Contents From the Editor General Feature Classifieds Car-Free World, a publication of and
©2003 by BicycleAustin.info,
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General The Statesman called me a few days ago to get my opinion about legislation which would allow the Segway (a glorified electric scooter) on heretofore bike-only paths. They wanted to know whether I thought this was a good thing or a bad thing for Austin. First of all, if the Statesman would pull its head out, they would realize that we don't have any bike-only paths in Austin. (Except maybe the Veloway, which hardly counts.) All our trails are mixed-use, for both bikes and pedestrians. Besides, is the Statesman so clueless that they really believe that our hike & bike trails are suddenly about to be overrun by people rushing out to buy $5000 Segways? Second, I wish the Statesman would ask me about something that's actually important. On the bike path issue I told them that I couldn't think of an issue that concerns me less. As usual, I encouraged them to look into a real juicy bike story, like, oh, the fact that bicyclists can go to jail for minor traffic offenses while at-fault motorists who injure or kill cyclists often don't even get traffic tickets. As usual, they weren't interested. Bush falls off his Segway And while we're talking about Segways, President Bush fell off his. The better articles about this are in the foreign press, which don't treat the President with kid gloves like the domestic media. The BBC's article is headlined "Bush fails the Segway test", and has a photo of Bush taking a dive. Not surprisingly, the White House couldn't even cop to this minor mishap by Bush, as though he could never be less than perfect. In the daily press briefing White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "I thought he made a particularly excellent rebound. He looked very athletic as he emerged from that." Fleischer admitted that Bush is friends with the Segway inventor. FEATURE:
Comments to CAMPO You all did a great job in telling CAMPO not to cut bike funding. The comments that many of you added to the form letter were well thought-out, polite, and inspiring, so much so that I want to share them with the whole list. Here are the personalized comments that were made -- all of them.
"As a daily commuter to downtown Austin, I value the bike infrastructure and crave more. Moreover, many of my employees ride in an effort to alleviate road congestion and enjoy our fine city. Please maintain the current bike/ped funding."
"I cycle every day, and frequently try to get others to get out of their cars and ride with me. By far, the reason I hear most often for refusals is that the people I am talking to don't feel safe on the roads. Bike lanes and trails are critical to increasing the number of people who will choose biking as an alternative (non-polluting) form of transportation. Please do not cut funding that goes to bike and pedestrian projects."
"Austin is headed towards disaster by only providing for automobile transportation -- and yes, it's the only way for most of us to get to work. There is no rail service, bus service from North Austin, along the 183/Mopac areas can take you over a hour to get to work down town - and it's only 11 miles! Could we bike it each day in the same time? Yes, except we'd be risking our lives - there are NO bike lanes north of Far West and very few if any for work commuters. So Austin is condemned to suffer from worsening pollution and traffic congestion."
"I bike to work each day. The trip is four miles each way. I firmly believe that roads are designed to encourage cars to go faster with little concern for safety of the driver and or other commuters (e.g. bikers, pedestrians, and other cars). Please save the funding for sidewalks."
"Although traffic light synchronization is important, taking away all earmarked money for bike and ped eviscerates the program and may have a hard time coming back. We must exhaust all other avenues of funding for traffic light synchronization before we bleed bike and ped projects dry."
"I am a cyclist who owns a car, but I prefer to ride a bike on my daily commute to work so that I can:
I would add "get some fresh air" to the list, but the air quality in the Austin area is sickening, and the idea that improving it by encouraging driving (synchronizing traffic lights, widening intersections) is nearly as disgusting. I look forward to future correspondence from CAMPO detailing how making it easier for people to drive will reduce air pollution."
"The reason more people don't bike-commute is that it is too difficult or dangerous to do so. It is shameful and should be an embarrassment in a city home to Lance Armstrong, that more complete bikeways are not produced and maintained. We don't need piecemeal projects: there are countless bike lanes that just END without any thought to continuity. Routes need to be planned for full north-south and east-west access with parallel feeders and routes RESERVED and dedicated to bikes. Countless miles of simple paths could be made for the cost of a mile of a reinforced concrete or asphalt road designed to carry an 18 wheeler. It is time to do the right thing and create a truly bikable city."
"As a member of the Clean Air Force Board of Directors, I am very aware of the impending air pollution problems central Texas faces. As a community we can not solve our ozone/smog problems if we continue to design our city totally depended on the automobile. It is essential that we provide alternatives and the most cost effective options are pedestrian and bike improvements. Please keep these funds dedicated to these alternative mobility options and help keep our air clean."
"We absolutely cannot afford to give up the precious little funding that is currently being allocated to bicyclists and pedestrians. We need options and at the rate we're headed, those options are being drowned out. Please don't do it. It's already dangerous enough for cyclists and peds out on the road. Help us out a bit eh?"
"Not every bicycling advocate is a left-wing radical. Plenty of us understand that it's a daunting task facing today's officials who deal with the Central Texas mobility issues, especially with the current budget situations. I encourage you to keep your sights fixed on the big picture. Business and industry, commerce and art--what attracts these elements to this area is that Austin is not Houston. It's not Los Angeles. This area values the environment and has the unique chance to learn from the mistakes already made by the now-congested MPOs who've only built more roads. Keep Austin growing in the right direction. Do not cut bicycling & pedestrian funding. Doing so is a short-term fix and a long-term mistake."
"Austin is known as a bicycle-friendly city. However, the infrastructure for bicyclists is lagging far behind many other major cities. Those funds could be used instead to noticeably improve the options of those who wish to bicycle around town safely by providing bike lines or bike trails."
"If anything I think that this needs to be increased in funding for bicycles."
"It has been my experience that synchronizing lights in congested areas results in dangerous cycling conditions. Motorists get a sense, after driving the same route day after day, of just how much they need to speed up or(more optimistically) to slow down in order to roll through the light. The motorist times the light, and this can lead to disastrous consequences. If the light synchronization should change during certain hours of the day, for instance, then the motorist might assume a green light that doesn't turn green. As a cyclist traveling many crossroads in Austin - my bicycle is my transportation - I would rather the traffic in congested areas stay congested. I would prefer to slow motorists down. I would like to make them see red. Regardless, as someone who rides the streets and bike/ped paths of Austin, I would like to see 15% of STP4C funds go toward improving the safety and convenience of existing routes for cyclists, or initiating new projects intended for those who ride. (e.g. The Lamar Street path could provide a safe route for cyclists traveling downtown or uptown. Unfortunately, the path east of Lamar - running along Shoal Creek - and from about 15th to the Town Lake seems to be in a constant state of disrepair). I know that you have pressures to reduce traffic and pollution in this city, but pushing the cyclists to the side is not the answer. There are voices in the crowd that say CAMPO is trying to change perceptions rather then solve traffic problems. I sure hope so because the only way this city will be able to effectively grow is if perceptions do change, if a bus ride doesn't seem so bad, or if a bicycle ride to your local convenience store seems more convenient than hopping in a car, or if light rail sounds luxurious."
"Bus turn outs is also a good use of the funds -- more so than synchronization in my opinion. Nevertheless, pedestrian ROW and bike ROW is CRITICAL in Oak Hill on 290 with the 290 extension to Scenic Brook. Please include bike ROW behind barriers and Pedestrian Crossing buttons at FM 1826 and other intersections. We would like to get other ways besides the car to get around out here!" Bikes
for Sale Ads are FREE for individuals and run for at least four months or until you tell me to remove it. Please keep it to four lines, don't write a novel. :) 15" Giant Cypress DX Hybrid Bike. Like new, super comfy. Front & seat suspension. $199. kelly.raley(at)utexas.edu, 302-3086. 6-03
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