Austin Bike & Transpo Activists No Longer With Us Last update: December 19, 2025 I wanted to memorialize people who promoted bike and transportation issues in Austin, especially because no one else has done so. Any omissions are oversights, not malicious. You’re welcome to tell me whom I’m missing. Keith Snodgrass Keith worked in the very first administration of the City’s Bicycle Program, which launched in 1994. When director Rick Waring (1994-97) resigned, Keith took over, becoming the program’s second director, serving from 1997-98. During his tenure, his program won City Council approval for Part II of The Bicycle Plan (the first effort to improve cycling in the city since the early 80's), and began work on implementing the plan. After he left the program, he came back a few years later to work as a planner. He was a member of our email list. Here's one of his posts: 7/19/2001 If you are offended by the Nissan ad that suggests the SUV's design says "get out of the way!" to other street users, you can contact Nissan at: Terry Green Consumer Affairs Specialist Nissan North America, Inc. P.O. Box 191 vGardena, CA 90248-0191 Telephone 1-800-647-7261 I personally think that a lot of the behavior people exhibit when they are driving is based on mental images created by car advertising, and that the Nissan ad encourages people to drive more aggressively than they already do. Keith passed on 9/28/24 at age 68. Dave Dobbs Dave’s contributions to Austin transportation were earth-shaking. If all he’d done was get CapMetro to be founded, that alone would be a legacy, but he also got the Red Line established, and got the yet-to-be-built Orange Line approved. He and also-legendary Roger Baker had a radio show on KO.OP discussing local transportation politics in the 90s, around the time I was doing the my bicycle show there, so that’s how we met. He passed on 7/12/21 at age 82. His friend Lyndon Henry (who, coincidentally, also had a show on KO.OP) wrote a lengthy memorial tribute, paying special attention to his transportation-related accomplishments. Fred Meredith Fred did a lot. Here’s a small sample: Rode on Critical Mass since the beginning, in 1994. One of the very first members on the email listserve, in 1994. Interviewed extensively in the local bike documentary Bike Like U Mean It. Was the editor / desktop publisher for the newspaper by the Austin Cycling Association, Austin Cycling News, later Southwest Cycling News, for over two decades. Served as a board member for the League of American Bicyclists. Named Effective Cycling Instructor of the Year, a national recognition. Organized numerous charity rides for medical research He passed away on 4/15/19 at age 77. I was glad our paths crossed, and I miss him. Jim Damon It’s possible that without Jim Damon there would be no Yellow Bike Project. He funded Bikes Across Borders, and members of that group took that experience and formed YBP. As BAB become YBP, Damon continued to provide back-yard space for them to operate. He ruffled some feathers on the email list, where he insisted, without evidence, that bike helmets made it more likely that cyclists will break their necks if they crash, referring to helmets as "neck-breakers". Regardless, his contributions to Austin bike culture are undeniable. He passed on 4/15/15 at age 78. Jimmy Hudson Jimmy was blind, and so he rode a tandem bicycle. When he put out the call that he was looking for riding partners on his tandem, I rode to his home in North Austin so we could ride together. For years after that I had a little blurb on this website advertising his looking for riding partners, but I don’t know whether that ever led to anything. He did many rides with the (now-defunct) Austin Cycling Association, including challenging ones like the Hotter than Hell 100 and the MS 150, and was captain on many of them. He appeared in the documentary Bike Like You Mean It (link directly to his bit on YouTube) He passed on 7/21/12 at age 74.