I heard there was a new cycle track here in Austin somewhere along Red River, but hadn't seen that yet, my sole reason for going to that part of town being a need for German kitsch at Scholtz Garden. However, I caught a glimpse of it on my way to the ciclovia.
That is the I-35 access road, which you must cross to continue on the bikeway. There is no light, no nothing. It is you against the fifty or so cars coming continuously, so good luck finding a gap to cross the street. I finally said to myself, "Grow some balls" and went. In an otherwise good plan, why did they place the crossing here, where there is no stoplight? Really, for safety's sake, it might make sense to cross over one block and cross at 5th or 6th street. On the other side you come to this weird intersection where not only do you have to watch for access road traffic, but cars turning right from a side street. Its hard to explain the exact layout.
Here is a picture of the "pretty side" of the bikeway.
It runs along the commuter rail on 4th street, and is meant to provide a way to cross I-35. That intersection presents the one and only fault I found with this project.
That is the I-35 access road, which you must cross to continue on the bikeway. There is no light, no nothing. It is you against the fifty or so cars coming continuously, so good luck finding a gap to cross the street. I finally said to myself, "Grow some balls" and went. In an otherwise good plan, why did they place the crossing here, where there is no stoplight? Really, for safety's sake, it might make sense to cross over one block and cross at 5th or 6th street. On the other side you come to this weird intersection where not only do you have to watch for access road traffic, but cars turning right from a side street. Its hard to explain the exact layout.
Here is a picture of the "pretty side" of the bikeway.
I'm glad Austin is building things like this. However, sometimes I just scratch my head with some of the odd layouts you come across.
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