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Hello,
This is my first post. I'd love to start bike commuting but I live in Buda and work in North Austin near Parmer and I-35. That's too long for me to ride on a regular basis, but I'm thinking I could drive to a point along the way, park, then ride the rest of the way to work. Then at the end of the day I could ride back to the parking spot and drive the rest of the way home. Any little bit helps, right? Looking at the Austin bike map it looks like there are some routes to get from downtown Austin up to North Austin, my question is, where could I park my vehicle all day safely and cheaply? I seem to recall some public parking under I-35 around the 6th street area, but I'm not sure if it's free or safe. Right now I commute on I-35. Does anyone have any suggestions how they would handle this situation?
Thanks,
Shawn
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It depends on what mileage you want. I would probably park at south park meadows, then take first to dittmar then wander over to bannister, then follow route 31 I believe to downtown, then wander through austin up to 183, cross 183 and wander through to parmer.
I know I am leaving a lot out, I think you would want to explore a bit and learn the streets before you try it.
If you want to get closer, Bicycle Sport Shop on lamar has never towed me, and I have parked there a few times to ride places. You could probably even talk to the manager there, I suspect they would want to help a commuter get started.
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...I live in Buda and work in North Austin near Parmer and I-35. ...
This could be done as a bike-bus or bike-rail combination.
Capital Metro's limited-stop route #101 bus service is expanding and going faster beginning in about a week. The increase in speed will come, in part, via some mild traffic signal controlling. The #101 would take you from near William Cannon & Congress to near Parmer & I-35 in about an hour. You could: bike to the bus stop, put your bike on the bus, ride the bus, and then finish your trip via bike. Alternatively, you could put your bike in a storage locker at the bus center when you get on a bus, and walk from the bus to your work (if it is close enough), or have another bike waiting at your northern bus stop.
http://www.capmetro.org/riding/Preview_ … 101_SB.PDF (preview schedule)
Using the new Capital Metro rail line is a possibility when it begins service in several months. You would ride your bike to a downtown stop, take the train north to the Kramer or Howard stop, and then bike from there. The train would travel much faster than the bus, of course. The train schedule times aren't determined yet. Though reverse-commute rides will eventually become available, I'm not sure if the rail line will have those initially.
There are other bus routes that serve the I-35 & Parmer / Dell area that may be even more suitable for your commute. There may also be some regional bus services that I am not familiar with that may be of help.
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Wow, thanks for the quick responses! Those are two great alternatives that I'm definitely going to check out. I looked at the lot under I-35 at around 6th street, and that seemed like a good starting point until I could build up my endurance and speed for a longer commute. From there to my work is right around 10 miles. Using the Austin Bike Map and some advice from a bike commuting friend I think I've come up with a route that should work. If all goes well I'll try and ride it this weekend and see how it is.
Thanks again!
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Hi Shawn. Can you be more specific about your destination? Also, are you an experienced rider? How many miles (one-way) would suit you?
Be sure to check out both Michael Bluejay's BicycleAustin.info site, and Joel Sumner's Austin Bike Routes (http://www.austinbikeroutes.com/) sites.
I think the idea of parking at Bicycle Sports Shop is particularly good, since (depending on hours) you have easy access to parts and service at one end of your ride. Also, consider checking with Eileen at Mellow Johnny's; she might have some ideas for parking, etc.
Give us a few more details, and I bet you'll have several good route options in no time.
-Lane
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Hi, I work at Dell at Parmer and 35. I'm a recreational rider who mostly does trail stuff. I've never done much pure road riding. I'd like to start out with not more than 10 miles, and then work up to longer distances. Looking at several sites on the Internet I have some good ideas of routes now, but I would appreciate any additional feedback on parking.
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Ok, here's an off-hand route suggestion, based on my experiences commuting north/south through central Austin. But, I'm not real familiar with the routes up around Parmer, and I don't know exactly where Dell is up there. The exact location in complex situations like Parmer/I-35 intersection can have major impact on your selection of approach. Still, this info might be helpful.
This will keep you inside of 10 miles each way, which is a good, if slightly ambitious initial commute. I'd guess itll probably take you 45 minutes to an hour each way, depending on conditions, and how fast you like to push it.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2183451
Note that it starts at the culdesac on Hilwin Circle. This is a quiet neighborhood street, and I think you could easily park there without much concern. You could drive there via MoPac (I-35 from Buda, Ben White over to MoPac, exit 45th st.)
Once you get comfortable with that commute, you could try other options that allow you to park in other places, and even gradually extend the route southward to cut your time driving in rush-hour traffic. (I'm not sure how much time you spend in traffic daily, but I wouldn't be too surprised to learn that, by biking even part of the way, you actually reduce your total commute time. Even if that's not the case, it's still a great way to get 90-120 minutes of daily workout for the cost of an additional 20-30 minutes spent en route, which, in my opinion, is a really worthwhile trade-off.)
My advice: pre-ride the route on a weekend day to familiarize yourself with it and make any necessary corrections. Try driving the route to your parking point one work day to see what that's like. Then, once you're commuting, follow the rules of the road, bike defensively, don't ride in the door zone, etc. Personally, I think the Road 1 course is a superb way to learn how to get around safely and effectively. John Forrester's "Effective Cycling" is also a good resource.
-Lane
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