Bike access around US 183 discussed

MichaelBluejay · 2016-10-14 21:46:51

Planners are studying ways to make 183 "more accessible to all modes of transportation".

https://communityimpact.com/austin/nort … portation/

RedFalcon · 2016-10-15 11:27:43

Yeah, this is the thing we were discussing on the other thread. They had two meetings this week to gather input from the public. I wanted to get to one, but couldn't make it. Partly because I don't have a car and I just couldn't face making another trip that week.

I did contact the CAMPO contact listed on their 183 Improvement website. I told her my situation and pointed out that having these kinds of meetings may skew input towards people with cars that can more easily get there. The very people the pedestrian/cycling improvements are meant to help have a harder time just getting to the meeting to give input on making it easier to get there.

I received a nice reply from the CAMPO people:

Thanks for letting us know about your challenge in attending tonight's meeting. We do consider transit and other modes in finding meeting locations, but sometimes there just aren't great options. We're happy to talk with you over the phone or if you want to look at the active transportation website ( http://www.campotexas.org/plans-program … destrian/) we'll be posting more information there and you can send your input to Kelly by email. For the regional active transportation plan, information will be available online to provide an additional way to participate and provide input. Let us know what will work for you to give your input. Thank you.
Doise Miers
CAMPO Community Outreach Manager

So, if anyone has input on improving conditions along 183, but can't make it to a meeting, they are willing to talk to you on the phone!

I don't ride this area all that often, so I don't have many specific issues. I will call them anyway, and if anyone posts specific stuff on here I'll pass it along.

MichaelBluejay · 2016-10-15 17:41:21

Sorry, I thought there was another thread, but I couldn't find it. Where is it?

AusTexMurf · 2016-10-21 00:09:03

Copied post to this thread. It was lost in my novel. Apologies.

RedFalcon wrote:

To get to their elementary school, the children in my neighborhood would have to walk 2 miles and cross 13 lanes of high speed traffic at the Parmer/Mopac intersection, one railroad track, and two low water crossings. 50% of the walk would have to be on the road because their are no sidewalks for half of it.
But their parents will largely vote against prop 1 just like they voted against neighborhood traffic calming improvements a few years ago. At that time I went door to door to help get people to vote for the traffic calming, but most of what I heard was incredibly negative.
The sad fact is that a significant number of people (registered voters) don't care about anyone but themselves. Our culture is all about our "RIGHTS" and not also about our "RESPONSIBILITIES". The sense that we are all in it together and that a rising tide lifts all boats is dead. If this attitude had prevailed in the 1940's I think the Japanese Empire would have extended across the Pacific and everyone in Europe would speak German as a first language.

You really should be involved with the CAMPO planning process. Initial public input phase ends today. Public comments and participation today from 9AM-5PM. Meeting today from 5:30-7:30pm. PDF link here.

Tom Wald shared Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)'s event with you:

Public meetings on bicycling and walking improvements along US 183 (MoPac to Cypress Creek Rd.)
Do you have any ideas to make walking and biking better in the Northwest corridor?

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) is conducting a study to develop a plan for bicycle and pedestrian accommodations near and across US 183 from MoPac in Austin to Cypress Creek in Cedar Park. This study will include a series of focus groups, public presentations, and an open house designed to engage and gather input from people in and around the area.

This study includes the development of a corridor plan for active transportation that could include: trails, sidewalks, bike lanes, and connecting streets in the corridor.

Why plan for walking and biking in the region?
Bicycling and walking is…

Healthy
Low cost
Non-polluting
An alternative to driving
This plan will make biking and walking safer, more comfortable, and more convenient.

Upcoming Meetings
CAMPO is holding a charrette work session to share background information, collect input from the community, and sketch ideas. There are several opportunities to stop by and learn more. Please join us as you are able.

Location: Balcones Country Club, 8600 Balcones Club Drive, Austin, TX 78750 (map)

Tuesday, October 11
Educational Presentation and Public Input
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 13
Open House and Final Presentation
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Stay Tuned
The second work session is scheduled for November 8-11, 2016. Details will be posted online once they are available. For more information, please contact:

Kelly Porter, AICP
kelly.porter /at/ campotexas.org -- (512) 974-2084
www.campotexas.org
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/images/t … 161007.pdf

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-10-21 00:10:22)

AusTexMurf · 2016-10-21 00:17:54

Near Northwest Corridor Connections Case Study | Thank You and Next Steps
Hello Stakeholders,

Thank you to all who attended Discovery Week for a study of the Near Northwest Corridor. We received valuable input throughout the week and developed a list of initial concepts.

Participants mentioned several desires for the corridor, including:

Connected trails
Safety
Intersection improvements
Access for mobility-impaired
Accommodation for people of all ages & abilities
More sidewalks
Protected/Separated Bike Lanes
Bicycle facilities along 183N
Preservation of auto capacity (lane diets OK)
Additional trees
Consolidation of driveways
Street grid and land use improvements

By working together with community members, the team developed some starter ideas. For your reference, presentations from both public meetings are available here. Now the team will work to further develop these ideas and put together a more defined plan.

https://goo.gl/photos/mfH9hfBcynX83c3ZA
Map provided for illustrative purposes only.

We look forward to coming back in November to share our findings and receive additional feedback. This information will be used as we get into further details for plans. Please save the date:

Thursday, November 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Spicewood Springs Library
8637 Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, TX 78759

If you have questions or comments, please reach out to Kelly Porter at: kelly.porter /at/ campotexas.org or (512) 974-2084. Thank you for your interest in this planning process.

Sincerely,

Teri Durden
CD&P
O: 512-533-9100 | Ext. 21
C: 512-484-6835
tdurden /at/ cdandp.com
P.O. Box 5459 | Austin, TX 78763

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-10-21 00:26:00)

AusTexMurf · 2016-10-23 00:18:28

Very useful connections around 360/183 intersection using Mesa to Jollyville Rd. Paved MUP gets you to 360 and across safely. Cut through Arboretum to reconnect to Jollyville up to Oak Knoll neighborhood to Barrington Way to Heathrow for a nice enough route up to Balcones Country Club where the 183 corridor mobility meetings are held. I recently passed through this way by bike from South Austin and was amazed at the number of bicyclists I saw, including North Austin Social riders.

Map, here:
https://goo.gl/maps/n1zwEabPufJ2

RedFalcon · 2016-10-23 16:16:28

Here's the reply I sent to the nice people taking input on Pedestrian/Cycling improvements to the 183 corridor:

Hi Doise,

Thank you for taking my input on cycling/pedestrian improvements to the 183 corridor.

There exists in Austin some very vocal anti-cycling and even anti-pedestrian sentiments. Just mentioning 'bike lanes' on social media platforms such as Nextdoor can result in some pretty ugly comments. This anti-bike lane sentiment is, I think, a combination of misplaced anger towards cyclists but also an anti-government taxed-enough-already feeling that exists - even in a 'liberal' city like Austin. When people read 'bike lane' they often assume that their taxes are going to be spent (wasted) on something they will never personally use. The idea that relieving traffic congestion through a shift to alternate modes of transport benefits everyone simply does not compute. Much education needs to be done on this point (I know it is happening - but it seems to me to be half the battle.)

Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter, especially in Red states where voters frequently vote against their own best interests.

My suggestions for improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure along 183 are as follows:

1. Play up the idea of safe routes to schools. Some people may hate cyclists, but even most of these people can be convinced that children should be able to get to school safely. Since many of the antis are also nostalgic for that "Time When America Was Great", maybe it would be a good idea to market Safe Routes to School as a move back to earlier times. In visuals, consider placing modern kids on Schwinn Stingrays. I don't know, but somehow that sentiment needs to be played into to get buy in from a significant number of people.

2. If we just had safe routes to elementary and middle schools many of the needs of adult pedestrians and transportation cyclists would probably be taken care of anyway. And even if these routes didn't fill all of their needs the remaining gaps in infrastructure would be much cheaper to fill later.

*If we provided safe routes to the kids attending AISD Davis Elementary half of the 183 Improvement Area would be taken care of:
https://www.austinisd.org/sites/all/mod … hools.html
This should be a focus since this school attendance zone straddles 183.

*The schools along 183 to the north are in Round Rock ISD:
https://roundrockisd.org/schools/ These schools seem to be divided by 183, so a slightly different strategy may be needed.

3. Separated Bike Lanes: These seem like a good idea, and sometimes they are, but they are often designed for recreational cycling, and not for transportation cycling. Special concrete paths meandering through the woods don't get me to the HEB or to work. A good example is the ($1.83
million) Northern Walnut Creek Trail. It goes from one park to another, even though this section is actually not hard to ride on the existing streets. Then, instead of being actually useful and having a path to the back of ACC Northridge it just passes it by.

Also, separated facilities tend to break down when they reach an intersection. See LAB where cyclists have to stop and yield to cars turning right - something that would not have to happen if the cyclist were in a real travel lane. This just adds fuel to the fire that transportation cyclists aren't to be taken seriously and are just to be 'tolerated' rather than accepted as equals on the road.

4. Bike Lanes and Sharrows: Bike lanes such as the one along Jollyville Road are good, but could often use some work. The line marking the boundary of the bike lane should really become a series of dashes as it approaches an intersection. This makes it clear that cyclists can change lanes to make left turns, and also that car drivers can cross the line to make right turns. Otherwise, a cyclist may be in the bike lane going straight and a car pulls up on the left intending to cut across to go right. Placing sharrow symbols liberally at these points, and others, helps.

5. The Spicewood Springs/183/Pond Springs/Jollyville intersection is a mess. It needs to be totally redesigned to become friendly to anyone not flying over in a helicopter.

6. Traffic calming: The speeds along roads such as McNeil and Anderson Mill feeding into 183 are too high. Combined with a lack of bike lanes these make for significant barriers to travel.

7. Pedestrians need better crosswalks equipped with those lights that indicate the time until the signal changes. The actual crosswalk area on the road needs to be made very visible, and in fact raised to act as a deterrent to driving too fast. Safety islands need to be included so pedestrians don't have to cross too many lanes at once.

8. ADA Compliant Sidewalks: These need to be added on every street within 2 miles of 183. Shame on Austin for not already having these in place.

I am sure there are many specific improvements that can be made. I don't ride this area everyday and so I don't know off hand what they would be.
If any cyclists provide specific suggestions please take them seriously. The person doing the actual riding/walking has the best perspective.

Thank you again for taking my input,

[RedFalcon]

AusTexMurf · 2016-10-23 17:18:29

Awesome, RedFalcon.
Thanks for sharing !

AusTexMurf · 2016-11-09 19:06:39

Good afternoon,

This is a friendly reminder about the next public meeting for the Northwest Corridor Active Transportation Study. Help us make walking and biking better in the Northwest corridor by attending and sharing your input!

At this meeting, CAMPO and the Project Team will share information on existing corridor conditions; recommended bicycling routes, lanes, and trails; pedestrian focus areas; and other recommendations for walking and biking needs near and along US 183 from MoPac in Austin to Cypress Creek in Cedar Park.

Please help spread the word by sharing this email or the attached flyer.

http://www.campotexas.org/wp-content/up … lyer-1.pdf

Public Meeting | Near Northwest Corridor Case Study
Thursday, November 10, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Spicewood Springs Library
8637 Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, TX 78759

If you have specific questions or comments about the case study, please contact Kelly Porter at: Kelly.Porter /at/ campotexas.org or (512) 974-2084.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Sincerely,

Teri Durden
CD&P
O: 512-533-9100 | Ext. 21
C: 512-484-6835
tdurden /at/ cdandp.com
P.O. Box 5459 | Austin, TX 78763
http://www.campotexas.org/plans-program … tion-plan/

Bicycle Austin forum

#1 2016-10-14 21:46:51

Bike access around US 183 discussed

#2 2016-10-15 11:27:43

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#3 2016-10-15 17:41:21

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#4 2016-10-21 00:09:03

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#5 2016-10-21 00:17:54

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#6 2016-10-23 00:18:28

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#7 2016-10-23 16:16:28

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#8 2016-10-23 17:18:29

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

#9 2016-11-09 19:06:39

Re: Bike access around US 183 discussed

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