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Old 03-03-2010, 02:14 PM
 
2 posts, read 4,096 times
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Very few people who use the hike and bike trail, know that every single trail within any Austin park is closed for use at 10pm nightly. That includes the trails in Zilker Park, Shoal Creek Park, Waller Creek, and many others. The safest way to travel around Austin on bike is on our designated trail system. Paths that travel north-south allow safe travel from the river or Zilker Park, to ACC & UT. The trails within Zilker Park allow east-west travel from MOPAC(on the west side) to Pleasant Valley Rd(on the east side). These three parks and their trail systems allow safe travel for cyclists pretty much all over town. WHY DOES THE CITY CLOSE THE TRAILS AT 10m? These paths are touted as a Transportation Corridor, but then it closes at night...pushing cyclists from their safe haven, out onto the streets. Car seem to dislike the presents of cyclists, so I figure even motorists would be in favor of keeping the bike-trails open all the time. The City of Austin has a map of all of the Bike Routes in Austin. These trails that I have mentioned, plus many others are on this map of Bike Routes.....but the trails CLOSE! How can this be? If the trail is not usable 24 hours a day, the city should not be able to claim it as an official bike route.
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Old 03-03-2010, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Avery Ranch, Austin, TX
8,977 posts, read 17,469,797 times
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All it would take is meeting one other 'Shredman' going in the opposite direction in the dark for the city to close the trails at sunset...just sayin' .
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Old 03-03-2010, 06:00 PM
 
322 posts, read 746,759 times
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They are probably closed because it can be kind of dangerous riding alone along a dark path in the woods. It would be a prime target area for attackers/rapists imo. Riding along a street with high visibility sounds safer to me.
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Old 03-03-2010, 06:27 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,810,040 times
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Heck, the Cap Metro buses don't run past 10 or 11pm in most cases either. Alternate transportation during the night hours is just not as available here as it might be in a bigger city. We don't have much manufacturing here, so other than healthcare there is really no shift work. I'm guessing the demand is not there. We had a downtown service (the Dillo) that ran until 2AM on certain days, and apparently no one used it.

But I can also definitely see the liability angles with the trails. They are heavily wooded, no lighting, and impossible to reach with typical vehicles in an emergency situation. It would be silly to expect the city to provide the lighting and police presence necessary to keep riders safe in the middle of the night.

In reality, I expect you could travel on the trails after 10pm and the cops won't stop you or even notice you. It's not like there are gates closing off bike access at night, and cops will typically look for things like cars in the parking lot, people loitering, etc. But you take your chances if you ride when the parks are supposedly closed, and if something happens it's your fault.
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Old 03-03-2010, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Holly Neighborhood, Austin, Texas
3,982 posts, read 6,704,976 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 10scoachrick View Post
All it would take is meeting one other 'Shredman' going in the opposite direction in the dark for the city to close the trails at sunset...just sayin' .
Do you mean they would run into each other? Most cyclists do have front and rear lights at night b/c it is smart as well as being the law.

I would still go on them past 10 and don't think it is a safety issue compared to being on the streets at the same time of night.
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Old 03-04-2010, 06:56 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,231,296 times
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The trails are closed because the parks are closed. The parks weren't closed at night when I first moved here, but abuse (not only to people, but to the parks themselves) resulted in the park curfews, to protect parks AND people.

This is not a "conspiracy against bike riders", but the natural consequences of people doing things they shouldn't and the rest of us, whether we ride a bike or not, having to pay the price.
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Old 03-04-2010, 07:44 AM
 
2 posts, read 4,096 times
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Okay..so I'll explain further. Did you know that both pedestrian bridges also close at 10pm? Just below the Lamer bridge there is a memorial to a friend of mine who was cycling and was hit and killed on the Lamar Bridge years ago. Since this accident, pedestrians are not allowed on the sidewalk of Lamar Blvd. And, since the pedestrian bridge is closed at 10, a cyclist must either not cross the river or he must ride into Lamar Blvd and ride with traffic. We all know Austin is a party town(and we like that fact) but after 10pm there is a larger number of drivers who have been drinking and for a cyclist, staying on designated bike paths is much safer. Also, cyclists are night are required by law to have both a headlight and a taillight. Riding without these lights is like riding blind.
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Old 03-04-2010, 08:06 AM
 
Location: TX
37 posts, read 104,930 times
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Its probably for your own good. Why would you want to go riding your bike across town after 10pm anyways?
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Old 03-04-2010, 09:55 AM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,810,040 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinShredman View Post
Okay..so I'll explain further. Did you know that both pedestrian bridges also close at 10pm?
Never heard this. Do you have a link? I know I've seen events on the Pfluger Pedestrian bridge past 10pm, like SXSW parties and moonlight rides. With the extension to the Cesar Chavez being constructed (basically bringing the entrance right up to a bunch of apartments/condos), that will increase pedestrian activity with no relation to the park/trail... I imagine more people will be using it to walk home from Barton Springs road, or the other way from downtown. It would be really unusual for the city to close it at 10pm.

But I would like to see a link if you have one...
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Old 03-04-2010, 10:03 AM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,810,040 times
Reputation: 5815
Also, as an alternative to the ladybird lake trail, you might use the Lance Armstrong bikeway (City of Austin - Lance Armstrong Bikeway). I don't see anything indicating that closes at 10pm.

And when you do have to ride on the roads at night, remember at least that Austin enacted the 3-foot rule (Austin TX recreation: Running, cycling, swimming, parks, Fit City | Austin360.com)... something that the rest of the state doesn't have. And it applies 24x7. Now, whether they enforce it or not is another matter. But it is the law...
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