Support better plans for bike lanes on Braker Lane

2½ feet is not enough. Ask the City to provide more separation between the bike lanes and car traffic on East Braker Lane.

The City of Austin is planning to extend Braker Lane ¾ of a mile east to Samsung Boulevard. The project will include protected bike lanes, but they’ll only be 2½ feet from 4 lanes of high-speed car traffic – even though there’s ample room for more separation.

This plan is one of the first projects using the City’s recently revised Transportation Criteria Manual, which actually recommends a minimum 4-foot buffer for protected bike lanes on roads like this. If we set a precedent of unsafe bike lanes on Braker Lane, we could see similar dangerous facilities across Austin in the future.

Many Austinites are uncomfortable riding bikes close to high-speed car traffic. To attract more riders, we need to provide facilities that are not only protected, but comfortably separated from car traffic.

The City is now conducting a public hearing on this project. If you want to see better conditions for people on bikes, email AustinMobility@AustinTexas.gov to weigh in with input along these lines:

“Please provide more separation between the bike lanes and car traffic on East Braker Lane! 2½ feet is not enough.”

Act now! Comments must be received by January 20, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.