Parking is available downtown even during peak busy periods like Fiesta, a new study finds.

Why it matters: People love to complain about downtown parking. But it's largely just perception, the study commissioned by Centro San Antonio and the city says.

The big picture: The study could have implications for how much new parking the city might add as downtown undergoes major transformations.

• A new Spurs arena at Hemisfair and Minor League Baseball stadium for the Missions are expected to bring thousands more people to the city's core during games and events.

State of play: Peak parking occupancy during Fiesta last year was just 53% on a given Saturday night.

Yes, but: The city's parking technology is outdated, per the study — so people aren't getting the best experience they could.

By the numbers: The study also looked at parking needs related to the forthcoming Missions stadium and Spurs arena.

• It found plenty of parking near the planned baseball stadium — more than 6,000 surplus spaces, per a summary of the study shared with Axios.
• But the worst-case scenario near a future Spurs arena and surrounding district could see a deficit of more than 6,600 parking spaces. That's if major nearby venues all sell out at the same time.

What they're saying: "Downtown is on the rise, and we want people to know that parking is not a barrier for them to enjoy the urban core," Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of Centro San Antonio, said in a statement.

What's next: The city is already seeking new technology to make parking easier to find, Shanon Miller, the city's chief downtown officer, said in a statement.

💭 Megan's thought bubble: I regularly hear from friends and acquaintances that they didn't attend an event because they didn't want to deal with downtown parking.

• I've certainly been guilty of not wanting to face it either. But I'm close enough to downtown that I usually take a ride-app or bus instead.
• Still, I struggle to think of a time I couldn't find parking when I wanted it.

Drive time in the San Antonio area is creeping up — even as it remains below pre-pandemic levels, per data from Texas A&M.

Why it matters: The findings put hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The big picture: Congestion is once again growing in many cities after a pandemic-era dip, while driver behavior has also changed, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

• Traditional rush hours are returning, but there's also a "noticeable rise in midday congestion," the report finds, possibly tied to remote and hybrid work changing people's travel behaviors.

How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.

Zoom in: San Antonio metro commuters were stuck in traffic for a total of 48 hours on average in 2024.

• That's more than the year before but down from the record of 52 hours set in 2019.

Zoom out: American drivers on average spent a record 63 hours annually stuck in traffic in 2024.

• Traffic delays also remained near or below pre-pandemic levels in Dallas and Austin.
• In Houston, commuters spent a record 77 hours last year stuck in traffic.

Yes, but: Be glad you don't have to commute in Los Angeles, where the annual time stuck in traffic was 137 hours last year.

The bottom line: It's getting harder to predict when it'll be busy on the road, leading to "added traveler frustration," as the report puts it.

✍️ The city opened a survey for residents to weigh in on a new name for César E. Chávez Boulevard. You can take it through April 2. (City of San Antonio)

🏫 Meanwhile, the Texas Education Agency yesterday told all public schools to remove mentions of César Chávez from lesson plans and cancel planned events honoring the labor leader. (Texas Tribune)

✈️ Quote du jour

"At this time, we are not aware of any plans for Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officers to be assigned to San Antonio International Airport. Our security checkpoints continue to operate efficiently."

— SAT spokesperson Tonya Hope in a statement to Axios.

Teenagers can share their experience with mental health in an ongoing survey meant to inform city policy.

How it works: The survey is anonymous and can be completed online. It's intended for people aged 12 to 19 and is available in English, Spanish and other languages.

• The effort is led by the San Antonio Youth Commission, which is composed of local high school students, and the Project Worth Teen Ambassador Program, also led by young people specifically to promote health.

Context: This is the city's fourth Teen Mental Health Survey. Teenagers first created it in 2021 to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted young people's mental health in San Antonio.

• The results first prompted the city to allocate $18 million in one-time pandemic relief funds toward teen mental health programs.
• In response to results from the 2024 survey showing that teenagers turn to their friends when struggling, the city partnered with the Center for Health Care Services to offer Teen Mental Health First Aid training.

What they're saying: "This survey allows mental health to be a more talked about topic in the community and breaks down any stigma," Project Worth teen ambassador Sophie Perez said in a statement.

What's next: The survey will remain open through April 30.