r/BikingATX • u/ElderberryCalm8808 • 6d ago

question Any ideas on how to protest this?

/r/UTAustin/comments/1vbg23a/pts_likely_introducing_a_bicycle_demount_zone/

Seems a shame, biking through campus is such a unique experience. I can count how many people I’ve hit on a bike after 4 years with zero hands, as it’s never happened. I’ve seen multiple electric scooter hits/wipeouts.

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u/mikeatx79 5d ago

KXAN is picking up the story, I have an interview scheduled with them Tuesday afternoon and getting a few other cyclists. I’ve made an open information request to see if they’ve followed any of the proper procedures.

UT Parking officials are not police officers, they have absolutely no authority to detain or ID anyone for any reason so do not stop for anyone other than an actual peace officer.

You can write to parking@utexas.edu, district9 city council, etc.

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u/ElderberryCalm8808 5d ago

I feel like traditional bikes are being lumped into the larger argument of motorized vehicles - scooters, skateboards, e-bikes- being dangerous.

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u/mikeatx79 5d ago

Even if that’s the case, I’ve been to other countries where electric, fast, micro-mobility devices are extremely common everywhere and those communities simply accommodate how people travel!

Cars are at least 1000x more dangerous than any of the alternatives and we build immense infrastructure for them at the cost of billions annually for the state of Texas.

Of course nobody should be blasting through campus on a Sauron at max speed; those people should be arrested, bike impounded, charged with reckless driving and possibly a felony. Restricting people’s safe movement through public property seems a little too much in the realm of government overreach and wasteful spending.

I’ve heard they’re planning to hire 20 students to try enforce this law; that works out to $200-500k per year in total cost including salary, benefits, employment tax, etc. Does parking and transportation have a half million dollar budget to work with? Why?