3rd Street protected bike lane

Years ago, after an evening downtown, I would brave the traffic on 6th Street to head west toward home. Before Uber and Lyft arrived in Austin, it was only a matter of dodging distracted, inebriated drivers, taxis who would stop in the right lane without warning, and drunk pedestrians wandering in the road. Since then, the city has expanded, with ever more distracted (or just impatient) drivers attempting to navigate downtown. Plus, there are a lot more things to do on the East Side that warrant a trip across town.

Thankfully, the City of Austin put in a protected bike lane on 3rd Street. (Technically, City of Austin calls it a “cycle track“, meaning that it’s separated by a barrier.) This lane has a cement curb protecting it from most traffic. Plus, at intersections, the City put in a special bike light that turns green (along with the pedestrian walk light) BEFORE the stoplights turn green, giving both cyclists and pedestrians those extra minutes to start crossing before vehicles attempt to turn into them.

The 3rd Street protected bike lane starts at Nueces (block of Ballet Austin) and continues all the way to a dead end into the convention center. At that point, the bike lane turns left (north) up to 4th Street, then turning right (east) and going by the train station. (The train station is under construction at the moment but the bike lane is still open.) The bike lane ends on 4th Street at a zebra stripe to cross highway 35. There are no lights here; and, cars rarely stop.

How useful is this protected 3rd Street bike lane? It has completely changed my commute route to go downtown or to cross downtown to get to the East Side. No matter if I have to go several blocks out of my way, I will in order to ride a barrier away from congested traffic, impatient drivers and Ubers and Lyfts who stop suddenly in traffic with no warning. Thank you, City of Austin!

Notes:

• 3rd Street from Nueces to Convention Center and highway 35
• Specifically for cyclists although scooters are also allowed
• Won 4th best new bikeway in 2017: http://peopleforbikes.org/blog/americas-10-best-new-bikeways-of-2017/