Getting Around

On this page Bike Rentals Buses, buses w/bike racks Hike & Bike Trails Mountain Biking Taxicab Rates On other pages How to Not Get Hit By Cars Maps & Routes Bike Lanes Bike Racks (for parking) Sidewalks Theft (prevention/recovery) Roadway Improvements Triggering Traffic Signals Biking vs. Driving BIKE RENTALS Bicycle Sport Shop: 1426 Toomey Rd. (477-3472) / 10947 Research Blvd. (345-7460) Daily rentals and rentals for as little as four hours. University Cyclery: 2901 N. Lamar Blvd. (474-6696) (HOURLY: $10/first hour, $2/ea. addl. hour. DAILY: $20/mountain bike, $40 full suspension mt. bike. WEEKLY: $70/mt. bike, $140/full suspension mt. bike. SALES: Buy a bike within 30 days of renting and they subtract the rental cost. These prices were last checked in 3-99.) Waterloo Cycles: 2815 Fruth (right off 29th & Guadalupe) (47-CYCLE) (DAILY: $10-75 depending on bike. WEEKLY: 60+. SALES: Buy the bike you rented within 30 days and they subtract the rental cost. These prices were last checked in 3-99.) Yellow Bike Project: 2011 E. 51st St. (457-9880) Check out a bike from their "bike library". Get a library card by volunteering 12 hours of time, or paying $20. BUSES Taking your bike on the bus. Most city buses have bike racks on the front which hold multiple bikes. This can greatly increase your mobility. Now you don't have to worry about getting a flat tire, getting caught in the rain, or running out of energy -- if any of that happens, just take the bus home (and take your bike with you)! Most of the city buses have bike racks on front, except the UT shuttles, the downtown "Dillos", and a few other exceptions. The schedule booklet clearly indicates which of the few routes don't serve cyclists. You can also check on bike rack availability for your route by calling Capital Metro at 474-1200. Also, note that even if your bus accepts bikes, if the rack on the front is already filled with bikes, you'll have to wait for the next bus. (Fortunately, the racks are rarely full.) Bus fares. Buses are free if you're a UT student or if it's an Ozone Action day (see below). Otherwise it's 50¢ (or 25¢ per ride if you buy the $5 book of 20 tickets, available at HEB stores.) For your 50 cents (or bus ticket) you'll also get a transfer pass allowing you to take a free trip on another bus route, or in the same direction on the bus route you're on (after you've gotten off to tend to errands). The transfer is not valid for the return trip. Ozone Action Days. On days when the amount of ground-level ozone is particularly high, they're declared "Ozone Action Days" (OADs) and you can ride the bus for free. Also, as James Burnside notes, "The City does not run its lawn crews [on OADs] and advises all city employees to fill city vehicles late in the afternoon. Other than that it's business as usual. (sigh)" You can check whether today is an OAD at the TNRCC website. Also, you can get on Capital Metro's mailing list or the Clean Air Force's mailing list and they'll let you know when it's an OAD. HIKE & BIKE TRAILS Austin has several miles of hike & bike trails. Here's a link to Austin360's maps of the trails. The Town Lake Trail Foundation works to expand, improve, beautify, and main the Town Lake trail. See below for info on mountain bike trails. MOUNTAIN BIKING BicycleAustin.info generally doesn't cover mountain biking issues, but here are a couple of resources we have: * Here's a link to the Austin Ridge Riders web site. * Local group: Church of the Knobby Tire. * Here's Jim Summers' review of some local (Austin) trails. TAXICAB RATES So why are we including information on taxi rates on a bicycling site? Simple: Many of our visitors are committed to not owning a car (or are working toward that goal). Taxis can fill in the gaps when you can't ride because you're not feeling well or the weather is poor. Taking a taxi infrequently is a LOT cheaper than owning and maintaining a car, and if being able to rely on a taxi on occasion enables you to live otherwise car-free, then so much the better. The City of Austin regulates taxicab rates. These rates apply to all taxicab companies and all drivers. The current meter rate (as of May 2003) is $1.75 per trip plus $1.75 for each mile. Waiting and traffic delay time is calculated on the taxi meter at $0.33 per minute ($20.00 Per Hour). By city ordinance trips which originate at the airport are subject to a $1 surcharge. There is no additional charge for extra passengers. As many as four passengers may ride for the price of one passenger. 452-9999 American Yellow Checker Cab 482-0000 Roy's Taxi 478-2222 Austin Cab 472-1111 Yellow Checker Cab

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