San Antonio ranks as “car-dependent” on Walk Score

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Okay, you caught us. Maybe boots aren’t the most comfortable walkin’ shoes. | Photo by SATXtoday

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  1. That’s what San Antonio scored out of 100 on Walk Score’s walkability meter, making it a “car-dependent” city. Basically, the average San Antonian needs a car to do “most errands.”

What is a walk score?

A walk score is a numeric ranking that represents the walkability of an address based on pedestrian friendliness and access to businesses.

Pedestrian friendliness is calculated by analyzing features of area roads, including the population density, intersection density, and the length of blocks in the area. Access to businesses is decided by the time it takes on foot to get to major hubs of food + entertainment.

A city’s score then averages the walkability of multiple neighborhoods in a city.

For example, Downtown (82), Five Points (80), and Tobin Hill (78) scored the highest. However, Dominion (7), Vista (7), and Sonoma Ranch (5) had among the lowest — hard to walk places without sidewalks. It becomes clear that the further you head outside of the inner loop (410), the less walkable neighborhoods become.

Bike + transit scores

Trading in the walking shoes for wheels? SATX ranks decently for cyclists (33) and even better in transit (45). This can be attributed to the city’s largest public transit investment VIA Metropolitan. The transit score is calculated based on the distance and type of nearby transit lines for the whole city. San Antonians know that you’re rarely more than a ten minute walk from a bus stop anywhere you go.

Don’t let a bad grade get you down. There are lots of ways the Alamo City is working to improve this score. San Antonio City Council will be voting on the largest bond project ever ($1.6 billion) and you can voice your opinion on how the city should allocate funds.

SATX metro scores

San Antonio, TX

  • Walk score: 37
  • Bike score: 33
  • Transit score: 45

Downtown

  • Walk score: 82
  • Bike score: 79
  • Transit score: 7

Five Points

  • Walk score: 80
  • Bike score: 72
  • Transit score: 7

Tobin Hill

  • Walk score: 78
  • Bike score: 53
  • Transit score: 7

King William

  • Walk score: 58
  • Bike score: 52
  • Transit score: 7

Government Hill

  • Walk score: 55
  • Bike score: 42
  • Transit score: 7

Stone Oak

  • Walk score: 25
  • Bike score: 21
  • Transit score: 7

Dominion

  • Walk score: 7
  • Bike score: 7
  • Transit score: 7

Vista

  • Walk score: 7
  • Bike score: 7
  • Transit score: 7

Sonoma Ranch

  • Walk score: 5
  • Bike score: 8
  • Transit score: 7