 "Photo: Jeffrey McWhorter")
The city of Austin is hoping to boost its bicycle-friendly level to gold status, as designated by the League of American Bicyclists.
Austin, which climbed to a silver level in 2007, is the only Texas city to receive an award by the league. Austin City Council members approved a resolution Thursday to upgrade the city's bicycle network to attain a gold level.
"We are number one, and we don't want to be number two," said Councilwoman Sheryl Cole.
The League of American Bicyclists determines bicycle-friendly levels by the amount of
engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation a community puts into planning its bicycle network.
Bill Nesper, director of the league's Bicycle Friendly Community Program, said Austin received the silver-level standing because of its strong events and celebrations that encourage bicycle transportation and because of the city's adequate education and diversion programs held by the Street Smart Task Force.
Nesper said the jump from the silver to the gold level is significant, and Austin will need to expand its bicycle network and teach motorists and bicyclists how to better share the road. According to Austin's 2007 application to the League of American Bicyclists, the city allocates $2 million for bicycle-specific funding.
Cole said council members have not decided when they will apply for gold status because the city's departments still need additional funding and a plan for a new bike-trail system.
One step the city has taken to improve the system is building the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a seven-mile trail to connect East Fifth Street to Lake Austin Boulevard. The bikeway will be completed in late fall.
According to the league's program, 40 percent of all trips are less than two miles and more than 90 percent of those trips are made by car. The league hopes more people will travel short distances by bike instead of car.
Austin has more than double the average number of bicyclists compared to the nation's average.
"You have a great mayor and bicycle coordinator," Nesper said. "It's really encouraging to hear Austin is going for gold. We are looking forward to working with the city."
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