This blog was started in February 2008.  Stay tuned...

This is an attempt to do a post. This is Mike Dahmus, of "M1EK's Bake-Sale of Bile", reporting for duty.

A designer in Hong Kong has created a new kind of mobile home -- on a tricycle! see video

I maintain a local bicycle advocacy calendar. The primary sort of events that I have posted are for the City of Austin, CAMPO, TxDOT, and UT Austin. This TinyUrl is helpful when sending the calendar link in e-mails: http://tinyurl.com/2vpnuk

I strongly encourage people to bring to my attention any upcoming events that I have neglected to post. From what I hear, there are interested people who use this calendar to stay abreast of advocacy events in Austin, so let's make sure that all of the news gets out there.

You can reach me at tomwald[/at/]hotmail.com

Here is a video that runs most of the length of the Minneapolis Midtown Greenway.

I'm posting this to provide inspiration for what Austin's Lance Armstrong Bikeway going through the middle of Austin, east-and-west, could be like. The Minneapolis Greenway has a lot to teach us about how to make an Austin bikeway a success. Some issues are not directly relevant -- in Minneapolis it was important to keep the south side of the trail unobscured so that the sun could melt the greenway snow -- some analogies can still be found -- an Austin bikeway would ideally be at least partially shaded, probably by trees. Concerns and prevention of crime are significant to any urban bikeway or trail that is just beginning to be used.

The Midtown Greenway Coalition is is a 501(c)(3) non-profit citizens' group that has provided stability for the project for the last 15 years. Recent major news was the completion of a landmark bicycle and pedestrian bridge over a highway and rail lines. Currently, groundbreaking is starting on a central bike center, which will be immediately adjacent to the greenway in a central location.

The Street Smarts Task Force--a group of some 30 people designated by the mayor and city to make recommendations for promoting bicycling and making it safer--recently concluded its work. The final report is now circulating through city boards and commissions and will be presented to the City Council on February 28. (You can see the final report, although it's the not the pretty version, which hasn't been posted yet.)

The task force members had a lot of talent and expertise, although I wonder a bit about the woman who asked pointedly during the second meeting, "Why are we talking so much about bicycles?" I do think the final product is worthy of commendation, which is just the other side of China from condemnation, although it did give men like me a pause to think of a condom nation, with everyone playing it safe. Unfortunately, this report--like so many created by task forces--faces the prospect of withering away in a file drawer, thousands of words carefully crafted just to be laid to rest in a morgue of type, with words questioning themselves in eternity. "Oh why was I born with an 'i' instead of an 'e,'" laments "insure." Until it's neighbors "need to" and "the focus" yell, "Shut up ya whiner!" and  the tenant above--"tht"--screams, "At least you didn't end up a typo!" and "must also focus," the phrase with the split infinitive cries to be reunited...until the chorus of words and syllables and utterances realizes that it is making no sound at all. Then one day, little Larry Leonard lisps in alliteration "Street Smarts ... Street Smarts ... Street Smarts ...." as he pulls a copy of the final report from a city library shelf and wonders what they were thinking when they came up with the tagline, "Different Spokes for Different Folks." Then he wonders why his father wasn't more like Mr. Drummond, instead of an abusive dullard with callouses (sic) on the undersides of his fingers from six-pack rings, which tugged against the flesh while he waited behind lotto ticket buyers in convenience stores.

Where was I? Anyway, I thought it would be good to take a look at the highs and lows of this 10-month process.

Highs

1) The mayor cared enough to even name a task force.

2) Task force members realized they could throw in the word "connectivity" if they weren't exactly sure what they were aiming to recommend, and then everything would be all right. This strategy likely would work for any transportation-related effort they were called in to tackle.

3) A recommendation banning cell phone use in moving vehicles, including bikes (with further study of hands-free use before banning that method). A lot of people questioned whether a ban that doesn't include hands-free is worth it, since studies show it's the lack of attention due to the call, not necessarily that punching of buttons that is the problem. But at least this confronts the no-brainer of prohibiting text messaging. The city public safety task force recently looked at this issue as well, with Mike Martinez coming out tentatively supportive of a ban.

4) My recommendation for getting the city to fund a contractor to immediately develop and submit an application to the FHWA for the required sharrow pilot project. OK, I'm being self-centered here, but my gut was telling me that we needed to try something completely different--at least for Austin--and we need to try it now.  I was adamant about not having any more "study" words being attached to recommendations. This recommendation will be a focal point for LOBV follow-up to ensure that it is embraced, funded and implemented.

5) The thought and work put into the recommendations from the "infrastructure subcommittee." The subcommittee developed a matrix for project listing, evaluation and eventual prioritization and outlined a healthy series of recommendations for improvements. OK, they call it a "Barrier Categories and Rating Criteria Spreadsheet," but check it out sometime and you'll see what I mean.

6) Sara Krause, the task force chair, was the workhorse for Bruce Todd's ill-advised helmet law crusade. LOBV was content to have the enemy at the helm, where she could be watched. Regardless, Sara proved to be a great chair, demonstrated that she could keep things organized and moving, and also related enough personal anecdotes about her bicycling experiences to show that she really cares about spurring significant changes in our city to promote bicycling and make it safer.

Lows

1)  The infrastructure committee not getting more specific. You'll note they got a "High" above, but they get a "Low" too for remaining so general about everything. I can understand the reasoning for not getting to specific. Can you imagine getting bogged down in discussing specific intersections and patches of road? Then again, a handful of high-profile recommendations for specific facilities or fixes would have been nice.

2) The debate over the three-foot passing law. The Texas Bicycle Coalition has been working at the legislature to get a three-foot passing law established. More on their website . That particular bill isn't really a priority for the yahoos at the Capitol, and it failed again this last session. When task force members suggested making a recommendation for a city ordinance mirroring the state law proposal, TBC balked, saying an Austin law actually would be detrimental to getting a state law passed. The theory goes: Austin is wacky and liberal. Let them swim in their hippy dippy shit and we're not going to do something just to appease them...in fact, let's punish them for doing this crazy shit on their own. It's a valid point, but in retrospect, we should have been more vocal about doing our own thing. Times are changing under the dome. Austin bashing is waning, and we can't always be worrying too much about "what ifs" from politicians who don't give a damn about this issue one way or another.

3) No free coffee for task force members. While city council aides drifted in and out of meeting with trips to the coffee pot, many of us were left stranded with nothing to juice us, unless we ducked out and went through he metal detectors to the cafe. We were working for the love of our city and didn't even expect cold bagels with strawberry cream cheese, but for the love of God, give your working citizens some coffee.

LOBV will be sponsoring a 6-month and 1-year get-together on Monday afternoons at 1:34 p.m. to  review recommendations and monitor progress. We'll provide beer, veggie Slim Jims, and a list of contact numbers for city officials. We'll drink, dial, and check up on how things stand.  May I have a word with your mother!

There are several upcoming meetings where bicyclists can offer input.

Austin City Council meeting on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at City Hall, 301 West 2nd Street.

City Council will consider two issues of interest to us: (1) Approve the recommendations of the Street Smarts Task Force, and (2) Approve an agreement providing space for the Yellow Bike Project. For people who don't feel like going to the meeting at 10:00 a.m. and hanging around until late in the evening waiting for a specific topic to be considered, you can go to City Hall and provide a very brief statement at your convenience, at any time as early as three days before the meeting. Mayor Wynn will read everyone's comments during the meeting. The agenda item numbers will be posted on Friday, Feb. 22.

The Street Smarts Task Force Report can be found on the City of Austin website.

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CAMPO public input meetings

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization must approve all federal funding to be used on transportation projects in the Central Texas region. The projects up for consideration are posted on their website at https://www.campotexas.org

People should attend one of the four public meetings--whichever one is convenient for you--and the public hearing on March 17, 2008. This hearing is one of the few opportunities we have left when the Transportation Policy Board must accept public input.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS:

• Austin - Wednesday, February 20, 6-8 p.m. • 505 Barton Springs Road, Austin
• Round Rock Public Library • Thursday, February 28, 6-8 p.m. • 216 East Main Street, Round Rock
• Bluebonnet Trail Elementary • Tuesday, March 4, 6-8 p.m. • 11316 Farmhaven, Austin
• San Marcos Activity Center • Wednesday, March 5, 6-8 p.m. • 501 East Hopkins Street, San Marcos

PUBLIC HEARINGS:

• Policy Board Public Hearing • Monday, March 17, 6 p.m. • University of Texas Thompson Center, Room 2.102, Dean Keeton and Red River, Austin

CAMPO will be considering two sets of proposals. The first ones are TIP amendments for 2008-2011. The second set consists of 60 MM project applications for $122.9 million, including 16 bicycle/pedestrian projects for $14.2 million, but only $35.5 million is available for Metropolitan Mobility (MM) funding. CAMPO policy requires that 15% of MM ($5.3 million) be allocated for bike/ped projects.

The projects may be found under agenda items 6 and 7 at the CAMPO board's last meeting on Feb. 4, 2008. The following list is a partial list of projects being considered. For details, see the CAMPO website at https://www.campotexas.org

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM (STP) METROPOLITAN MOBILITY (MM) PROPOSALS

City of Austin MoPAC Bike Bridge: $2.5 million (Total project cost: $3.9 million) for Barton Creek Bicycle Bridge at Mopac.

City of Austin Del Curto Path: $0.8 million (Total project cost: $1.0 million) for shared use path along Del Curto from Bluebonnet to Lightsey and on Lightsey from Del Curto to Clawson.

City of Round Rock Brushy Creek Trail: $2.4 million (Total project cost $3.0 million) for constructing two trail segments which will complete gaps along the Brushy Creek and Lake Creek trails.

CTRMA Hwy. 183-A Path: $1.2 million (Total project cost $2.5 million) for concrete shared use path along 183-A from FM 1431 to Brushy Creek.

City of Austin Little Walnut Creek Trail: $1.5 million (Total project cost $1.9 million) for concrete trail along Little Walnut Creek from Springdale Rd. to the MoKan RR ROW (near Johnny Morris Rd.).

University of Texas bicycle parking: $46,000 (Total project cost $74,000) for bicycle racks and bicycle lockers on UT campus.

Notable STP MM sidewalk proposals:

TxDOT MLK/FM 969 Sidewalks: $1.5 million (Total project cost $2.0 million) for sidewalks along MLK Blvd. from IH 35 to US 183.

TxDOT Decker Ln./FM 3177 Sidewalks: $1.2 million (Total project cost $1.5 million) for sidewalks along Decker Ln. from US 290 to FM 969.

TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP) AMENDMENTS FOR 2008-2011

City of Austin bike routes: $2.0 million (Total project cost: $8.1 million) for bike routes in the Austin Metro Area.

City of Austin Northern Walnut Creek Trail: $1.3 million (Total project cost: $2.0 million) to construct Walnut Creek Trail.

City of San Marcos Aquarena Springs/Post Rd. Bikeway: $0.7 million (Total project cost: $1.5 million) to construct bike trail between Texas State Univ. and Aquarena Springs.

City of Austin Jollyville Rd. Bike Crossing: $21,000 (Total project cost: $0.8 million) to improve bike crossing at Arboretum Blvd.

City of Hutto Cottonwood Trail, Phase II: $0.1 million (Total project cost: $0.6 million) to construct Cottonwood Trail in Hutto.

Travis County Gilleland Creek Trail, Phase II: $0.1 million (Total project cost: $0.6 million) to construct concrete trail along Gilleland Creek from Pflugerville City Limits to Northeast Metro Park.

Safe Routes to School: Various projects from Cities of Austin, Florence, Taylor, and Pflugerville.

Also notable: City of Round Rock has a project for Wyoming Springs Rd. which does not adhere to CAMPO's policy requiring bicycle facilities with all projects. The project description says, "Sidewalks for pedestrians and bicycles." Sidewalks are not among the facilities considered appropriate for bicycles.

So, in many central areas of Austin, there has been a growing incidence of break-ins (burglaries) of houses recently. The perpetrators kick in the front door and steal. Unfortunately, this happened to a friend of mine in December. She had been riding the bus to work (at my recommendation - after all it is free for us), and I asked her had she been keeping it up? No. She drove to work. I, perhaps not very consolingly, made the observation that if she buses to work, her car is in the driveway and thus, the thieves will not come, most likely.

As I worried about my own safety after her break-in, I was more reassured since I do bike commute and my trusty but not-often-used car sits in the driveway. I also have a territorial dog, so I figured I'm not a good target!

Keep up the biking or busing and decrease your likelihood of a break-in .... not statistically proven but still fun to consider. (I think the dog thing actually has been proven though.)

William F. Buckley, Jr. died today. He was often cited as a conservative, but apparently in his 1965 NYC mayoral campaign he had proposed "an elevated bikeway on Second Avenue" and "bicycle lanes on major thoroughfares."

I just want to remind people that using bicycles as an urban transportation solution transcends a liberal/conservative divide. Bicycles are a pragmatic, functional, and efficient component of a healthy urban transportation system.

Some see transportation bicycling only as a hippie/liberal thing, but only so long as they stay in their caves (and strangely, a lot of people want to stay in their caves).

Sources: NY Times, Wikipedia

The Austin Cycling Association, Yellow Bike Project and League of Bicycling Voters will host an Austin City Council Candidate Forum on the evening of April 7 at the LCRA Board Room, 3700 Lake Austin Blvd., 78703 (time to be announced). The City Council election for places 1, 3 and 4 will be held on Saturday, May 10 ... during Bike Month.

This is our chance to show council candidates that bicycle issues will play a critical role in Austin's future. And the best way to demonstrate our significance is to show up in mass! Stay tuned for more info, including results from the LOBV candidate survey at http://www.lobv.org. Here's the list of candidates who have announced intentions to run, although we won't have definite candidates until the March 10 filing deadline.

City Council Races*= incumbent

Place 1 Lee Leffingwell* Jason Meeker Allen Demling

Place 3 Jennifer Kim* Randi Shade Ken Weiss

Place 4 (Betty Dunkerley’s seat) Cid Galindo Robin Cravey Laura Morrison Samuel Osemene Jennifer Gale

Callie Long hit bicyclist Brett Walrath with her Lexus in 2003 and left him for dead. She was caught, tried, and convicted, but given only five years of probation. She paid no fine, and as long as she doesn't violate her probation, will face no jail time. Adding insult to injury, the newspaper article about the slap on the wrist shows an ad with a woman hugging a car right smack dab in the middle of the article. (Lubbock Online on the conviction, and on the sentence)

[Believe it or not, I agree with you that there should be more posts directly relating to bicycling in Austin, but until then... onto the blog post.]

A TV news story from the Twin Cities in Minnesota: SAWKAR: The safe bicyclist

The following is my e-mail to them:

Subject: "SAWKAR: The safe bicyclist"

Date: Thu, 01 May 2008 22:20:27 -0500

To: KSTP Investigative Team <investigative@kstp.com>

Regarding:

"SAWKAR: The safe bicyclist"

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S429050.shtml?cat=118

-- both video and web story

I hope that someone in your office will take the time to read this. I have been a long-time advocate and student of bicycling and road safety so I suspect that my comments will be worth your while.

* Running another vehicle off of the road is a dangerous act for the victim. Oftentimes, the level of negligence in running another vehicle off of the road is criminal. Going through a stop sign without stopping on a bicycle is not necessarily dangerous to anyone (aside from the bicyclist), though if it is dangerous to others. In the latter case, it is the danger created that is an issue, not merely the fact the bicyclist went through a stop sign.

* Your investigative reporter was likely breaking at least two laws when interviewing the bicyclists while driving on the street:

When passing, a vehicle must generally complete the pass and not drive side-by-side with the vehicle being passed. In Minnesota, a motor vehicle must only pass a bicyclist at a safe margin (the video indicated an unsafe margin) and explicitly never less than three feet (the video possibly indicated this as well). Having a conversation between a motor vehicle and a bicyclist while in motion, should a collision occur, is likely to be cited as a traffic violation.

* Check the speed of motor vehicles when they have no reason to slow down other than the posted legal speed limit. (This is *not* the same as checking MnDOT data of a street for what the 85th-percentile motorist does.) You will find that motorists habitually break the law in this regard.

* Watch where motorists stop when approaching stop signs (or traffic lights) if they indeed come to a complete, legal stop at all. Many, perhaps most, motorists will stop ahead of the legal stop line. Numerous collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists have occurred because motorists often (or typically) fail to stop *at* stop signs. The only bicycle-car *traffic* collision that I have been involved in in my twenty-five years (and tens of thousands of miles) of bicycling resulted from a motorist failing to stop at the proper place at a stop light.

Note that the last on-street video clip in your segment shows a motorist failing to stop at a stop sign (while the bicyclist stops), yet your commentator fails to mention the motorist's violation. Is a bias of yours against bicyclists showing through in this case?

* The implication for why bicyclists failing to stop at stop signs is a moral issue rather than just a legal issue was not addressed in your story, yet it was assumed that it is a moral issue. Indeed one could say that breaking any traffic law is a moral issue, but then the suggestion that bicyclists stand out in breaking laws when compared to motorists would need to be addressed if the suggestion is that bicyclists are doing something wrong while motorists are not. Aside from the much greater danger to others created when a motorist breaks a traffic law as opposed to a bicyclists breaking a traffic law, the general frequency of law breaking between bicyclists and motorists has never been compared scientifically (to my knowledge and to the knowledge of many prominent figures in bicycle or motor law).

* Indeed, Idaho has an existing law that permits bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, just as the bicyclists shown in your story have done. In addition, other jurisdictions are currently considering similar laws. The fact that other communities, similar to Minnesota's, do not consider a bicyclist treating a stop sign as a yield to be a traffic infraction gives a strong indication that it is not inherently an immoral act.

Motor vehicle laws were essentially written for and because of the nature of motor vehicles. There are some existing laws in every state that differentiate bicyclists from the main class of motorists, essentially because of the difference in nature of the two modes of transportation. Those laws are growing in number, including in Minnesota.

Maritime "traffic" laws have a significant dependency on the size and propulsion method of the boat vehicle to which the laws apply. There is little reason to prevent such differentiation in laws for urban street traffic.

* You imply in a paragraph that obeying the law means wearing a helmet. What are the laws in Minnesota and/or the Twin Cities requiring helmet use on bicycles? There are none. You also suggest that a bicyclist not wearing a helmet gives bicyclists in general a bad name. Keep in mind that helmets do nothing to prevent a collision with a motor vehicle, nor do their use in themselves indicate an adherence to law.

* While the fault of the bicyclist may be indicated in half of the collisions in Minnesota, what is left out of that statistic is that in the cases where the fault goes to the bicyclist, the at-fault bicyclist is on average much younger than the cases where the bicyclist was not at fault. Furthermore, many of the collisions between motorists and bicyclists are with bicyclists of an age less than twelve. The idea that adult bicyclists are at fault in about half of the collisions is simply incorrect.

* Bicyclist safety and bicyclist behavior are indeed important. I am not disagreeing with you about the need to address both of those. However, your exhibition of bigotry(?) by exaggerating the significance of the misbehavior of bicyclists is not a healthy way to go.

* Do I follow the traffic laws?

As a bicyclist, I follow the traffic laws as or more closely than nearly(?) every motorist in Austin. I am still threatened with violence by motorists and at least daily put in danger by a negligent motorist breaking the law.

Tom Wald

Native Minneapolitan (23 years)

Austin, Texas resident

Austin Bicycle Advisory Council, councilmember

League of Bicycling Voters (Austin), board director

University of Texas Orange Bike Project, co-chair

Austin Clean Water is working on Duval between 38th and 40th in the north-bound bicycle lane.  The surface of the lane is now uneven because temporary cold mix asphalt has been used to patch the road.  The project will continue approximately for the next 30 days then a permanent and even surface will be installed in the bicycle lane and the bicycle lane line restriped.  Some of you might have found its current condition nearly unrideable but rest assured that it will be restored.

Nathan Wilkes

I've been somehow sheltered from the mean streets, perhaps by a naivete or maybe even just a dreamy complacence that tends to swallow me up when I ride. But it finally hit the other night, a wave of attacks from motorists that wakened and incensed me.

First, an SUV plowed into a bicyclist on South Congress about 10 yards in front of me. The driver did a stupid and erratic maneuver. Essentially she pointed her car in a 45 degree angle into the right lane of Congress (in front of the cupcake stand at Monroe View Larger Map) then whipped right in a half circle into an angled parking space where her front quarter panel collided with the front tire and flying body of the unfortunate girl who—although she was riding legally—made a bad choice in riding down the middle of angled parking. After nailing the car with her mid section, she bounced off into the gutter.

I slammed on my brakes, dismounted and went to her. She was struggling for air, but she told bystanders she was fine, that her breath was just knocked out. An ambulance came and indeed she was OK, with some road rash and aches and pains.

But get this…after the crash the driver of the SUV came up stood with her hands on her hips looking at the gasping girl and said, and this is a direct quote: "Dang nab it."

Dang nab it? Couldn't she say something like, "Oh my God, are you OK?" Then she said, "I thought y'all were on the sidewalk." Then she gave a false account of what happened to the police. In the end I heard from the bicyclists and the drivers' insurance company agreed to pay for her bike damage and bike repair.

You're probably already getting bored with tales from the street, so I'll keep the rest short. After the crash, I was sitting downtown at 2nd and Colorado behind the white ped line waiting on a red light. A Lexus SUV rounded the corner onto 2nd almost clipping me, and the driver leaned out and yelled "Get out of the street before I run you over you little twerp." I've learned to live with my twerpdom, by the way, but since it followed the crash, I was fuming.

Then behind me, a car honked at two bicyclists riding on 2nd, then squealed by them, at which point the bicyclist yelled at the motorist to get out of his car if he thought he was such a man. He didn't.

I'm now carrying my cell phone and video camera within in reach. I plan on fighting back, not by actually fighting, but by calling the police, at which point I'll probably be battling their lack of action on this type of harassment!

Haven't been to the Draught House in awhile. But I'm not talking about that kind of pub! Publications...and I'm continually impressed by Momentum, which has a new edition out (some copies are usually around Mellow Johnny's, or online at Momentum Planet).

But the folks at New Belgium, which I drink frequently in pubs, just alerted me to Boneshaker, a journal on bike commuting and utility cycling. I've emailed to see how to get a subscription, but I would be interested to hear if anyone has read it.  See: http://wolverinefarmpublishing.org/boneshaker.shtml. I had picked up the publisher's Guide to Ecstatic Living (GER) at Tour de Fat last year and loved it.

As you may recall from the forum posts, the City Council passed a resolution directing city staff to look at scooter parking downtown, along with some references to bicycle parking and bike boxes. Public Works responded with an initial analysis, and the issue is expected to head to the Urban Transportation Commission for review in December.

[caption id="attachment_33" align="alignleft" width="384" caption="Portland Bike Box"][/caption]

I found these comments odd:

"Bicyclists ahead of motorists in the bike box may impede the motorists' progress, whether simply by being there, by alteration in signal timing, or both. There could therefore be a reduction in efficiency of motor travel. Use of the bike box may either increase or decrease bicyclists' travel times, depending on whether they may filter forward, or are prevented from entering the bike box by moving motor traffic (particularly when using it to prepare a left turn). Further research should attempt to quantify these effects, and effects on pedestrian travel times."

Seems to me like bikes don't wait in queues anyway, so you might as well stick them up front in a visible, safe place. If you're prevented from entering the bike box....oh well. You can view the analysis here.

Also stumbled upon the hard copy of this at Mellow Johnny's this morning while enjoying my free cup of coffee for bicycle commuters: Urban Velo.

Kind of strange, but I'll let you be the judge. Visit https://www.urbanvelo.org

Here at LOBV we strive to stay on top of city notifications, particularly development projects that may need or include bicycle facilities. Unfortunately, that means about 30 plus envelopes in my mailbox each week. What a waste of paper, and postage.

It would be nice if someone who hates this kind of waste would see just how much the city spends on this endeavor--which although worthwhile and necessary--could undoubtedly be improved.

Couldn't an optional e-mail/PDF notification system (a searchable one at that) be an option. Not sure.

LOBV recently sat in with city planners and consultants for the Downtown planning process. Other bicycle organizations were there as well as part of a stakeholder process. We had some lively discussion, mostly over parallel parking next to bike lanes.

Overall, the planning effort looks really good. But again, we really had to drive home the point that getting bikes out of the door zone and providing direct connectivity to a variety of destinations is a must.

Check out the bike priority corridors and a variety of cross sections for treatment of bicycle facilities at: Downtown Plan (go to "Transportation Framework Plan).

A big kudos to LOBV's Tom Wald, who did a fantastic review of Mueller bike facilities and connectivity issues for the developers. Recently I sat in with Tom at the Mueller Transportation Subcommittee, where consultants from ROMA presented responses to his review, including some substantial improvements for bike facilities.

There's still work to be done...particularly a thorny problem of trying to allow easy and safe bike access across Airport into Cherrywood. But check out the LOBV Mueller page for the latest:

http://www.lobv.org/mueller.

[caption id="attachment_48" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Tommy and Billy riding on the sidewalk, pavers, and wherever the hell they want to."][/caption]

Tommy: Like dude, this East Riverside Corridor project rocks!

Billy: You mean like pop rocks?

Tommy: Funny dude. Let's lean.

Billy: Let's what?

Tommy: Your'e so out of it dude!

See Tommy and Billy at: www.ci.austin.tx.us/urbandesign/downloads/e_riverside_presentation_part5.pdf

Oh. Haven't had any time to review everything, but I'll start wading through it. What's it? It's the East Riverside Corridor Planning project and its latest...phase. See more at: East Riverside Plan

In a quick fly through, I noted some "separated" bike lanes, meaning separted by curb and pavement, and trendy street lights. Feel free to comment on this plan, if you live on the street of booming dreams.

Hey little elves. The 2008 Jingle Bell Ride is Monday, December 15th.  See the Bicycle Sport Shop page for the details at http://bicyclesportshop.com/page.cfm?pageId=1331.

Where: Cyclists will stage on Toomey Road in front of the ball fields. (1510 Toomey Rd.). It is each cyclist's responsibility to have the legally required lighting on their bike.

When: Staging begins at 5:30 pm and roll out will be at 6:15 pm sharp!

Cyclists may enter the Trail of Lights until 6:45, after that the gate will be closed to cyclists.  All cyclists must exit the Trail of Lights by 7. 

There will be hot drinks and cookies at the MoPac bridge.  From that point cyclists may create their own routes to view the rest of Austin's holiday light displays.

As noted before, LOBV participated in stakeholder meetings for the downtown planning effort. Latest doc from the city is a final "framework" -- a doosy at 174 pages.

We've made the reading a bit easy at the LoBV website by dividing up the work into documents highlighting bicycle circulation, along with key maps and cross sections. Also worth reading is the “San Francisco’s Shared Lane Pavement Markings: Improving Bicycle Safety” study, which outlines the case for and possible uses of sharrows.

My father always used to say, "A beaver doesn't give a dam, and he's never up a creek without a paddle." Wait, that's not it. He always used to say, "People judge you by the way you dress." Upon which I would exclaim, "Ahh, but don't judge a dog by its cover."

Which leads me to an interesting post from our friend Tom Wald on the Bicycle Austin forum. He notes:

"Since I began keeping a rear pannier on my bike all of the time, I get more respect from motorists.  The incidents of motorist tailgating and motorists playing chicken has gone down over 75% for me.  It was an incredibly dramatic change....I suspect that the change in behavior of motorists is not due to increased visibility...but an assumption from motorists that if I have panniers, then I probably know what I'm doing.  In other words, when I ride the middle of a lane, some motorists doubt this is acceptable behavior, but if they see that I have taken the trouble to buy and use a pannier, then they think I am likely to know what is acceptable bicycling behavior and they are thus more accepting of my lane positioning. Before someone out there states the obvious... I realize that there are a thousand other interpretations possible."

I suppose helmets might have a similar effect to pannier(s), but the daily experience I have with helmets is so old (around 1992) and the main thing I remember is my inconclusive perception that motorists would pass closer to me with the helmet than without."

This brings up an interesting question. Does your apparell and gear have a signficant effect on how motorists treat you? Will the 4x4 pickup with the Rebel Yell sticker be just as annoyed by you in the middle of the lane regardless of whether you're wearing a little commie cap or a helmet?"

I suspect nothing but sneaky suspicions. But if I were to suspect, the supposition might be to suppose a reasonable deduction, that the vast majority of drivers will equate gear with knowledge, and thus they treat you with more respect. That's why all you need to climb Mt. Hood is a $900 gift certificate to REI. Thoughts?

What's with those words "fraidy" and "scaredy" anyway. Are you allowed to do "dy" adjective combo words only in front of "cat?" Regardless, a new UT statewide bicycle user study was released Tuesday and outlines some interesting findings, chiefly that bicyclists in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio think cycling is more dangerous than respondents in other Texas cities.

Here's a brief description of results from the survey--coordinated by Chandra Bhat--from a UT news release.

The survey, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, was conducted entirely online. The results should help establish planning guidelines for the design of safe and efficient bicycle facilities and environments in Texas and around the country.

Respondents were 18 years or older living in more than 100 Texas cities. The sample included 1,605 bicyclists, of which 810 (or slightly more than 50 percent) used their bikes for commuting. The remaining 795 bicycled only for non-commuting purposes. Each group was presented with questions pertaining to their particular habits.

I had been eagerly awaiting some results of this survey after a breathtaking read of earlier research from Bhat entitled, "Second Generation Activity-Based Travel Modeling System for Metropolitan Areas in Texas Accommodating Demographic, Land Use, and Traffic Microsimulations." And because I participated in the survey.

Unfortunately, I don't have detailed results, but I'll see if I can get a hold of them. Although most of the findings discussed in the news release seem like common sense, it's good to have the obvious spelled out in papers sponsored by TxDOT and FHA.

Thanks to Chandra Bhat for sending me docs for the statewide bicycle survey analysis and a related study. here they are

Bhat mentioned that a more detailed analysis will be published in a couple of months.

Jennifer Gale was found dead this morning. The cause is still uncertain. Jennifer was endorsed at least three times (including for her mayoral bid) by Bicycle Austin, primarily for her stand against bicycle helmet law proposals and parking in bike lanes.

I'll never forget her approaching me with a sly smile while I was covering a council election years ago and saying, "Hey, you're cut." I could have died that day a happy man. In all seriousness, it's another blow for strange Austin. Even the Dallas Morning News is covering her death, since she ran for mayor there as well.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Twang!"][/caption]

On October 21, a packed room of bicycle advocates heard the city's new transportation director, Rob Spillar, and head of public works, Howard Lazarus, speak about how they were ready to hear from the bicycle community regarding significant new projects and programs for possible city funding.

It got us at LOBV thinking that with no major bicycle facility projects on the planning table (after the final implementation of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway), we had better take the goat by the reins and start a process ourselves.

The result...Project Catapult, which seeks to identify and prioritize significant programs and projects through bicycle community input, collaboration and advocacy. Here's how you can participate:

Take the survey to offer your vision for projects and programs.

Stay tuned for a January meeting to discuss initial survey finding and begin the prioritization process.

You'll find more information and a "starter list" of LOBV recommended projects/programs at the survey site.

We have about 40 respondents so far on the Project Catapult survey, which is great, because I haven't really pushed it hard yet. The LOBV board and members met Friday at Opal's on Sixth Street and sketched out a timeline, which will continue the survey process forward through January. (We're tentatively looking at a March end point for a final report.)

I also was pleasantly surprised to see that the vast majority of respondents were new names, not the same old crowd. (In fact the same old crowd is pretty much absent from the respondent list, probably because they've been involved in discussing the project all along.)

And finally, I was pleased to see some compliments lobbed the way of LOBV for all its hard work. Things are really looking great for 2009!

I'll update y'all more on the process once I've typed up what has been sketched out!

I know that a lot of people at the helm of nonprofits usually eschew outright political plugs for candidates until their organizations have gone through a formal process for endorsements and such. But hey, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of political discussion and news at this point.

And have I got great news....Chris Riley is out of the gate for his City Council run, most likely for Place 1 if Councilmember Lee Leffingwell takes the plunge to run for mayor. (We'll have to see how things shake out come early January.)

Chris is an old friend of mine with an accomplished record of service to the city. Most importantly, he's a long-time bicycle rider and advocate. I'll be writing about him a lot in the coming months. But for now, check out his Web site now and regularly to view his positions or to donate to his campaign.

The Austin Cycling Association will hold a commuter bike "Show and Tell" at it's January Board meeting, to be held on Monday, January 5, 7 p.m. at the LCRA Red Bud Center on Lake Austin Boulevard (next to the dam and Hula Hut).

If you'd like to show off your bike or any of the equipment and gear you think is useful for commuting, just show up! More details about ACA can be found at www.austincycling.org.

If you have a residential utility account, you pay $4.97 a month for a "transportation user fee," which helps fund road projects, among other transportation-related programs.

City Code allows for a waiver of this fee if you don't own or regularly use a car. Is anyone out there who exclusively bicycles taking advantage of this waiver? I did once long ago...1995, when I believe it was something like $1.76 a month. Not a big savings, but I nevertheless like the idea of at least a tiny benefit for riding my bike.

What if bicyclists (even those that drive some) could elect to have their fee go exclusively to bicycle-related programs? If 10,000 people did so, it would be almost $50,000 a month, and half a million dollars a year. Not a lot in terms of transportation funding, but it would be enough to fund public education campaigns or minor infrastructure projects.

Code follows...

§ 14-10-14  EXEMPTIONS.

(A)     This chapter does not apply to the state, a county, an independent school district , or a public institution of higher education.

(B)     This chapter does not apply to a property that is vacant.  The director may adopt any reasonable method to determine whether a property is vacant.

(C)     This chapter does not apply to a property that is used only for off-street parking.

(D)     A user of a residential property may apply for and receive an exemption from this chapter if:

(1)     the user does not own or regularly use a private motor vehicle for transportation; or

(2)     the user is 65 years of age or older.

(E)     A user entitled to an exemption under this section must notify the director of the applicable exemption.  A fee paid before the director is notified of an exemption may not be refunded.

Source:  1992 Code Section 15-6-14; Ord. 031204-12; Ord. 031211-11; Ord. 040902-40.

Austin Bike Blog has been following the idea of turning Austin's downtown parking meters into bike parking, since a current city proposal calls for removing many of the meters and replacing them with electronic kiosks that accept payment for each block.

I want the city to look at more structured parking for bikes downtown (e.g. everything from bike stations and lockers to more inverted U racks), but I love the idea of using abandoned meters. It's simple, probably fairly cost effective and it fulfills the goal of putting the parking where it's needed the most--close to where you're going.

To that end, LOBV will be taking a more formal stance on this issue by penning a letter to the appropriate city officials in support of the idea.  We may follow up by asking you to write a letter as well. Stay tuned.

I noted a Statesman article the other day about the city's wish list for economic stimulus money. Unfortunately, with exception of a brief mention of "hike and bike trails," the list published didn't include any bicycle projects.

Then I got a forwarded email from the Thunderhead Alliance asking bicyclists to speak up now to get projects on state and city lists. I can't say it any better than the alliance, so I'll include their letter below. But I don't have much faith that anyone will listen, since the die has already been cast with requests for road projects.

But I do think that the simple act of speaking up has its value. It lets officials know we're alive and pedaling.  Let's tell the City Council, TxDOT, Senator Kirk Watson (Senate Transportation Committee Vice Chair and CAMPO Chair) and Governor Perry....actually let's skip Perry...let's send them some of the key talking points the alliance offers below.

The links you'll need to speak up:

Austin City Councilmembers' email

Texas Transportation Commission (TxDOT)

State Senator Kirk Watson

----

Folks,

Thank you again for all the work you’ve been putting in on the Economic Stimulus Bill projects. As you know, we’ve been working for the past several months with our partners in America Bikes to get bike and pedestrian projects included in the Economic Stimulus/ Recovery bill.  Today (Wednesday afternoon) congressional leaders have made it clear they intend to draft the bill to use the State Lists.  It is now in your hands to get bike & ped projects included on your state list however you can.

Time to Act! We need your help with the Economic Recovery $

In January Congress and the President will sign an economic recovery bill that will include hundreds of billions of dollars, many of which will go to build transportation infrastructure.  We need to make sure those dollars build a balanced transportation system – including bike lanes, paths and sidewalks.

Congress is currently planning on funding only projects that are on States’ priority lists, very few of which include bicycle and pedestrian projects. It is critical that we ensure that bicycle and pedestrian projects are included on the state lists!

TELL YOUR MAYOR AND GOVERNOR

Local governments across the country are creating lists of ready to go projects in anticipation of stimulus funding from the federal government. Congress is suggesting that only projects on these lists should be eligible for funding, so make sure to contact your mayor and governor's office. Tell Them:

·      There are over $2 billion worth of “ready-to-go” bicycle and pedestrian projects across the U.S. that can create jobs right now

·      Bike and pedestrian projects are quick. Because they are smaller, states and cities can spend the money quickly and IN the local economy.

·      Building biking and walking infrastructure creates jobs. Bike and pedestrian infrastructure is more labor intensive and less material intensive than building roads, thus netting more jobs for dollars spent!

·      Sidewalks and bike lanes makes streets and downtowns into destinations for shopping and entertainment. Investing in walking and biking facilities helps local business and is an investment in the local economy.

·      24% of all trips in the US are less than a mile, 40% are less than two miles. Walking and biking facilities, including those that connect to transit, give American families economical transportation options and lay the foundation to address some of our nation’s major crises, such as climate, energy, and health.

·      A recovery package that includes funding for transportation infrastructure but does not include investments to improve bicycling and walking denies the current trends in transportation and the safety needs of the American public. Bicycling has increased in the US – in some cities its increased more than 35% in the last two years.

·      Biking and pedestrian improvements also help wean us for foreign oil and support a healthy and sustainable future for America !

If you can also work with your Department of Transportation directly to include more bike ped projects, we do encourage you to whatever tactics and paths to success you can blaze.

TELL THE MEDIA - WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Newspapers are covering the recovery package every day, but how often do you see them mention funding bicycle and pedestrian projects.

·      Letters to the Editor are written as a response to an article, so first find an article about the stimulus package you want to respond to, and respond within a day or two of the article being published.

·      Look for instructions on the website of the newspaper or on the editorial page. Most papers will only accept letters that are 200 words or less.

·      Focus on one message and stating it clearly, such as “building biking and walking infrastructure helps our economy and our health”.

·      Cite relevant facts and statistics where appropriate. This will help bolster your argument and make it more convincing.

Thank you for your help. Getting bicycle and pedestrian projects into city and state lists will not only help fund new projects, but will be key in setting the stage for the transportation bill.

Now go get ‘em!

Jeff Miller

President/CEO

Thunderhead Alliance

Chris Riley, an avid bicyclist who has pledged to work his butt off on encouraging and improving bicycling in Austin, formally kicks off his council campaign next week. I'm sure Chris would love to have a throng of bicyclists at the kickoff:

Friday, January 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Threadgill's at 301 W. Riverside

Let's just hope Threadgill's has some bike parking. You can keep track of Riley's campaign at www.chrisforaustin.com.

Also, Chris has some quality opponents likely to run against him. Be sure and let them know that significant investments in bicycling is the path to a better future for Austin.

Perla Cavasos

Rick Cofer

A couple days ago, I asked for bicyclists to contact local officials to spell out the need for bicycle projects on the city/state wish lists for funding in an economic recovery/stimulus package likely to come out of Washington soon.

The Thursday council agenda has it's official list--which would then be sent on to CAMPO--for approval.

It appears to be a package of projects, so I'll try and get the specifics to report back on later. But here's what is included:

• Bicycle Infrastructure Improvements (a package of ready-to-install bicycle lanes, shared use

bicycle and pedestrian paths, and minor infrastructure improvements to remove

barriers on bicycle routes). $2,600,000

• Bicycle, Shared Paths, Connected Trails and Sidewalk Project. $2,500,000

You can check out the full list here. (Click on "Exhibit" and "Resolution")

You can look at the expaned list of all projects on the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Web site. However, this list contains two bike projects that would not be submitted to CAMPO--the Pfluger Bridge extension and Bowie Tunnel--since they don't meet CAMPO's list criteria, which states that projects should be ready to bid by August 2009.

Wake Up! Take Action Now by telling the City Council to support bike boxes, sharrows, painted bike lanes and Bikes May Use Full Lane signs

Email the mayor and council now at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

Tell them: "Please follow the recommendations of the League of Bicycling Voters and pass the study for bike boxes, sharrows, colored bike lanes and Bikes "May Use Full Lane" signs on your Thursday agenda. Also, please support inclusion of the bike projects on your public works list for the recovery stimulus package.

Then sign up to receive League of Bicycling Voters alerts and information at: http://www.lobv.org

I want more details and to help out further...

Thursday's City Council agenda contains a little $97,000 item that carries a lot of weight for the future of bicycling in Austin. To put it simply, the item authorizes a study by transportation professionals to evaluate the use of sharrows (shared lane markings), bike boxes, painted bike lanes, and most importantly, Bikes "May Use Full Lane" signs.

Although there has been a lot of research on most of these facilities (except perhaps for the signs), a local study is important to develop criteria for use, and in the instance of sharrows, is part of a process required by the feds to approve their use. The study's cost is covered by bike bond money from the year 2000, so it's not taking away from the city's general coffers. But unfortunately, there have been a few rumblings questioning the study and/or cost.

That's where you come in. Here are a few simple steps in order of priority:

1) Email the council now at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm and tell them:

a. Why bicycling is important to you and our city (e.g. meets goals of Mayor's fitness council, curbs greenhouse gases for climate protection, makes our city more livable, etc.)

b. Why the study is important (e.g. these facilities will propel Austin forward in its efforts to encourage bicycling and make it safer)

c. These items were approved by the Street Smarts Task Force and are high priorities for Austin bicyclists.

d. Please also include the "ready-to-go" bicycle facility items on the recovery stimulus package, which would invest in our ability to provide affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation.

2) Copy your Email to council before you send it and email the same as a cc: to important city staff:

annick.beaudet@ci.austin.tx.us; rob.spillar@ci.austin.tx.us; howard.lazarus@ciaustin.tx.us; michael.curtis@ci.austin.tx.us

3) Call your favorite councilmember, or call them all. Just ring their office and tell their staff your are calling to support Item #29, the CTR Bicycle Study and Item #30, the bicycle facilities on the economic recovery stimulus list. Phone numbers can be found at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/default.htm

4) Sign up in support of the item for Thursday's council meeting. (You may sign up simply as a supporter, or to speak. Speaking will only be necessary if the item is pulled from the "consent" agenda. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall, but you may sign up in the city hall lobby kiosks as early as Wednesday.)

This is extremely important, so please take action now!

More information on the agenda items:

item 29

item 30

More information on the bicycle facilities:

Sharrows

LoBV.org

Bike Portland

Commute By Bike

National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking

Bike Boxes

Street Films: How to use a bike box

PortlandOnline.com

Colored Bike Lanes

Bike Portland

SF Bike Coalition

StreetsBlog NYC

Bikes "May Use Full" Lane signs

LoBV

http://home.swbell.net/mpion/bikesusefulllane.html

Cyclelicious

Keep Up With Bicycle News and Advocacy:

LoBV

Bicycle Austin

Austin Cycling Association

Yellow Bike Project

Blogs:

Bicyle Austin

Austin Bike Blog / Austin on Two Wheels

Austin Texas Bike Sh!t

Forums

Bicycle Austin

Jason over ATXBS has the lowdown on an email going around requesting submissions for the Bicycle Film Festival 2009. Dates to be announced for Austin, but the submission deadline is coming up quick at Feb. 7.

ATXBS also has a benefit for a bicyclist with cancer that looks to be a great time for a good cause.

And on the less exciting, but always important, side of things, Austin Bike Blog reports on the Tuesday Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Bicycle/Pedestrian Subcommittee. Elliott does a great job of summing up the meeting. I also attended, and for my part, I'll check on the Howard Lane bike lane situation.

My wife called this morning to inform me that my dog is trying to dig up the grave of my son's dead fish.  I treasure moments like those. What I don't treasure is hearing the loss of Good Life Magazine, which formally shut down yesterday with an email from the editor, Ken Martin, noting that after 11 years they had finally run completely out of money.

Ken was a friend of bicyclists and stuck by LOBV with a great editorial against the 2006 attempt at a helmet law. I wrote a few articles for him, notably a look at Herman the German and an article on body modification. And in a tad bit of irony, I did car reviews for him. (I remember writing something on my Dodge Charger review like, "...and in my glove compartment I had a loaded .45, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a roadmap of Hell...")

But on to the stimulus news. All around the country people are like kids with a new Sears Catalog (in the olden days)--so I'm sure the wish lists for the economic recovery stimulus package due out of Washington probably totals something like $679 trillion. Nevertheless, our list is most important, and you may recall us talking about the COA list [in an earlier message] with a generic bike project package.

Annick Beaudet, the city's Bike/Ped program manager, sent me a more specific list yesterday:

Bicycle Infrastructure Improvements 2.6 million:

Specific Examples of ready to go projects which implement the City Bicycle Plan:

Route 29 Barrier Removal (at Hartford and Windsor intersection improvements)

Bannister Lane Bicycle Lanes

Lakeshore Drive Bicycle lanes

Montopolis Drive Shared Use Path (connection from Lance Armstrong Bikeway into Conley-Guerrero Park)

Barton Springs Road Barrier Removal (at Mopac Corridor Shared Use path intersection, west of Stratford)

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Barrier Removal serving the TOD (Bicycle improvements at Airport and Manor and Airport and MLK)

Bicycle, Shared Use Paths, Connected Trails, and Sidewalk Projects 2.5 million:

Specific Examples of ready to go projects which implement the City Bicycle Plan, City Trails Initiative, and Sidewalk Plan: Locations are being coordinated to coincide with other work (larger projects) and which implement the above plans and initiatives.

Still not a lot of detail on the second item, but everyone at COA is running around all stimulated, and it's good to get these projects on the table, which better be a big table. Annick also noted that other projects not quite as ready for construction, like the MoPac/Barton Creek bridge, might be listed on any future stimulus rounds. The complete list of transportation projects is up for a vote today at City Council.

At least when it's really cold out, I remember to zip up my fly. But hey, on another subject, what a great day for bicycling in Austin. With one small City Council consent agenda vote Thursday, we're laying the foundation for sharrows, possible colored bike lanes, bike boxes and "Bikes May Use Full Lane" signs.

The council approved the Center for Transportation Research study that will help the city define its pilot projects for these facilities. We're hoping the study stays on track for its May/June completion so that we can start seeing the fruits on the streets when it's hotter than hell. Am I a fruit on the street?

LOBV sent out this release Wednesday to alert the media, and everyone send kind words to retaylor[\at\]keyetv.com Rebecca Taylor at KEYE 42, because she did a bang up job covering the sharrow issue.

COA Bike/Ped Coordinator Annick Beaudet said she's excited that sharrows got such a positive start. Indeed, I kept a low profile at City Hall yesterday before the council meeting and overheard Councilmember Laura Morrison excitedly talk about the agenda item, then heard two suits (city staff?) who I didn't know do the same. So the project is getting good buzz all around.

LOBV will work with the city on all the projects covered in the study, and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as well.

It will be interesting to see where Austinites get their first glimpse of sharrows, the impending pilot project, or the work LOBV did with The Domain Phase II, which as a private developer, did not need to wait the go ahead from the FHWA for sharrow use.

On another note, the bike projects on the stimulus wish list [see earlier post] also passed. Some, like M1EKhave rightly questioned the job-producing capacity of these bike projects. But Beaudet noted that most are far more than striping lanes and involve construction projects contracted to outside companies.

Additionally, my view is that--even though it's a shell game—using stimulus money on these ready-to-go projects would free up money for other more construction-intensive projects down the road.

Mmm...Chew on this. Bicycling continues to be a topic of conversation on the local political scene. We're seeing more and more discussion in other places (besides LOBV) on the impact of bicyclists on local elections. If you haven't checked it out before, be sure to keep tabs on Burnt Orange Report, which covers the entire political spectrum from a progressive slant. It has a significant amount of coverage on local elections (including this recent post on Chris Riley and the Bicycle Advisory Committee) and promises more leading into the mayoral and council elections in May.

Also, we're going to try and keep tabs on the impact bicyclists have on campaign contributions, which comments on this post address.

I'll be attending this, so expect a comment or phrase reporting back. The Texas Bicycle Coalition is hosting a luncheon with State Senators Rodney Ellis, Jeff Wentworth and Wendy Davis, featuring Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia.  A free ride also kicks off at 3 p.m. Buy your $60 tickets and find out more here. TBC's notes:

Mr. Peñalosa accomplished amazing things as mayor: he built or reconstructed more than 300 kilometers of bike paths, pedestrian streets, and greenways, as well as hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks; created a bus rapid transit system, TransMilenio, that serves 500,000 customers daily; built or improved more than 1,200 parks. He is a true visionary in the field of transportation and urban development, and he made his vision of a Bogotá energized by alternative transit, enhanced public spaces, and sidewalks, bike paths and pedestrian streets a reality.

Jason at ATXBS coverd this immediately, but I thought I'd chime in now to keep this at the forefront of everyone's thoughts and vision. Our favorite Austin Chronicle bike issues reporter, Dan Mottola, had his Bianchi stolen. See the ATXBS post for the photo and info and be on the lookout!

Chris Riley's campaign kickoff drew a huge crowd that packed the back room at Threadgill's last night and spilled outside into the courtyard. Bicycle Sport Shop provided racks for the many bicyclists on hand. We had representation there from LOBV, ACA, Yellow Bike and many of the shops around town. Additionally, Robin Stallings from Bike Texas (Texas Bicycle Coalition) brought Enrique Peñalosa--the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia--who had spoken at the "Shifting Gears Luncheon" Wednesday. (You can see extensive coverage of this event, which I found extremely inspiring, at Austin Bike Blog. (See: Part 1 and Part 2)

The campaign asked me to say a few words about Chris and his work in the bicycle community. I was one of only two people speaking--apart from the campaign staff--which is an indication of how much importance the campaign is placing on connecting with the bicycling community. Hopefully I can post some links to video and/or photos later.

5 Projects

5 Months

Would you like to see five significant bicycle projects/programs put in the works in five months? The League of Bicycling Voters would, and we're going to make it happen.

Attend the first Project Catapult meeting of the year:

Saturday, January 31, from 1-4 p.m. (or however long you can stay)

Bike Texas (Texas Bicycle Coalition), 1902 E. Sixth Street, 78702

Be sure and take the Project Catapult Survey II if you haven't already. The survey will close on Friday, January 30 at noon. You can find a link to the survey, along with more information on the project, at http://www.lobv.org

Meeting Agenda

I. Project Timeline and Key Dates

II. Review of Survey I and Survey II

III. Review of Proposed Projects

a. Downtown Bike Zone

b. South Austin Bikeway

c. Nueces Bike Boulevard

d. Public Education Program

e. Bicycle Parking Project

IV. Implementation Process

V. Free Beer

All you need to bring is yourself, and a #3 pencil.

For those abbreviation impaired: The League of Bicycling Voters will give a presentation at tonight's Austin Cycling Association meeting on Project Catapult. More on the project at lobv.org.

This will be a good opportunity to hear the latest since LOBV's meeting on Saturday to discuss the project. There will also be a "SHOW-N-TELL." Bring your bike lights: Long-lasting, super-bright, front lights, rear lights, monkey lights, backup lights, etc.

Essentials:

ACA Meeting

Monday, Feb. 2

7 p.m., LCRA Redbud

LCRA's Redbud Center, 3601 Lake Austin Blvd (map), Room 108. The parking entrance is immediately west of the intersection of Redbud Trail at Lake Austin Blvd. Room 108 is on the lower level on the south side (lake side) of the building.

Any filmmakers out there want to participate in the latest Brewster McCracken gimmick for the "Your City - Your Vision - Your Ad" contest? Burnt Orange Report notes that Brewster is enlisting Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater to judge contest entries for a film displaying a vision for Austin. The winner will air as an ad paid for by the campaign, although the campaign says the winning entry will not mention or show any candidates.

I see tailpipes, lots of them, then maybe a moonlight ride with Elvis's "Little Less Conversation." If anyone is interested in doing something bicycle heavy, let me know.

Apologies for the late post. It's been a crazy week. But the good news is that a large number of interested people showed up for LOBV's Project Catapult meeting on Jan. 31, including many  fresh faces. First, thanks to Bike Texas (http://www.biketexas.org) for the meeting space, equipment and support. Austin Bike Blog also has a short report on the meeting.

First...No wait seond, if you're not familiar with Project Catapult, take a gander here. The objective of the meeting was to better define what five big projects would be presented to the City of Austin and other entities and what the final "deliverables" would be.  I'll cut to the last part first. The deliverables will be reports that detail the particulars of what the bicycling community envisions for major investments in five significant projects.

Here's what we're looking at so far:

1) A bike boulevard on Nueces Blvd.

2) Bicycle facilities to create a South Austin Bikeway from Ben White to the River.

3) Implementation of LOBV's Downtown Bicyle Zone Plan.

4) A substantial public education campaign

5) A significant investment in bicycle parking downtown and at major activity centers.

Additionally, it should be noted that a bikeway along the Waller Creek Tunnel Project alignment, the MoPac bridge over Barton Creek, and a bike rental program are also in the mix of projects that need serious attention.

There was a significant amount of discussion on each of the five projects above, and at the meeting we agreed to break out into working groups to develop more specific proposals. If you would like to be involved in any of the projects above as part of a working group, email damico@lobv.org.

Time frame? We're looking at working group meetings for the next month, another group meeting in early March, and then presentation of reports to the city by the end of March.

Project Catapult Update and Timeline

(February 9, 2009)

For the original project description and report, see LOBV.org

To volunteer for any of the working groups listed below, e-mail info@lobv.org

Update

After our Jan. 31 meeting [see above] and subsequent conversations with COA bike/ped staff, Project Catapult is proceeding with the following working groups. Each working group will draft a report, which will be submitted for review to the City of Austin and other area entities as needed.

1. Nueces Bike Boulevard

The group will provide a vision of how the boulevard should enhance bicycle transportation by outlining key components to the facilities (e.g. removal of stop signs, removal of parking, limiting auto access, signage and striping, possible phases for implementation, etc.)

COA has just started initial planning for what a Nueces Bike Boulevard would look like, and so a report at this juncture from the bicycling community is timely and welcomed by the city.

2. Downtown Bike Zone Plan

The group will re-evaluate the LOBV Downtown Bike Zone plan to provide recommendations for "first steps" toward implementation. Additionally, the group will develop more comprehensive recommendations for the "Commuter Club" concept.

3. Public Education

The group will pull recommendations from the Street Smarts Task Force and outline steps and projected costs for implementation for the next fiscal year.

4. South Austin "bikeway" facilities on Congress Avenue

The group will inventory past proposals for bicycle/pedestrian improvements and will examine such issues as reverse angle parking, possible separated facilities inside of parking, climbing lanes, and short-term solutions to enhance safety.

Additionally, the group will examine past "roadblocks" toward changes on South Congress, such as concerns from businesses over parking.

5. Analysis/Recommendations for Bike Parking Downtown and at Major Activity Centers

COA currently is finalizing plans for removal of parking meters and retrofitting some meters as bike racks. However, converting some of the meters has been deemed infeasible due to cost and location, and COA has ordered some 400 "U racks" for placement around the city. The group will examine current proposals and develop recommendations for both bike racks and other possible "bike stations" downtown and at other major activity centers.

6. Transportation User Fee Allocation

The group will examine the feasibility and develop recommendations for allowing COA utility customers to designate their transportation user fee (which varies, but runs about $5 a month for residential users) to bicycle programs. Currently, those who do not own or use a car can request a waiver to the fee. The designated fee could help track bicycling and provide revenue for public education and "Commuter Club" projects.

Working Group Requirements

Volunteers should be willing to communicate with group members extensively via e-mail/phone and should try to attend meetings if possible. Working group coordinators will be responsible for delegating tasks to group members, providing weekly summaries to LOBV and drafting final reports.

Weekly Summaries

Weekly summaries of all working group efforts will be submitted to LOBV by the group coordinator. Summaries then will be publicized on the LOBV site and to area bicycling organizations and blogs.

Reports

Working groups will submit a written report that outlines:

1. Project/Program Description

2. Benefits for Bicyclists and the Region

3. Relevant Past Planning Work

4. Costs and Possible Funding Sources

5. Steps to Implementation

A note on reports: Project/Program reports are by no means intended to be detailed planning (or engineering!) efforts. Rather, the reports will serve to highlight key issues, benefits and desired facilities.

Timeline

Draft reports will be completed by February 27, 2009. Submission of reports to COA likely will occur in mid March.

Regardless of how effective it will be in dealing with bicycle transportation, completing the gap in the Lady Bird Lake hike/bike trail (can't I say "town lake," please? Or maybe just "the river?") makes sense and will be used extensively by bikes/peds.

LOBV has been following the project--although mainly from the sidelines--to ensure bicycle access and transportation are considered and balance with pedestrian issues.

Sara Krause--who now chairs the Urban Transportation Commission--made the following plea for bicyclists and others to let the City Council know the Boardwalk Trail Project is an important project that need not be delayed by pressures from developers or nearby landowners.

---

Dear Friends, I wanted to personally reach out to you because of your dedication to our beautiful city, and one of its most important treasures: the Trail around Lady Bird Lake.  This email pertains to the proposed Boardwalk that would complete the trail. This is an incredibly important project in many respects and will be an important recreation and transportation opportunity for bicyclists and pedestrians.

In the weeks ahead, the City Council will consider the Riverside Boardwalk Trail and its concept plan.  On February 12, the Council will receive a briefing on the Boardwalk from the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Works Department. On February 26, the City Council will vote on the concept plan.

Please show your support for completing the Trail by emailing our City Council today:

will.wynn@ci.austin.tx.us
lee.leffingwell@ci.austin.tx.us
mike.martinez@ci.austin.tx.us
randi.shade@ci.austin.tx.us
brewster.mccracken@ci.austin.tx.us
sheryl.cole@ci.austin.tx.us
laura.morrison@ci.austin.tx.us

For more information on the propsed boardwalk visit the Trail Foundation's site

While many consider closing this gap in our lake-front Trail to be a laudable civic goal and critical for Austin's park and trail system, it is one of many issues the City has an opportunity to address in 2009. For the Trail to be finally completed, everyone who supports it needs to be heard from now.

There are still issues of construction methods, segment routes, environmental impacts, and funding to be considered in the months ahead during the design stage. Advancing the concept plan to the next stage does not mean the work of designing, funding and building the best boardwalk trail for Austin and Lady Bird Lake is finished. But it will mean we would be closer than we have ever been to providing safe, continuous pedestrian and bicycle access along the entire lakefront.

Please help make the Trail the best it can be for all of Austin. Show your support on or before the 12th and mark February 26 on your calendar and plan to attend the Council meeting. Thank you all, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Sara Krause

Nothing like this would ever happen in Austin! (Errr...well we did have some arrests way back when.) But take a gander at what happened to this bloke who rode his bike to work without a helmet in the land of Mordor...the oppressive state of New Zealand, which has a bicycle helmet law.

News 3 has the story...

So I'm flattered that you're thinking of getting me a gift certificate to Waterloo Records or the book store for my birthday March 14. But what I'd really like for you to do is give up some cash to a couple of other causes. Because, because, because, because, because of the wonderful things they does. Do?

On Saturday, March 14, Chris Riley's camp will host a "Ride for Chris Riley" fundraiser. Starting at 10:30 a.m., Chris will lead us on a tour of some bicycling hot spots...meaning places that are on the radar for improving bicycling with new facilities or safety enhancements. Following the ride, you'll have a chance to grab some yard signs and stickers at the campaign HQ, and of course, you'll have a chance to sign up as a volunteer for block walking and flier distribution.

They've structured the ride so you can feasibly form a "team" of riders with small donations. Remember, if you donate to Chris online, I suggest adding 2 cents to signify your two wheels---and thus that yet another bicyclist has made a donation. If you want to be on my ride team for a minimum donation of $10.02, email me at damicoaustin[\at\]yahoo.com.

But what ride isn't complete with a nice cold beer? After the Riley ride, head over to the Yellow Bike Project benefit (to raise money for  their new facility) at The Compound at 1300 E. 4th Street on the Eastside (time tentatively 3 p.m.).  There's also a scheduled alleycat or some other type of race happening beforehand. Bands are lined up for the party and it promises to be a blast. LOBV will be there as well with info on our projects...More details to come from Yellow Bike soon!

Hi all, details to come, but please save the date for the Austin City Council Bicycle Candidate Forum (sponsored by the League of Bicycling Voters, Austin Cycling Association and Yellow Bike Project)

Monday, March 23

6-9 p.m.

St. David's Episcopal Church

304 E 7th St

Austin, TX 78701

Last year we had one of the highest turnouts for a political forum in Austin, and this year we're looking to set a record for forum attendance!

As usual, stay tuned in at http://www.lobv.org

I finally got the info on the Yellow Bike Project fundraiser for March 14. It's starts early and ends late...

Yellow Bike Fundraiser

March 14, 1p.m. to Midnight

The Compound

Skid Contest, Alleycat, and More

Bands galore...Quick Release, Pong, Seals and the Wingless Angels, George Fox

BYOB ... D'Amico will bring 26 beers! That leaves 5 for the masses.

Download the flier (PDF) here...

This is right after the Ride for Riley, so it should be a great way to spend the day advancing bicycling on the political and non-profit fronts....and rears.

It seems the sicker I get, the more things ramp up. While laying around in a virus-induced fog, I got notice that the Senate Transportation Committee plans to hold a hearing on the Bike Texas (Texas Bicycle Coalition) passing law legislation, otherwise known as the vulnerable user law.

Vulnerable as I was laying on the couch, I also got a voicemail from a state senator's office asking if we (LOBV) would support their idea for a state bicycle helmet law for those 16 and under. I called back and rasped 7 reasons why that was a bad idea...along with a hoarse curse of, "And you'd better add some bike parking at the Capitol." A voice mail the next day noted that the senator's office was dropping the idea.

So on to good legislation. Here's the skinny from Bike Texas on how to help get the passing law bill out of committee:

Safe Passing Bill Hearing in State Senate Transportation Committee!

An Update, and What You Can Do.

What's happening now.

The 2009 Safe Passing Act, Senate Bill SB 488 will be heard by the Texas State Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security on Wednesday morning, March 11, 2009 in Hearing Room E1.016 in the Capitol Extension.

The bill includes the "3-feet clearance" provision for cars passing cyclists. It has also been expanded to address right and left hooks and harassment for a range of "vulnerable road users" including pedestrians, persons in wheelchairs, utility workers, motorcyclists and others on the road or roadside not in a protective steel vehicle shell. Click here for the current text of the bill.

What you can do to help.

Below are the Senators on the Transportation Committee, with their party affiliation and general district areas.

Supporting SB 488

John Carona, (chair and bill co-author) R-Dallas, Dist. 16

Kirk Watson, (vice-chair) D-Austin, Dist. 14

Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, Dist. 10

Rodney Ellis, (bill co-author) D-Houston, Dist. 13

Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, Dist. 29

Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, Dist. 25

Uncertain on Support for SB 488

Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Dist. 3

Joan Huffman, R-Houston, Dist. 17

Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, Dist. 8

Click here to identify the Texas State Senator who represents you.

* If you are represented by a State Senator who serves on the Transportation Committee, please call or email your Senator by Tuesday to ask for their "Yes" vote. If they already support SB 488, thank them. If they are uncertain on SB 488, urge them to vote "Yes".  Communication should be direct and frank but should always be respectful. If you are not a constituent of any of these Senators, please do not contact their offices because it creates additional unnecessary staff work. They naturally place much higher value on contact from constituents.

* If you live in the Austin area or can easily travel to Austin, come to the hearing at 8:00 a.m. (More details are below.) Please wear business attire including coat and tie for men. Even if you do not have a Senator on the committee who represents you, your presence is very important. RSVP to Mark Stine at or 512-476-7433 is appreciated.  We also appreciate cc's or forwards to Mark of email communication sent to and received by you from your Senator.

* If your State Senator is not on the Transportation Committee, please do not contact them yet. Your communication will be much more effective once the Safe Passing Bill has its language finalized, passes the Transportation Committee and goes to the full Senate.  BikeTexas will keep you updated.

* There is no need to contact the Texas House Representatives yet. We hope to see movement for the companion 2009 Safe Passing House Bill HB 827 soon. The process will be the same, with a House Transportation Committee hearing first, and then introduction to the full House. Again, BikeTexas will notify you during this process.

Information for attending the hearing.

The committee session will start on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. You can expect to spend most of the morning there. The Chair often switches agenda items so we never know exactly when our bill will come up for action.

BikeTexas has promised the Committee Chair to limit our testimony to four witnesses addressing four different aspects of the bill. In this way, we present this case effectively but succinctly so that limited Committee time is used wisely.

Click here for maps of the Capitol area, including the public parking garage (parking rates are reasonable), and the Capitol Extension.

Please contact Mark Stine () at 512-476-7433 if you have questions. Call Mark at cell 512-921-0581 the day of the hearing if needed.

We've been working and waiting long for this.

All of us know how important this bill is for the overall safety of cyclists in Texas. We are optimistic that we will have success but we all must still work every step of the way in this laborious process. Our sincere thanks to all of you who have stepped up to support BikeTexas in this effort.

Please forward this to friends!

Due to the likelihood of less than stellar weather tomorrow (March 14), the Riley campaign has cancelled the Ride for Riley that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Still hope to see people at other events around town, like the Yellow Bike and Bikes Without Borders benefits!

Want to make an impression?

The best way to advance safer and more accessible bicycling in Austin is to show local elected officials that you are passionate about bicycle transportation. And what better way than showing up in mass for the annual political candidate forum?

The League of Bicycling Voters, in partnership with the Austin Cycling Association, Yellow Bike Project and Bicycle Sport Shop, encourage you to attend the:

Austin City Council Candidate Forum

Monday, March 23, 6-9 p.m.

St. David's Episcopal Church

301 E. 8th Street (at San Jacinto).

Read the answers to the LOBV Candidate Questionnaire!

Mayor: Lee Leffingwell

Place 1: Chris Riley

Place 2: Mike Martinez

Place 5: Bill Spelman

Place 6: Sheryl Cole

Read the News Release

Read the Answers to the LOBV Candidate Questionnaire

The City of Austin today released its proposal for restriping Mary Street—which will undergo routine maintenance—to include bike lanes with no-parking allowed. (Currently, parking is allowed in the lanes, and from when I've ridden it, there's plenty of cars to be found in them.)

The proposal is similar to the recent re-striping of Exposition, in that COA proposes a car-free five-foot bike lane on one side and a car-free six-foot bike lane with adjacent parking on the other side. The parking spaces switch from the north to south sides of the street at various points. Travel lanes are 10.5 feet in width for most of the sections and the parking lane is seven feet wide. See the COA map.

Overall, it's a good plan, but feel free to comment on it. As usual, it would be nice not to have any adjacent parking, but unlike Expositions, which was ideal for no parking at all, Mary Street has many residences without ample parking in driveways or around corners.

Six feet should be wide enough to keep riders out of the door zone along the stretches of parking, IF they are smart and ride in the center of the bike lane, and IF the parked cars don't bulge out of the seven feet provided for parking. So again, not idea, but we'll wait with baited breath (as in catfish breath with blood bait) to hear what, if anything, arises from the neighbors.