Shoal Creek Blvd  "All Ages & Abilities" Cycle Track
Channel: Active Towns
Date: 05/08/2021

Another addition to Austin's Dutch-inspired bike network. This is truly an inspiring story for cities around the globe - if you at first don't succeed, be persistent, and keep trying.  A decade or so ago, this project got shot down, and so when the street needed to be resurfaced again, there was another opportunity to reimagine what this important corridor could be - as it serves multiple schools, parks and connects to many other meaningful destinations, including employment centers. 

Was there vigorous resistance once again? Of course, we should always expect that the status quo of car-centric design will fight changes to the streetscape, but the community spoke up to say they did want a safer, more people-oriented street, not a dangerous high-speed traffic sewer.

Here's some background information on the event:

On Saturday, February 8, 2020, the Austin community came out to celebrate the soft opening of a vital segment of the Shoal Creek Blvd protected bike lanes and some critical pedestrian improvements including safer crossings and sidewalk enhancements. 

So many people and organizations worked tirelessly to get this segment done and the work continues as the city strives to close the gaps in the middle segments.

Kudos heading to the City of Austin Departments of Transportation and Public Works, Bike Austin, Walk Austin, Shoal Creek Conservancy, MoveATX, PeopleForBikes, and so many more.

This project was recognized by PeopleForBikes as one of the Top Bikeways of 2020: https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/americas-best-new-bikeways-2020

Music: https://www.bensound.com

All video, audio, and music production by me, John Simmerman

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Background: Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman. I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places. 

Since that time I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities".

This is my personal Active Towns Channel and it features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.

Thanks for tuning in, I hope you find this content helpful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2022

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