Look, I love the idea of a light or heavy rail system for Austin. I think the gondola idea has more merits than most give it. Even a proper bus rapid transit system a la Mexico City would transform transit in Austin. I am very pro-transit at almost any cost.

That being said, I am not holding my breath. I have seen rail proposals fail over and over again throughout my life and have even seen people oppose merely keeping bus stops in Hyde Park. We lack the density to support rail in most areas of Austin and the political willpower to take lanes away from cars for BRT. So what do we do?

Electric bikes.

Now before you stop reading this and go back to your game of Cities Skylines or drinking some local Thirsty Goat, hear me out on why electric bikes are a fundamentally different form of transportation to regular bikes and why they are perfect for Austin.

Solves the topographic issue

As someone who grew up riding in Austin and lived in San Francisco for grad school, I experienced the discomfort of charging up large hills constantly. Though this makes riding much harder it also ensures that you are sweating profusely when you arrive at work or your destination. Ebikes completely flatten the topography allowing for hills to be conquered as easily as flat roads. This is important for many of us who work in office buildings and cannot show up to work dripping in sweat. Also it allows these to be used in the western hilly part of the city more effectively than traditional bikes.

Allows for transporting goods

Currently bicycles are fine for transporting yourself, but in order to reduce the number of vehicles on the road we need bikes that provide utility. The main utility for many of us is transporting groceries. With a motor, transporting even large amounts of groceries becomes merely an issue of learning to balance them. I currently have a large crate on my back rack and it allows me to transport cases of drinks and a week worth of groceries easily. Dutch style cargo bikes with large front baskets can be used to transport a family’s worth of groceries or whole families. Cargo bikes with an electric motor are pretty much the minivan of the bike world.

Families in Portland are already getting hip to this.

Triples the comfortable riding distance

Though this is a general observation, I find that with a motor the distance I am comfortable biking is about triple. Still long journeys are taxing in terms of the increased effort of riding vs driving but I don’t blink at a 6 mile ride to the pool or a show. This opens up the city to the bike as a sincere transportation alternative. For example from Hyde Park to Barton Springs comes in at 5 miles, I can make the ride in 20 minutes and it is a joy. Literally it is quicker to bike than drive on the weekends when you factor in parking. Hyde Park to the Arboretum area where my parents live is around 10 miles and is noticeably harder, but still very doable. The point being that for all journeys 5 miles and under the ebike is an alternative that is on par with the ease of a car.

Solves the weather issue

When I say weather issue, I mean the main issue facing Austin: the firey heat of the summer. Riding in the heat is uncomfortable and one of the main reasons people do not ride according to surveys by the city’s Active Transportation Department. And though an electric motor does not reduce the thermostat, cruising along effortlessly in 100 degree heat is less daunting than pedaling through it. Physiologically, the rule of thumb is that each MPH wind is traveling across your skin it feels 1 degree cooler. Traveling 20 MPH in 100 degrees feels like standing still in 80 degrees. So even today with a high of 99 and a heat index of 104, I arrived home from work with only a light sheen of sweat. And I sweat enthusiastically normally.

How do we make this feasible?

Alright, so you maybe you buy my arguments or at least it sounds more reasonable than the $52 billion subway system idea, and more feasible in the short term than the gondalas, but how do we do it? And how do we do it well and quickly.

Please note, below is the dream list, with everything below we could transition quicker, but I do believe more people will take up ebikes regardless. This would just make it safer and speed the transition.

Reducing speed limits on automobile traffic to 20 MPH

We are already seeing a push to do this in many places to reduce traffic fatalities, but I think the reduction of residential street speed limits to 20 MPH will also be one of the biggest factors in making the ebike a more competitive transportation option. Most ebikes are regulated to 20 MPH in the US and if cars are limited to this speed on the majority of streets the chance of an overtaking accident plummets. The elimination of speed differential between bikes and automobiles also makes the bikes feel safer while being used and makes the bike an equally quick option for moving around the city. The best part about this is from an infrastructure stand point it is as simple as changing the signs. Of course there are legal impediments, specifically here in Austin the state maintains a minimum speed limit of 25MPH but there is nothing stopping Austin or similar cities of pushing the speed limit down to 25MPH (or there legal minimum) tomorrow.

Legalizing the cargo bike

Currently Texas has a weight restriction on ebikes set at 100 pounds. While that makes sense when discussing single rider bikes, this weight restriction should not apply to cargo bikes. If one has a front loading cargo bike trike for grocery runs or moving of large items such as furniture, the weight should not be limited. This may require a third category to be created with perhaps a wheel size restriction (one smaller wheel or three wheeled bikes are exempt) but it seems extremely feasible and logical. Though I expect this to not be a big issue, this would fully legalize electric bikes and ensure that people can legally sell cargo bikes in Austin.

Fund the Bicycle Master Plan

The largest infrastructure part of the plan, but still one that is woefully inexpensive relative to other infrastructure projects for much better traffic reduction would be the construction of the full bicycle master plan. We are on the right path with Prop 1, but we need to be as aggressive as possible especially with the grade separated bike paths called the urban trails.

Build Raised Cycle Tracks

Lets face it, riding down some of the bike paths in this city is ridiculously dangerous. I ride the Guadalupe bike path between 38th and 45th and that little bit of paint gives me minimal comfort. What they do in Europe when you have that high traffic volume street is they extend the sidewalk further out and mark some of it for a bike lane. Heck we even do that here for a block of the Pedernales Bike Lane. This also solves the largest traffic issue on these lanes: buses pulling into the bike lane to pick up passengers. They need to do this for people with mobility issues but if the curb extended to the lane of traffic then wheelchairs could board the bus by crossing the bike lane. I would much prefer a wheelchair pulling in front of me once a week than a bus a dozen times a day. Finally these types of lanes mean better automobile traffic flow while having safe lanes. Currently Guadalupe needs to have a buffered bike lane to be an all ages all abilities bike trail according to the bike master plan. What does an extra 3 ft on each bike lane mean? One fewer lane of traffic. If we just extend the sidewalk and make it a raised cycle track we get to keep all the lanes of traffic.

Electrify the Bike Share

Let’s follow Baltimore’s lead and electrify our bike share system. Not only would this allow the system to expand it’s usefulness, it would give Austinites an opportunity to try electric bikes without dropping $1000 for an entry level ebike.

Trees

It is a world of difference biking through the shade during the summer and we need to cover all routes with shade cover as soon as possible. Know the best time to plant a tree? 10 years ago. Know the second best time? Today. This also improves the streets for all users which is an easy win win for everyone.

Next Steps

Spread the word, advocate in your communities for better bike infrastructure and give an electric bike a spin. We have two local shops Rocket Electrics and Electric Avenue Scooters that specialize in ebikes, but almost any bike shop carries them these days.