The proposal is similar to the recent re-striping of Exposition, in that COA proposes a car-free five-foot bike lane on one side and a car-free six-foot bike lane with adjacent parking on the other side. The parking spaces switch from the north to south sides of the street at various points. Travel lanes are 10.5 feet in width for most of the sections and the parking lane is seven feet wide. See the COA map at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/bicycle/downloads/Mary_Striping_Plan1.00.pdf.

Overall, it’s a good plan, but feel free to comment on it. As usual, it would be nice not to have any adjacent parking, but unlike Expositions, which was ideal for no parking at all, Mary Street has many residences without ample parking in driveways or around corners.

Six feet should be wide enough to keep riders out of the door zone along the stretches of parking, IF they are smart and ride in the center of the bike lane, and IF the parked cars don’t bulge out of the seven feet provided for parking. So again, not idea, but we’ll wait with baited breath (as in catfish breath with blood bait) to hear what, if anything, arises from the neighbors.

Read the News Release
Read the Answers to the LOBV Candidate Questionnaire

The best way to advance safer and more accessible bicycling in Austin is to show local elected officials that you are passionate about bicycle transportation. And what better way than showing up in mass for the annual political candidate forum?

The League of Bicycling Voters, in partnership with the Austin Cycling Association, Yellow Bike Project and Bicycle Sport Shop, encourage you to attend the:

Austin City Council Candidate Forum
Monday, March 23, 6-9 p.m.
St. David’s Episcopal Church
301 E. 8th Street (at San Jacinto).

Read the answers to the LOBV Candidate Questionnaire!

Vulnerable as I was laying on the couch, I also got a voicemail from a state senator’s office asking if we (LOBV) would support their idea for a state bicycle helmet law for those 16 and under. I called back and rasped 7 reasons why that was a bad idea…along with a hoarse curse of, “And you’d better add some bike parking at the Capitol.” A voice mail the next day noted that the senator’s office was dropping the idea.

So on to good legislation. Here’s the skinny from Bike Texas on how to help get the passing law bill out of committee:

Safe Passing Bill Hearing in State Senate Transportation Committee!
An Update, and What You Can Do.

What’s happening now.
The 2009 Safe Passing Act, Senate Bill SB 488 will be heard by the Texas State Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security on Wednesday morning, March 11, 2009 in Hearing Room E1.016 in the Capitol Extension.

The bill includes the “3-feet clearance” provision for cars passing cyclists. It has also been expanded to address right and left hooks and harassment for a range of “vulnerable road users” including pedestrians, persons in wheelchairs, utility workers, motorcyclists and others on the road or roadside not in a protective steel vehicle shell. Click here for the current text of the bill.

What you can do to help.
Below are the Senators on the Transportation Committee, with their party affiliation and general district areas.

Supporting SB 488
John Carona, (chair and bill co-author) R-Dallas, Dist. 16
Kirk Watson, (vice-chair) D-Austin, Dist. 14
Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, Dist. 10
Rodney Ellis, (bill co-author) D-Houston, Dist. 13
Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, Dist. 29
Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, Dist. 25

Uncertain on Support for SB 488
Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Dist. 3
Joan Huffman, R-Houston, Dist. 17
Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, Dist. 8

Click here to identify the Texas State Senator who represents you.

* If you are represented by a State Senator who serves on the Transportation Committee, please call or email your Senator by Tuesday to ask for their “Yes” vote. If they already support SB 488, thank them. If they are uncertain on SB 488, urge them to vote “Yes”.  Communication should be direct and frank but should always be respectful. If you are not a constituent of any of these Senators, please do not contact their offices because it creates additional unnecessary staff work. They naturally place much higher value on contact from constituents.
* If you live in the Austin area or can easily travel to Austin, come to the hearing at 8:00 a.m. (More details are below.) Please wear business attire including coat and tie for men. Even if you do not have a Senator on the committee who represents you, your presence is very important. RSVP to Mark Stine at mark@biketexas.org or 512-476-7433 is appreciated.  We also appreciate cc’s or forwards to Mark of email communication sent to and received by you from your Senator.
* If your State Senator is not on the Transportation Committee, please do not contact them yet. Your communication will be much more effective once the Safe Passing Bill has its language finalized, passes the Transportation Committee and goes to the full Senate.  BikeTexas will keep you updated.
* There is no need to contact the Texas House Representatives yet. We hope to see movement for the companion 2009 Safe Passing House Bill HB 827 soon. The process will be the same, with a House Transportation Committee hearing first, and then introduction to the full House. Again, BikeTexas will notify you during this process.

Information for attending the hearing.

The committee session will start on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. You can expect to spend most of the morning there. The Chair often switches agenda items so we never know exactly when our bill will come up for action.

BikeTexas has promised the Committee Chair to limit our testimony to four witnesses addressing four different aspects of the bill. In this way, we present this case effectively but succinctly so that limited Committee time is used wisely.

Click here for maps of the Capitol area, including the public parking garage (parking rates are reasonable), and the Capitol Extension.

Please contact Mark Stine (mark@biketexas.org) at 512-476-7433 if you have questions. Call Mark at cell 512-921-0581 the day of the hearing if needed.

We’ve been working and waiting long for this.

All of us know how important this bill is for the overall safety of cyclists in Texas. We are optimistic that we will have success but we all must still work every step of the way in this laborious process. Our sincere thanks to all of you who have stepped up to support BikeTexas in this effort.

Please forward this to friends!

Yellow Bike Fundraiser
March 14, 1p.m. to Midnight
The Compound
Skid Contest, Alleycat, and More
Bands galore…Quick Release, Pong, Seals and the Wingless Angels, George Fox
BYOB … D’Amico will bring 26 beers! That leaves 5 for the masses.

Download the flier (PDF) here…

This is right after the Ride for Riley, so it should be a great way to spend the day advancing bicycling on the political and non-profit fronts….and rears.

Monday, March 23
6-9 p.m.
St. David’s Episcopal Church
304 E 7th St
Austin, TX 78701

Last year we had one of the highest turnouts for a political forum in Austin, and this year we’re looking to set a record for forum attendance!

As usual, stay tuned in at http://www.lobv.org

On Saturday, March 14, Chris Riley’s camp will host a “Ride for Chris Riley” fundraiser. Starting at 10:30 a.m., Chris will lead us on a tour of some bicycling hot spots…meaning places that are on the radar for improving bicycling with new facilities or safety enhancements. Following the ride, you’ll have a chance to grab some yard signs and stickers at the campaign HQ, and of course, you’ll have a chance to sign up as a volunteer for block walking and flier distribution.

They’ve structured the ride so you can feasibly form a “team” of riders with small donations. Remember, if you donate to Chris online, I suggest adding 2 cents to signify your two wheels—and thus that yet another bicyclist has made a donation. If you want to be on my ride team for a minimum donation of $10.02, email me at damicoaustin@yahoo.com.

But what ride isn’t complete with a nice cold beer? After the Riley ride, head over to the Yellow Bike Project benefit (to raise money for  their new facility) at The Compound at 1300 E. 4th Street on the Eastside (time tentatively 3 p.m.).  There’s also a scheduled alleycat or some other type of race happening beforehand. Bands are lined up for the party and it promises to be a blast. LOBV will be there as well with info on our projects…More details to come from Yellow Bike soon!

News 3 has the story… http://tinyurl.com/kiwispice

LOBV has been following the project–although mainly from the sidelines–to ensure bicycle access and transportation are considered and balance with pedestrian issues.

Sara Krause–who now chairs the Urban Transportation Commission–made the following plea for bicyclists and others to let the City Council know the Boardwalk  Trail Project is an important project that need not be delayed by pressures from developers or nearby landowners.

—
Dear Friends, I wanted to personally reach out to you because of your dedication to our beautiful city, and one of its most important treasures: the Trail around Lady Bird Lake.  This email pertains to the proposed Boardwalk that would complete the trail. This is an incredibly important project in many respects and will be an important recreation and transportation opportunity for bicyclists and pedestrians.

In the weeks ahead, the City Council will consider the Riverside Boardwalk Trail and its concept plan.  On February 12, the Council will receive a briefing on the Boardwalk from the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Works Department. On February 26, the City Council will vote on the concept plan.

Please show your support for completing the Trail by emailing our City Council today: