Businesses: Not on my Nueces Street

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin will have a "bike boulevard" running north/south through downtown, if managers of the city's Bicycle Program are successful.

Current proposals call for that boulevard to come about from a conversion of Nueces Street, from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Third Street.

That proposal found a lot of support at a city-sponsored open house Wednesday, the second of three public forums the Bicycle Program will host to try and create concensus around an upcoming final presentation to City Council.

"I think it will make Austin the big city for cycling, after Portland," said Alonso Aderaya. "Maybe we can even surpass Portland, that's my hope." 

Aderaya said he doesn't even own a car and commutes through downtown on a bike every day. His feelings were echoed by most of the people at the open house, the city said. 

The lobby in favor of a bike boulevard has been organized by a group called the League of Bicycling Voters.  The group tried to drive attendance and awareness of the plan's details on  its Web site.

Less visible but just as vocal at Wednesday's open house were people who own property and operate businesses along Nueces. Though in the minorty Wednesday night, they point out that it's bicyclists who make up just a small ratio of traffic in the area.

"We're closing, possibly, in effect 70 percent of the traffic off of Nueces to accomodate to two to three percent of the traffic," said Grant Foster, who runs a financial services office on the street.

Annick Beaudet, manager of the city project, said "Most of those businesses in the area are appointment-oriented businesses where they're not relying on drive-by trafic...not a fast food restaurant or that type of thing."

Foster said that was an unfair analogy.

"Comparing a restaurant to a personal service business of say, 50 people come in a day versus five or 10," said Foster. "Those five people coming in are our livelihood just like 50 would be to a retail business "

Austin leaders said they want to get as many people on board their final proposal as possible. The north/south bikeway is in the city's long term plan in one form or another, as a complement to the Lance Armstrong Bikeway which runs east/west.  

Project managers are considering potential other streets, namely Rio Grande Street, for their potential for bike boulevard conversion. However, Nueces Street remains the primary focus for now.

The city will host one more open house for public input on Feb. 24.