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LOBV Action Alert!
1) Email the City Council Now to support the Nueces Bike Boulevard …
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm (see below for talking points and more info)
Make your e-mail thorough… spill out everything about why you believe more bicycling is the best thing for your community and Austin…
… or just say that you’re in support, but do it right now. If you support, do not hesitate to express your support.
2) Show up to the Nueces Bike Boulevard Open House next Wednesday, January 13th (see below)
∞) Have a see at the multimodal compromise of a Nueces Boulevard serving the needs of pedestrians, walking shoppers, bicyclists, bicycling shoppers, and motoring shoppers…
i.e. How to increase property values and benefit bicycle and pedestrian mobility simultaneously (a win-win solution):
The Skinny…
The Nueces Bike Boulevard has been a no-brainer for bicycle enthusiasts, downtown boosters and area planners for quite some time. You take a flat street with relatively low auto traffic and scores of existing bike riders looking to get from the UT area to downtown and simply make it a bike-priority street that discourages through auto traffic. Add quicker travel for bicyclists by removing many of the stop signs, some identity with signage and public art, and things get even more exciting. Phase I would go from 3rd Street to MLK Boulevard, with Phase II possibly heading north to Guadalupe.
Unfortunately, some businesses along Nueces are objecting to the idea–saying that it will kill their business, make them liable for bike accidents and even ruin the historic nature of existing buildings. What?
Have you ever had to go a block or two out of your way to get to a business on a one-way street? This is what some auto drivers may face with the changes.
So please take a moment to contact City Council members and let them know the benefits of the bike boulevard. You can email them all from:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm
Talking points:
* The bike boulevard is a key corridor connecting UT with downtown, and hundreds of cyclists already use it each day.
* Removing time- and energy-wasting stop signs for bicyclists and calming the traffic by discouraging "through" auto traffic will attract scores of new riders.
* It’s time that Austin recognized that to maximize the benefits of bicycling–climate and air protection, health, and reduced traffic congestion–it must step up to the plate with significant new bicycle facilities.
* The bike boulevard will have a negligible impact on accessibility for autos to businesses and residents. The bike boulevard is worth autos traveling a block or two out of their way!
* Both the Downtown Austin Plan and Bicycle Plan list Nueces as a bike boulevard.
Open House and Design Workshops
The City is asking the public to help design the bicycle boulevard at an upcoming Open House series.
WHERE: Pease Elementary School, at 1106 Rio Grande St .
WHEN:
* December 9, 6-8 PM: Project Discussion and Public Design Exercise
* January 13, 6-8 PM: Project Discussion and Public Design Exercise
* February 24, 6-8 PM: Design Presentation and Final Commenting
Please contact Jason Fialkoff at (512) 974-7060 or Jason.fialkoff@ci.austin.tx.us with any questions or concerns or if you can not attend one of the meetings.
More on Bike Boulevards
For more on bike boulevards, see:
http://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/newsletter/99-4/bicycles.php
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/faqs/answer.cfm?id=3976
http://www.nycsr.org/nyc/video-view.php?id=39
http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/09/27/another-model-berkeleys-bicycle-boulevard-network/