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Bicycle
Austin.info
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Easy Street Recumbents
Recumbent bicycles and tricycles in Austin. Sales and Service. Comfort, Safety, Reliability and Utility are our specialties. click to visit |
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The Austin Cycling Association (458-4518, website ) has regular rides and publishes an informative monthly newspaper called Cycling News (CN). CN is chock full of letters, interviews, reviews, and a list of all rides in Texas as well as some in neighboring states.You can pick up CN free at local bike shops and at the Wheatsville Food Co-op (3101 Guadalupe), or you get CN mailed to your home when you join the Austin Cycling Association. CN is edited by Fred Meredith. The Bicycle Advocacy Council a group of concerned citizens interested in improving bicycle facilities and establishing policies which encourage bicycle transportation in the Austin area. Bikes Across Borders, a project of the Puppetual Motion Cicle Circus, fixes up old bikes and sends them to Mexico. Bikes Not Bombs sends refurbished bicycles to Central America for use by teachers and low-income individuals. Check out their website, or call 926-4725. Critical Mass is a monthly bike ride. Although it's a regular event, there is no organization behind it, since there are no officers, leaders, or organized planning. Critical Mass just "happens". more info...
League of Bicycling Voters (LOBV) Originally formed to fight the helmet law. Also works on pushing the City to make cycling safer. Neighborhood associations have a fair amount of political clout in Austin. They can make or break proposed bicycle-friendly projects in their area. Most NA's are open to anyone living in the neighborhood, not just landowners. They tend to be run by a small number of enthusiastic people who want their neighborhood to be a nice place. Many issues that are important to them are also important to cyclists (e.g. how to reduce traffic volume and speed). The cores of the groups tend to be pretty small, and they are always glad to hear of someone who wants to contribute. You can get your hands on some of the clout just by showing up! You may not feel like you're changing the world right away, but by working your way into the city's informal power structure, you will be able to contribute significantly in the future.-- Bill Canfield The Texas Bicycle Coalition (TBC) is a statewide group which seeks to promote cycling through advocacy and education. They help sponsor Bike Week. For more information, visit the TBC web page. Other contact info: mail@biketexas.org; PO Box 1121, Austin TX 78767; 476-RIDE. The Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) is kind of like a committee of the Austin City Council, and its members are citizens appointed by city councilmembers. The UTC considers all kinds of issues relating to transportation in the City. It has little decision-making power in and of itself, but the City Council usually adopts policy which the UTC recommends. The UTC also has a Bicycle Subcommittee, open to all, which is one of the best avenues for local cyclists to pursue improvements for cycling in the city. Check out the UTC Bicycle Subcommittee's website. You can also make a difference by speaking in favor of
bicycle projects at regular UTC meetings, which are
generally meets on the third Monday of the month from
5:30-8:00 (location varies). Issues of concern to cyclists
that the UTC has considered include banning cars from
parking in bike lanes, adding bike lanes to certain streets,
and requiring downtown businesses to let bikes use
drive-through windows.. The UTC currently (4-00) includes
three strong bicycle advocates: Patrick
Goetz, Tommy Eden, and Mike
Dahmus. The Yellow Bike Project (YBP) holds free bike repair classes, and hosts an open shop in which the public can get assistance in fixing up their own bikes. YBP also fixes up old bikes, paints them yellow, and leaves them around town where they are free to use, but not to keep. The project was started in early 1997, and in its first year released over 200 free bikes. YBP also sells refurbished bikes to the public, and bikes come with a 30-day warranty. YBP has a shop at 2011 E. 51st St. (between Berkman & Manor, 457-9880), and one at Wheatsville (3101 Guadalupe, 469-9247). YBP's website.
Not Bicycle-Specific Austin Choices for Transportation (ACT). Formed in 2000 by former City Councilmembers Brigid Shea and Bill Spelman to encourage voters to approve Light Rail. Several prominent cyclists are a part of this group, including Eric Anderson, David Foster, and Kathryn Otto. Other notable members include Dick Kallerman of the Sierra Club, Dave Dobbs of Texas Association for Public Transportation, Fred Richardson formerly of Texans for Public Justice, and Robin Schneider of Texas Campaign for the Environment. [Note: In 02/01 I noticed that their website, ACTaustin.org, was no longer up. Texas Association for Public Transportation (TAPT). Providing public opinion leaders with accurate and authoritative information about alternative transportation planning choices, for more than a quarter century. (512-282-1149) Trans Texas Alliance (TTA) was created in 1992 to educate metropolitan, suburban, and rural communities in Texas about transportation issues. Their mission is to help Texans envision and create a transportation system that enhances our communities and quality of life. They support livable communities, great streets and public spaces, smart growth, and balanced transportation. (website) Sport/Rec Please Note: BicycleAustin is transportation-focused and we don't pretend to cover sport/rec cycling in any way. All we have are links to local sport/rec groups (above), and below, a sports/rec group that we can't link to because they don't have a website (at least they didn't at the time they asked for this listing). Lisa Lynam publishes a free email newsletter, Women's Multisport in Austin, covering triathlon-style sports for women. To get the newsletter, email Lisa at .
Defunct (no longer exist) The Bicycle Advocacy Council was a citizens advocacy group which worked to improve cycling conditions. They provided input to the City's Bicycle Program and published useful brochures. Died circa 2001.
Bike Action Austin was a "a bike racing team with a mission to promote more cycling and do bike advocacy." Never had a website, probably didn't last even a year, died circa 2001.
League of Bicycling Voters was formed circa 1996 to fight the local helmet ordinance, is defunct. Died circa 1997. |
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