BIKE: Cyclists needed at May 6 Council re: Boggy Creek trail upgrade

[Dave W]

Sorry for the late notice; I just heard about this
last night. 

Cyclists and friends of cyclists are needed at the May
6 City Council meeting to speak up for the Boggy Creek
Greenbelt trail upgrade.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: THIS COINCIDES WITH THE SO-CO FIRST THURSDAY
RIDE NEXT WEEK.  Since I'm leading that ride, I'm
going to have to figure out how to do both.  We should
all ride to Council before/after the So-Co ride (which
will be short).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Boggy Creek Trail project was supposed to be
approved by Council yesterday (Thu, Apr 29) but it’s
being delayed because of neighbor opposition to
expanding it to a 10 foot trail from 8 feet. This
project is an upgrade to the delapidated trail through
Boggy Creek Greenbelt on the east side, between
Webberville Rd and E 12th St. The City is ready to
award the contract, but some neighbors are trying to
stop the project because they don't like that the City
has to build the trail ten feet wide. The City wants
to make it eight feet wide, but TxDOT is forcing them
to do it at ten (they denied a design variance). 

Many City staffers and the design consultants have met
with the neighborhood. They won't budge. If the City
caves on this, the trail will not get done, and we'll
continue to have a gap in the bike route network
system in the middle of east Austin. This would
jeopardize the entire Boggy Creek Bikeway project,
plus, a lot of taxpayer money will have been wasted. 

The bike community needs to speak up about this.
First, we're being confounded by TxDOT. Second, a few
people who don't like the looks of a ten foot trail
versus an eight foot trail are yelling louder than the
thousands of bicyclists and pedestrians who will
benefit from the trail and the network connections it
will complete. And we know how Council “listens” to
"neighborhoods". Third, if we can't get this thing on
the ground within the year, TxDOT will make us start
all over because they'll claim our environmental
permit expired.

The result of that is more money and time wasted.
Finally, if we can't get this trail built, TxDOT and
other bike/ped program detractors will be able to
rationalize not devoting further funding to bike/ped
because we "just can't seem to get these projects
built".

Council is taking this up on May 6th. We need action
from bicyclists before that, and also need people to
show up at that meeting. I’ll look for the Agenda when
it comes out and let you know what Item number it is. 

Dave Westenbarger 




	
		
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