Austin's Bike Lanes, a tutorial

Austin is one of those places that really wants to be bike friendly, and that almost *is* bike friendly... Just that not everyone's on board yet. 

First thing I'll say is that people don't tend to be openly hostile to me as a bike rider. Austin's a little too laid back for that. If anything, they go overboard to be "nice." I'll be approaching a 4-way stop, and a motorist will be stopped; instead of going when they see me, they hit the brakes again just to make sure I'm actually going to observe the stop sign. Well, I am... so GO. Don't waste my time! Admittedly, sometimes, after I've started decelerating and they're still not moving, I'll shake my head, start pumping, and go on through without stopping because... why???

However, people don't seem to understand things about the new bike lanes that are starting to proliferate the city.

Heading north from MLK on Rio Grande. Bi-directional on the same side, even!

These lanes? People seem to understand them. They've been around for a long time. They're clearly marked, and while I've seen several delivery or moving trucks parked in the lanes to load/unload, they tend to be free of vehicles or pedestrians.

However...

Awesome protected bike lane going south on Guadalupe from 24th to MLK.

Guadalupe still has the old-school "here, ride in the gutter, cyclist" lane northbound, but this lane southbound has opened since we moved to the Nuthaus in 2013. It's great! The lane is specially surfaced (which I like except after it's rained; I've seen a couple of bikes hydroplane as they came into a stop or turn too fast when the road was damp) to be smooth, and it's protected from traffic by parking.

Therein lies one problem: You're supposed to park, look both ways, then cross to the sidewalk. But no. Many pedestrians, during particularly busy times, will avoid the people-packed sidewalks and use this cool new apparently deserted boulevard. I don't have a bell anymore (mine fell off), so you'll have to excuse me when I scream at you as I approach at 12 miles per hour or so.

Yesterday when Mal and I were riding, a guy parked, saw his friends huddled around a news stand about half a block away, and started slowly meandering toward them, trash-talking the whole way. In the bike lane. "EXCUSE ME!" and he moved in good humor. I should have waited longer to alert him. A li'l pee in the old pants might cure this guy of this forever.

You know what this lane is *not*? It is NOT MOTORCYCLE PARKING. For the first time, also yesterday, I saw an entire motorcycle parked length-wise across the bike lane. Ironically, the parking space to the left of it was empty! There was no way to get up on the sidewalk, and I was fortunately able to use the empty parking space to get around the motorcycle, but if someone had backed into the spot or there had been a car there, I would have had to dismount and walk around the obstruction.

Finally, yesterday I ended up behind two cyclists originally using the lane in the way it was intended, albeit much more slowly than I desired to ride. I was waiting for an open space to get past them, as they were riding two-along. Then I think they saw a place they wanted to eat, and they slowed and finally stopped, maybe to read the menu posted in the window, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE.

They were appropriately sheepish when I screamed (I wasn't startled; it was the third obstacle in half a mile, so I was on guard), so I think they'll not stop in the bike lane any further.

Today, for the first time (probably surprisingly) I was almost struck by a vehicle turning right. Memo to motorists: when turning right across a bike lane, look first! It's just like turning right from the middle lane, even though that's the only lane available to you. Not only did she turn, she started to turn and realized traffic was backed up, and stopped in the middle of the bike lane! Meanwhile, I had a green light and was headed full-bore through the intersection. (No contact; we're all fine.)

New lanes partially open and partially still under construction going east and west on 3rd Street.

As you can see from the picture above, downtown, trucks do use the bike lane to load and unload. I guess that's kosher, but weaving in and out of traffic (when there is some) makes me nervous; I'd rather just ride in the street. When it's clear, it's wonderful! These are also very smoothly-surfaced.

To recap, use the bike lanes thusly:
1) To ride a bicycle.
2) To stop on a bicycle because you are at a light or have to yield to a pedestrian, as indicated in the lane.
3) To quickly mount or dismount your bicycle.
4) As a pedestrian to get from your car to the sidewalk and/or back.
5) As a pedestrian to get from the sidewalk to the crosswalk and/or back.

I think that's about it!

Oh, another request? If you're parallel parking, please be careful! There are those flexible barriers, but if you hit one of them, you're probably going to give an oncoming cyclist a heart-attack. :)

And, yes, I know there are rude cyclists. I can be one. But the bike lanes give such a sense of security, they should be secure places!

KTHXBAI