Cycle Tracks have Arrived in Austin

Cool things are happening in Austin and my neighborhood with family-friendly cycling. Two words: cycle tracks.  Austin was one of six cities selected this year by the Green Lane Project to improve its cycling facilities via cycle tracks--to make cycling safer and more accessible to a broader range of residents, including children.  Cycle tracks are dedicated bike lanes that are on the roadway but physically separated from the street, typically with bollards, large painted markings, or barriers.

My neighborhood (Zilker) was a beneficiary of the city's first round of cycle tracks. The new bike lanes were completed this past week, and my family tried them out today for the first time. With the loss of parking and sudden change to the streetscape, the lanes were not without controversy and became the hot topic on our neighborhood list serve for the week. My family's verdict? We love them! Connecting our house to our elementary school, nearby restaurants, and our city's largest park, these new lanes are super transformative in terms of opening up cycling possibilities for my kids. We can't wait to see more of these built in Austin.

Here's a before and after shot of my neighborhood street where the cycles tracks were built, and below that is a picture of the first cycle track that went in this spring on Rio Grande, connecting downtown to the college student neighborhood west of U.T.:

Trying out the new cycle tracks today.

Google image shot of the same street from opposite direction
pre-cycle tracks (notice the cars parked in the old bike lanes).
The elementary school is on the left with the big lawn.

First cycle track installed in Austin connecting downtown
to the neighborhood just west of U.T. campus.