A dusty, neglected patch of land wedged between Bolm Road and Union Pacific’s train tracks has been converted to a trailhead, offering a place to sit and a fountain that can fill water bottles and offer dogs something to drink. The triangular trailhead opened quietly this spring along the Mokan Trail, which runs parallel to a […]
Bicycles
Posted inBicycles
Bike Advisory Council urges city to protect ghost bikes
The Bicycle Advisory Council is calling on the city to protect ghost bike installations after a cycling safety group reported four bikes they put up in the last few months were removed. Volunteers with the Austin Ghost Bike Project have placed at least 10 ghost bikes – painted white and attached to a nearby sign […]
Posted inBicycles
MetroBike to get a makeover this summer after a pause in operations
On July 1, the city’s bike rental program, MetroBike, will shut down in order to undergo a transformational change. When it reopens in mid-July, CapMetro Bikeshare will have new stations, e-bikes and an app, along with a vision to expand across the city. The retooling of the bikeshare program is part of a strategic expansion […]
Posted inBicycles
Ellis pushes resolution to increase safety, prevent bike lane parking
City Council Member Paige Ellis, who chairs Council’s Mobility Committee, is sponsoring a resolution on this Thursday’s agenda intended to make cyclists and pedestrians safer and raise awareness of the risks of parking in bike lanes. Joining Ellis as sponsors of the resolution are Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool and Council members Natasha Harper-Madison, Ryan […]
Posted inBicycles
Cap Metro looks forward to new electric era for city’s bike-share system
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an ambitious program to expand its bike-share program with the city of Austin. The transit company has announced a partnership with PBSC Urban Solutions Inc. aimed at replacing and expanding 80 MetroBike stations, 1,000 docks and 800 bicycles focused in downtown Austin, tripling the size of the bike-share system. […]
Posted inBicycles
Austin Energy says e-bike rebate program on track to double in size
As retailers brace for the holiday shopping season, 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for e-bikes in Austin. Austin Energy stopped by City Council’s Mobility Committee meeting last week for an update on its e-bike rebate program, which kicked into high gear this past January with a resolution doubling rebate values. Preliminary […]
Posted inTransportation
Safe Routes to School Program charts course ahead as infrastructure plan turns 4 years old
With 425 projects at over 100 schools under its belt, Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department is moving forward with plans to improve pedestrian and bike routes to elementary and middle schools throughout the city. Safe Routes to School Program Manager Coleen Gentles stopped by City Council’s Mobility Committee meeting last week for a brief […]
Posted inBicycles
Bike parking gets support in Urban Transportation Commission’s call to end parking requirements
City Council may add changes to bike parking requirements to a November resolution that will finalize the removal of parking minimums from the Land Development Code. The Urban Transportation Commission recently voted to recommend Council adopt the ordinance changes on parking minimums called for in a May resolution, while also in most cases requiring bicycle […]
Posted inPreservation
With missing link in place, Violet Crown now offers 11 miles of uninterrupted trail
A mile-long missing link in the Violet Crown Trail is now complete and open to the public. This new segment in Sunset Valley guides trailblazers from the end of Home Depot Boulevard, through a wooded area, under MoPac Expressway and up to the Garza Ranch development close to the Arbor Trails Shopping Center. With this […]
Posted inBicycles
E-bike rebates to double under proposed pilot program
The city will likely dramatically increase its incentives for electric bike purchases beginning next year with a new program that will double the rebates given for individual and fleet-level purchases. In a memo released this week from Jackie A. Sargent, general manager of Austin Energy, and Richard Mendoza, interim director of the Austin Transportation Department, […]
Posted inBicycles
Mobility Committee hears the case for preventing cars from blocking bike lanes
Members of the Mobility Committee heard an argument Thursday for implementing a program that would increase enforcement of vehicles blocking bike lanes in hopes of making the streets safer for cyclists. Though the committee made no action regarding the future of the “bike lane bounty” program, City Council members who sit on the committee appeared to […]
Posted inBicycles
Car blocking a bike lane? You might be able to report it and make some money soon.
In an effort to help city employees cite vehicles for illegally blocking bike lanes, the Urban Transportation Commission unanimously approved a “bike lane bounty” program at its meeting Tuesday night. The program, inspired by one in New York City, would allow Austinites to use the 311 mobile application to report photo evidence of cars obstructing […]