What Residents Really Mean When They Talk About Street Safety

Published on January 30, 2026

A group of pedestrians walking on a crosswalk across a busy street.

"Downtown, the River Walk, and busy areas feel safer. My neighborhood streets do not," said a recent survey respondent when asked how safe they feel walking along San Antonio streets.

In October 2025, the Transportation Department used FlashVote to hear directly from more than 200 residents across the city about road safety and traffic-related concerns.* What we learned is simple but powerful: San Antonians experience street safety block by block.

Survey responses show that residents are highly perceptive. They understand that street design, lighting, and activity influence how safe a place feels — not just how many cars travel through it. In fact, many respondents flipped the typical narrative that "busy places feel dangerous." Instead, they shared that they often feel less safe walking in their own neighborhoods than when strolling, exploring, or shopping in active areas like downtown.

In several areas of the city, about half of respondents reported feeling unsafe from cars or crime while walking. This variation highlights why neighborhood-specific context is critical when addressing street safety.

The survey also revealed other important priorities. Residents identified distracted driving as a greater concern than driving while intoxicated, and nearly half said making streets safer for pedestrians should take priority over moving cars. Respondents also expressed stronger support for dedicated bus lanes than for creating new bike lanes.

So, what did our Department take away from all of this? When it comes to street safety, one-size-fits-all solutions don't resonate with the public. Our road designs, crash data, and public engagement efforts must reflect the neighborhoods where safety improvements are needed most. This feedback strongly supports continued investments in traffic calming, lighting, sidewalks, and safer crossings. For Vision Zero SA, it also reinforces that focusing on local streets — not just major arterials — is the right approach, and that we are on the right track in identifying our High Injury Network.

*Survey data presented here reflect a statistically valid sample size and were analyzed using established quantitative research methods. The survey was administered anonymously to promote candid participation and data integrity.