Rob D'Amico says: TAKE ACTION NOW!

Rob D'Amico, longtime local bicycle advocate and the main driving force behind the League of Bicycle Voters has issued a call to action. If you want to read it in its' entirety you can do so either on the BicycleAustin blog, or here behind the cut. The short of it is that THIS Thursday (aka. tomorrow) there's going to be a City Council meeting where they decide whether or not to authorize a study by transportation professionals to evaluate the use of sharrows, bike boxes, painted bike lanes, “May Use Full Lane” signs, and other improvements that help transportation cyclists better integrate with the current car-centric traffic system.

As I'm sure you can imagine this would GREATLY enhance our city's bikeability. While many of us aren't afraid to tangle with the cars on their own turf, I fully believe that bicycle lanes, sharrows, bike boxes, proper signage, and other improvments encourage beginner or less experienced commuter cyclists to try biking somewhere that they may not have if there weren't any bike facilities in the first place. While I don't believe they're the perfect answer (required driver and cyclist education would be much better methinks), I do think they're a great stepping stone in the right direction. I'm sending my emails over my lunch break, and urge the rest of you to do the same. Please continue reading to see how all of you can help...

Danger Will Robinson. Word from the city is that there could be minor resistance to the CTR study. I can't see this not passing, but regardless, this is extremely important for the future of all these projects, so best not to take any chances...and to let them know we're watching. I posted the following:

Wake Up! Take Action Now by telling the City Council to support bike boxes, sharrows, painted bike lanes and Bikes May Use Full Lane signs

Email the mayor and council now at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

Tell them: “Please follow the recommendations of the League of Bicycling Voters and pass the study for bike boxes, sharrows, colored bike lanes and Bikes “May Use Full Lane” signs on your Thursday agenda. Also, please support inclusion of the bike projects on your public works list for the recovery stimulus package.

Then sign up to receive League of Bicycling Voters alerts and information at: http://www.lobv.org

I want more details and to help out further…

Thursday’s City Council agenda contains a little $97,000 item that carries a lot of weight for the future of bicycling in Austin. To put it simply, the item authorizes a study by transportation professionals to evaluate the use of sharrows (shared lane markings), bike boxes, painted bike lanes, and most importantly, Bikes “May Use Full Lane” signs.

Although there has been a lot of research on most of these facilities (except perhaps for the signs), a local study is important to develop criteria for use, and in the instance of sharrows, is part of a process required by the feds to approve their use. The study’s cost is covered by bike bond money from the year 2000, so it’s not taking away from the city’s general coffers. But unfortunately, there have been a few rumblings questioning the study and/or cost.

That’s where you come in. Here are a few simple steps in order of priority:

1) Email the council now at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm and tell them:

a. Why bicycling is important to you and our city (e.g. meets goals of Mayor’s fitness council, curbs greenhouse gases for climate protection, makes our city more livable, etc.)

b. Why the study is important (e.g. these facilities will propel Austin forward in its efforts to encourage bicycling and make it safer)

c. These items were approved by the Street Smarts Task Force and are high priorities for Austin bicyclists.

d. Please also include the “ready-to-go” bicycle facility items on the recovery stimulus package, which would invest in our ability to provide affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation.

2) Copy your Email to council before you send it and email the same as a cc: to important city staff:
annick.beaudet@ci.austin.tx.us
rob.spillar@ci.austin.tx.us
howard.lazarus@ciaustin.tx.us
michael.curtis@ci.austin.tx.us

3) Call your favorite councilmember, or call them all. Just ring their office and tell their staff your are calling to support Item #29, the CTR Bicycle Study and Item #30, the bicycle facilities on the economic recovery stimulus list. Phone numbers can be found at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/default.htm

4) Sign up in support of the item for Thursday’s council meeting.
(You may sign up simply as a supporter, or to speak. Speaking will only be necessary if the item is pulled from the “consent” agenda. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall, but you may sign up in the city hall lobby kiosks as early as Wednesday.)

This is extremely important, so please take action now!

More information on the agenda items:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meeting...
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meeting...

More information on the bicycle facilities:

Sharrows
http://www.lobv.org/domain/index.html
http://bikeportland.org/2006/05/12/city-issues-fact-sheet-on-shared-lane...
http://commutebybike.com/2007/01/23/sharrows-to-become-federal-standard
http://members.cox.net/ncutcdbtc/sls/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking

Bike Boxes
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/how-to-use-a-bike-box
http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATION/index.cfm?c=46717

Colored Bike Lanes
http://bikeportland.org/2008/02/07/new-bike-boxes-and-colored-lanes-will...
http://www.sfbike.org/?bikeplan_design
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/07/12/new-high-visibility-bike-lanes-in-...

Bikes “May Use Full” Lane signs
http://www.lobv.org/signresolution.html
http://home.swbell.net/mpion/bikesusefulllane.html
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/05/santa-cruz-approves-bikes-in-lane-signs...

Keep Up With Bicycle News and Advocacy:
http://www.lobv.org
http://www.bicycleaustin.info
http://www.austincycling.org
http://www.austinyellowbike.org

Blogs:
http://www.bicycleaustin.info/blog
http://www.austinbikeblog.com
http://www.atxbs.com

Forums
http://bicycleaustin.info/forum

There you have it. Even if you can't do all of the above, I urge you to at least contact the City Council directly. One email from that site goes to everybody on the council as well as the mayor, so that's a hell of a way to kill many birds with a single stone. Thanks!