Austin Gas Prices Jump 15¢ and Other Stories (Ditch your Car and Economize your Life!)

Gasoline prices in Austin jumped an average of 15 cents per gallon in the past week, part of a state and national trend, an indsutry survey shows. Auto club AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average local price per gallon at the pump had reached $3.36. The statewide average price was $3.38 a gallon, up 14 cents. Nationwide, gasoline prices also rose, increasing 13 cents to hit $3.55 per gallon. Experts cited higher crude oil prices and production concerns as reasons for the hike in retail gasoline prices. Refineries are preparing to make the conversion to summer-blend gasoline.

As prices rise, Austin Post recommends you check AustinGasPrices.com to find the cheapest stations.

Source: Statesman via austinpost.org/skimmer/austin-gas-prices-jump-15-cents

Here is a nice video the Dutch made about taking bicycling mainstream and making it a central element in your city.

The Dutch Bike Ambassadors formally visited Austin late last year, in case you hadn’t heard (I hadn’t), and there is video of a legnthy in-depth discussion relating to this excellent encounter available from the Austin city gov here. It covers a great number of specific problem areas in detail. Here is a short summary of the (very specific!) findings on the Green Lane Project’s blog: http://greenlaneproject.org/blog/view/dutch-bike-embassy-brings-expertise-to-austin

You could lose the cost and stress of cars by traveling by bicycle or some other transport, or by relocating your home or work to be closer. As mentioned in an earlier post, Austin was just ranked the fourth worst U.S. city for traffic congestion. It’s quite ironic; I moved here less than a year ago because it was going to be such a great city in which to not have a car. If you want, see if alternatives exist for you and try them out! It could end up saving you a lot of money, especially if you ditched your insurance.

New to biking? A bike can offer true freedom. Go off the grid! This intro guide can be a handy primer for you. There are a ton of corridors for bikes to get around the city while avoiding all the encumbrances of traffic. Alleys, parks, parking lots, sidewalks, Capital, University… get creative!  So many more avenues are open to you. While always remembering to ride responsibly of course, riding a bike can often get you places faster than a car, especially in a mid-size city like Austin!

Austin Post has some news on the Shoal Creek bike path renovations:

Shoal Creek Restoration to Include Safer Bike Lane and Native Plant Regrowth

Construction between 15th and 28th Streets is set to start this summer, the project aims to provide erosion protection for 3,000 feet of the creek; replace an outdated runoff system; restore native vegetation along the creek; and extend a paved bike trail that will go under one of the busiest intersections along the Shoal Creek greenbelt.

The city gov has uploaded a youtube video for the project:

Renovation to the northeast Downtown area was mentioned by the Mayor during his State of the City address:

“[T]he University will gain a medical school – and our community will gain 15,000 new permanent jobs, and nearly 2 billion dollars annually in new economic activity.”

“I think we need to look closely and carefully at the opportunity to transform an area in the northeast part of Downtown Austin – near the future medical school, near the UT campus, near the Capitol complex, and near the revitalized Waller Creek – into a new ‘innovation district’ for this industry.”

Also, from Austinist.com:

Austin Bike Share Program Rolls Closer To Completion

The contracts are expected to be complete by the end of February, which means that the program could be up and rolling as early as this spring.

http://austinist.com/2013/01/16/austin_bike_share_program_rolls_clo.php

and “Safe Bike Safe Walk” Initiative Launched

Prompted by a distressing increase in auto-pedestrian/cyclist accidents, the City of Austin has announced a new pedestrian/bike safety initiative, and they’re asking Austinites to help.The initiative, called the “Safe Walk Safe Bike” program, seeks to collect information on attitudes and behaviors that lead to greater danger for those using non-combustible-fueled transport. In recent focus groups, nearly 100 citizens discussed their experiences and opinions on transportation in Austin and related safety issues. The focus groups elicited a number of common themes, which will be used to develop education programs for everyone using Austin streets.

You can help by participating in the Safe Walk Safe Bike survey here. The survey, funded through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, will be open through Monday, February 18.

Source: http://austinist.com/2013/02/11/safe_bike_safe_walk_initiative_laun.php