The status of this site

  • The web forum is live, you can still post and read (and you can sign up for the email list to get a daily digest of posts to the web forum).
  • Other content might be dated.  I don't have time to update the site any more, but I'll update items in the sidebar (only) if you want to report updates or corrections.
  • This site could be yours.  I'll give this site for free to any local bike activist with a good plan.  For example, you can run it as a blog, as the site for a nonprofit, or promote the forum.  You wouldn't have to keep the existing content.

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Reach archives:
Recent | Prior to 10/03

Web Forum & Email List

Discuss transportation (not sport) biking on the web forum..  You'll probably also want to sign up for the email list (see the box at right), so you can get all the web posts from each day sent to you in a single email message.  So, in practice, it's post to the web, read on the list.


Current discussions

The forum is live again last post: 3/27 @ 20:48        I'm moving my sites to a new server and this forum probably won't survive the move. If I can get it running in an hour, then it'll live,...

Bike lanes are good for business, but business owners oppose them last post: 3/10 @ 10:03        Studies show that bike lanes result in more sales for the businesses around them, but business owners' perception is that they hurt...

Parisians Vote to Triple Parking Fees for Big SUVs and Cars last post: 2/10 @ 19:04        https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/world/europe/paris-vote-suvs-parking.html This is what I'm talking about when I refer to differences ...

Cyclist sued by the company whose van nearly killed him last post: 1/11 @ 9:51        That's definitely not how trademarks work in the US, but this was the UK, so things [i]could[/i] be different. That said, from what I've...

Go car-free and save $1.5 million last post: 12/23 @ 22:54        The financial case for going car-free has gotten even stronger. AAA reports that the cost of car ownership went up a whopping 14% from...

Person alleges cyclist intentionally hit their dog on off-leash trail last post: 12/21 @ 7:56        [quote]I suspect this is not the first time he has intentionally targeted a dog to "teach the owner a lesson."[/quote] I guess this is ...

U.S. considers making automakers install anti-drunk-checking devices last post: 12/15 @ 21:00        https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/12/drunk-driving-technology-cars-safety What if people were just decent and didn't drive...

Justice for car crash victims: New York City program last post: 11/27 @ 12:49        That's certainly very interesting. Thank you for...

Long Austin Chronicle article on transportation in Austin (11/10/23) last post: 11/24 @ 17:32        Good stuff. What interests me most is that interest in transportation planning is now a thing. Can't imagine this kind of attention to ...

Austin City Council eliminates parking requirements last post: 11/23 @ 9:35        Council will no longer require a minimum amount of parking for new projects (except for ADA...

Dedicated bicycle crossing signal at Oltorf and S. Congress last post: 11/22 @ 18:45        On southbound S. Congress at Oltorf (and maybe other corners, I didn't check), a green signal with a picture of a bicycle indicates when...

Austin high school seniors call for congestion pricing last post: 11/22 @ 18:39        Two high school seniors (!) have a column in the Austin Chronicle saying that transit alone won't fix our traffic woes (true) and calling...

Drunk driving culture last post: 11/17 @ 10:43        [quote=Austin Chronicle 10/27/23]A recent analysis by Austin Transportation Department’s Vision Zero initiative found that compared to...

Group delivers food to the hungry, by bicycle last post: 11/12 @ 9:56        "Austin Bicycle...

Red Line Trail Study virtual open house through Nov 17, 2023 last post: 11/6 @ 16:20        Thanks Michael, It is exciting. Tom is definitely the driving force behind keeping CapMetro on top of this project. But there is also a...

Tour das Hugel Nov 11th, 2023 7am under Mopac at Stratford Drive last post: 11/5 @ 22:15        The Tour das Hugel is scheduled to happen this Saturday, November 11th, with wheels down at 7:15am under Mopac on Stratford Drive. The...

Trail linking Austin and San Antonio planned for 2036 last post: 10/26 @ 17:39        This would be awesome. 2036 is only 12 years away (hey, I still sometimes write the date 19..., so time flies) The trail could also...

Teens charged with intentionally killing bicyclist in hit-and-run last post: 10/25 @ 7:43        In Las Vegas. They filmed the attack, laughing about it. This is extra chilling for me since I've done a lot of bicycling in...

Car licensing costs $76,000 in Singapore last post: 10/21 @ 6:55        It's good for ten years, but...

Worst Drivers in US? We're No. 1! last post: 10/21 @ 6:54        That can't be. On the Nextdoor forum, members are certain that the real scourge on the roads is...

Drivers are at fault in over 90% of car-bike collisions (source) and 90% of pedestrian deaths (source).


Upcoming rides & events

Want to get your event listed below? Just post it on the web forum and it will show up here automatically 30 minutes later. Be sure to include the exact date & time of your event in the title, so that shows up too. Do NOT use relative dates like "This Saturday" or "tonight" because your post will still be here weeks from now, and at that time the reader won't know which day you're referring to. (i.e., Do not write your post as though everyone who reads it is reading it today. )

Tour das Hugel Nov 11th, 2023 7am under Mopac at Stratford Drive (posted 11/5)

National Walk/Bike to School Day is Oct 4th (posted 9/25)

2023 ATX Naked Bike Ride 09/30 7:15pm Pease Park (posted 9/21)

41st annual "Moonlight Cruze" bicycle ride Sat night, 09/24 2am (posted 9/16)

Violet Crown Trail - North Community Celebration (Sat 07/29 9am) (posted 7/28)

Breast Cancer Charity ride in Austin - October 7 & 8, 2023 (posted 6/19)

World Naked Bike Ride 2023 (posted 6/11)

Austin Cargo Bike Festival (posted 6/3)

Cedar Park Active Transportation Tour - Saturday March 25, noon (posted 1/27)

40th Annual Full Moon Cruise Bike Ride 09/11 1:30am (Saturday night!) (posted 9/6)


Bicyclists cheated out of bond money from 2000 transportation bonds

Voters passed $150 million in transportation bonds in 2000 (Proposition 1), which was supposed to be spent at $15M per year for ten years, and was supposed to include bike projects.  In March 2006, Councilmember Raul Alvarez asked the city to reveal how the money had been spent so far.  The answer was that the first $67.2 million ALL went for SH 130 right of way, and not a penny for any of the the other things promised to the bond voters on the ballot, including bike projects!  As a result of Alvarez' request, $10 million was proposed (with about $5 million so far for sidewalks). If you read the Chronicle article, you will see that $20 million was being promised for bike and ped projects just before the election. (info courtesy of Roger Baker, May 6, 2005)

The City now has a Bond Oversight Committee which is an important check on the system.  It makes the above kind of bait-and-switch a lot harder to pull off.






Another site by Michael Bluejay...

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