The Future of Shoal Creek Boulevard

One of Shoal Creek Boulevard's "Frankencurbs," slated for removal (Photo By John Anderson)

At a meeting to determine the post-Frankencurb future of Shoal Creek Boulevard, held Saturday by the city's public works department, area residents and bicyclists deliberated over 10 different possible configurations. Among the meeting's two finalist designs, variations on the current striping configuration (four 10-foot lanes with the outer two as multipurpose lanes) received 260 votes, while the option of allowing parking on the road's east side only and including car-free bike lanes on either side garnered 174, Public Works director Sondra Creighton said. Bicyclists balked at the possibility of another missed opportunity for designated bike facilities on the popular north-south route, but the outcome will ultimately depend on balloting participation, possible through local transportation cycling site www.bicycleaustin.info and the Austin Cycling Association's www.austincycling.org. Creighton said attendees were pleased to hear that sidewalks would be added and that aggressive APD speed-management would be pursued, adding that some lingering support for the existing curb islands was voiced. Voting will begin by hand-delivered ballot in the Allandale and Rosedale neighborhoods, as well as online, next week. The results are headed for the city's Land Use and Transportation subcommittee Nov. 8 and for the full council Dec. 1.