BIKE: Community Meeting on Rails with Trails

[David Foster]

In my view, this meeting is not to be missed. Mia Birk is an expert on 
Rails with Trails who wrote most of the report for the US Dept. of 
Transportation on this topic: "Rails With Trails: Lessons Learned", 
available on the Alta Planning web page. The document runs over 150 pages 
and offers an overview of what is being done around the US, and to some 
extent abroad, with RwT, and includes critical commentary from an 
engineering point of view. She will be able to respond to any 
questions/concerns/criticisms we may have, referencing on-the-ground 
examples from other places.

A while back we had a short discussion on this forum around the value of 
including RwT in Cap Metro's commuter rail proposal. I continue to maintain 
that it is a great opportunity not to be missed. We need to think of all 
three rail corridors included in Cap Metro's (evolving) transit plan as 
corridors to move people--on foot and by bike as well as rail. Cap Metro's 
ROW passes beneath IH 35, 183, MoPac and other major barriers to continuous 
bicycle travel, and links several neighborhoods and key 
destinations.  Running as it does on a roughly 45 degree angle from Leander 
southeast to East Austin before turning west into downtown, the ROW crosses 
or comes very near major Austin bike routes such as Ohlen Road (Rt 18), 
Woodrow (Rt 41), Guadalupe (Rt 47), Duval (Rt 49) and Red River (Rt. 51), 
and a RwT would in effect extend and connect all of them. And of course 
east of IH 35, it merges with the Boggy Creek Trail, and would be easy to 
connect to the Lance Armstrong Bikeway via Pedernales. A network of RwT 
would no doubt increase ridership on the trains and make bike-train 
commutes easier on both ends of the trip.

The opportunity for RwT this November is even more important because of the 
potential to run passenger rail down the Union Pacific ROW and the old 
MoKan ROW in the future. As Eric Anderson has argued so well, the MoKan ROW 
can connect the Lance Armstrong Bikeway to the Walnut Creek Trail, parts of 
which the City of Austin is already building. The UP ROW passes beneath 183 
near the Pickle Center and (future) Domain development before passing 
beneath MoPac farther north.

Part of our conversation centered around whether commuter rail lines can be 
double-tracked and still leave sufficient space for a paved trail. I 
believe the answer is 'yes' at least for most of Cap Metro's ROW, which is 
never less than 50' and usually more. The MoKan corridor is 100' wide, and 
more. However, there are clearly pinch points (such as in the 
Wooten-Crestview neighborhood) and I defer to experts like Mia Birk to 
offer guidance on feasibility. Along certain sections, we may have to take 
the bike route out of the rail corridor and onto nearby streets, then back 
to the rail corridor again.

To repeat what Jeb Boyt said in his original posting, the event is from 6-8 
PM this coming Thursday at Nuevo Leon, 1501 East 6th Street. Thanks to Eric 
Anderson for suggesting the location. I plan to come early and buy dinner 
there to express gratitude to the hosting restaurant (and to eat well!) and 
would love to get an early start chatting with cyclists about the issues 
around RwT. Finally, I would like to add that Cap Metro and Colly Kreidler 
with the City's bike program have been very open to exploring RwT.

Thanks,

David Foster


At 05:51 PM 8/14/04, Jeb Boyt wrote:
>Austin Metro Trails & Greenways is hosting a community meeting on rails 
>with trails Thursday, August 19th, from 6-8 p.m. at Nuevo Leon restaurant, 
>1501 E. 6th.  The meeting will consider the bicycle and pedestrian trail 
>proposed as part of Capital Metro's Commuter Rail Urban Service that would 
>run from Leander to the Downtown Austin convention center.
>
>The meeting will feature a discussion with Mia Burke of Alta Planning + 
>Design on the development of rails with trails nationally and 
>opportunities in the Austin area.  Ms. Burke has developed numerous 
>bicycle, pedestrian, trail, and corridor plans and has managed the public 
>process, design and implementation of over 200 miles of new bikeways, 
>thousands of bicycle parking spaces, and a bikeway maintenance program.
>
>Jeb Boyt
>Austin Metro Trails & Greenways
>http://www.austintrails.org
>680-1644
>
>
>
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