New Cycling Facilities Open in Austin

August 24 was a day for cycling-related grand openings in Austin.

Many commuters choose to combine cycling and MetroRail to get to work. Unfortunately, a common complaint from regular rail riders is that there are too many bikes on the trains and it's hard to get around. CapMetro's new MetroBike Shelter, which has been operational since August 6, is designed to help with that.

"As the sign behind me says, we love bicycles and cyclists," Linda Watson, CapMetro CEO, said at the grand opening. "When we've surveyed cyclists, they've consistently asked for safe, secure places to store their bikes." With the new shelter, accessible only by a key card given to paying users, cyclists will be able to lock up their bikes at the train station instead of taking them on board, thus making more room for other passengers.

BikeTexas is excited to see this development in MetroRail. When CapMetro first sought funding for passenger rail a few years ago, BikeTexas partnered with them to secure not only the funds for commuter rail, but also a place for cyclists in the new rail system. CapMetro agreed to, and has delivered, state-of-the-art accommodations for cyclists on trains, integration of train stations into the existing bicycle network, and state-of-the-art bicycle storage at train stations. BikeTexas is happy to continue to partner with CapMetro to meet the transit needs of cyclists in Austin.

Many of the MetroBike attendees had to hurry away, including BikeTexas staff, to get to the day's second grand opening: the new cycletracks on Bluebonnet Lane. The cycletracks run past Zilker Elementary School, and the school put in new crosswalks and bike racks in anticipation of more students riding to school this fall. Many members of the neighborhood, including Zilker Elementary students and parents, were in attendance for the press conference and ribbon cutting, and some parents remarked that they look forward to bringing their students to school by bike next week instead of in a car.

After the ribbon cutting, attendees hopped onto their bikes for a first ride on the new cycletrack.

Gil Peñalosa Events in Edinburg

Gil Peñalosa, executive director of the Canadian non‐profit 8‐80 Cities and former Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the City of Bogotá, Colombia, will be in Texas next week! In addition to speaking in Brownsville, Mr. Peñalosa will also visit Edinburg on Wednesday, August 29.

Anyone wishing to attend Mr. Peñalosa's presentations may choose between a 3 PM meeting at Edinburg City Hall, which is free and open to the public, or a ticketed event at 5:30 PM at Edinburg Consolidated Independent School district's Administration Boardroom. Tickets to this event are $20 each and include dinner provided by Cornerstone Grill.

For more information about Mr. Peñalosa's events or to purchase tickets for the banquet, please call Ann Millard at (956) 668-6320 or Thalia Morin at (956) 322-1940.

Gil Peñalosa to Speak in Brownsville

Gil Peñalosa, executive director of the Canadian non‐profit 8‐80 Cities and internationally renowned city advisor and active public spaces advocate, will speak to the Brownsville community August 28 and 30 as part of the Building a Vibrant Brownsville lecture series. Mr. Penalosa will share his knowledge and experience in designing parks, streets, and open spaces to foster improved health, economic development, and a greener environment.

As the former Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the City of Bogotá, Colombia, Mr. Peñalosa successfully led the development of over 200 parks and the city’s popular ciclovías— a weekly Sunday event where streets are closed for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists. The Bogotá ciclovías attract over a million users each week, and the idea has spread all over the world: parts of Europe, South America, New Zealand and North America all have had ciclovía events (including El Paso, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin, and Dallas).

As director of 8‐80 Cities, Mr. Peñalosa helps cities understand and design the infrastructure, open spaces, and programming needed to better integrate driving, cycling and walking for people ages 8‐80, and in a manner that fosters community interaction. “Brownsville is a city where the majority of the population is either very young or retirement age. We cannot continue building under the assumption that everybody has access to a car or is very fit and can easily move around. If we do, then we are ignoring a very large segment of our population, and they deserve better,” said Commissioner Rose Gowen, M.D.

Mr. Peñalosa, the third speaker of the Building a Vibrant Brownsville series, will give a special presentation for the Spanish‐speaking community on August 28 at the Camille Playhouse at 5:30 p.m. His keynote address (English) is scheduled for August 30 at the Science Engineering and Technology Building on the UTB and TSC campus at 7:00 p.m. Both lectures are free and open to the general public.

Bike Advocacy Benefit Ride - Sept 29 - Register Today!

We're very excited to announce there's a new BikeTexas Event Member that's ALL ABOUT BikeTexas!

Your registration for the inaugural eRock the Ride - an amazing tour of the Hill Country with distances for all levels - will hugely benefit our important advocacy work for Texas cyclists and pedestrians.

Register Today! Routes include 20, 40, 66, and 100 miles through some of the best the Hill Country has to offer - Bat Cave, Kruger Canyon, Canyon Lake, and the toughest challenge - all the way to Enchanted Rock State Park!

All rides start and end at the luxurious JW Marriott Hill Country Resort (Enchanted Rock riders will be bused back.)

Riding will be followed by by a fabulous after party with yummy, food, drink and relaxation. You can treat yourself to a room at the resort before or after the ride at one-third the normal price, thanks to our sweet deal with Marriott (use this link for special pricing)

All rides are on Saturday, Sept. 29 starting at ~ 7:30am.

In addition to the great riding, BikeTexas will host our Annual Membership Meeting at the Marriott after the ride, and do the drawing for our Annual Trek Bike Giveaway. If you're not yet a member, or need to renew, you can do so at BikeTexas.org/Join. BikeTexas will raffle off a Trek 2013 Cocoa dutch-style city bike as part of our months-long membership drive. All current monthly members and anyone who joins or renews in August or September will be entered to win.

We're excited about this ride, and hope you are too! See you in San Antonio on Saturday, Sept. 29!