Austin Bike Buddy

A new website is available to help Austin cyclists get around, but this one doesn't include the usual bike routes or repair station icons. Instead, Austin Bike Buddy is all about connecting new riders with experienced riders, to make the transition to bike commuting easier.

The website is easy to use, allowing anyone to sign up as a new or experienced bicycle commuter in just a couple of minutes. With an interactive map, users will be able to visually see where other cyclists are starting and ending their trips. The website also makes it easy to connect with other registered users in order to coordinate a ride together.

“Many Austin commuters are interested in cycling, but concerned about the safety of riding to work,” Council Member Chris Riley said. “We also have many experienced bike commuters who are ready to help others discover how safe and enjoyable riding to work can be. This website offers a bridge between those two groups, enabling anyone to feel more comfortable by riding in with an experienced commuter who can suggest good routes, address questions about equipment and clothing needed, and provide guidance about the rules of the road.”

We all know that meeting new people and developing a sense of community are two of the best parts of riding our bikes, and this website is designed to help forge those connections. But hurry-- the website is only live during Bike Month (May), so take advantage of this trial run while you can!

Open Streets and Bike Share in Texas

Texas is always packed full of exciting events for the whole family to enjoy getting outdoors. In the past few of months, a handful of Texas cities have worked extra-hard to make sure their residents have a chance to get outside and be active!

Open Streets

Brownsville's CycloBia, Lubbock's Let's Play! LBK, San Antonio's Síclovía, and Fort Worth's Open Streets have closed off city streets to traffic for a few hours so people could get out and enjoy their streets! All of these activities give city residents and visitors a chance to spend time with family and friends, be active, and enjoy the outdoors!

Bike Share

Bike sharing continues to expand in Texas. In addition to San Antonio B-cycle opening new stations earlier this year, Houston B-cycle celebrated a new partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield and expanded to 21 stations in the city. Houston celebrated this new launch on April 3rd, and has since reached another great milestone: 2,000,000 calories burned by Houston B-cycle users.

The newest member of the Texas Bike Share family, Fort Worth B-cycle, is also up and running. Fort Worth launched on April 22 with volunteers riding the 300 bikes to their new homes at 30 stations across Fort Worth. See photos from the launch event here.

All three of Texas' B-cycle programs are participating in the B-connected initiative from B-cycle, which allows members from any participating city to use their B-cycle membership in other participating cities. Fifteen B-cycle cities across the country have joined in, making the B-cycle membership even more valuable, especially for regular travelers.

Exciting things are happening in Texas every day to make this a great state to walk and bike! Check out the BikeTexas Events Calendar so you don't miss out on any events near you.

Biking Trails and Facilities: A Designer’s View

By Monica Simons

Monica Simons is the Online Marketing Manager at Bury+Partners, a leader in the engineering design industry. Monica loves writing about tips and advice on landscape architecture and land use planning design, and showcasing the latest completed design from Bury+Partners.

Whether it’s in the city or the great outdoors, good trails and biking facilities don’t just happen. Sustainable planning and ongoing management are major considerations, but so are trails that are fun and useful. Designers and engineers have to see a trail as something more than a path that takes you from point A to point B and make sure that they meet a number of requirements.

Sustainability

A fully sustainable trail system is possible in both urban and forested areas. Designers have to focus on the entire system, address the unique challenges of the area, and understand the long-term impacts that might result. Whether building a trail for a commute or as some form of recreational initiative, any developments have to be guided by a plan that will prevent erosion, use the natural contours of the land, and manage the riders that use the trail. All of these factors can be addressed by careful design without limiting any of the fun of getting out and riding.

Accessibility

When creating new recreational opportunities, accessibility is a big concern. Designers need to create fun areas that protect natural resources while still remaining open to all people, even if they have disabilities. This applies to walking, hiking, and biking trails, and it must be considered from the initial phases of the design.

They say that there are no shades of accessibility. The facilities are either accessible to all people, or they are not. Why does this matter? Census numbers indicate that 1 in 5 Americans is considered disabled—is significantly limited in one or more life activities. More than that, though, by the year 2030 there will be more than 110 million people above the age of 55, suggesting that there will be more people with impairments to their activity level. 

Ideally, biking and hiking trails, and all the related facilities, should be based on the principles of universal design, making them accessible to as many people as possible.

What Requires Consideration

There are a lot of factors that must be considered when designers begin work on new trails or upgrading old paths. These trails could impact vegetation, soil compaction, erosion, water quality, and wildlife, just to name a few. The plan for a new trail has to address all these issues in very specific way.

The first, and best, way to protect the environment from erosion is to design trails that actually provide the experience bikers are looking for. This will automatically minimize the desire to go off trail where the most damage to soil and vegetation can take place. This is also why an active maintenance program is important, because if large rocks and fallen trees are disrupting the trail, bikers and hikers tend to find their own.

We have to locate the trails as far from rare plants and animals as possible, and especially habitats that are important for things like mating or birthing (although this may be a seasonal thing, so it may just be a matter of restricting access during those times). The location of the trail should also, if possible, be on dry, cohesive soils because they compact much better and are more resistant to erosion by displacement, wind, and water.

Building the Best Trails

Erosion and other environmental degradation can be avoided with careful planning, and the resulting trails can still provide all the fun and usefulness we expect. Concerns over the amount of use are certainly valid, but research suggests that the trail design and management are much larger factors in the overall results. By keeping sustainability and accessibility in mind, these trails can provide decades of use with minimal environmental impact.

Bike Month In the Lone Star State

We know that for BikeTexas members, every month is bike month, and so May is nothing unusual for us. However, for many Texans, Bike to Work Day or similar events may be the only time they ever think of getting on a bike. And that's when Bike Month gets exciting!

Ask your coworkers, neighbors, or friends to join you for a bike ride this month. Plan out a safe route and ride with your child to school. Join a challenge to push yourself to ride more than usual. Get pictures for your social media accounts from the League of American Bicyclists.

Events are happening across Texas and across the nation this month. Here are some highlights that we've heard about:

National Bike Challenge: Starting on May 1 and lasting until September 30, NBC is a fun way to challenge yourself and have a friendly competition with those around you to rack up the most miles. The leaderboard on the site is updated daily for the sake of bragging rights and extra motivation! Texas managed to break into the top 30 before the end of last year's challenge, which is extra-remarkable since we have a large population but not as many cyclists as some smaller states. Join today and let's show America that nobody messes with Texas!

Bike Month Proclamations: Check out San Antonio, Frisco, Little Elm, and The Colony events.

BikeTexas KidsKup: Still two spring races left! Join us on May 4 in Dallas and May 18 in Warda.

Festivals and Open Streets:
Irving Bike Fest, Edinburg Walk-and-Rolla, and Austin Viva Streets are all happening in May!

Global Women's Cycling Day: Sponsored by CycloFemme, this worldwide event on May 12 includes three Texas rides (so far): Austin, Houston, and Richardson. Join up with your bike-loving sisters for a fun ride!

Bike to Work Day: Houston, Fort Worth, Austin, and Sugar Land all have city events planned. Does your city have one?

Whether you join in the Bike Month festivities or May is just another month of riding for you, get out and enjoy May on two wheels in the Lone Star State!