The Rise of Protected Bike Lanes in Austin (Burnet: purchase, construction)

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Austin97

ebikes are also just the powered hubs. You can just buy a powered hub (on a wheel) to an existing bike. The Battery can just sit on a rack.

I agree that ebikes are game changers, but most of the paths today prohibit motorized vehicles.

I also agree that the e-bikes are the games changers that most people were looking for. The price right now for a good quality e-bike does seem to be around $5000, but I expect that price to come down, as "economies of scale" kick in to the marketplace.

There was a poster here in City-data a few months ago, who went by the name "Buck Justice". I am not sure what happened to him, but he did say he was going to move here with no car. I meant to come on here and post to him, to advise him to get an e-bike, and use the Bike Lanes that austin has been installing. You can find the official bike lane map on Google Maps; it shows all the safe biking routes; it's amazing! Hope he sees this and considers using an e-bike for his situation.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by Novacek

As I said, those fees only partially pay for highways. Cyclists still pay plenty for highways, given that they do no damage to them.

Well they can "partially pay" just like everyone else. They can also be required to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

[Don in Austin]

Originally Posted by IC_deLight

Well they can "partially pay" just like everyone else.

They already do.

Originally Posted by IC_deLight

They can also be required to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

Why? Motorists are not required to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by Don in Austin

They already do. Why? Motorists are not required to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

Every automobile policy delivered or issued for delivery in Texas must provide coverage for loss caused by uninsured or underinsured motor vehicles unless the coverage is waived in a manner provided by statute. Every auto owner/operator is required to carry liability insurance coverage for the car.

I'm not proposing the bicyclists carry liability insurance although it could be argued that they should. They could easily be the cause of an accident causing property damage and medical liability to others (e.g., the bicyclist runs a light and causes significant property damage and harm as a result of oncoming vehicles swerving to avoid the bicyclist).

The bottom line is if there is going to be a significant increase in bicyclists then there is going to be an increase in accidents with bicyclists - whether it is with other bicyclists, themselves, or motorcycles/vehicles. Instead of expecting motorists to pay even more to cover this risk the bicyclists should be expected to bear a significant part of the financial responsibility for this cost by carrying insurance - just as motorists are already expected to do.

In addition the bicyclists should be required to carry personal injury protection instead of expecting all motorists to pay more in premiums for the benefit of bicyclists. I'm not interested in promoting a nanny state. But in a second best world where one class is already expected to purchase insurance it makes no sense to expect that class to pay even more instead of applying the same arguments to other classes of road users.

[SmartGXL]

I have no problem with requiring bicyclists to pay a $5 annual license plate fee or carry some form of insurance....its still cheaper than owning a car, healthier, and better for the overall environment. E-bikes don't produce smog.

Ultimately, building out a bike system (and Austin has done a great job so far, but needs more!) is essentially, building out a parallel transit infrastructure. The cost per mile is way way cheaper than that of expanding a highway, etc. And, they require almost zero maintenance, as they do not have heavy equipment running on them (that is where most maintenance issues are caused). The more you build it, the more robust you build it, the safer you build it, the more people will start using it, and people will see the overall benefits of it...its usage will grow tremendously, and overall maintenance of existing roads will go down somewhat over time, and rush hour commutes will improve for all....think of it, every person in a car, takes up something like 8 linear feet of space. If 10 percent of the public started commuting via bike, that is a 10% reduction in rush hour car volume...improving everyone's overall commute experience.

[veloman777]

As for ebike cost - you absolutely do not need to spend anywhere near $5000 for a quality ebike. Those ebikes are aimed at providing a specific riding experience for high end bike market consumers.
There are an immense number of ebike 'brands' and products out there right now. Some are not so good. I suggest reading ebike related websites/reviews. There are a ton of conversion kits as well. They are not too hard to install if you have basic mechanic skills. I wish I could tell you a brand of ebike that was $1000 for a quality complete bike, with good warranty, but I am not up on everything new. I mostly have just pieced together my own ebikes and done repairs on older models.
Well known retailers for conversion kits are em3ev, lunacycle, ebikes.ca, ebikekit. I am friends with Rocket Electrics, but understand buyers who don't have 2k or more for a bike. They may have some used rental models for a bit less, not sure.


If someone is concerned about the effects of increased bike use, I suggest looking at other communities that have had such higher percentage of bike modal splits. Does the Netherlands require cyclists to be registered, insured, or licensed? Portland, Minneapolis, Davis CA?

As far as I know, they do not.

What is the result? Do they have problems with reckless users, accidents and lack of funds to pay for medical bills? Is that an *actual* problem for these communities?


Let's put our energy towards addressing actual problems in our community. Such as distracted driving, DUI, breaking traffic laws, aggressive driving, congestion, air and water pollution, land use and community design, economic hardship from expensive transportation, etc.

[verybadgnome]

I think they work very well after people get used to them, like traffic circles in a way.

I have been using the new two way lanes on Pedernales street. Some interesting features are a section of it being integrated into a wide sidewalk, thankfully with bike lane markers. Also there is a bike stoplight at 7th Street which has an additional phase
for bikes.

Unfortunately I did witness an idiot driving in the bike lane while at Mueller BBQ yesterday.

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by veloman777

If someone is concerned about the effects of increased bike use, I suggest looking at other communities that have had such higher percentage of bike modal splits. Does the Netherlands require cyclists to be registered, insured, or licensed? Portland, Minneapolis, Davis CA?

Last time I looked this wasn't the Netherlands - and there are plenty of Oregon and California plates indicating people leaving those states to come here. Maybe where they were coming from wasn't so great. The states you picked also have among the highest taxes in the country.

Originally Posted by veloman777

As far as I know, they do not.

What is the result? Do they have problems with reckless users, accidents and lack of funds to pay for medical bills? Is that an *actual* problem for these communities?

You speak as if these are all separate tribes or something. They aren't.

Why don't you look up the tax burden for the Netherlands?

Originally Posted by veloman777

Let's put our energy towards addressing actual problems in our community. Such as distracted driving, DUI, breaking traffic laws, aggressive driving, congestion, air and water pollution, land use and community design, economic hardship from expensive transportation, etc.

Some would say the unusual street color schemes, line markings, and signs are a visual distraction to drivers. Not sure what "community design" is but if you are talking about buildings and there location - that's not a "community" issue.

[Komeht]

ahem! Yes, cyclists pay for the roads, too: Here

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by IC_deLight

Well they can "partially pay" just like everyone else.

THEY ALREADY DO.

Since they "partially pay" the large subset of highway construction and maintenance that comes out of property/sales/income taxes.