Home > Fit City > Archives > 2008 > October > 03 > Entry
Closing the gap on the hike-and-bike trail
What’s your least favorite part of the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake?
I hate the section just east of the Austin American-Statesman, where I have to slog through the newspaper’s parking lot up to the sidewalk on Riverside Drive. From there, I have to breath in car exhaust as I run up to Interstate 35, dart through busy traffic to cross the street, and continue up the sidewalk to Lakeshore Boulevard.
It’s time to close that 1.1-mile gap and finally make our trail a continuous lake-front loop.
The City Council has approved $1.7 million for preliminary engineering and design studies for a combination boardwalk and land-based trail, including a public involvement process. Now we need to provide input.
I want a trail with shade, gardens and adequate trail heads. I want it to be environmentally sensitive. I want it to be accessible to all kinds of trail users, from cyclists to walkers to runners and bird watchers. And I want it to look good.
What do you want? To read more about the proposed project, go to http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/boardwalk/.
To take a survey to let the city know what you’d like to see in the finished product, go to http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/boardwalk/brdwlk_survey.cfm.
The Trail Foundation (formerly the Town Lake Trail Foundation) has advocated for support of the project. To see the group’s suggestions for closing the gap, go to http://tltf.affiniscape.com/associations/4559/files/suggestions1.pdf.
“Closing the gap will dramatically improve and expand the usable areas of the Trail. A continuous 10-mile loop will increase safety at the dangerous I-35 intersection, decrease congestion throughout the Trail, extend transportation options and bring critical amenities to the east side,” says Susan Rankin, executive director of the Trail Foundation.
To make your voice heard, attend a community meeting is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Parks and Recreation Department’s board room, 200 S. Lamar Blvd.
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By stevear
October 3, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
Like i’ve said before and you insinuate here, you don’t really want a nature trail with error or anything sweaty and street-hard and ugly or rock-rough and natural like nature intends, humans need and the earth creates; you want pre-fabricated bouquet, an urban garden, a water-upchucking oasis with shade, flowers and scenets all without bees and bugs;…you’d be better off in southern Cali.
By Pam
October 3, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
Hi Steve, Pam here. There’s a difference between an urban trail and a trail that borders Interstate 35 and the river running through the city. I want environmentally sensitivity and shade — not sure how that got translated to what you describe.
By stevear
October 3, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this
Pam, “environmental sensitivity” kinda means a sustainable and natural approach to engineering; in this part of Austin, that mostly includes a rougher terrain, trees NOT offering much shade and minimalist plants and herbs; your shade will waste more water, force non-indigenous plant life to grow, and allow more traffic of all sorts; in other words, you’ll kill off what’s been here forever for what hasn’t ‘cause you want it accommodating to personal proclivities. Dusty and hot (with SOME shade) is how it’s supposed to be!
By Pam
October 3, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Cypress, Steve. Live oaks. Pretty native plants like salvia. Trails can be natural and attractive at the same time. Go check out the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center some time.
By CO2creator
October 3, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
$1.7million for a study? I guess it takes that much for “experts” to look for an endangered cockroach.
F this plan, bring in the road graders plow a trail and guess what the environment will grow around it.
By stevear
October 3, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this
CO2creator has it right, basically. Let “it” grow…nature should dictate, not what looks right, smells nice or shades lethargy.
By StephR
October 4, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
My least favorite part about the trail, although it isn’t really the trail, is the Mopac foot bridge. It is filthy with dog and bird excrement covering a good portion of it. Does it ever get cleaned up? Who is responsible for it? It smells horrible! Some would say that the dog owners should take responsibility, but that’s another topic.
By StephR
October 18, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
I want to thank the Trail Foundation for cleaning the MoPac foot bridge yesterday! It look and smells much better now. I did stop to thank one of the workers in person by the way.