Advocacy & Safety - My observations of Austin's cyclists...

Hey, in Texas this week visiting family, and various cities. Had to go to Austin as it is the bike capitol of Texas... or so they say. First and foremost let me say these are just roadside observations... I did not get on a bike and ride around.

I sat in a nice corner table at the Iron Cactus restaurant downtown, with great views of the street and watched traffic for a couple hours. This was at about 7:30 to 9:30 in the evening on a Tuesday night. The area is close to UT Austin, so students are everywhere. The famed 6th Ave was hopping even on a weekday night. (great music, good food, lots of nightlife).

The first thing I noticed were the bike racks... as we were driving in I saw quite a few, and right here at this corner, I see racks on every corner... and each one with 2-4 bikes... well that is a good sign.

As I watched the street scene however I was quite dismayed to see that about 2/3s of the bike riders used the sidewalk. I saw the same actions all over downtown as we walked to 6th street earlier. The other dismaying action was the lack of lighting... perhaps about 80% of the cyclists had no lighting what so ever. Now get this... I even saw a couple bike cops.... wearing black uniforms of course, and riding very vehicularly, but not one single light... and they were occupying the center two lanes of this 4 lane one way street. Talk about your Ninja cyclists! Com'on Austin cyclists... at least get some blinkies!!

I didn't notice any bike lanes, however I did see some bike routes. Fort Worth has some bike lanes, but not much. As far as bike paths, there is an MUP... along the lake, but it is mixed media... paved and gravel. Runs for about 10 miles according to the locals. I'm going to look for Lance's bike shop today.

As far as motorists. Well I didn't see any errant behavior, but bear in mind that Texas is the land of the large vehicle and the lead foot... Texans love their trucks and SUVs, and the price of gas is fairly low here, about 3.36-3.49 a gallon... you'd swear though that is was nearly free the way folks drive fast on the freeways. Also note that Austin is the first place I've ever seen a "Share the Road" sign with a motorcycle on it... perhaps that will give you an idea of the interactions on the roadways here.

Besides freeways, the county roads also have high speed limits... 70MPH is typical, with nothing but a thin pair of double yellow lines between you and on coming traffic... :eek: Forget shoulders... in some places they are 8 feet wide, but along the same road they can also disappear... not good.... that means taking a lane in 70MPH traffic while the drivers are looking for the other guy to not cross the double yellow. And sadly, cell phone use is unrestricted. How Lance rode the "hill country" safely is beyond me.

In the morning light I see a good number of cyclists riding the streets... typical of a town of students and high tech professionals... and again, the majority riding the sidewalks.

Of course to the average Texan any cyclist is strange... but folks, get some darn lights!

Otherwise... Keep Austin Weird! :D

scroll down to 3/98 entry for Lance's road rage incident in Austin: http://bicycleaustin.info/justice/table.html

no justice for cyclists in Austin (http://bicycleaustin.info/justice/)

after persusing this info from Michael Bluejay, it's no wonder most cyclists in Austin ride on the sidewalk. When I lived there in the mid-80's there were a couple of bike lanes, but it was legal to park in them.

It's interesting the perspective you get as an out of towner.

I have bike lanes from my driveway to about 1/2 mile before work and seldom see people riding on the sidewalks*, mostly because outside of downtown, Austin has shockingly few sidewalks.

How long are you in town and what size bike do you ride? I'll take you out for a real taste of Austin bike culture and I even have an extra blinky for you.

*except to get from the street to the bike racks at UT or the grocery store.

Unless something in California has changed in the last ten years, Texas' secondary road systems put the Bear state to shame. Yes, we have problems with some motorists, same as most cyclists, but I doubt that they are worse than most states.

Downtown is a little different than the rest of the city ... lots more college kids.

As for riding on the sidewalk, it's legal in most parts of town -- just not downtown or on the UT campus. As for it being a good idea, I'll leave that alone for now.

As for the lack of lights, it gets a little better once you get away from downtown -- but not much. I'd still say that 2/3rds of cyclists out after night don't have any lights at all. Actually, around downtown and campus, I see a lot of those `frog' lights -- tiny little things, about as bright as a keychain LED light. I guess people use them so they can claim to be (technically) obeying the law? Certainly, they aren't going to help you see at all, and won't help people see you much either.

Strangely enough, I had somebody in a car yell at me to `get a light!' when I was riding the other night. Which wouldn't have been so surprising, except that I've got two lights on the back and two up front, and all were on. (And all are quite bright, especially the 1/2 watt Planet Bike Blinkie on the back, and Planet Bike Blaze 1w on the front.) Perhaps they were being sarcastic?

It's interesting the perspective you get as an out of towner.

I have bike lanes from my driveway to about 1/2 mile before work and seldom see people riding on the sidewalks*, mostly because outside of downtown, Austin has shockingly few sidewalks.

How long are you in town and what size bike do you ride? I'll take you out for a real taste of Austin bike culture and I even have an extra blinky for you.

*except to get from the street to the bike racks at UT or the grocery store.

I stand very corrected... bear in mind that I was primarily in the downtown area. I went by Mellow Johnny's (http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/) bike shop and saw and purchased the local bike maps... and indeed saw that there are bike lanes threading about town... perhaps not so much downtown, but then probably not needed there as is often the case in low speed dense urban areas.

BTW very very cool bike shop... wish I had one in my neighborhood. :D I talked to the folks down there and they told me about all the expansion going on down stairs, including a training room and a fit room. Again... very very cool shop. They had everything from race to cruise and a very cool lowrider over the door. :D It was almost like going to the mecca of bike shops!!! Great Lance poster and several yellow jerseys on the walls... but not overwhelming. I picked up some gear, including a Brooks care kit. :D

Yup I was all grins at that place.

Appreciate the offer to ride... but I am back in So Cal as I write this. It was a whirlwind visit of the hill country and Austin. Gotta say however that the back country 70MPH speed limits still have me scratching my head. 2 lane blacktop with a 70MPH speed limit is just a bit over the top. :eek:

As for the blinky... hand it out to one of the clueless students downtown... who knows, you may save a life.

Unless something in California has changed in the last ten years, Texas' secondary road systems put the Bear state to shame. Yes, we have problems with some motorists, same as most cyclists, but I doubt that they are worse than most states.

The 70MPH speed limits are a bit over the top... no doubt. Back in the early 80s I did a tour from San Diego to Ft Worth on the secondary roads and frankly had no problems... motor traffic was few and far between as it was just yesterday while we were driving back country roads to such places as Fredericksburg and Bend. But back in the day the national speed limits were 55MPH and there were no driver distracting cell phones (not that they would work back in the way out hill country anyway. :D).

I just could not believe my eyes at seeing the 70/65 MPH signs on shoulderless two lane blacktop... and frankly I saw no way to drive it at that speed. All I could think of was it was a Texas way of saying FU to any federal intervention. I know Texans like to make a point like that. :D I lived there for many years before moving to So Cal. (2nd grade thru high school)

And yeah the 55MPH Highway 1 in Northern California is just as ridiculous... only with steep cliffs to "reward" the errant motorist. :rolleyes: In Texas, you'd probably only run into cactus. ;)

I did appreciate the "Drive Clean Through Texas" campaign though.

Downtown is a little different than the rest of the city ... lots more college kids.

As for riding on the sidewalk, it's legal in most parts of town -- just not downtown or on the UT campus. As for it being a good idea, I'll leave that alone for now.

As for the lack of lights, it gets a little better once you get away from downtown -- but not much. I'd still say that 2/3rds of cyclists out after night don't have any lights at all. Actually, around downtown and campus, I see a lot of those `frog' lights -- tiny little things, about as bright as a keychain LED light. I guess people use them so they can claim to be (technically) obeying the law? Certainly, they aren't going to help you see at all, and won't help people see you much either.

Strangely enough, I had somebody in a car yell at me to `get a light!' when I was riding the other night. Which wouldn't have been so surprising, except that I've got two lights on the back and two up front, and all were on. (And all are quite bright, especially the 1/2 watt Planet Bike Blinkie on the back, and Planet Bike Blaze 1w on the front.) Perhaps they were being sarcastic?

I think the thing that surprised me the most was seeing the bike cops without lights. Are they riding this way to imitate students??? for whatever reason??

I just could not believe my eyes at seeing the 70/65 MPH signs on shoulderless two lane blacktop... and frankly I saw no way to drive it at that speed. All I could think of was it was a Texas way of saying FU to any federal intervention. I know Texans like to make a point like that. :D I lived there for many years before moving to So Cal. (2nd grade thru high school)

And yeah the 55MPH Highway 1 in Northern California is just as ridiculous... only with steep cliffs to "reward" the errant motorist. :rolleyes: In Texas, you'd probably only run into cactus. ;)

I did appreciate the "Drive Clean Through Texas" campaign though.

While I've driven Hwy 1 several times, its other secondary roads and road conditions that seem poor in Cal.

As for driving 70 on those two lane blacktop roads, most motorists seem to have little difficulty. I'm not arguing that the limits should be that high, but those aren't generally the roads where there are a lot of accidents. And, Texas does have quite a bit more than just cactus.

As for the clean Texas slogan, for many years, its been "Don't Mess with Texas" I've never seen a "Drive Clean Through Texas" sign or ad. That would just be laughed at. The Texas anti-littering campaign has been one of the most successful. Helps to have ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, and a host of other Texas celebs supporting the campaign.

70 is pretty slow compared to what people do around here. 90 is the minimum

THe 70mph speed limits still bother me quite a bit too. The rock haulers and tanker trucks going to the drilling rigs around here cruise at 75 and it scares the crap out of me.

and you live in Paradise

and you live in Paradise

Not hardly... but I do enjoy seeing various places and how they handle cycling and cyclists. While I do not claim any particular expertise, simple observations of traffic are basic skills of an experienced cyclist.

As far as the "Paradise" comment... I will freely admit that San Diego does have a wonderful climate. :D

While I've driven Hwy 1 several times, its other secondary roads and road conditions that seem poor in Cal.

Highway 1 or PCH is highly variable throughout the state... in some places it is a multilaned road with reduced speed limits... such as in Encinitias down south, and through many of the towns up north. Near the border of Oregon and California as one moves south from Oregon to California it changes from a 4 lane road with a very wide bike lane to a narrow winding coastal road that hugs the coastal cliffs as the road continues south toward San Francisco... South of San Francisco it is again 2 lane blacktop hugging the fragile cliffs (subject to rock slides).

Besides Hiway 1 there are tons of farm roads crisscrossing the state... many in the central valley looking quite like the county roads of Texas... but with the vast difference that not a one sports a 70MPH speed limit.



As for driving 70 on those two lane blacktop roads, most motorists seem to have little difficulty. I'm not arguing that the limits should be that high, but those aren't generally the roads where there are a lot of accidents. And, Texas does have quite a bit more than just cactus.

As far as the skills required... we found that on the narrowest roads, no one seemed to be driving near the limits... Speeds of 50-60MPH were the norm... but just the mere suggestion that one could drive these roads at 70MPH is just crazy. Now I understand that distances in Texas can be vast, but 70MPH is pretty foolhardy on these roads. And motorists trying to drive at high speeds are going to have reduced reaction times and some tunnel vision at high speeds.



As for the clean Texas slogan, for many years, its been "Don't Mess with Texas" I've never seen a "Drive Clean Through Texas" sign or ad. That would just be laughed at. The Texas anti-littering campaign has been one of the most successful. Helps to have ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, and a host of other Texas celebs supporting the campaign.

I am quite familiar with the Don't Mess with Texas" campaign... and I think it is a great slogan. This was the first time I have seen the "Drive Clean through Texas" signs... small triangle signs along the side of the road... I just checked and I don't have any photos... certainly you don't think I made up the slogan... I saw it out there on many of the back roads.

Below is a shot of a 2 lane blacktop road... with a 70MPH sign. This particular road has some shoulder in this area... which is good as it is cresting a blind hill. In other areas such a road might have no shoulder what so ever. Also below is a typical no shoulder road... still with the 70MPH speed limit.

Also below is a Share the Road sign that I saw a few of along the roads... this BTW is the same sort of sign that carried the "Drive Clean through Texas" slogans. Go check out State route 580 and 581 and the US 290 through Johnson City and Fredericksburg (both nice towns BTW) to see those "Drive Clean through Texas" signs.

Here are some pics of Austin cyclists... note the general lack of helmets, the sidewalk riding and the sheer number of cyclists at the sandwich shop. They overwhelmed the very ubiquitous bike racks.


As I said earlier... many of the cyclists were sidewalk riders... there were however a few cyclists riding in the streets.

As far as the "Paradise" comment... I will freely admit that San Diego does have a wonderful climate. :D

I was actually referring to c m shooter, he gives his location as Paradise, TX

:)

After a bit of looking around and inquiry, I discovered that the state has begun a new clean air campaign, thus the Drive Clean signs. Apparently, its either new or has a low budget as there's been no or little TV/radio advertising and, unlike the Don't Mess With Texas anti-littering campaign, are using the backs of flip down Ice on Road/Bridge signs. It has nothing to do with littering and, frankly, lacks something in approach. The Share the Road motorcycle symbols appear to be a regional effort resulting from the large number of motorcyclists cruising Central Texas back roads in good weather.

Other than Interstate, Texas has three state road systems: US, State, and Farm (FM)/Ranch (RR) . There is variation between the three systems, but, for the most part, all are good roads. Often, west of Austin, one finds that the roads of all three system will have very wide shoulders, the width of a regular lane. Essentially, locals will use them as a lane, moving over to allow faster traffic to go ahead. But, as everywhere, terrain and funding may limit the amount of shoulder.

Here are some pics of Austin cyclists... note the general lack of helmets, the sidewalk riding and the sheer number of cyclists at the sandwich shop. They overwhelmed the very ubiquitous bike racks.


As I said earlier... many of the cyclists were sidewalk riders... there were however a few cyclists riding in the streets.

That Bianchi Pista (third pic) is just begging to be picked up and walked away with.

That Bianchi Pista (third pic) is just begging to be picked up and walked away with.

As I took that pic, the cyclists in the store kept bouncing in and out checking on their bikes... if one was to "walk away" it would have to be with perfect timing. There was considerable concern for one's "iron steed" right there.

After a bit of looking around and inquiry, I discovered that the state has begun a new clean air campaign, thus the Drive Clean signs. Apparently, its either new or has a low budget as there's been no or little TV/radio advertising and, unlike the Don't Mess With Texas anti-littering campaign, are using the backs of flip down Ice on Road/Bridge signs. It has nothing to do with littering and, frankly, lacks something in approach. The Share the Road motorcycle symbols appear to be a regional effort resulting from the large number of motorcyclists cruising Central Texas back roads in good weather.

Other than Interstate, Texas has three state road systems: US, State, and Farm (FM)/Ranch (RR) . There is variation between the three systems, but, for the most part, all are good roads. Often, west of Austin, one finds that the roads of all three system will have very wide shoulders, the width of a regular lane. Essentially, locals will use them as a lane, moving over to allow faster traffic to go ahead. But, as everywhere, terrain and funding may limit the amount of shoulder.

The back roads did look quite usable, judging from the lack of traffic on the roads... as I said earlier, I used these roads way back in the days when I did my tour through there (and while I was living there)... and due to the general nature of Texas and the long sightlines on those flat plains, I felt quite comfortable. Even in the hill country the sightlines were pretty good with some exceptions (that cresting hill pic being the rare exception, vice the rule).

Was sure pretty country to ride back in the day... ;)

Thanks for your thoughtful observations of my town. I agree we are living in the stone age in providing cyclists what they need to cycle safely. We have a city government that promotes Austin for cycling, but it is only recreational, not for transportation. They is next to nothing spent on cycling infrastructure and any time there is a conflict between cyclist's interests and driver's interests, guess who wins?

Often, west of Austin, one finds that the roads of all three system will have very wide shoulders, the width of a regular lane. Essentially, locals will use them as a lane, moving over to allow faster traffic to go ahead. But, as everywhere, terrain and funding may limit the amount of shoulder.
I remember that from when I lived in Austin, it's actually polite to do it, but only in texas ;) (New Mexico, for example, has lots of wide shoulders that are signed 'do not drive on shoulder). I would imagine it could be hazardous to cyclists using the shoulder, but I honestly never saw any cyclists outside of the austin metro area when I lived in texas in the mid 80s, and I travelled all over the state for work.

If I were too slow to ride on the road, or just didn't feel safe on it, I'd ride on the sidewalk there too. There's a time and a place for everything.

I ride on the road in my town because there isn't enough lateral space to maintain 20mph on the sidewalk (nevermind pavement quality).

If I were on a cruiser or cheap MTB, however, I'd slow down and enjoy the makeshift bike lane. Live and let live.