In the battle over the Downtown Bicycle Boulevard, it’s pretty clear that the business interests won. So why won’t they just declare victory and be done with it?

Opponents showed up in force at last week’s Urban Transportation Commission and continued to blast the boulevard proposal, watered down as it is, as a looming disaster for businesses along Nueces and Rio Grande. And Austinites for Down town Mobility, on its websitewww.keepaustinmoving.org, complains that the “number of affected roads has doubled. One of our major concerns has always been the negative impact on the area if you divert traffic from one street to another. So in ‘compromise’ the city has decided to make traffic worse on two streets.” (Repeated calls to Nueces business owner Susan Harris, a leader of the group, have not been returned.)

It’s hard to figure out how that charge can be true, since the city has effectively decided to not do anything to Nueces. As noted in previous reports (see “Bump in the Road for Bike Boulevard,” April 9), initial thoughts of doing serious traffic calming on Nueces, the original target of the bike boulevard idea, were replaced with mere bike lanes on the northern and southernmost stretches, and “sharrows” (lanes marked with symbols reminding motorists to share the road) between Seventh and 13th. It’s true that the lanes will be “enhanced,” perhaps raised or marked with bright colors, but it’s hard to see how they’ll restrict traffic in any way. (Also, in fairness to staff, a major water main project on Nueces scheduled for 2011 nixes any traffic-calming projects for quite a while anyway.)

But sharrows? As Hill Abell, owner of Bicycle Sport Shop — and a supporter of the compromise — reminded the Urban Transportation Commission, sharrows are nothing. “A sharrow does not give me the right to take a lane if I’m on a bicycle,” Abell said. “I have the right to take that lane whether there is a sharrow on the road or not. … Sharrow or not, I can take the lane. I’m a vehicle, by the laws of Texas. And it would behoove the opponents of bicycling, or bicycle boulevards, to learn the laws of Texas as far as bicycles are concerned.” (Austinites for Downtown Mobility, for the record, has repeatedly emphasized that it is only opposed to the bike boulevard, not bicycle commuting.)

Bike boulevard opponents also brought accusations of dirty play into the mix. ADM’s Monica Thomason pleaded with bicyclists present to have a talk with their less rational compatriots about vandalism occurring at businesses on the corridor, particularly those with ADM yard signs. “Please tell these people to stop,” she said. “It started as simple sign vandalism. … It has now escalated to actual destruction of property. They’re spray-painting our property; they’re breaking fences; they’re sneaking onto the property in the evening.

“We thought … we could have an adult discussion, and that has not been the case.”

Abell fired back that the broader cycling community should not be tarred by the actions of a few idiots. Vandalism accusations are “a hard thing to prove,” Abell said, “and I’m offended that I, being a bicyclist, should be broadly swept into that group that would vandalize.”

Indeed, “evidence” of the vandalism posted on ADM’s website is inconclusive, at best. A video shows a cyclist riding up in the night and stomping on a business’ “Keep Austin Moving” sign, but photos of other damage — including graffiti that simply says “love” — don’t show a clear connection to the debate.

And Urban Transportation Commission Chair Richard MacKinnonreminded ADM that dirty tricks go both ways and complained of a “disinformation campaign” by boulevard opponents. “We do condemn the vandalism of property,” MacKinnon said. However, he said all commission members had received many e-mails with “bad information in it. And the bad information was almost duplicated from one letter to the next, talking about a bike boulevard that completely eliminated vehicle traffic. That doesn’t do any side any good, because people start to debate things that don’t exist. … What it started to feel to me like was the ‘death panels’ of bike boulevards.”

The UTC took no vote, as members wanted to wait for the results of an economic impact study due May 11.

By LEE NICHOLS of AustinChronicle.com
Click here for the Original Article

The following is a guest post by Chip Seal of http://chipsea.blogspot.com/.  He has had several run in’s with the Ennis Police Department and here is his personal take on this situation:

—

I had learned to ride a bicycle in California, and rode it for thousands and thousands of miles in that state. So when I took up cycling again in Texas in 2006, I wanted to be sure I understood Texas bicycle specific law and how to safely navigate on a streetscape that had few wide lanes like had experienced in California.

Texas law was straightforward: In Texas, bicycles are vehicles, so they have the rights and duties of all other traffic. Texas cyclists have the statutory right to the roadway, (travel lane) and a duty to follow all the traffic rules like automobiles.

Four years later, and after traveling 12,000 miles in Texas traffic, I was confident that I understood what the Texas Transportation Code (TTC) said. The City of Ennis says that I don’t know what I am talking about.

The way they interpret the TTC, a cyclist in the City of Ennis must either abandon the roadway and ride on a shoulder any time other traffic comes by, or a cyclist can only operate on a roadway in a school zone. (The only place a cyclist can travel close to the maximum posted speed limit.) The Jury wasn’t clear as to which result they preferred.

One of the officers who ticketed me said under oath that he had only stopped two other cyclists in the past year, and neither of them for “impeding traffic”, the crime I am accused of. He also testified that I was the only operator of any type of vehicle that he had cited for impedance.

This surprised me, for there have been only a handful of cyclists in Ennis that I have seen over the past two years who were operating lawfully.

I was likewise surprised I had been the only illegal impeder he had ever seen! Indeed many common vehicles in and around Ennis cause other traffic to slow, but are commonly accepted and not considered “impeding”. For example, traffic is impeded all the time by folks making left turns, vehicles pulling a heavy load, driving below the speed limit when towing other vehicles, slowing to park or turn into a driveway, garbage collection trucks, mail delivery vehicles, and the operation of a farm or construction vehicles on the public streets whose primary purpose isn’t transportation.

I am therefore not fully convinced that my cycling has been treated like all the other vehicles by the City of Ennis. But maybe I am wrong about this. If so, I would expect any vehicle unable to keep up with automobiles, like farm equipment, will be ticketed if they venture into Ennis this year. It may be a new enforcement policy!

In fact, the roads in Ennis have ceased to be public roads if the severest interpretation of the jury is adopted. The only vehicles that would be allowed on the formally public streets of Ennis are those that have obtained prior approval from the government to drive on them, and are carrying documents that can prove that. No unregistered vehicles allowed.

The Fort Worth City Council approved a long-range plan Tuesday to make it easier for bicyclists to get around the city. Here are some highlights of the plan, known as Bike Fort Worth:

Goals

• Triple the number of bike lanes and trails to 1,100.
• Increase the number of bicycle commuters from 0.2 percent of the population to 0.6 percent.
• Decrease the number of car-bicycle fatalities by 10 percent.
• Attain designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community through the League of American Bicyclists.

Plan of action

• Adopt a “complete streets” policy so that new streets are built with room for cars, mass transit, pedestrians and bikes.
• Establish a bicycling education program to promote safe bicycling and interaction between cars and cyclists.
• Include the bike plan in the city’s Master Thoroughfare Plan. This will allow the city to set aside land for trails and bike lanes when it acquires land for future roads, and make it easier to apply for state and federal grants.
• Distribute an updated bicycle map and commuter guide.
• Ensure bicycle accommodation on all major transit corridors, station areas and transit hubs.
• Develop a bicycle and pedestrian transportation plan.
• Implement a zoning ordinance for bicycle parking.

By MIKE LEE – from http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1961439.html

A stolen bike belonging to Lance Armstrong’s Radio Shack Cycling Team was found at a flea market in Mexico last week. The $10,000 bike had been missing for four months.

According to a press release, the Trek Livestrong U23 bike was stolen in November from Mellow Johnny’s at the 400 block of Nueces.

The high-end racing bike, belonging to team member Ryan Bauman, traveled through Texas and ended up at a flea market in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The news release shows that a cyclist bought the bike and took it to his local Trek dealer who recognized it from broadcasts posted by Mellow Johnny’s general manager, Craig Staley.

Mellow Johnny’s received the bike Tuesday, Feb. 9.

From http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/

Bike Fort Worth is the City’s comprehensive bicycle transportation plan for developing a friendlier bicycle environment.  Recommendations for supportive policies, programs and facilities are included to increase bicycle transportation within the City of Fort Worth.

The City has identified three goals to benchmark the success of the plan:

• Triple the number of bicycle commuters
• Decrease bicyclist related crashes by 10 percent
• Attain official designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community through the League of American Bicyclists.

Implementation of the Bike Fort Worth plan will promote bicycling as a safe and attractive transportation alternative.  A bicycle transportation network will improve livability in Fort Worth by providing an alternative travel option to residents of the City and improved access to other modes of transit.

For parking facilities Dowtown and from Magnolia Street to Magnolia Avenue area, please refer to the Bicycle Rack Map (PDF). For information regarding Regional Bike Trail systems visit the North Central Texas Council Of Governments (NCTCOG) Bike Web.

For comments or questions regarding the Bike Fort Worth plan, contact Julia McCleeary, 817-392-2593.

Public Hearing

A public hearing on the draft Bike Fort Worth Plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the regular City Council meeting. The meeting will take place in City Hall’s Council Chamber, 1000 Throckmorton St.

Documents

• Draft – Bike Fort Worth Plan
• Draft – Recommended Bicycle Transportation Network
• Presentation to Plan Commission (Oct. 28, 2009)

Source: http://www.fortworthgov.org

The City of Dallas is seeking residents to serve on the Bicycle Advisory Committee. The committee, which will help update and replace the 1985 Dallas Bike Plan, will consist of members of the community with a strong interest in improving and expanding the city’s bicycling culture and bicycle-related infrastructure.

“This is an opportunity to serve our community in a very meaningful and tangible way. The 15 committee members will inform the planning process from the community stakeholder and bicycle user perspectives,” said Theresa O’Donnell, director of the Sustainable Development and Construction Department.

“This committee’s main function will be to give timely input and feedback on the major draft components of the Plan, and a thorough and constructive review of the overall draft Plan,” she added. Serious consideration for appointment to the committee will be given to individuals who can demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Consistent interest in issues related to bicycling as a form of exercise and alternative transportation for people of all ages and abilities.
• Experience as an advisor on strategic planning or transportation planning projects, especially for bicycle and/or pedestrian facilities.
• Experience on a city-sponsored citizen or stakeholder advisory committee, or other involvement with a city project or initiative.

The Bicycle Advisory Committee will meet as often as once a month for up to three hours, over the next eight to 12 months. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 7. Candidates will be screened by City of Dallas staff and approved for appointment by the Bicycle Policy Steering Committee.

Applications can be obtained at www.dallascityhall.com and e-mailed tomax.kalhammer@dallascityhall.com with the words “BAC Application” in the subject line, or mailed to Max Kalhammer, Senior Planner (Bicycle Coordinator), Sustainable Development and Construction, Dallas City Hall, Room L1BS, 1500 Marilla St., Dallas, TX 75201.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Monday, February 15.

Source: City of Dallas, taken from Pegasusnews.com