Public Notice: Bikes, Toll Roads, TNCs
Multimodal transportation, music education
By Nick Barbaro, Fri., May 1, 2015
May is National Bike Month, and to kick it off, the bicycling education and awareness organization Please BE KIND to Cyclists has partnered with CapMetro, the APD, the cycling community, and business organizations on the Rally for Respect and Safe Roads Bus Launch – the launch of 30 CapMetro buses carrying banners to inform the public of Austin's Hands Free ordinance, the Safe Passing ordinance, and encourage Cyclists to be "VIP": Visible, In the moment, and Predictable. The event is 10:30am Friday, May 1, at 11th & Congress in front of the Texas State Capitol; see more info at www.bekindtocyclists.org.
Then of course, there's a huge schedule of rides, meet-ups, and miscellany all month long – starting with Bike to Eat Week! May 1-7 (10% discounts at 30-plus eateries around town; see www.biketoeatweek.org) – centered around May 15's Bike to Work Day. See www.biketoworkaustin.org, www.bikeaustin.org, or www.bicycleaustin.info for oh-so-much more info. Meanwhile, this week's highlights include:
• The Austin Public Library, along with the local chapter of Black Girls Do Bike (www.blackgirlsdobike.com), hosts a free Celebration of Cycling at the Carver Branch, 1161 Angelina, Saturday, May 2 from 1-3pm. Meet and greet with District 1 Council Member Ora Houston. Bring your bike and helmet for related fun!
• Sunday, May 3 brings the Blessing of the Bikes at 2:15 at University United Methodist Church, 2409 Guadalupe, followed by a screening of Bikes Vs Cars, which played recently at SXSW Film.
• May 6 is Bike to School Day! at five AISD elementary schools.
Save It, Don't Pave It Rally
Meanwhile, at the other end of the transportation spectrum, the ridiculously developer-dominated Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board recently changed their vision of the regional long-range transportation plan (CAMPO 2040) to add four new toll lanes on MoPac from Cesar Chavez to Slaughter, including a double-decker bridge over Lady Bird Lake and Zilker Park, with a flyover next to Austin High onto Cesar Chavez – expanding MoPac South to 12 lanes (compared to I-35's eight) without even adding an HOV lane.
On Saturday, May 2, 10:30am at Roberta Crenshaw Pedestrian Bridge (under MoPac on the north side of the lake), elected officials, community leaders, and others "who want to protect Lady Bird Lake, Zilker Park, Barton Springs, the hike/bike trails, Austin High School, Lamar Beach, Botanical Gardens, Nature Center, and Downtown Austin," will rally in opposition to the CTRMA plan, with hopes of having the flyover scaled back before a May 11 CAMPO board vote. RSVP to www.voteforbrigid.com.
Rare Good News
The city Aviation Dept. has reached a new agreement with transportation network companies Uber and Lyft to operate at Bergstrom Airport; they'll pay the same $1-per-trip fee that taxis and other carriers pay.
Celebrating Cinco de Mayo:
• Taste of Mexico 2015: A Culinary Arts Festival celebrating Cinco de Mayo, and supporting Mexic-Arte Museum's Arts Education Program. Tuesday, May 5, 6-9pm at Brazos Hall, 204 E. Fourth. $65 for museum members, $75 general admission.
• Cinco de Mayo Downtown Block Party offers music, dancing, and more. Free. 5-9pm Tuesday, May 5 on Second Street between Guadalupe and San Antonio.
• Fiestas Patrias Cinco de Mayo Celebration features daylong music and a dance competition: Sunday, May 3, noon-10pm at Fiesta Gardens Park, 2101 Jesse Segovia St. www.cincodemayoaustin.com.
The Grammy Foundation has named AISD's McCallum High School as the National Grammy Signature School, the only school in the nation to earn this designation. They celebrate at 7pm, Thursday, May 7 at McCallum Arts Center Theater, 5600 Sunshine. The submission included recordings from all of McCallum's music areas – concert band, choral ensemble, orchestra, classical guitar ensemble, jazz band, and steel band. For more, see www.grammyfoundation.org.
And in other AISD music education news: The annual AISD Jazz & Pops Concert will feature students from nine AISD middle and high school bands and ensembles, plus the AISD All-City Jazz Band closing out the night. Free. 11am-8:30pm, Sunday, May 3 at Central Market North, 4001 N. Lamar.
The City's Cultural Arts Division is taking applications for its Cultural Expansion program, which funds nonprofit arts organizations which provide programs and services primarily for minority and underserved segments of the community. Deadline is June 1; see www.austintexas.gov/department/cultural-funding for guidelines. There are three applicant workshops: Sat., May 2, 11am-noon at Little Walnut Creek Library; Wed., May 6, noon-1 pm at University Hills Library; Thu., May 7, 6-7pm at Pleasant Hill Library.
The Austin History Center's Third Annual Beer Garden Social presents Music of the Civil War: traditional Americana music of the era, American Spirituals by the Bells of Joy; an oration of Sam Houston's anti-war speeches, 19th century youth games and activities, demonstrations of the tintype photo process, and a buy-it-yourself historic menu. Saturday, May 2, from 2-4pm at Scholz's Garten – part of a series of events related to the current AHC exhibit, "Divided City: The Civil War & Reconstruction" in Austin.
"Remaking the Urban Waterfront" is a free talk by renowned riverfront planning expert Alex Krieger, as part of the South Central Waterfront Initiative, intended to guide the development of the south shore of Lady Bird Lake for the next 20 years. Wednesday, May 6, 7pm, at the Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St. More info at www.austintexas.gov/waterfront.
The City Aquatics Division still really needs lifeguards for the summer season. Attend their hiring day, Thursday, May 7, 4-8pm at the Aquatic Training Facility, 2818 San Gabriel, or see www.austintexas.gov/department/lifeguarding-austin for more info.
The SXSW Eco PanelPicker deadline is extended through Sunday, May 3. It's your last chance to submit ideas for panels or events that "teach best practices, announce and explain new innovations and programs, or impart specialized knowledge" in one of the dozen themes for 2015. See www.sxsweco.com for full info.
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