You are not logged in.
Three was a post on NextDoor, from a person who says a cyclist intentionally hit their dog in the off-leash area of Shoal Creek. This is a reminder that bad bicycle behavior is seen and broadcast, hurting us all.
OP says the dog was scared but is now fine. Also says "I already know who he is thanks to the help of several members of the biking community."
From "Downtown West" neighborhood
"Hello everyone, first time posting, need some help.
A bicyclist hit my dog recently on an off-leash trail (Shoal Creek / Pease Park).
I believe it was 100% intentional, and so does the friend I was walking with (a female cyclist). I'm not trying to cause drama here (at least yet!) so I'll skip the full details of the incident. I am also choosing not to publicly share his name/photo.
He's a very experienced competitive rider, and judging by his actions/behaviors following the hit, I suspect this is not the first time he has intentionally targeted a dog to "teach the owner a lesson."
If this has happened before, that will obviously inform my response including legal action. The man is in his early 50s. If you know of any dogs who have been hit in a way that felt intentional, please privately message me with a description of the individual. If any other dogs have been hurt by this guy, I'd like to make sure this is the last time he gets away with it.
If you're the guilty biker reading this, I'm willing to settle this if you submit a sizable donation to a local pet-focused group such as Austin Pets Alive.
Thanks everyone for reading and appreciate any help.
Full post and comments
https://nextdoor.com/p/8szc78YJqFtP?pos … _id=355002
The New York Times reports on a program that allows car crash victims to confront the drivers who hit them. Could be a step in the right direction.
Car Crash Victims Seek Justice in a New Way: Talking to the Drivers https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/27/nyre … roid-share
(I know the New York Times has a pay wall, this link is supposed to be a "gift" so accessible).
chavela
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 garner the support of the paddle and environmental communities.
Anyone have an opinion on the Shoal Creek Trail Gap Connectivity Project? I have a hard time sorting through all the information, and would be happy to amplify any strong pros or cons through the survey. (My only opinion right now is: "whatever, do it--finish the trail!")
Per my councilmember's newsletter:
Shoal Creek Trail Gaps Improvement Project
The City of Austin is seeking to improve connections of the Shoal Creek Trail by filling the 3 remaining gaps:
• 24th St. to 2800 Shoal Creek Blvd.
• 29th St. to 31st St.
• 31st St. to 34th St.
It’s not too late to share your feedback!
1. Stop by the next pop-up: Saturday, Sept. 30, 9-11 a.m. near the intersection of Shoal Creek Blvd. and North Lamar
2. Fill out the virtual survey.https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PP9WFFY
3. Learn more on the project webpage https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/46 … 9d976b6c49
I have used this service. Not a great experience. When they removed the 21/22 route from my neighborhood (Tarrytown; apparently it was the historical "maid route" between West and East Austin) several years ago, they offered the PickUp service, since our closest bus stop was now up to a mile away. We tried it once to go from our house to Laguna Gloria (two miles), and it took FOREVER; the driver had a regular pick up she detoured for, we had to wait for that person, and then the person was dropped off THEN we made it to Laguna Gloria. We could have walked faster. IIRC, they don't take you "where you want to go"; they take you to defined stops within the immediate service area (e.g. schools, stores) or bus stops to take you elsewhere. So it isn't really that useful if you are going outside the service area, IMHO. And it isn't a van; it's a short bus.
Ugh, I agree--Cap Metro is part of the problem. Good example about Metro Access.
I emailed them asking how to get an application, and the answer was "Thank you for contacting Capital Metro regarding our Paratransit services. The application is not available online [WHY NOT???] , please provide either a mailing address or email address where we may send the application to. "
So even though I ASKED FOR THE APPLICATION in the original email, I still had to respond and say "send it to this address" I was forced to "touch" them THREE TIMES (and maybe more, since I still haven't received the application).
Thanks for providing this service. I've picked up lentynof useful, new information from this forum. And appreciate the community.
From the Austin Monitor:
Mobility Committee hears the case for preventing cars from blocking bike lanes
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 BY SAMUEL STARK
Members of the Mobility Committee heard an argument Thursday for implementing a program that would increase enforcement of vehicles blocking bike lanes in hopes of making the streets safer for cyclists.
Though the committee made no action regarding the future of the “bike lane bounty” program, City Council members who sit on the committee appeared to recognize the importance of deterring motorists from parking in bike lanes.
Council Member Paige Ellis noted that encountering a vehicle in a bike lane where it least expected is one of the most dangerous aspects of cycling in the city. “For (all) the millions of dollars allocated for bike lanes, if they’re blocked, they are completely useless,” she said.
The Urban Transportation Commission unanimously recommended a bike lane blockage program earlier this summer. Presently, residents can use the 311 app to report a vehicle blocking a bike lane, which may or may not result in an officer following up.
A problem with the current system is that, by the time an officer arrives at the flagged location, the offending vehicle has often left, Spencer Schumacher, a member of Austin’s Bicycle Advisory Council, told the Mobility Committee. Citing data he analyzed from the last 200 complaints on the 311 website, Schumacher said nearly 70 percent of the submissions were marked as “no problem found.”
“Pretty much every delivery person knows this,” he said. “They know that as long as they’re there for under 45 minutes – under an hour – there is no way that they’re going to get a ticket, which is why there is this big disconnect.”
The same data revealed that protected bike lanes – separated by a barrier – have less enforcement than bike lanes with no blockade. Schumacher said there are fewer parking meters near these protected lanes, so an officer is less likely to stumble upon an offender.
“Which is why the UTC recommendation is so important …. What has ended up happening is protected bike lanes have become more dangerous than unprotected bike lanes because of these parking violations,” he said.
Schumacher also shared a tragic story depicting the dangers of blocking a bike lane. “I’ll end with telling the story of 3-year-old Elizabeth Grace Shambrook, who was killed in Chicago this summer, riding on the back of her mother’s bike when a city truck blocked the bike lane and led them into the back of a semi truck that dragged her down the street 20 feet and instantly killed her.”
If the program is adopted, a photo of a vehicle parked in a bike lane uploaded to 311 would serve as additional evidence in enforcing parking ordinances, Mario Champion, the author of the proposal, said. A city official would then determine whether the incident was a finable offense. “(The program) just uses the 311 mechanisms, which we already have, and provides an additional source of enforcement potential,” Champion explained.
Another component of the recommendation encourages Council to tweak the current ordinances permitting vehicles to park in bike lanes unless a sign is posted advising them not to. Champion said the laws needs to be reversed to say bike lane parking is never allowed unless a sign explicitly says so.
City Council will now decide whether to adopt the program as law.
“This is definitely something that’s been on the mind for me,” Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said. “I look forward to following up.”
“I think these are really important recommendations and want to help get this type of enforcement happening,” Ellis said.
Yep. If you don't laugh...
Hmm, so it is a real thing, no hidden gotchas. That's great; many of us have suffered from losing a bike, and this sounds like an effective way to fight back.
Sure, non-profit, but where do they get their funding--grants, donations? There's a donations page on the website, but pretty low-key. Seems like a lot of people involved; is this just 100% altruistic? That web site is pretty darn professional, has some decent features/functions that would cost $$$ to develop. I am not intending to be cynical or suspicious, just wondering.
This was posted on Nextdoor:
"Hello Austin, I have an import message for all you bike owners. I'm the bike Ambassador for www.bikeindex.org. Every year I post a message asking bike owners to please register your bike so if it gets stolen, I can work to get it back to you. Every year bikes get stolen and the owners never registered the bikes.
I cannot help you get your bike back if you don't register it. Its free to register so you have absolutely no excuse not to register it. If you are just too lazy, PM me and I will register it for you. If you are handicapped, PM me and I will register it for you. If you can't figure out where the ID numbers are, PM me and I will walk you through it. In the mean time, can you please click the logo below so you can learn more at BikeIndex.org and, while your on the site, can you please register your bike.
Safe Riding Everyone- have a great summer
Pom Normandy"
The webpage is nice, looks legit, but I don't understand the business model. Has anyone used this, or (even better) recovered a stolen bike with their help?
And so is there a plan for replacing the ones that are knocked down? I noticed several missing/in the road on Lake Austin Blvd. Maybe I should open a 311 ticket...
Imperfect, but I like them a lot better than having nothing there.
Several years ago I installed a motor on my front wheel, and that was an economical way to give me extra power. It has performed very well. I didn't want full electric, just a way to get help with steep hills, strong winds, and the occasional day I was just TIRED coming home from work.
Thanks for posting this, I didn't know either. I remember Fred giving me advice when I took a bike commuter work shop from him, YEARS ago ( 1995 or so?). He said " wear black shorts so you can wipe the grease off from changing a tire" and "Don't war racing jerseys, it just pisses car drivers off; better to look like a just another working schmuck."
Advice I took to heart and benefitted from more than once...
This article discusses using a pool noodle tied crosswise to the back of your bike to claim the 3’ passing distance cars should (but often don’t) give you. https://qz.com/1620913/the-best-cycling … ket-newtab
The best cycling hack is a pool noodle — Quartz - qz.com
The pool noodle may look silly, but since strapping it on our loads, it has made our lives safer every day. (Plus, it’s a fun conversation starter at pitstops, and it also reminds us not to take ...
qz.com
I’ve use a similar item—a gray foam pipe insulator with reflective tape on it—that only sticks out maybe a foot to the left of my pannier, but it has definitely helped; I note that Austin drivers give me more room than they used to. But it sags a bit, so I’m going to upgrade to a pool noodle because it stays more horizontal.
Thanks, you pointed me to a page on the LAB site I hadn't found through my own navigation. And now I'm aware of the Cycling Savvy and Center for Cycling Education class curricula. But the bottom line is, I see no basic classes from any provider currently scheduled in Austin. That's a change from years past when there seemed to be classes regularly scheduled several times a year. Maybe the volunteers are are tired out, or maybe there's no demand now for cycling classes, dunno. Anyway, I appreciate the pointers.
Elizabeth Gray
I was poking around the League of American Cyclist website www.bikeleague.org trying to find info on becoming an instructor. But I had NO luck: links to sign up for email lists are dead, I cannot find a single cycling class (now called Smart Cycling, apparently, though when I took it years ago it was Traffic Safety 101) even listed on the calendar, nor any seminars for training of trainers. Is some other organization handling cycling classes? The "Connect Locally" search does reveal all the instructors and organizations for the searched area (scroll down) but I don't want to bother someone if the info is available on the web.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Gray
I had reason to mark a full year that I have been riding across the gravel-covered, garbage-ridden, leaf-piles-and small-branch-strewn westbound bike lane on the bridge across Shoal Creek at 29th St. So I used the mobile 311 app to open a service request (I was standing on the bridge, but the address came in 2900 Lamar St.). In my complaint, I stressed it was a safety issue: deep gravel forces you into the car lane. After two weeks, no action, so I called 311 and they opened another ticket, tied it to the first one, with comments and a corrected address. After another week, still no action so I complained to my council member. Within two days, the bike lane is FINALLY clear. Until the next overflow of Shoal Creek, I supposed, but at least it's clean for now.
I'm curious what sort of response others have had to similar 311 service requests.
Recently I visited the Henry Ford Museum near Detroit, Michigan, saw an interesting display with this verbiage, accompanied by a picture of a very busy-looking road in godawful condition, unpaved, muddy, rutted:
GOOD ROADS
Avid bicylists were the earliest and most vocal advocates for better roads. Their lobbying efforts became a full-fledged movement and led to the creation in 1894 of the first federal roads agency. As automobiles gained popularity, motorists took up the "good roads" battle cry.
We are still at it, aren't we.
Even on sale, the e-bike kits listed here are more expensive than the Hill Topper (front wheel) conversion I've used now on two bikes. I am very happy with it. From the company Clean Republic. https://www.electric-bike-kit.com/hill-topper.aspx
FYI.
Good list of real-world methods and strategies on "how to ride safely". But what is the purpose of "standing on their pedals and bouncing up and down when they're approaching a car creeping out on a side street"? What does the bouncing communicate to the driver of the car--does it make the bike more visible?
Lit up like a Christmas tree, I agree, but not only for nighttime: I use my front white light during the day after reading about one-too-many cars turning into the path of an oncoming bike.
Also, a minor quibble: you mentioned "medicated old people plowing into recreational cyclists on a shoulder"--anyone can be medicated, it is not a function of age.
I am seeing more and more of these "spoke wire" wheel rims that stick out from the wheel. Today a car passed me with rims that stuck out at LEAST 12" on each side. I was aghast--these rims protruded to the left and right beyond the road lane markings on both sides. The rims are invisible to the driver of the car, so I have zero confidence he is really aware of the space he is taking up (I say "he" because all my observations have been of people who appear to identify as male).
These things are lethal, lethal. Can they be legal? My husband says they are not allowed in Europe. What can we do?
Thanks,
Elizabeth Gray
sample: https://www.google.com/search?q=spoke+w … cDCvcnM%3A
Of course you should accept it. No just for past, but for present services: As klunky as this list is, I still read it and find out things that I wouldn't otherwise be aware of. And other people use it too, because they keep posting--some bikesforsale, sure--but also lots of other items.
And as long as I am at it, I had an interesting conversation with a man who is doing his Master's Thesis at Texas State on motivations of people who ride bikes as a way of life. His thesis proposal includes a lot of history (remember the bike wars: cyclists who were totally against separate bike lanes vs those who said physical infrastructure was key?), review of bike sociology, if you will. https://www.scribd.com/document/3231996 … g-Proposal
From someone in APD:
"You can put in a PIR if you’d like to know more specifics, however I believe it is still under investigation so they probably can’t release anything just yet.
He was riding on the shoulder going the wrong way (riding southbound in the northbound lane).
It’s case # 15-3560291 if you’d like to put in a formal request with records."
[ Generated in 0.110 seconds, 7 queries executed - Memory usage: 702.38 KiB (Peak: 764.27 KiB) ]