After a contentious debate among the commissioners, the Environmental Commission approved a variance request submitted by the Public Works Department to widen the design of a concrete trail from 12 feet to 14 feet on Sept. 20 with only Vice Chair Peggy Maceo dissenting. Currently, the Public Works Department and the Urban Trails Program are […]
Bicycles
Posted inBicycles
One small trail for North Austin, one giant loop for the whole city
Last year, Mayor Steve Adler declared in his State of the City address that great cities do big things, a message that the Shoal Creek Conservancy apparently took to heart. On Wednesday evening at a community workshop in Central Austin, the group officially debuted its vision for the Big Loop, a 30-mile circular system of […]
Posted inBicycles
B-cycle is expanding. So why are all the new stations near downtown?
B-cycle, Austin’s bike-share system, recently added three new stations as part of an 18-station build up over the next 18 months. All of these new stations will be close to or in downtown, adding to the company’s existing 51 docks. An expansion might seem like an opportunity to finally build a station outside of B-cycle’s […]
Posted inBicycles
Creek project creates long delay for bridge replacement in Southeast Austin
A major piece of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Southeast Austin will have been out of commission for nearly five years before it finally reopens, according to the most optimistic plans at the city of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. The bridge over what’s known as Country Club Creek West in Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River […]
Posted inBicycles
Austin panel asks drive-throughs to allow ride-throughs
The Bicycle Advisory Council unanimously approved a recommendation last Tuesday that would grant bicyclists and those who are mobility impaired more accommodations at drive-through establishments in Austin. The advisory council called for an ordinance that would permit bicyclists to use the same drive-through facilities as motor vehicles, or that the establishment provide bike racks and […]
Posted inBicycles
Advocates say bond funding for Bicycle Master Plan could diversify local biking community
Sharmar Mohamed Hassan doesn’t know the words in English to describe his bicycle. So he uses his native language, Somali, to tell me it’s a green road bike. And it’s his primary form of transportation in Austin — which, at times, can be a little touch-and-go. “I’m feeling afraid because there’s no bike lanes and […]
Posted inBicycles
Bond Oversight commissioners nix bike plan recommendation
Austin’s Bond Oversight Commission on Thursday evening voted down a proposed recommendation to City Council to consider placing on the November ballot a bond that would fund bicycle and sidewalk infrastructure. Chair Keri Burchard-Juarez, who was put on the commission by Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, scheduled the special meeting at 6 p.m. in downtown […]
Posted inBicycles
Travis County considers ambitious bicycle and pedestrian proposals
The Travis County Commissioners Court has flung itself into the ongoing conversation about funding bicycle infrastructure in Central Texas. On Tuesday, the court-appointed Bicycle Safety Task Force presented a long list of detailed proposals to enhance multimodal alternatives in unincorporated parts of the county. That list included a $3.3 million slate of specific projects to […]
Posted inBicycles
Bike Austin rallies toward transportation bond
More than 100 people gathered in front of City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to urge City Council to focus on investments in alternatives to automobile transportation. Hosted by Bike Austin, the rally was the latest step in the nonprofit’s effort to put a bond proposition on the November ballot that would fund $411 million worth […]
Posted inBicycles
Bike Austin hopes to break cycle of inequity, congestion
Advocates of two-wheeled and two-footed transportation alternatives are building momentum in their campaign to put millions of dollars in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements on the November ballot. More than a dozen people testified in favor of funding the city of Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan and Urban Trails Master Plan at the Bond Oversight Commission’s […]
Posted inBicycles, Transportation
Regional bicycle, pedestrian projects get funding
As Austin and Central Texas grow and become more congested, city and regional leaders are looking at bicycle and pedestrian projects as ways to cut down on traffic. On Oct. 12, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board took a step in that direction by approving federal funding for almost a dozen such […]
Posted inBicycles, Transit, Transportation
Capital Metro to consider bikes on last-ride buses
The Bicycle Advisory Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution asking Capital Metro to consider allowing bicycles on city buses for the final ride of the night. This would allow a bus with a full bike rack to still accept those riders carrying home bicycles. While some members and attendees called for bikes on buses […]