Two Austin Bike Lanes Named Among Nation's Ten Best

AUSTIN, TX — Two Austin bicycle lanes have been included to a list of Best New Bikeways in the U.S., marking the first time in four years local sites have been named to the compilation.

Colorado-based PeopleForBikes ranked the Mopac Mobility Bridge, which crosses Barton Creek in linking Southwest Austin to the rest of the city, is No. 2 on the list, and the protected bike lane on Third Street downtown is No. 4.

"When Texans bet, they bet big," researchers wrote about the Mopap Mobility Bridge bike path. "It’s hard to imagine a more durable investment in bike transportation than this $14.5 million, mile-long bridge route over Barton Creek, accurately called an “unprecedented commitment to cycling in Austin” by the local newspaper when it opened in August."

Austin bikeway planner Nathan Wilkes was interviewed by PeopleForBikes, saying that together with related off-street investments, the bridges “...will be opening up probably hundreds of thousands of possible commutes into downtown. It’s hundreds of thousands of people who will live wihtin a 50-minute bike ride of downtown who currently live within a 50-minute drive of downtown.”

Not far behind is the Mopace Mobility Bridge, in the fourth slot of that nation's best bike paths.

"A squad of creative bureaucrats in this central Texas boom town have spent 10 years quietly reinventing urban road planning for the 21st century, and last year voters gave them the cash to put that know-how to use," officials wrote. "3rd Street, the final link in a continuous five-mile chain of all-ages bikeways across Austin’s central city, is a sign of much more to come."

The local mentions mark the first time since 2013 that local paths have garnered top spots in the national rankings. Launched in 1999 as Bikes Belong, PeopleForBikes includes both an industry coalition of bicycling suppliers and retailers, as well as a charitable foundation, according to a description found on its website. Its foundation is utilized to house the organization's major programs and engage individual members, affiliate organizations, and corporate sponsors, according to the website.

>>> Read more at peopleforbikes.org

Photo by Boris Stefanik on Unsplash