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New study names the most dangerous road for Austin cyclists

What Austin road is deemed the most dangerous for cyclists? According to a new study it's...

AUSTIN - A new study considers Guadalupe Street near downtown to be the most dangerous place to ride a bike in Austin.

Rubens Kress & Mulholland released the study this month. They looked at cities with populations of 500,000 or more, and for Austin, it was Guadalupe from Cesar Chavez to North Lamar Boulevard that proved to be the most dangerous.

The nearly five-mile stretch of roadway they looked at serves students and the rest of the Downtown Austin community.

"You've got the whole university,” said Robin Stalling with Bike Texas. “You're very close to downtown and the capitol and a lot of people bike to those destinations. This is a very dynamic street that people are attracted to."

According to riders, Guadalupe between 24th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. is the best part of the road since it's a protected bike lane, but the same can't be said for the rest of the street.

“I'll avoid it at all costs, honestly,” said Jessica Plasters, a bicyclist.

Plasters said she'll do anything to keep from going down Guadalupe near 34th Street.

“Since there's no barriers and the bike lane is so thin and the traffic is so busy all the time, I just don't feel safe on it,” said Plasters.

The good news is the City of Austin is planning to improve part of this road. With funding from the 2016 Mobility Bond, the city will specifically focus on Guadalupe from 29th to MLK, converting the outside lane in each direction to dedicated bus lanes to create more space for cyclists.

Meanwhile, Plasters hopes the city will consider increasing the separation between cars and bicyclists.

“Physical barriers are what make me feel the most safe riding my bike,” said Plasters.

According to The Wall Street Journal, hit-and-run crash deaths are rising nationwide, and pedestrians and bicyclists account for close to 70 percent of the victims.

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