Austin may create 'bicycle boulevard'

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The City of Austin is considering a plan to keep bicyclists safer downtown.

Nueces Street between Martin Luther King Bouelvard and West Sixth Street could undergo some significant changes to create a "bicycle boulevard."

City staff would spend roughly $350,000 to install medians, signage and other traffic-calming devices along Nueces Street. That would open up Nueces Street to all types of bicyclists and would also reduce speeds for cars.

"Motor vehicles will still be able to use and access Nueces," said Annick Beaudet, Bicyle Program Manager for the City of Austin. "They'll just be forced to drive a little bit slower."

After a public vetting process, city staff expect the street to open by May 2010.

The city would use transportation bond money set aside for bicycle infrastructure in 2000.

They also expect the program to make a return on its investment within three years through increased health and mobility and through decreased car usage.

The new route would come just as motorists have to make a little more room for bicyclists on Austin roadways after a new ordinance designed to make the streets safer for two-wheeled travelers went into effect in early November.

Drivers must give them a 3-foot buffer zone. Commercial drivers must give a 6-foot buffer zone.