- The basics…What is the Nueces Bike Boulevard?
- Read the LOBV Nueces Bike Boulevard Plan (PDF)
- Download the full plan map (PDF)
- Take Action!
- Talking points for supporting the LOBV Plan
- More on bike boulevards
- LOBV Plan News Release (PDF)
The basics…What is the Nueces Bike Boulevard?
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/29th Street.
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
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)
The next few weeks are critical, so please do not hesitate.
2) Sign the petition: http://tinyurl.com/nuecesbikeblvd
(Download a PDF version of the petition.)
3) Show up to the City of Austin Nueces Bike Boulevard Workshops
WHERE: Pease Elementary School, at 1106 Rio Grande St .
WHEN: February 24, 6-8 PM: Design Presentation and Final Commenting
Please contact the City of Austin’s 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.
* The bike boulevard is a key corridor connecting UT with downtown, and hundreds of cyclists already use it each day. The bike boulevard’s safer and more convenient facilities would attract new and inexperienced riders
* 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.
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/
