I hope everyone in CCR gets a chance to explore the Hike & Bike trails we have. They don't go very far, but they are more than most neighborhoods have.

We will have a bike trail head next to the new HEB, but that access is for a trail running northeast into the New Villages of Western Oaks. It won't do much for Circle C riders. Besides, Slaugther Lane is already to dangerous for bike traffic.


Ours are primarily in the Circle C Park, although you can cross over Escarpment and go another 1/2 mile to Mopac. Someday, that trail will connect to the other side of Mopac and eventually, to the Veloway.

It's very likely that there will be unimproved bike trails along Slaughter Creek going East towards I-35, but of course, there isn't any money for these trails - it's all being sucked up to build more lanes on the existing highway like 71 east and the new Toll road plan.


However, I recently saw an interested proposal to connect the Veloway north to Barton Creek. This involves crossing 4 large and undeveloped commercial properties, a hop over Davis lane and then William Cannon Drive, over to Brodie.

The trail picks up in Sunset Valley, which already has several miles of brand new trails to Hwy 71/290.

From there, you can connect to Barton Creek, but it leaves you on the south shore, where you have to find a way to cross. (hard when the creek is running).

We don't have many other right of ways in south Austin, where bikes don't have to share a lane with SUVs and trucks.

More importantly, if the city takes note, they could find ways to encourage the last 4 commercial developers to incorporate a bike path parallel to MOPAC in their future building plans.


Look at ''Don't Box in our Future'':
http://www.AustinAction.org

Saturday, Oct 2, Wildflower Ctr

The planning event is now set for Saturday, Oct 2nd, at the Lady Bird Johnoson National Wildflower Center, from 9 to 4. There is a lunch included, time to talk with your neighbors, and the mission is to work out not only a route for the Mopac connections, but consider other connections East and West for the near future.

The City, State and Federal government all have funds for new trails. The secret to getting funded is having a plan ready to go, that they community has created.

Neighborhood planning is kind of like a court settlement. If it comes from the judge, well, that's always going to be split donw the middle and the kind of compromise that nobody likes. If it comes from a mediation, it's more likely to work out to a win-win situation, and it's generally more sucessful in the long run.

That's why it's so important for SW Austin to develope and promote their own Master Plan, rather that wait to ssee where the cards fall, after the city planners and greedy land developers match wits with OUR neighborhoods.

Come share in the planning. Bring your ideas and hear some others. Leave with a few new friends with common interests.

Even in Park West, we have a two trail head connections that we have never discussed in detail. Why march all the way around the neighborhood, when you could just step into the park from the back of our own neighborhood ?

All it needs is some trail work and possibly a gate. Besides, a gate would help keep out stray deer and courious dogs or coyotes (one tried to dig under my fence just last night, and I'm not even on the Greenbelt !)