Austin, Texas

From OpenStreetMap Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
V・T・E
Austin, Texas
Wikidata

latitude: 30.315, longitude: -97.834
Browse map of Austin 30°18′54.00″ N, 97°50′02.40″ W
Edit map
External links:
Use this template for your locality

Austin is a city in Texas at latitude 30°18′54.00″ North, longitude 97°50′02.40″ West.

Bicycle Route Relations

Introduction

Austin has experienced explosive growth since the original bike network was conceived in the late 1990s. Destinations, housing, and infrastructure have all fundamentally and significantly changed how people get around. The original network consisted of numbered (numerical) routes that did not correspond to numbered streets but were instead arbitrary. Many of these routes today have little to no existing wayfinding on the ground. The changesets for these routes contain no sources, and most of the users who created them 10-15 years ago are no longer active. A few routes have green Bike Route <- -> signs; even fewer have wayfinding signs with You-are-here mini-maps. Besides these, there are no current sources - physical or digital - that show the original bike route network. Furthermore, many of the original bike routes that remain in OSM are broken, with many gaps and redundancies, which of course cannot be verified without either a current map or consistent physical signs. For these reasons, Austin's bike routes should be manually and individually audited, and their OSM relations updated or removed.

It would also be helpful to fully audit other bike route relations (i.e. Walnut Creek Trail and others) in Austin City and Travis County, with an eye for local vs. regional designations, consistency, gaps, and other issues.

Since the city's 2014 master bike plan and 2020 map updates, Austin has chosen to follow other bikeable American cities by remapping city roads on a stress/comfort-based system for the average bicyclist. However, since this is inherently and highly subjective, it cannot be translated into OSM.

Once the unsigned bike routes have been removed from OSM and all current routes are updated, the system should be grouped into one singular local ("lcn") bike route relation called "US:TX:Austin," following the common standard of many other cities.

Resources

  • Austin Bicycle Map - the original map of bike routes. The map, system, and webpage are deprecated and only visible through the Wayback Machine. This is the primary source for this auditing project. This map formed the basis for the current stress-based bike map: red was high-risk, green was moderate-risk, blue was low-risk. Nearly all of the all-red/majority-red routes have since been un-signed - these are the "removed" routes in the table below. Some green routes remain. Nearly all blue routes are still signed.
  • Bicycle | AustinTexas.gov - Austin DOT/DPW's official page of bicycle resources: master plans, maps, projects, etc.
  • Bicycle Austin - a website associated with the original Austin bike/ped committee but unaffiliated with the City itself. Heavily used in the 1990s-2000s but outdated now. Still an impressive and helpful singular resource. Some links may require archive.org's Wayback Machine to read.
  • Austin Bicycle Plan Part 1 (1996) via archive.org - the first half of the original (numerical), outdated bike route plan. The Bicycle Route Map in Appendix C was never scanned, so it's missing. Because of course.
  • Austin Bicycle Plan Part 2 (1998) - via archive.org. Chapter 4.6 lists the numerical bike routes, sort of, but by street, and alphabetically. In the alphabetized table of street names, the number in the first column ("Route - Seg.") does correspond to the few existing numerical routes that remain. For example, 12th St is designed as Bike Route #48.
  • 2014 Austin Bicycle Plan - html page of chapter PDFs
  • 2014 Austin Bicycle Plan PDF, 266 pages, 33.8MB
  • OSM Slack channel local-texas

Maps

Major Trails and Named Routes

These trails' relations should also audited and revised, or have new relations created for them. We should also come to a consensus on using “Greenbelt” vs “Trail” (or both) in titles and reference initials. It would be very helpful for this section to organized in a table that includes the relation IDs, descriptions, statuses, notes, etc. RE: ref tags (initials), keep in mind that OpenCycleMap.org will only render three initials, but CyclOSM can render 4+. And speaking of which, there should probably be a conversation about whether to prioritize "G" for greenbelt/greenway or "T" for trail for routes that have both in their name. https://www.austintexas.gov/page/trail-directory

route name ref relation ID # network type status notes maps/resources
Lance Armstrong Crosstown Bikeway LACB relation 67561 local finished 4/24 Overlaps with/as the Red Line Trail from Downtown Station/Trinity St to Pedernales cycletrack. This relation contains the full, planned Bikeway, including roadways that are not pathways. https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Works/lance-armstrong-bikeway-map.pdf
Austin to Manor Trail AMT relation 6848582 regional finished 4/19/24 Added construction tags. Many ways are feature type=cyclepath, but isn't this a multi-use trail?
Northern Walnut Creek Trail NWCT relation 15054153 local finished 4/18/24 https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/Walnut-Creek-Trail-System/v3dz-djp9
Southern Walnut Creek Trail SWCT relation 3457710 regional finished 4/24 arguably regional due to length, but is this correct? https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/Walnut-Creek-Trail-System/v3dz-djp9
MoKan Corridor Trail MT or MKT? relation 14554824 local finished 4/15/24 I left out the proposed segments from the route relation so that they don't render
Shoal Creek Urban Trail SCUT relation 14677018 arguably regional finished 4/18/24 This was called the Shoal Creek Greenbelt Trail, which technically isn't incorrect as it's the trail in the greenbelt, but the greenbelt's Conservancy itself considers the Urban Trail and the Park Trail to be the names of the two constituent trails.

There is some controversy in OSM about how to map 2-way cycle tracks that are only separated by flex posts and are on roadway. See: https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/150192644 and https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/cycleway-lane-or-track-for-protected-bike-lanes/6186

Shoal Creek Park Trail SCPT relation 15559795 local finished 4/24 Perhaps these don't need to be two separate routes and could be collected into one Shoal Creek Greenbelt Trail route, but I would argue that SCGT is unintuitive and unfamiliar, so SCT would be advisable. In any case, I think having two discrete SCUT and SCPT initials could help folks know where/when to cross the creek to avoid the construction and dismount/portage sections.
Ann & Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail ARBT relation 14653827 local finished 4/19/24 Twin walking route is relation 16160502.
Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake BT relation 17490867 local finished 4/19/24 Twin walking route is relation 14653911
Red Line Parkway Trail RLP? RLT? RLPT? relation 13148620 regional finished 4/24 "Red Line Trail" should probably be the name of the paths/ways that parallel Airport Blvd, etc. while "Red Line Parkway" should probably be the name of the Bicycle Route relation that encompasses the Red Line Trail, Boggy Creek Trail, etc. https://www.redlineparkway.org/visit
Red Line Trail --- --- local Since the Boggy Creek Trail is its own trail but also part of the Red Line Parkway - and therefore has its own relation - should the Red Line Trail (for the segments parallel to the Red Line tracks) have its own relation too?
Boggy Creek Greenbelt Trail BCT relation 17471716 local finished 4/24 is part of the Red Line Parkway but also its own BCT relation
Violet Crown Trail VCT relation 16137374 regional? Given the terrain and quality of the trails themselves, I (BPTT) would argue this existing relation should be changed to a Mountain Bike Route relation instead of a basic Bicycle Route. https://violetcrowntrail.com/explore/
Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail BCT? BCGT? relation 17289355 local or regional?
Latta Branch Greenbelt LBG? none yet local? Is the Western Oaks Trail part of Latta or separate?
Mueller Greenway MG relation 14564521 local Twin walking route is relation 14564482
Bastrop & Buescher State Parks BSP relation 89928 local finished 4/24 This was a bike route created in 2009, but no evidence or wayfinding for it exists. Texas Parks & Wildlife do explicitly recommend riding between Bastrop and Buescher State Parks on Park Road 1C.
Gaines Greenbelt GG none yet local
Circle C Metro Park CCMP? none yet local
Union Park Loop UPL none yet local Since they are so short, combine Union Park Loop with East Loop and West Loop.
Veloway V none yet local

Numerical Bike Routes

route # relation ID roadways/general area status physical signs (route or wayfindning) notes
1 relation 71208 City Park Road in Emma Long Metro Park removed 2/26/24 only Share the Road signs No route number signs or wayfinding, only Share the Road signs (no painted sharrows, however). Relation was removed and roadways tagged with cycleway:both=shared lanes.
2 relation 77099 Reagan Blvd, Parmer Lane finished 2/27/24 no No signage, 6-lane highway with shoulders and 60mph speed limit; can't be corroborated, so should probably be removed. Bike Lanes on Reagan and Parmer were added when relation was removed, but someone could add cycleway=shoulder tags if they really wanted to.
4 relation 77096 Duval Road finished 2/27/24 yes
5 relation 71210 Beckett Road, McCarty Lane removed 2/29/24 no removed route, added bike lanes to Beckett
6 relation 77097 Santa Cruz, Duval, MoPac sidepath, Gracy Farms Lane finished 4/19/24 yes Southbound Gracy Farms Lane (from Burnet) has a two-way bike lane for a few hundred yards, then a crossing to split bike traffic into southbound/northbound one-way lanes. cycleway=contraflow/opposite do not seem to render in CyclOSM, so I tagged it as cycleway:right=track + oneway:bicycle=no, for now. There is no current consensus on two-way bike lanes that are on the roadway but unprotected. If it were protected or separated from the roadway, it would need to be mapped as a separate feature." Perhaps =contraflow AND oneway:bicycles=no is the best combination of tags.
7 relation 71211 Spicewood Springs Rd removed 2/29/24 no removed route, added bike lanes
8 relation 1713278 Yager Lane removed 4/13/24 no
9 relation 71213 360/Capitol of Texas Highway removed 4/13/24 no
10 relation 77276 Floral Park Drive, Braker Lane removed 4/13/24 no
11 relation 78321 Barton Hills & Barton Skyway, Packsaddle removed 4/13/24 no
12 relation 1713279 Kramer Lane removed 4/13/24 no bike lanes now have flex posts
13 relation 77828 Bee Caves Road & Red Bud Trail removed 4/13/24 no
14 relation 2340914 Rundberg Lane removed 4/13/24 no
15 relation 78687 Old Walsh Tarlton finished 4/13/24 yes despite the original map, 15 is only signed between 360 and Pinnacle. Doesn't exist anymore on Strafford or Ridgewood
16 relation 77274 Steck, Ohlen finished 4/18/24 yes green Bike Route signs and You Are Here wayfinding maps
17 relation 73191 Brodie Lane finished 4/18/24 yes The OG bike route map shows BR 17 continuing south of Slaughter, but: 1: there is a green BR sign at NW corner of Brodie and Slaughter that shows the route continues southbound across Slaughter, but this is the last one; I could not find a Bike Route End sign, 2: northbound, I could not find a Bike Route Start sign; the first one I could find is at 9001 Brodie (SE corner of Brodie and Davis).
18 relation 77278 Spicewood Springs, Bluegrass, Lost Horizon removed 4/18/24 ... There is only a single green BR sign on this route, at 6944 Bluegrass Dr, but it does not have a number or directional arrows. For this reason, I think removing the route relation from OSM is justified.
20 relation 1715077 Foster, Northcross, St Joseph, Morrow, Guadalupe finished 4/18/24 yes This route is not signed west of Foster & Shoal Creek Blvd, so even though the original BR map shows BR20 on Great Northern Blvd, this is no longer the case.
21 relation 73315 Arboretum Blvd, Jollyville Rd, Spicewood Springs, Research Blvd, Barrington, Pond Springs finished 4/23/24 yes Only signed between Barrington and Arboretum Blvd.
22 relation 73307 Jester Blvd, Beauford, Lakewood, Driftwood, Sprucewood, Lemonwood, Backtrail, Far West Blvd, overpass path, Shoal Creek Blvd, Greenlawn Pkwy, Daugherty, Pegram & Justin cycletrack, Grover, Brentwood finished 2/29/24 yes but Only signed from MoPac overpass (Far West Blvd) eastward to Shoal Creek Blvd where it crosses BR 31. Overlaps with BR 31 on Shoal Creek Blvd.
23 relation 71425 Great Hills, Rain Creek, Park Crest, Pecos, Mesa, finished 4/23/24 yes but Signed between Enfield and Jollyville Roads. The northern half shown on the original route map is no longer part of Route 23.
24 relation 1715078 Whitehorse, Payne, Romeria, Denson removed 4/23/24 no
25 relation 71423 Exposition Blvd and sidepath, and some southside streets finished 4/24/24 yes BR 25 does exist on the southside, but in a very disconnected way. The red sections from the original route map have been unsigned, and the route just disappears in both directions.
26 never created Reinli, Briarcliff, Gaston, North Hampton, Williamette, Loyola finished 4/24/24 no Was apparently never mapped into OSM as a route relation, and should not be, since there are no physical signs for it.
27 relation 73269 Manchaca Road removed 4/24/24 no
28 relation 1713464 Hancock, North Loop Blvd, 53rd St finished 4/23/24 yes Green signs and wayfinding You Are Here maps.
29 relation 73270 Lynn, Niles, Hartford, Bull Creek finished 4/24/24 yes
30 relation 1713463 51st St finished 4/11/24 yes but signs do not appear east of the NE corner of 51st & Harmon or west of Duval & Bruning
31 relation 2340911 Rio Grande, Neuces, Shoal Creek Blvd, W 31st finished 4/24/24 yes Known locations of You Are Here wayfinding maps: 1107 Neuces and 1204 Nueces.

Southside: YAH map at 3403 Garden Villa showing Ray Wood, S 5th, Bouldin. BUT there are no green directional signs between S 5th & Mary and Bouldin & Riverside at all, on either 5th, Bouldin, or the cross-streets. The directional arrows on the sign at 908 Mary St are wrong because it shouldn't point right/north on 5th (north of Mary). If it weren't for the YAH signs on Garden Villa, I would not have mapped the unsigned, intervening streets into the route relation. Same for unsigned Casey, 3rd, Vinson, w/r/t YAH map at 5586 Emerald Forest. This sign also shows Forestwood, Dittmar, and Palace Parkway, but there are not green wayfinding signs until Palace Parkway and Slaughter, where there are Bike Route 31 BEGIN/END signs. Although the Garden Villa sign shows 31 on Riverside, there are no signs. So I think it makes the most sense to not add any streets to the relation between Bouldin/Riverside and 7th/Nueces.

Downtown: YAH maps show 31 on Nueces until 18th and then Rio Grande + Nueces northward, but I haven't seen any green Bike Route signs on Neuces north of MLK.

Central: Overlaps with part of BR 22 on Shoal Creek Blvd.

North: Overlaps with Shoal Creek Trail/Blvd until they both end in the industrial park near 183 & Mopac

33 none yet Guadalupe, Lavaca
35 none yet Amherst Drive near Duval Road yes
36 relation 71427 35th, 38th, 38th 1/2, Anchor finished 4/19/24 yes but... seemingly signed only westbound from Manor Rd, and they aren't the typical green signs. BR 36 signs are narrow green rectangles fixed underneath the black & white Bike Lane signs. Thus I think it's justified to remove most of the original route and keep only the signed portion overlaps with striped lanes: from Cherrywood to Manor
38 relation 1713321 W 34th, E 34th
39 relation 2340915 Metric Blvd from Bittern Hollow to Boyer Blvd
40 relation 1713322 W 29th
41 relation 77804 Tisdale, Fairfield, W 49th, Woodrow
42 relation 71426 W & E Dean Keaton, Manor finished 4/18/24 yes There is a Bike Route <- ^ sign at 4209 Windsor, but doesn't say 42, and is the only green sign I've ever seen with arrows. Furthermore, the arrows do not eventually lead to more Bike Route signs, so Route 42 would appear to be mostly defunct west of Guadalupe. Very poor signage on Dean Keaton thru UT. The original map shows Tillery St - no longer signed.
43 none yet Westgate, Blarwood, Lamar
44 relation 1713296 MLK, Heflin, Webberville, FM 969 removed 4/18/24 no No longer signed, so it no longer exists.
45 relation 77477 Cullen, Turk Ralph Ablanedo Dr
46 relation 1713297 E 21st gap in UT campus
47 relation 73310 Colorado, Capitol Grounds, Guadalupe
48 relation 71479 Enfield Rd, W 12th, E 12th, Webberville finished 4/18/24 yes but No longer exists on Webberville Rd east of Samuel Huston Ave, nor Webberville Rd between Springdale & E 12th.

The "Bike Route 48 END <-52->" sign at 3852 Lake Austin Blvd is wrong. It should say: "Bike Route 52 ^ 48 BEGIN -> " because the actual Bike Route 48 BEGIN sign is around the corner on Enfield. And 52 continues up Scenic Drive to where it ends at Cherry & Rockmoor. This means the actual signage differs from the original bike route map.

49 relation 1739948 Duval, San Jacinto & Trinity finished 4/23/24 yes
50 none yet Oak Springs
51 relation 1825775 Red River
52 relation 71424 5th & 6th downtown begun 4/18/24 No longer exists on Redbud Trail - since the original route map was laid, it has since been rerouted to Lake Austin Blvd.

The "Bike Route 48 END <-52->" sign at 3852 Lake Austin Blvd is wrong. It should say: "Bike Route 52 ^ 48 BEGIN -> " because the actual Bike Route 48 BEGIN sign is around the corner on Enfield. And 52 continues up Scenic Drive to where it ends at Cherry & Rockmoor. This means the actual signage differs from the original bike route map.

53 none yet Waller
54 none yet E 4th
55 none yet Chicon
57 relation 1739965 Wedgewood, Hansford, Furness, Rutherford, Cameron, Coronado Hills; also Berkman; also Harmon & 46th finished 4/18/24 wayfinding map at 5963 Berkman Dr 57 has 2 parts and it seems to have been designed this way.
58 none yet Holly
59 none yet Wilshire, Cherrywood, Chestnut, N Pleasant Valley, Longhorn Dam yes at 38.5th St
60 relation 74125 Riverside Drive
64 relation 78815 Barton Springs Road
65 none yet Montropolis Drive
66 relation 77474 Southwest Parkway
67 none yet Johnny Morris
68 none yet Rundell, Hether, Mary, Ann, Woodland, Willow Creek, Oltolf yes
70 none yet Cardinal, Lightsey, Woodward
74 none yet Casey, St Elmo
76 none yet Stassney
78 none yet Speer, Eberhart
80 relation 77475 William Cannon Drive needs bike lanes added
82 relation 77478 Cooper Lane, Convict Hill Rd
84 none yet possibly along Davis Lane around Violet Crown trailhead
86 relation 77476 Slaughter Lane Want to get 86'd? Ride your bike on Slaughter Lane! :/
115 none yet Latta Drive at Violet Crown trailhead yes
208 none yet Westlake Drive
214 none yet Burnet from Research Blvd to Gracy Farms
339 relation 78688 Spicewood, Scotland Well, Topridge, Old Lampasas, Talleyran
370 none yet just west of I-35 b/t Rundberg and Yager
434 relation 1713280 Arboretum Blvd loop, 2222, Toro Canyon, Dessau Rd removed 4/23/24 no many separate parts on original route map, but none are signed
934 none but see notes Barton Creek MoPac Bridge loop not a route relation, but for some reason was tagged
cycle_network US:TX:Austin
network lcn
ref 934

which highlights the way but does not provide a relation for managing tags, nor does it waymark the route on maps that render waymarked trails

Events

Upcoming Events

Past Events

See Also

Retrieved from "https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Austin,_Texas&oldid=2699651"