Bicycle Plan Update passes 6-0!!! CLEAN SWEEP!

I only ducked in quick enough to sign the roster and say hi to a few people, but Elliott from A2W was there to give a speech and report on the happenings. One council member (Sheryl Cole) was not in attendance, but the remaining members voted unanimously to update the old, out-dated master plan with the new fresh one. THANKS Y'ALL!

The turn-out from cyclists wasn't nearly as big as last time, and the opposition actually turned out stronger than before, with around 150 people signing in and roughly a third opposed to the plan. As was the case last month, the majority of the people opposed to the plan were from the Heritage Park neighborhood and were afraid that building a bridge in their park would let the bad scary dark people who do drugs and have sex in the woods harm our children connect their neighborhood to the one next door and allow greater passage through the area for schoolchildren served by the local schools, as well as cyclists. NIMBYism at it's finest, my friends.

Elliott and Allen Demling (long-time cycling advocate and recent city council candidate) both spoke on behalf of the cyclists who signed in favor of the update. Elliott specifically mentioned the 2000+ signatures they received on their Austin Bike Plan Petition, and that the cycling community would be keeping an eye on the city to ensure that the goals outlined in the bicycle plan update were actually met. Damn straight we will.

All-in-all I'm VERY happy with this outcome. I wish we would have gotten this vote a month ago at the last meeting, but a unanimously positive vote is nothing to be upset about. A big thanks goes out to the members of City Council and representatives of the cycling community who showed up to speak or sign in, but most importantly to city staff members Annick Beaudett, Nadia Barrera, and Nathan Wilkes. Without the three of you this massive tome of bicycling goodness would be nothing but a pipe dream. Thanks again, y'all! It's been a pleasure working with everybody through the BAC, YBP, and all the other great cycling organizations in this town, and now that we have the new plan in place it's only going to get better. What a great time to be alive and involved!