Austin to spend $80K to remove newly-installed bike lanes
Share and Follow

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify the percentage of the survey results.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin is about to spend $80,000 to remove bike lanes installed six months ago because of the volume of complaints from Southwest Austin neighbors.

But not every neighbor is against the new bike lanes.

“Since their installation, we started riding every single day to school,” said Circle C Resident Greg Klipp.

Greg Klipp has two students at Mills Elementary who will eventually go to Gorzycki Middle School. Those two schools were recently chosen for improvements by the city’s “Safe Routes to School” program.

“I think the bike lanes have been a wonderful addition to the community. My kids feel safe riding in the streets. We can get to and from school without having any sort of conflict with walkers, dog walkers. Everyone uses the sidewalks, and the bikes stay in the bike lanes. And before the lanes were implemented, speeding was the main issue on Hillside Terrace,” said Klipp.

And since the new bike lanes went in last October, the city says the change has slowed down traffic in the neighborhood.

“We saw a 25% reduction in speeding on Hillside Terrace and Barstow. But we also saw some challenges. Neighbors were reporting challenges getting to the mailboxes, frustration with not being able to park immediately in front of their home, and then just concern that we put in too many signs and markings in their neighborhood where they weren’t before,” said Anna Martin, the Assistant Director with Transportation and Public Works for the city of Austin.

Those challenges became complaints, which are now leading to changes.

“I think that there are different ways that they could have gone about making it safer, versus everything that they put in. Having one bike lane on each side of the road, going with traffic would have made more sense,” said Circle C resident Shelley Brothers.

On Hillside Terrace, you’ll see the sidewalk, the two-way bike lane, an area for parking, and then two lanes for traffic.

Months after their installation, the city hosted in-person and online surveys where 54% of the 1,300 responses strongly opposed the project.

The city decided to change the bike lanes on 3 neighborhood streets to one-way painted lanes, which would allow people to once again park along the curb in front of their homes.

“I think what the city is implementing with the removal of these bike lanes in favor of shared use is basically requiring students and other bicyclists to ride in traffic without any means of reducing vehicle speed. I feel like that’s just a return to the status quo, which was unsafe,” said Klipp.

That said, Klipp is not surprised the city got so much negative feedback.

“It doesn’t shock me at all. I feel like the bike lanes were installed with very little notice to any of the residents. It seemed like they just kind of popped up overnight, and it was a shock to the system, especially for people who live on the streets, with the bike lanes. I think some advanced notice or communication from the city about what was being implemented before it was done would have probably alleviated some of that shock,” said Klipp.

The City has implemented 600 Safe Routes to School improvement projects, following a similar notification protocol for each, but this one in Circle C just didn’t land as they had anticipated.

“I will say the feedback afterwards was unique, or has been unique. It made us realize that we didn’t hit the mark with public engagement the first time around,” said Martin.

The city plans to wait until the end of the school year to make the changes.

Hillside Terrace, Barstow Avenue, Allerton Avenue bike lane changes

The area people complained about is a small portion of the entire project around Mills & Gorzycki. The entire project cost $1.3 million to implement, which included curb and signal improvements, bike lanes and other features to make it safer for students to walk, bike and scoot to school.

If you have concerns about this project, you can email the city at MobilityBonds@austintexas.gov

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Desperate homeowners spend $400K to save properties from the sea

Homeowners Invest $400K to Protect Coastal Homes from Rising Seas

In Buxton, North Carolina, the relentless Atlantic Ocean claimed five more oceanfront…
Baseball fans claim World Series is 'rigged' for the Dodgers

Is the World Series Rigged? Dodgers’ Controversial Wins Spark Outrage Among Fans!

Game 6 of the World Series ended in controversy, sparking accusations from…
First Coast surfing legend, Biddy Hunter, dies at age 77

Celebrated First Coast Surfing Icon Biddy Hunter Passes Away at 77

Dennis “Biddy” Hunter, a prominent figure in the surfing community, brought international…
FILE - The Fitzgerald in a 1959 file photo, with a crew of 28 to 30 men, was carrying a load of 26,216 tons of taconite pellets. (AP Photo, file)

50 Years On: The Legacy of the Edmund Fitzgerald Shipwreck Continues to Captivate

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Along the rugged coastlines of Lake Superior, one…
Fergie 'on edge': Ex-Duchess hunkers down 'surrounded by deliveries'

Fergie Adapts to New Lifestyle: Former Duchess Embraces Home Deliveries

Sarah Ferguson is reportedly considering leaving the UK as she holds herself…
Tinley Park boy Alex Anning hosts Chicago food giveaway at Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School for 8th birthday

Tinley Park Youth Alex Anning Celebrates 8th Birthday with Philanthropic Food Giveaway at Chicago’s Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School

In Tinley Park, Illinois, a heartwarming act of kindness is unfolding at…
Illinois SNAP benefits November: The Wooden Paddle Lemont and La Grange locations offering free pizza to those who lost benefits

Illinois SNAP Recipients: Free Pizza at Wooden Paddle Lemont and La Grange Locations This November

The lunchtime rush at The Wooden Paddle in Lemont is likely to…
Panic sets in for New Yorkers as SNAP benefits dry up

New Yorkers Face Crisis as SNAP Benefits Dwindle: Urgent Call for Support

As New Yorkers braced for the second month of a government shutdown,…