Site Updates

(Note that we no longer list changes to the News or Welcome pages here, since those pages update so frequently.)

2017

Updated the list of local bike shops
Added AMBUCs to the list of local bike organizations

2016

Added Safe Routes to School to the sidebar
Overhauled the city government page
Lots of updates to the Bike Shops page.
On the organizations page and sidebar, added Vision Zero ATX, and removed ACA since they merged with BIke Austin

2015

Added Bike Haus to the Bike Shops page.

2013-14

Added a page about how Lenore Shefman threatened to sue me.
Added Austin B-cycle to the sidebar and the Bike Rentals page, and removed the peer-to-peer bike rental service called Liquid, since they went out of business.
Overhauled the Organizations page.
Added a new shop, Division One Bicycles, to the Bike Shops page.
Added a new shop, Windmill Bicycles, to the Bike Shops page.
Added Leslie Luciano to the Who's Who? page.

2010-12

Overhauled the Bike Shops page, including adding a spiffy map.
Added local rides and websites to the left-hand sidebar on all pages.
Updated the Austin a Top 10 Cycling City? a few times.
Various upgrades for the web forum.
Forgot to record most other changes here.

Winter 2008/2009

Endorsed Chris Riley for City Council.
Overhauled the site design, putting the menus at the top, and adding the most important resources and external sites to a sidebar on every page.
City to consider allowing cars to park in bike lanes on Exposition.
Added forum topics and events to the front page.

Fall 2008

Belatedly added Lance Armstrong's shop, Mellow Johnny's, to the Bike Shops page.
Added a note about MN cops confiscating bikes of kids without helmets, to the justice page. Will they confiscate cars when drivers aren't buckled up?

Spring/Summer 2008

Updated "Who's usually at fault in car-bike collisions" on the No Justice page
Added the 8/08 KEYE story which effectively blames cyclists for the increase in car-bike collisions, with zero supporting evidence
Cyclist solves her own hit and run.
Added a new cycling injury lawyer to What to do if you're hit or harassed.
Started the Bicycle Austin web forum.
Started the Bicycle Austin blog.
Added a link to the 311 online form to the front page.

Winter 2007/2008

Lubbock driver gets only probation for hit-and-run killing of cyclist
Started the Bicycle Austin Blog
Updated the Austin bike laws page

Fall 2006

Added a PDF of "tickets" to put on cars parked in bike lanes.
Added Quick Links to the front page, updated govt. & city govt. pages
Added historical info about the City's failure to spend bike project money properly
Linked to the "No justice" article in the Austin Chronicle, from our No Justice section
Our Open Letter to Dr. Crocker, who supports the helmet law
Added The Peddler to the bike shops page
Added a route from Austin to Elgin

Spring/Summer 2006

The Yellow Bike Project launches an Austin bike culture wiki
Another drunk driver kills another cyclist
Adult helmet law probably dead
Law professor faces no penalty for intentionally hitting cyclist with her car
Updated the City Council page
Hit-and-run case in Garland, TX
New helmet law being considered
Added our endorsements for the May 2006 city council race
Added details about cyclists being cheated out of bond money to the front page
Driver who ran red light and hit two cyclists not ticketed.
Created a new page about the ACA's advocacy on the Shoal Creek bike lanes issue
Two April car-bike crashes, one fatal
Teenagers throwing stuff at cyclists near Shoal Creek Blvd.

Winter 2005/2006

Linked to a new route for IBM to downtown.
Updated the list of bike shops
Looks like the Lamar Bridge might actually get finished.
Eric Anderson reports on cyclists' success in mitigating the redesign fiasco on the Riverside Drive project
Info about how bike facilities weren't included in the Riverside Drive project
Added a listing for the resurrected Bicycle Advocacy Council

Fall 2005

Added a bunch of updates about the Shoal Creek Blvd. mess

Summer 2005

Added the law about administrative suspension of driver's license for DWI offenses to the laws covering motorists page
Linked to a route to Bastrop.
Added a route to Pflugerville
Added Georgetown Cyclopaths to the organizations page

Spring 2005

Added more to the never-ending Shoal Creek bike lanes debacle
Added another North Austin route
City Council election endorsements

Winter 2005

Exemplary police response to harassment of a motorist
North Austin bike routes now has its own page. Plus added a couple of routes.
Redesigned the site (got rid of frames, improved navigation, prettied up the header, made room for text ads). Nobody noticed.
Added Patrick Goetz's encouragement for cyclists to be effective advocates by joining the Urban Transportation Commission.

Fall 2004

Added more to the never-ending Shoal Creek bike lanes debacle
Added information about a failed statewide helmet bill in 2003.
Redesigned the site, nobody noticed.
Added locks our readers recommend
Linked to an article about the safety of bike lanes and bike paths
Linked to an article about possible improvements to the Shoal Creek trail below 5th St.
Added a link to the City's page about finishing the Lamar Bike/Ped Bridge
Added yet another hit & run

Summer 2004

Added the No Justice case of Kevin Snedden
Added info on the possible extension to the Lamar Bike/Ped Bridge
Added a route to Ben White and I-30

Winter/Spring 2004

Added info about bike rides requiring a street event permit

Fall 2003

Added the case of Matthew Rodieck (sp?) to the cars-bikes collisions section
Costs of car ownership updated
Fall newsletters posted
Added a map to San Marcos and an alternative to Adventure Cycling's spur into Austin on their cross-country route.
Added another bicycle collision attorney to What to Do if You're Hit or Harassed.
Added an article on How to Rewire Christmas Lights to Run on Batteries, on a related site.
Added a Guide to Touring.

Summer 2003

Linked to Mike Dahmus' study on bike lanes vs. wide outside curb lanes
Linked to the BicyclingLife cycling survey
Added a new documentary, Red Light Go, to the movies section
Added a route for getting down the big mountain on 2222
Added fuel economy stats to the Almanac.
Summer newsletters posted
Added more of Roger Baker's editorials on roadway planning politics

May 2003

Added a section about trying to resolve the idea about bike lanes on Guadalupe & Lavaca.
Added the May newsletter.
Added a page explaining why natural gas buses may be no better than diesel buses
Added an online store that sells electric scooters.
Put our section on bike lanes on its own page..

April 2003

Added excerpt of the federal law requiring consideration of bicyclists' needs when doing roadway projects, to the Planning page.
Added a national used bike classifieds website to the used bikes page.
Added an update about planning of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
Noted a possible origin for the song "Cycling is Fun".
Added the agenda for the April UTC-Bike Subcommittee meeting.
Added the April newsletter

January & February 2003

Added the minutes of the January UTC-Bike Subcommittee meeting. [I'll add minutes & agendas regularly as I get them, and won't continue to note that in this Updates section.]
Added a link to chopper bikes on our bikes page.
More on how we failed to get car-free bike lanes on Shoal Creek Blvd.

December 2002

Consolidated and updated information about ideal bicycle facilities.
Posted the December 24 newsletter.
A reader contributes an article about triggering traffic signals.
Added some posts about why we can't get sidewalks or bike lanes.
Added updates about the Town Lake Master Plan/Town Lake Park.
Added updates about the failure to ban cars from bike lanes on Shoal Creek Blvd.
Posted the December 14 newsletter.
Added a lengthy article detailing the roots of the lack of justice for cyclists in car-bike collisions
Sadly, we report about Keith Vick's fatal collision.

November 2002

Added details about TXDoT's 25-year transportation plan.
Allan contributes a North Austin route from Avery Island to Duval/Mopac.
Added Eric Anderson's status report of roadway projects.
Tommy Eden explains what part of federal funds MUST be spent on bike & ped facilities
Added another manufacturer of electric bikes
Added an attorney who handles car-bike collision cases
Bike lanes gone on Bull Creek.
Linked to America Bikes on the elections page, so you can see how your elected officials voted on bicycling-related issues
Added more news about the Shoal Creek bike lane mess
Started adding used bike inventory at Waterloo Cycles
Added a manufacturer of trikes and one of row-bikes to the bikes page
Added some info about downtown transportation planning

October 2002

Added more about the Shoal Creek bike lanes saga
Added the minutes of the September meeting of the UTC Bike Subcommittee.
Added link to AmericaBikes, which surveys candidates for federal office about whether they think the federal govt. should support cycling.

May 2002

Added a guide to How to Buy a Used Bike.
Added a route to Bastrop.
Updated the Monorail vs. Light Rail page.
Added Roger Baker's latest expose about CAMPO's road-building craze.

April 2002

Added yet another hit-and-run fatality.
Started posting agendas for the UTC Bike Subcommittee.
Revised phone numbers for calling in traffic & roadway problems.
Added the case about a Houston motorist who intentionally hit a 10-year-old cyclist.
Added a tandem recumbent.
Added info about the council's action to require bike & pedestrian facilities in road reconstruction projects.
Added stats to the Almanac page showing that most NYC residents don't own cars.

March 2002

Gave a major facelift to the whole damn site.
Added the Spring calendar for Bike-In Theatre.

February 2002

Added a downloadable flier about cyclists' rights to the road.
Added a listing for the new documentary Bike Like U Mean It.
Linked to some more unusual tall/high bike photos on the Bikes page.

November 2001

Added the new Courteous Mass ride.
Added the November newsletter.

October 2001

Added a page and video about the 9-28-01 Critical Mass controversy.
Added the October newsletter, about the 9-28-01 Critical Mass controversy.
Added the Brykerwoods Neighborhood Associations' scathing indictment of Mopac.
Added a link to FunkyBikes.com.
Added the Travis County Commissioners to the Government page.
Added more stats to the Bike Safety Almanac.
Added more voter resources to the Elections section.

September 2001

Added the ebike electric bike and a miniature bike to the Bikes page.
Added Roger Baker's article: How CAMPO stacks the deck
Added Houston's Moonlight Ramble ride.
Added a new anti-car band, The Depavers, to the Music page.
Added Austin Bike-In Theatre.
Linked to some comfy cruiser-style handlebars.
Overhauled the Contact Your Elected Officials page.
Overhauled the Get Involved page.
Added a review of Montague folding bikes.
Added new products to the Recalls page.
Added the new police non-emergency number: 311.
Added the Annual Moonlight Cruise to the Rides page.
Updated the bike laws page to include the new bike safety provisions.
Added tips for riding in cold weather.
Added the September newsletters.
Added the average speed of cars within the city (25mph) to the Almanac page.
Linked to an article about triggering traffic lights to change.
Added an article, "Why adding [traffic] lanes makes traffic worse".
Noted that Waterloo Cycles offers a 5% discount on parts, labor, and accessories to subscribers to the email discussion list.
Added a new page on monorails.
Linked to a new site, AustinBikeRoutes.com, from the Routes section.

August 2001

Added some stats about bicycle crashes to the bike safety almanac.
Added an expert witness to the What to Do If You're Hit page.
Cycling is 117% more efficient than walking. (calculation)
Added an Austin to San Antonio route.
Added Lance Armstrong's quote about how cycling in Austin has been ruined by growth.
Added a front-page story about how citizens killed a proposed parking garage at MLK & West.
Added two more harassment stories, including one about motorists throwing things at cyclists.
Added an editorial by Patrick Goetz about sprawl-induced road rage.
Added a quote by Patrick Goetz: "It seems that the best way to avoid getting a ticket when running a red light in your car is to kill a cyclist while you're doing it."

July 2001

Linked to the site that has tickets to put on SUV's.
Added a New York Times article showing that helmets have not helped prevent head injuries, and that in fact head injuries are going UP with increased helmet use.
Added a new page about how bicycling wastes gas, if the cyclist gets his/her calories from beef.
Added Roger Baker's editorial about how road-building is unsustainable.
Added two bands to the Music page: Hate Traffic and Hit By A Car.
Added a guide to Preventing and Fixing Flat Tires.
Added Eric Anderson's latest opus about the Lance Armstrong Bikeway and the state of local facilities improvements
Linked to the advocacy video, Bike Routes: The Path to a Better Tomorrow.
Added info about Huffy and Schwinn.
Overhauled the Bike & Equipment Recalls page.
Added an article about how Driving With Cell Phone is just as dangerous as DWI!

June 2001

Linked to Mike Librik's excellent Bike Map of Austin.
Updated the Planning section.
Updated the Trailers section.
Added a bunch of stats to the Almanac page.
Added a link to Homeright's folding bike.
Added a link to GasPriceWatch.com, and references to fuel economy for specific model cars.
Added links to Austin Neighborhood Associations.
Added info on the Upper Boggy Creek Bikeway, and updated lots of other stuff in the Roadway Improvements section.
Updated the Lamar Bridge section.
Added the case of Debra Prokop being killed and Judy Monarch being hit & run'd to the No Justice section.
Added discussion about the planning of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
Linked to the article 50 Reasons Cars Are Bad.
Added reader opinions about blasting down 2222.
Added a link to a calculator that tells you how much pollution is caused by your specific household electricity use.
Linked to a new mountain biking club, Church of the Knobby Tire.

May 2001

Linked to Austin Metro Trails & Greenways
Linked to Austin Bike Cabs.
Updated the Repairs/Bike Shops section.
Added links to sites which will help you fix your own bike.

March 2001

Updated the links to other sites [subsequently removed that page and integrated links into other pages]
Added a new bike movie.
Added info on the email list for planning Bike to Work Day.
Added River City Cycles, a shop with a focus on women's cycling.

February 2001

Added a search engine. Whoo-hoo! (see the top of every page)
Added another UTC Bike Subcommittee website.
Added the case of the motorist who hit & run'd Ed Anderson.
Overhauled the No Justice for Cyclists section (again).
Added a more user-friendly list of Back Issues of the newsletter.
Added some more quotes.
Added some links to sites covering helmet laws.
Added Roger Baker's outline of the Feb. 2001 CAMPO meeting.

January 2001

Added the Texas Association for Public Transportation to the Organizations page.
Added more stats to the almanac.

December 2000

Made lots of small miscellaneous updates all over the site.
Added the fatality of cyclist Edward Day.
Added a cartoon of a car flattening the planet.
Overhauled the No Justice for Cyclists page. Also added details about the police declining to charge the motorist who hit & run'd me.
Moved all the statistics about bicycle safety/crashes to a new page, and added a whole bunch more stats.
Noted that the motorist who killed cyclist Conrad Anderson in Tomball, TX pled guilty to intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault and got five years in prison.

November 2000

Added some more cases of local injuries/fatalities. Dr. Gardiner's death is covered elsewhere, here.
Added several stats to our Almanac.
Added our election endorsements.

October 2000

Added a link to a site about a guy who puts bumper stickers on SUV's that say "I'm changing the climate!". (In our Bad Cars section.)
Added a new book, Ecologically Based Municipal Land Use Planning.
Added route help to get to Manchaca & 1626
Added a spam advertisement that puports to allow bad motorists to drive again by obtaining an International Drivers License.
Added a link to the TNRCC website where you can report smoky vehicles by typing in their license plate numbers.
Added an article about stores that won't let cylists bring their backpacks inside (since removed)
Added a listing and link for Austin Choices for Transportation, a new advocacy group

September 2000

Added "Why you should vote for light rail"
Added a link to a site that lets you check whether you're registered to vote
Added What to do if you're hit or harassed.
Added an item about UT banning bikes on Speedway.
Added the bicycle winners from the Chronicle's "Best of Austin" edition, in the 9-30-00 newsletter.
Added a recall notices for Trek handlebar stems and Minoura wind trainers
Added a link to BikeLane.com.
Updated the link to the Alliance for a Paving Moratorium.
Added a link to a site with a map of hike & bike trails.
Added taxicab rates.
Added another story about harassment by motorists.

August 2000

Added links about Driver Distraction (e.g., cell phone use) and Driving While Drowsy.

July 2000

Updated the No Justice for Cyclists section.
Linked to PBS' website on New Urbanism.
Added stats for the fuel efficiency of large airplanes. (It's about 50 mpg per passenger.)
Added an article about cars running red lights.
Added a section on electric-assist bikes.
Moved the entire site to BicycleAustin.info.
Added an update about the Shoal Creek bike lane parking ban.
Added a critique about the Statesman's handling of the Shoal Creek bike lane parknig ban.
Overhauled the links page. [In Feb. 2013, I moved all links from that page into relevant pages.]

June 2000

Added Divorce Your Car! to the Books page.
Added a search engine for back issues of the newsletter.
Added the proposed trail to connect the Town Lake Bridge with the Ullrich Bridge
Added notable actions by individual city councilmembers
Added a page about pro-car and anti-bike groups.
Added an update to the Justice section on the case against the driver who killed Conrad Anderson.
Linked to Bill Canfield's Shoal Creek parking ban site from the Roadways page.
Added a link to the Mean Streets 2000 report on pedestrian issues.
Started an Almanac section for various statistics
Added a section for fan mail about the newsletter
Added a bunch of articles to our Light Rail section.
Mayor Watson proposes a new funding plan for transportation projects
Added a link to the EPA's fuel economy website (for cars)
Added a page about bicycle movies
Updated our contact info for the City Council to reflect the new members
Added a report about the proposed State Highway 130.
Added a page on bicycle posters.
Added a page on light rail.
Added an article about air pollution causing sudden death.
Added No Justice cases outside of Austin to the No Justice section.
Added the rules for the discussion list to the front page and to the News sections.
Added routes from Dripping Springs to Austin
Added today's newsletter, with an interview with the candidates in the City Council Place 2 runoff.
Added a modification to a North->South route which allows cyclists to avoid the intersection at Anderson & Shoal Creek.

May 2000

Added a lengthy report about current and planned roadway improvements which the City of Austin's Bicycle Program is working on
Added Trans Texas Alliance to the Organizations page
Updated our links to other sites
Added an airport route tip and a Table of Contents to the Routes page
Created a new page on Pollution & Global Warming
Added a page with criticism about cars
Added two new books to the Books page
Added suggested improvement to the Far West/Mopac bridge and to sidewalks, on the Roadways page, and to the Sidewalks page
Added info on proposed legislation in California which would require planners to consider bicycle access in the planning process (New Legislation page)
Added the band "bicycle" to the Music page
Linked to the City's Smart Growth section on the Planning page
Created a new, massive page about the Austin City Council
Updated the Elections page
Added problems with reckless-driving cops to the police page
Added the Bike to Work Day events to the Rides page
Added a report about cyclists assaulted in Grand Prairie

April 2000

Added the Austin Coalition of Cyclists to the Organizations page
Added a page about lead in gasoline
Added a page about Bicycle Theft (prevention & recovery)

March 2000

Added the Why Cycle? page, comparing cycling to driving
Added a paper about pollution and energy use caused by cars
Added a page about transportation activist Roger Baker
Started a page devoted to books about transportation planning.
Added the death of Michael Z. Smith to the No Justice for Cyclists section.
Added a wish-list for how we'd like the media to report on car/bike collisions, to the Media Criticism page.
Reflected that Michael Zakes has left the UTC and that Mike Dahmus has joined it, on these pages: City Government, Organizations, and Who's Who.
Added Eric Anderson to the Who's Who page.

February 2000

Added a route to the Westgate Cinema/Central Market to the Routes page.
Added information on the 2/22 University Area Partners meeting.
Added a link to the website for the annual Bike Summer event.
Added an update about Jay Williams' hit-and-run case.
Updated the Bike Month page to reflect that the City of Austin will no longer be organizing the event.

January 2000

Added the 1-30 newsletter, as well as old 3-3-99 I had lost but just found.
Added a new page on Problems with the Police.
Added the naughty bike ad.
Added the Netherlands bike commuting tube/tunnel to the World News section
Put a link on the Helmet Laws page to the article about the 9-year-old Florida boy who was handcuffed for not wearing a helmet.
Added information about Austin's ranking as a Top 10 Bicycle City in Bicycling magazine.
Added a page about Fuel Cells. (Later removed, but you can check out our page on Bicycle Quotes.
Added a list of links appearing in the bicycle newsletter.
Added two new ways to How to Not Get Hit By Cars.
Added new section on Roadway Improvements.
Started a new section for links to governmental bike programs in other cities & states.
Indicated that funding has been approved for the Crosstown Bicycle Highway.
Updated the Calendar and Rides/Events pages. (Update: We no longer maintain a calendar.)
Added an update to Jay Williams' hit-and-run case.
Removed an old ad for a used bike and added a new ad.
Added some of Dave Sullivan's accomplishments to the Who's Who page.
Corrected the date for the Ruta Maya rides.
Added the 1-23 newsletter.
Added more content to the Media Mess page.
Linked to problems with rumble strips, and referenced it from the Ideas for Making Cycling Safer and Contact Your Elected Officials pages.
Added Getting Around the Arboretum to the Routes page.
Added the UTC Bicycle Subcommittee to the Current Projects page (later removed).
Added a note about the Statesman's coverage of S.H. 130 to the Media Mess page.
Changed email links to the webmaster in several places to provide compatability for AOL users.
Fixed a bunch of little things all over the site (anchors, links, spelling).
Created this Site Updates page.
Overhauled the Alphabetical Index.
Added Jay Williams to the No Justice and No Justice/Details pages.
Added Ruta Maya rides to the Calendar and Rides pages.
Added the Valentine's Bike Parade to the Calendar and Rides pages.
Updated meeting schedule for the Bicycle Advisory Council.
Reflected that the location of the City Council chambers is moving, on the City Government and Calendar pages.
Created new page covering Elections.
Added the 1-16 newsletter to the newsletter archives.
Set up the newsletter archives to list in reverse-chronological order.
Overhauled the Political/Technical Info page.
Added Car Busters to the Links to Other Sites page (that page subsequently removed and the links were integrated into other pages).

Prior to 1-00

This website started in 1995, but we didn't keep track of updates before then.