Bicycle Austin

Link: http://bicycleaustin.info/

Austin, Texas, USA is a special place in the world of cycling and bicycle activism. Michael Bluejay's site is one way to get a glimpse of the Austin Cycling scene, and an excellent cycling resource in general.

Don't forget to check out the newsletter "Car-free world" at: http://bicycleaustin.info/newsletters/

When I first moved to Austin, in January of 2000, I heard it was good for cycling. But it wasn't. At least not compared to the bike trail network of Washington, DC & suburbs that I'd just left. It did have a very active Yellow Bike Project, and a sub culture that supported using bicycles. I`ve heard that Tuscon, AZ and Portland, OR, also score high in regard to that sort of thing... and Asheville, NC now has the ReCyclery... I eventually left Austin because my allergies were very bad and because I knew life would be better without a car in Monterey, CA. After my recent visit to Austin(October, 2003), I see that things are now better for cyclists there. There are bikelanes and smooth shoulders where before there were only potholes and gravel. The Yellow Bike Project has grown... I also noticed a polarization between those who ride bikes and those who don't. Austin was the first place a car driver shouted to me, "Get a car!" (critical massers often shout, "get a bike!"). In the surrounding country roads of Austin, the drivers were more often nasty, honking and even turning on a siren right as they passed. I began imagining that if there ever were a war between the car riders and the cyclists, it could happen there, in Austin... However, while in the city, the drivers' reactions to me might be due to aggressive critical masses, in the country, the ire is more likely due to road riding and training (think Lance Armstrong) being so popular there. Roadies are not necessarily carfree activists.

Added by colin #442 on 2003-10-27. Last modified 2003-10-27 18:17. F0 License: Attribution
Location: World, United States, Texas, Austin
Topics: activism, community, cycling, Our Culture, policy development, public transit, urban planning

Colin Leath <>

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