This week’s Austin City Council meeting will include a vote on a resolution instructing the City Manager to put together a ciclovía in Austin as part of the 2010 Bike Month activities. For those unfamiliar with the concept, ciclovía are where cities shut down street corridors to all automobile traffic for a half to full day. Pedestrians and cyclists are the only ones free to use the street and signify the retaking of public space from cars for humans. They have been wildly popular in South America and have lead to the creation of bikeways and bike boulevards.
We encourage you to contact the Austin City Council in support of Item 70 on tomorrow’s agenda.
How to have your voice heard
1. Send an email to the City Council
Write the council now at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm and tell them you support item 70, the ciclovía resolution.
2. Call the City Council
If you have the time, a phone call would help as well. Here’s the contact info for all the council members. They all serve at-large so you can call any of them or all of them. Just ring their office and tell them you support item 70, the ciclovía resolution.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell- (512) 974-2250
Place 1 Councilmember Chris Riley- (512) 974-2260
Place 2 Councilmember Mike Martinez- (512) 974-2264
Place 3 Councilmember Randi Shade- (512) 974-2255
Place 4 Councilmember Laura Morrison- (512) 974-2258
Place 5 Councilmember Bill Spelman- (512) 974-2256
Place 6 Councilmember Sheryl Cole- (512) 974-2266
3. Sign up to support the items at Thursday’s meeting
Sign up in support of the item for Thursday’s council meeting. (You may sign up simply as a supporter, or to speak. You may yield time to another speaker but only if you are in the room when they speaker speaks. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall, but you may sign up in the city hall lobby kiosks as early as Wednesday.)
on Nov 19th, 2009 at 12:46 am
I’ve lived in Berkeley and San Francisco for several years, so after returning to my home of Austin, TX I will support biking forever! We need to preserve a positive awareness that out city will live on as a city of urban modernity and cultural preservation! I just sent them an email and will attempt to call them tomorrow morning or attend the meeting.
on Nov 19th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Folks, I urge you all to call. I guarantee you this will be the best time you will have in your life if it gets passed. Watch the Streetfilms, it is happening all across the country.
on Nov 19th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I’m glad you mentioned 70 miles. My only fear with regard to this is that Austin will try and do something “on the cheap” … meaning they’ll close a couple blocks somewhere and call if a ciclovia. I want this to result in some significant closing!
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 10:53 am
who can i contact to find out more about the ciclovia