Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Moving Toward Bike Boulevards in Austin, Texas

10:31 AM EST on December 11, 2009

More communities around the country are talking about creating bike boulevards (see the recent Streetfilm asking why they haven't yet been proposed in New York).

But as Austin on Two Wheels reports, it's not always easy to convince property owners that these enhanced bike facilities (read more about them here) are the right thing for the streets they live on. At a recent meeting about a proposed bike boulevard on Nueces Street in Austin, the mood was initially confrontational, with bicycle riders on one side and local residents on the other.

Here's the good news: when planners actually showed people what the proposals would look like, the mood changed, and both sides showed willingness to find common ground:

NueceBikeBlvdMtg1_300x225.jpgAn open house on a proposed bike boulevard was standing room only. (Photo: Austin Cycling Association/Laura King)

Tensions ran high in the comments period, with one property owner
asking how many people there owned land and were taxpayers, the
assumption being the majority of cyclists weren’t stakeholders because
they don’t own land. Others suggested that customers and clients would
somehow not be able to find their businesses if traffic diverters were
installed.…

After the comments period, a more constructive session started with
city staff laying out huge maps of the proposed corridor to allow
participants a chance to vision what the street would look like.
Graphic chips with examples of speed cushion, medians, traffic diverters, and standard bike lanes

were used to move around the map and see what worked. …

Once forced to look at solutions with pen and paper, there was a departure from the
earlier NIMBY rhetoric and appeared to be a more earnest approach to
figuring out how to all live together.

A little education can be a powerful thing. We'll keep an eye on how this situation develops.

Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about bike boulevards, watch the Streetfilms about the facilities in Berkeley and Portland.

More from around the Streetsblog Network: The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia writes that the city's deputy mayor has recommended that bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets be made permanent. Muscle Powered posts about the struggle to get bicycle facilities incorporated into a stimulus-funded highway project in Carson City, Nevada. And Design New Haven points us to a collection of resources on walkability from the website New Urban News.

Thanks for reading!

Register or log in to continue.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Day 3: These Hunger Strikers aren’t Paid Lobbyists — But Albany Can’t Tell the Difference

ALBANY — “They are putting every barrier in our way to not have to face us directly and  look us in the eye and then make an unconscionable decision. This is Albany at its worst,” said Amy Cohen. 

June 8, 2023

Manhattan Pol Wants OMNY to Work With Citi Bike

Citi Bike could become even more popular if the MTA figured out a way to integrate it with the OMNY pay system.

June 8, 2023

MAP QUEST: See Exactly Why Sammy’s Law Would Be So Crucial for the Boroughs

Ironically, one of the most dangerous roadways — East Gun Hill Road — is in the district of the Assembly Speaker who reportedly opposes Sammy's Law.

June 8, 2023

Welcome to Streetsblog’s New Website!

You can spend all day clicking around on our glistening new website. Get started here!

June 8, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines: Don’t Look Up Edition

The big and only story yesterday was the end-of-days feel that blanketed the city all day. Plus, someone has to defend Sarah Meyer!

See all posts