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SAN ANTONIO, TX – In July, San Antonio launched Get Cyched, an advertising campaign geared to promoting bicycling and educating the San Antonio community about the rules of the road for both cyclists and drivers. The campaign, spearheaded by the Office of Environmental Policy (OEP), is geared towards making the city more bike-friendly and emphasizes the importance of road safety.

At the grand reopening of the Historic Hays Street Bridge in July, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro said that they "have made bicycles a higher priority.” He hopes that beyond promoting a healthy living and improving the quality of life, the initiative will also make places like San Antonio’s downtown more attractive to investment and residential living.

To make cycling more appealing, the city has passed a Safe Passing Ordinance, a regulation that will compel motor vehicle traffic to pass cyclists and pedestrians at a safe distance. That means cars will have to give cyclists a three-foot buffer (six feet for large or commercial trucks).

The city recently adopted a bike light ordinance that requires cyclists to have a front light as well as a rear light or reflector while travelling at night. Julia Diana, the OEP’s senior management analyst for sustainable transportation said the “campaign encourages respect and cooperation between both drivers and cyclists.”

The Get Cyched advertisement campaign is set to run for a six month period and will be presented both in English and Spanish in visual, radio and online ads. KGBTexas is the communications company responsible for producing the advertisements for thecampaign. The advertisements will showcase cyclists of all experience levels riding in various settings in the community.