Cyched” that San Antonio is rapidly becoming a more bike-friendly city.
Hays Street Bridge photo thanks to San Antonio Bikes
O.P. Schnabel Park Trails photo thanks to Linear Creekways and Parks Development
