I lived in New York City before I moved to Austin. NY is a city that glorifies walking. Almost everyone walked everywhere and having a car wasn’t considered that “cool.” When I told one of my friends from NY that I was moving to Texas, he said, “People in Texas, if they wanted had to go to a restaurant that was across the street, they would get in their car, drive it, make a U turn, and park at the restaurant.” His comment was a little exaggerated but I must say, I agree with him a bit. People drive a lot here and I am guilty of it too.
I don’t put the blame completely on Austinites, after all, Austin doesn’t have the same public transportation that New York has and the streets of Austin aren’t the safest for biking. But there is no reason why a city like Austin shouldn’t encourage walking or biking. It is not only good for the environment but it is also good for our health and pockets.
I was thrilled to learn about Austin Safe Routes to School Project. The project is managed by the Health and Human Services Department of Austin. It was started to ensure safe biking or walking to school.
The website for the project advocates walking and biking in general. It is very thorough. The website has tips on how to bike or walk safer to school. As I mentioned before, it is hard to bike in Austin’s streets being so narrow and crowded. If you are a driver, you have complained about that one biker that is made you go around him. Well, the website has a whole section for you. Besides drivers, there are sections for parents, and even educators. There are lesson plans for teachers so they can teach students and encourage them bike and walk to school.
You can also visit Austin on Two Wheels and Bike Texas, it is a great website to get you connected with other bikers, learn more about safe biking routes, and much more.
