Message from Bike Austin

Bike Austin provided an update on their effort to support and collect a petition for full funding of the Bicycle Master Plan. More information below:
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Mayor Steve Adler has called for a 2016 transportation bond to address Austin’s traffic crisis. We are calling on the Mayor, City Council and Bond Oversight Commission – a citizen-based group charged with overseeing bond implementation – to put forth a bond that fully funds Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan and all high-priority sidewalks in the Sidewalk Master Plan. Protected bike lanes and sidewalks connecting neighborhoods to schools, public transit and economic centers will ease traffic, bolster accessibility, spur physical activity and make the most affordable modes of transportation convenient and safe for hundreds of thousands of Austinites – including those with disabilities – every day. Our goal is to collect 20,000 petitions – one for each of the car trips expected to be diverted from our busiest highways every day if the Bicycle Master Plan is fully funded and implemented. Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan envisions an all ages and abilities, family-friendly system of protected bike lanes and urban trails throughout Austin that prioritizes connections to high-capacity transit, economic centers and local schools. Building out the Bicycle Master Plan, which includes high-priority trails in Austin’s Urban Trails Master Plan, will increase cycling mobility into Austin’s Central Business District by 20,000 daily trips, representing a 7% reduction in motor vehicle traffic into the densest part of Austin. The Sidewalk Master Plan, which is currently being updated by Public Works Staff, calls for a robust sidewalk maintenance and construction schedule to address Austin’s $1 billion backlog in sidewalk connectivity. Sidewalks addressing infrastructure inequities, serving high volumes of pedestrians and enhancing safe access to schools, public transportation and other neighborhood assets are considered “high priority” or “very high-priority” and will receive prioritized funding under the Plan. By fully funding the Bicycle Master Plan and all High/Very High-Priority sidewalks in the Sidewalk Master Plan, our leaders can enhance safety, ease congestion and provide equitable access to healthy food, schools, economic opportunities, open space and public transit. If you’d like us to list your organization or business as a supporter on this page, please visit bikeaustin.org/ourstreets.