Bicycle Austin forum

chavela

Member

Registered: 2008-06-03

Posts: 55

Thoughts on Shoal Creek Trail Gaps Connectivity Project?

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

ChrisRiley

Newbie

Registered: 2023-09-19

Posts: 1

Re: Thoughts on Shoal Creek Trail Gaps Connectivity Project?

Here are my thoughts on the Shoal Creek Trail Gaps Connectivity Project:

-- The design for the south gap looks great. Instead of that narrow sidewalk along Lamar north of the 24th Street underpass, we’d get a new 12-foot-wide concrete trail with a planted buffer. My only suggestion would be to plant more trees along the trail, ideally within the planted buffer separating the trail from the street.

-- The same goes for the middle gap (29th to 31st), which would extend the new 12-foot-wide concrete trail northward. This would also be great, and even better if they could add some trees. At the intersection of 31st & Shoal Creek Blvd., where there have been a lot of crashes, there are 3 design options:  (1) no-build; (2) adding a new concrete diverter that would prevent cars exiting 31st from turning left (but would include a cut-through for westbound bikes); and (3) replacing the current pedestrian-hybrid beacon with a regular traffic signal. Either (2) or (3) would be fine; I’d lean toward (2).

-- The north gap (31st to 34th St.) is definitely the most controversial; the city has been wrestling with this part for years. For this survey, they’ve divided it into 2 segments of roughly equal length; the dividing point is the trailhead where you can descend a steep existing trail and continue northward on a concrete path that nears the creek. For each of the two segments (east & west), there are 4 design options.

For the eastern part (from Lamar to the trailhead):

• Options 1 & 2 feature a 2-way, 10-12 feet wide, concrete shared-use path at the sidewalk level along the south side of the street. Option 1 would keep 2-way car traffic with yield flow; option 2 would restrict car traffic on part of the street to 1-way westbound to avoid the need for yield flow.

• Option 3 would provide a similar path behind the north curb. This would allow more room for cars, so there’d be 2-way car traffic with no yield flow.

• Option 4 offers no separate trail for bikes at all; there would be somewhat widened sidewalks for pedestrians, but bikes would be left in the street with no protection other than speed cushions (to calm traffic) and sharrows.

This is supposed to be an all-ages, all-abilities facility, so I’d support either option 1 or option 2. Option 3 would add dangerous crossings of streets & driveways, and option 4 would provide no separation from cars at all.

For the western part (from the trailhead to 34th Street):

• As with the eastern part, options 1 & 2 feature a 2-way, 10-12 feet wide, concrete shared-use path at the sidewalk level along the south/west side of the street. Option 1 would keep 2-way car traffic with yield flow; option 2 would restrict car traffic on part of the street to 1-way west/northbound to avoid the need for yield flow. As the trail approaches 34th Street, it would shift westward and join the existing trail.

• Option 3 would follow the existing trail that drops down toward the creek. The trail would be widened to 10-12 feet, and the steepness would be reduced to meet ADA standards.

• As with the eastern part, option 4 would offer no separate trail for bikes at all; there would be a sidewalk on the south/west side for pedestrians, but bikes would be left in the street with no protection other than speed cushions and sharrows.

Option 3 would definitely be an improvement over what’s there today, but I’d prefer either option 1 or option 2, because they’d involve less grade change. The Shoal Creek Conservancy supports option 3 for this part because it aligns with the Shoal Creek Trail plan, which envisions the trail within the greenway. They’ve got some helpful guidance on their blog:
https://shoalcreekconservancy.org/comme … -proposal/ .

Safe Streets Austin is aiming to do a newsletter about this soon. If you’re not on their list yet, you can sign up (for free!) at https://www.safestreetsaustin.org/join-our-mailing-list .

The deadline for taking the survey is Sunday, October 8.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Re: Thoughts on Shoal Creek Trail Gaps Connectivity Project?

Chris, thank you very much for the detailed writeup!