Bike Boulevard meeting happens THIS WEDNESDAY. Community input requested!

Notice of this event has gone out over the usual mailing lists and Elliott over at A2W has mentioned it a couple of times, but THIS WEDNESDAY there's going to be a big public input meeting to discuss the plans for the upcoming Nueces Bike Boulevard. Tom Wald of the LOBV prepared an action alert regarding the issue, so read on for details and to find out how you can make sure your opinion is considered:

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)

2) Show up to the Nueces Bike Boulevard Open House next Wednesday (see below)

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
* January 27, 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-bo...

THIS WEDNESDAY at 6pm, bike your ass down to Pease Elementary (11th and Rio Grande), make your voice heard, and help ensure the creation of this awesome-sounding bicycle facility. Thanks Nadia, Tom, and everyone else for keeping us in the know about stuff like this.