New Braunfels City Council unanimously adopted its bicycle and pedestrian network plan during a regular council meeting on Sept. 28.
The overview
The New Braunfels Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan looks to integrate walking and biking into the city’s existing transportation network and improve multimodal connectivity. The plan will also build on the city’s recent success with city projects, like the pedestrian improvements made to Common Street, said Garry Ford, the city’s director of transportation and construction services.
The plan identifies a total of 27 pedestrian- and bicycle-focused projects based on connectivity, safety impact and resident feedback, according to the meeting presentation.
The bicycle and pedestrian network plan will help city officials prioritize projects and pursue state and federal funding for the plan's proposed projects.
One of the city pedestrian projects recommended under the plan includes improvements on Liberty Avenue and East San Antonio Street, which is near Schlitterbahn. Ford said they could improve pedestrian mobility in this area because they have "thousands of people every day walking around."
The plan also recommends bicycle-focused improvements at County Line Road.
"Right now we have sidewalks, but there's a huge demand from the schools—and we hear this from the schools—of getting a safe place for kids to ride their bike to school," Ford said.
Digging deeper
The plan recommends:
The proposed crossing improvements would connect the network across high-traffic roadways and rail lines, according to agenda documents.
Public input
City staff began developing the plan with engineering firm Kimley-Horn in July 2025 to complement and support the existing hike and bike plan, which city officials adopted in 2019, according to agenda documents.
The city held a number of outreach rounds to gather resident feedback on current issues and desired projects. City staff had over 1,600 interactions with over 850 in-person participants, according to the presentation.
City staff conducted online surveys in 2025, between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15 and again in 2026 between March 16 and May 7.
New Braunfels District 4 resident Jonathan Alorda said he is in favor of more bike and pedestrian opportunities like Goodwin Lane. He said the widening of that road has made a significant difference for families like his picking up their kids from school while giving kids living in Northwest Crossing an avenue to walk home safely.
“I also appreciate how these public input meetings were conducted,” Alorda said.
New Braunfels District 5 resident David Warmke said the plan was a “pie in the sky dream” that lacked reality.
Cody Jackson, another city resident, said his family’s love for biking and walking was the main reason for their decision to live downtown.
“Safe and reliable biking to reach downtown is not always convenient, and occasionally dangerous,” Jackson said. “The proposed railroad crossing in this plan from Fredericksburg Road to Guenther Avenue would eliminate the challenges associated by creating separate bike lanes."
Before you go
For more information about the plan, individuals can visit www.newbraunfels.gov/4133/Bicycle-and-Pedestrian-Network-Plan.
