Who are we?
We are local residents passionate about having the option to get from here to there without a motor vehicle. We are walkers, bikers, runners and rollers.
Maybe you walk. Maybe you run. Maybe you’re a Mom, Dad, or grandparent pushing a stroller while walking the dog. Maybe you need to get to school. Maybe you bike for recreation but don’t want to drive to the trailhead and back. Maybe you bike to HEB for groceries. Maybe you use a scooter, roller skates, recumbent trike, or unicycle. Maybe you’re in a wheelchair or use a cane or crutches or a walker. These are just some of our active transportation users in Cedar Park.
We want and need safe, user-friendly paths, trails and sidewalks which are useful for both transportation and recreation. We enthusiastically support the Cedar Park 2021-2023 Strategic Goals with the current draft adopted September 23, 2021 here and look forward to being involved as stakeholders in making Cedar Park even better.
What is Active Transportation?
At its simplest, Active Transportation is getting from here to there without using a motor vehicle. (Electric assist is generally capped at 20MPH or less.)
Transportation is key. While recreational trails are great and we enjoy them for recreation, we need good connections between where people live and where they need to go – from home to work, a restaurant, a parks trail, shopping, library, bank, doctor or wherever. We need a connected and usable network that lets you get safely from here to there without a motor vehicle.
What is All Abilities Active Transportation?
It’s about making sure we design paths, roads and other connections for safe and easy use by the whole community. A 5 year-old cycling to kindergarten with training wheels. An older person who isn’t as fast as they used to be. A person in a wheelchair – and more. Meeting the transportation needs of the whole community is the emphasis.
Why Active Transportation?
It’s great for the whole community. Better active transportation benefits us in a variety of ways:
- Reduced road congestion
- Great exercise which you can combine with running errands
- Healthier community for all due to lower air pollution
- Lower cost per mile
- Overall economic development
- Better access for citizens who don’t drive
Okay that makes sense – but what do you mean economic improvement?
Improving active transportation typically means better business revenues and also improves value of nearby properties. By encouraging people to stay local, shop local and be that crucial “foot traffic” going by your business. Really, it’s a win for everyone.
If I’m biking to lunch or the grocery store instead of driving a car, I’m much more likely to stay in Cedar Park. I’m also much more likely to buy a house where I can walk or bike to places I want to go.
What do we want?
Better design and more safe, usable connections between homes and destinations.
There are many simple and inexpensive design choices which make a pathway easier and safer to use. “Default” design often blindly follows compliance requirements in the most obvious way possible or “the way we always did it” instead of looking at all the options and choosing the one which will be the most usable and safe while still being compliant. Design also tends to focus on motor vehicles, as is the expertise of most traffic engineers. Come have a look at our Design Guidelines as a starting point for design on any project. We’re always looking for input to make them better!
That sounds great! How can I get involved?
Join us! There are lots of ways to help out – just pick something on the list below and get started now!
- Join us on NextDoor at https://nextdoor.com/g/xvvex1v6m
- Share about us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook – whichever platform you use
- Email Council@cedarparktexas.gov and tell them you want better design and better active transportation infrastructure. Tell them you want the City to use Active Transportation design guidelines and work with other entities to make connections across borders
- Fill out the Cedar Park Customer Service Survey at https://www.cedarparktexas.gov/departments/city-manager-s-office/give-us-your-feedback/customer-service-survey
- Show up (or sign up virtually) to speak at Council meetings – and especially the 4A, 4B, PACE and Tourism boards with the calendar linked here
- Call the City at 512-401-5000 and ask to speak to Engineering to share the same message of what the community wants
- Contact our regional transportation planning organization, CAMPO at campo@campotexas.org or 512.215.8225
- Contact our our Regional Mobility Authority CTRMA at https://www.mobilityauthority.com/about/executive-director about their long pathway along 183A
- Contact Williamson County at https://www.wilco.org/Elected-Officials about their trails and parks to major highway projects
- Contact Austin at http://austintexas.gov/department/atx-walk-bike-roll and tell them we need better connections between Austin and Cedar Park
- Contact TxDOT at http://www.txdot.gov/contact-us/form.html?id=aus-email or 512.832.7000
- Submit public comments on individual road and highway projects
- Help get other people involved!
- Come up with ideas for what else we can put on this list and contact us
Supporters
Design Examples:
- Walk-able neighborhoods
- Bicycle infrastructure done right
- Good vs Bad Design
- Red lights and bicyclists