5 Projects
5 Months

Would you like to see five significant bicycle projects/programs put in the works in five months? The League of Bicycling Voters would, and we’re going to make it happen.

Attend the first Project Catapult meeting of the year:

Saturday, January 31, from 1-4 p.m. (or however long you can stay)
Bike Texas (Texas Bicycle Coalition), 1902 E. Sixth Street, 78702

Be sure and take the Project Catapult Survey II if you haven’t already. The survey will close on Friday, January 30 at noon. You can find a link to the survey, along with more information on the project, at http://www.lobv.org

Meeting Agenda

I. Project Timeline and Key Dates
II. Review of Survey I and Survey II
III. Review of Proposed Projects
a. Downtown Bike Zone
b. South Austin Bikeway
c. Nueces Bike Boulevard
d. Public Education Program
e. Bicycle Parking Project
IV. Implementation Process
V. Free Beer

All you need to bring is yourself, and a #3 pencil.

Chris Riley’s campaign kickoff drew a huge crowd that packed the back room at Threadgill’s last night and spilled outside into the courtyard. Bicycle Sport Shop provided racks for the many bicyclists on hand. We had representation there from LOBV, ACA, Yellow Bike and many of the shops around town. Additionally, Robin Stallings from Bike Texas (Texas Bicycle Coalition) brought Enrique Peñalosa–the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia–who had spoken at the “Shifting Gears Luncheon” Wednesday. (You can see extensive coverage of this event, which I found extremely inspiring, at Austin Bike Blog. (See: Part 1 and Part 2)

The campaign asked me to say a few words about Chris and his work in the bicycle community. I was one of only two people speaking–apart from the campaign staff–which is an indication of how much importance the campaign is placing on connecting with the bicycling community. Hopefully I can post some links to video and/or photos later.

Jason at ATXBS coverd this immediately, but I thought I’d chime in now to keep this at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts and vision. Our favorite Austin Chronicle bike issues reporter, Dan Mottola, had his Bianchi stolen. See the ATXBS post for the photo and info and be on the lookout!

I’ll be attending this, so expect a comment or phrase reporting back. The Texas Bicycle Coalition is hosting a luncheon with State Senators Rodney Ellis, Jeff Wentworth and Wendy Davis, featuring Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia.  A free ride also kicks off at 3 p.m. Buy your $60 tickets and find out more here. TBC’s notes:

Mr. Peñalosa accomplished amazing things as mayor: he built or reconstructed more than 300 kilometers of bike paths, pedestrian streets, and greenways, as well as hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks; created a bus rapid transit system, TransMilenio, that serves 500,000 customers daily; built or improved more than 1,200 parks. He is a true visionary in the field of transportation and urban development, and he made his vision of a Bogotá energized by alternative transit, enhanced public spaces, and sidewalks, bike paths and pedestrian streets a reality.

Mmm…Chew on this. Bicycling continues to be a topic of conversation on the local political scene. We’re seeing more and more discussion in other places (besides LOBV) on the impact of bicyclists on local elections. If you haven’t checked it out before, be sure to keep tabs on Burnt Orange Report, which covers the entire political spectrum from a progressive slant. It has a significant amount of coverage on local elections (including this recent post on Chris Riley and the Bicycle Advisory Committee) and promises more leading into the mayoral and council elections in May.

Also, we’re going to try and keep tabs on the impact bicyclists have on campaign contributions, which comments on this post address.

At least when it’s really cold out, I remember to zip up my fly. But hey, on another subject, what a great day for bicycling in Austin. With one small City Council consent agenda vote Thursday, we’re laying the foundation for sharrows, possible colored bike lanes, bike boxes and “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs.

The council approved the Center for Transportation Research study that will help the city define its pilot projects for these facilities. We’re hoping the study stays on track for its May/June completion so that we can start seeing the fruits on the streets when it’s hotter than hell. Am I a fruit on the street?

LOBV sent out this release Wednesday to alert the media, and everyone send kind words to Rebecca Taylor at KEYE 42, because she did a bang up job covering the sharrow issue.

No she’s not giving sharrows the finger. COA Bike/Ped Coordinator Annick Beaudet explains where to ride…

COA Bike/Ped Coordinator Annick Beaudet said she’s excited that sharrows got such a positive start. Indeed, I kept a low profile at City Hall yesterday before the council meeting and overheard Councilmember Laura Morrison excitedly talk about the agenda item, then heard two suits (city staff?) who I didn’t know do the same. So the project is getting good buzz all around. LOBV will work with the city on all the projects covered in the study, and we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop as well. It will be interesting to see where Austinites get their first glimpse of sharrows, the impending pilot project, or the work LOBV did with The Domain Phase II, which as a private developer, did not need to wait the go ahead from the FHWA for sharrow use. On another note, the bike projects on the stimulus wish list also passed. Some, like M1EK have rightly questioned the job-producing capacity of these bike projects. But Beaudet noted that most are far more than striping lanes and involve construction projects contracted to outside companies. Additionally, my view is that–even though it’s a shell game–using stimulus money on these ready-to-go projects would free up money for other more construction-intensive projects down the road.

My wife called this morning to inform me that my dog is trying to dig up the grave of my son’s dead fish.  I treasure moments like those. What I don’t treasure is hearing the loss of Good Life Magazine, which formally shut down yesterday with an email from the editor, Ken Martin, noting that after 11 years they had finally run completely out of money.

Ken was a friend of bicyclists and stuck by LOBV with a great editorial against the 2006 attempt at a helmet law. I wrote a few articles for him, notably a look at Herman the German and an article on body modification. And in a tad bit of irony, I did car reviews for him. (I remember writing something on my Dodge Charger review like, “…and in my glove compartment I had a loaded .45, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a roadmap of Hell…”)

But on to the stimulus news. All around the country people are like kids with a new Sears Catalog (in the olden days)–so I’m sure the wish lists for the economic recovery stimulus package due out of Washington probably totals something like $679 trillion. Nevertheless, our list is most important, and you may recall us talking about the COA list with a generic bike project package.

Annick Beaudet, the city’s Bike/Ped program manager, sent me a more specific list yesterday:

Bicycle Infrastructure Improvements 2.6 million:
Specific Examples of ready to go projects which implement the City Bicycle Plan:
Route 29 Barrier Removal (at Hartford and Windsor intersection improvements)
Bannister Lane Bicycle Lanes
Lakeshore Drive Bicycle lanes
Montopolis Drive Shared Use Path (connection from Lance Armstrong Bikeway into Conley-Guerrero Park)
Barton Springs Road Barrier Removal (at Mopac Corridor Shared Use path intersection, west of Stratford)
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Barrier Removal serving the TOD (Bicycle improvements at Airport and Manor and Airport and MLK)

Bicycle, Shared Use Paths, Connected Trails, and Sidewalk Projects 2.5 million:
Specific Examples of ready to go projects which implement the City Bicycle Plan, City Trails Initiative, and Sidewalk Plan: Locations are being coordinated to coincide with other work (larger projects) and which implement the above plans and initiatives.

Still not a lot of detail on the second item, but everyone at COA is running around all stimulated, and it’s good to get these projects on the table, which better be a big table. Annick also noted that other projects not quite as ready for construction, like the MoPac/Barton Creek bridge, might be listed on any future stimulus rounds. The complete list of transportation projects is up for a vote today at City Council.

Jason over ATXBS has the lowdown on an email going around requesting submissions for the Bicycle Film Festival 2009. Dates to be announced for Austin, but the submission deadline is coming up quick at Feb. 7.

ATXBS also has a benefit for a bicyclist with cancer that looks to be a great time for a good cause.

And on the less exciting, but always important, side of things, Austin Bike Blog reports on the Tuesday Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Bicycle/Pedestrian Subcommittee. Elliott does a great job of summing up the meeting. I also attended, and for my part, I’ll check on the Howard Lane bike lane situation.

Wake Up! Take Action Now by telling the City Council to support bike boxes, sharrows, painted bike lanes and Bikes May Use Full Lane signs

Email the mayor and council now at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

Tell them: “Please follow the recommendations of the League of Bicycling Voters and pass the study for bike boxes, sharrows, colored bike lanes and Bikes “May Use Full Lane” signs on your Thursday agenda. Also, please support inclusion of the bike projects on your public works list for the recovery stimulus package.

Then sign up to receive League of Bicycling Voters alerts and information at: http://www.lobv.org

I want more details and to help out further…

Thursday’s City Council agenda contains a little $97,000 item that carries a lot of weight for the future of bicycling in Austin. To put it simply, the item authorizes a study by transportation professionals to evaluate the use of sharrows (shared lane markings), bike boxes, painted bike lanes, and most importantly, Bikes “May Use Full Lane” signs.

Although there has been a lot of research on most of these facilities (except perhaps for the signs), a local study is important to develop criteria for use, and in the instance of sharrows, is part of a process required by the feds to approve their use. The study’s cost is covered by bike bond money from the year 2000, so it’s not taking away from the city’s general coffers. But unfortunately, there have been a few rumblings questioning the study and/or cost.

That’s where you come in. Here are a few simple steps in order of priority:

1) Email the council now at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm and tell them:

a. Why bicycling is important to you and our city (e.g. meets goals of Mayor’s fitness council, curbs greenhouse gases for climate protection, makes our city more livable, etc.)

b. Why the study is important (e.g. these facilities will propel Austin forward in its efforts to encourage bicycling and make it safer)

c. These items were approved by the Street Smarts Task Force and are high priorities for Austin bicyclists.

d. Please also include the “ready-to-go” bicycle facility items on the recovery stimulus package, which would invest in our ability to provide affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation.

2) Copy your Email to council before you send it and email the same as a cc: to important city staff:
annick.beaudet@ci.austin.tx.us; rob.spillar@ci.austin.tx.us; howard.lazarus@ciaustin.tx.us; michael.curtis@ci.austin.tx.us

3) Call your favorite councilmember, or call them all. Just ring their office and tell their staff your are calling to support Item #29, the CTR Bicycle Study and Item #30, the bicycle facilities on the economic recovery stimulus list. Phone numbers can be found at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/default.htm

4) Sign up in support of the item for Thursday’s council meeting. (You may sign up simply as a supporter, or to speak. Speaking will only be necessary if the item is pulled from the “consent” agenda. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall, but you may sign up in the city hall lobby kiosks as early as Wednesday.)

This is extremely important, so please take action now!

More information on the agenda items:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meetingid=159&itemid=9432&item=29
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meetingid=159&itemid=9416&item=30

More information on the bicycle facilities:

Sharrows
http://www.lobv.org/domain/index.html
http://bikeportland.org/2006/05/12/city-issues-fact-sheet-on-shared-lane-markings/
http://commutebybike.com/2007/01/23/sharrows-to-become-federal-standard
http://members.cox.net/ncutcdbtc/sls/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking

Bike Boxes
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/how-to-use-a-bike-box
http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATION/index.cfm?c=46717

Colored Bike Lanes
http://bikeportland.org/2008/02/07/new-bike-boxes-and-colored-lanes-will-be-green/
http://www.sfbike.org/?bikeplan_design
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/07/12/new-high-visibility-bike-lanes-in-brooklyn

Bikes “May Use Full” Lane signs
http://www.lobv.org/signresolution.html
http://home.swbell.net/mpion/bikesusefulllane.html
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/05/santa-cruz-approves-bikes-in-lane-signs.html

Keep Up With Bicycle News and Advocacy:
http://www.lobv.org
http://www.bicycleaustin.info
http://www.austincycling.org
http://www.austinyellowbike.org

Blogs:
http://www.bicycleaustin.info/blog
http://www.austinbikeblog.com
http://www.atxbs.com

Forums
http://bicycleaustin.info/forum