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I'm sure US cities have a relatively long way to go, but biking in Austin is feasible and safe. I don't own a car (and neither do many of my friends) and it's g

by edash 16y ago

I'm sure US cities have a relatively long way to go, but biking in Austin is feasible and safe. I don't own a car (and neither do many of my friends) and it's great. Just live in Austin (the actual city) and not Round Rock, Pflugerville et al. Leave a few minutes early and take roads meant to accommodate bikers. It can be challenging when it's 100+ degrees, but you learn to adjust. And with the new car sharing program (Car2Go) you can always drive if the need arises.

toumhi 16y ago
I lived in Austin itself, and I would consider many of the roads seriously dangerous. There are no really roads meant to accommodate bikers, only roads for cars (Anderson Mill Road and Parmer Lane come to mind). The stupid thing, from a biker point of view, is that even if you try to bike on smaller roads, at some point you are forced to join a big road. Also, since urban planning didn't take into account alternative modes of transportation, the distance to bike is ironically much longer than if you take your car(in Europe it's usually the contrary since you can bike on all roads, so it reduces the distance). So, I really see biking as transportation strongly discouraged there. Big up to Austinites who ride their bike though!
- natrius 16y ago
  Both Parmer and Anderson Mill have bike lanes on some stretches now, but when most people talk about Austin being bikeable, we're talking about central Austin. Anderson Mill is barely Austin. You're definitely right about many of the safe routes being a little convoluted.
natrius 16y ago
Car2Go and and biking (and an office with a shower) are an awesome combination. The only things we really need are better, more frequent transit and a bike sharing program so you can get to and from bus stops from a further distance without needing to take your bike on the bus, which often have full bike racks.

by edash 16y ago

toumhi 16y ago

I lived in Austin itself, and I would consider many of the roads seriously dangerous. There are no really roads meant to accommodate bikers, only roads for cars (Anderson Mill Road and Parmer Lane come to mind). The stupid thing, from a biker point of view, is that even if you try to bike on smaller roads, at some point you are forced to join a big road. Also, since urban planning didn't take into account alternative modes of transportation, the distance to bike is ironically much longer than if you take your car(in Europe it's usually the contrary since you can bike on all roads, so it reduces the distance). So, I really see biking as transportation strongly discouraged there. Big up to Austinites who ride their bike though!

natrius 16y ago
Both Parmer and Anderson Mill have bike lanes on some stretches now, but when most people talk about Austin being bikeable, we're talking about central Austin. Anderson Mill is barely Austin. You're definitely right about many of the safe routes being a little convoluted.

natrius 16y ago

Car2Go and and biking (and an office with a shower) are an awesome combination. The only things we really need are better, more frequent transit and a bike sharing program so you can get to and from bus stops from a further distance without needing to take your bike on the bus, which often have full bike racks.