Dedication of Chris Riley Bend

[Spencer John Schumacher]

Good Afternoon All, 

Councilmember Ryan Alter's office asked me to pass along their ordinance for the May 30th Council Meeting (Item 106) "naming a segment of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt Trail located between West Avenue and 5th Street as 'Chris Riley Bend.'" They are hoping to organize a group to come down to support the ordinance around 1 PM. They only need one or two people to speak and the rest just to show their support in-person. Adam Greenfield with Safe Streets Austin (cc'ed here) has volunteered coordinate the speakers, his number is 415-731-1139. 

For those of you that are familiar with former Councilmember Chris Riley, you will know there is no one more deserving of this honor. For those of you unfamiliar, Chris Riley served as an Austin City Council Member from 2009 to 2015. He also was the longtime President of Bike Austin and was instrumental in founding its successor organization, Safe Streets Austin. In his time as an Austin City Council Member Chris Riley was instrumental in making Austin the first city in Texas to pass a Safe Passing Ordinance, the passage of the Bicycle Master Plan, and laying the groundwork for our All Ages and Abilities Network. He also helped ensure the City continued to work with the Bicycle Advisory Council and (the then newly formed) Pedestrian Advisory Council. Outside of City Council, Riley was also a co-founder of the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association and was a former Chair of both the Downtown Commission and Planning Commission. 

To put it shortly, anyone who has ever rode a bicycle in the City of Austin owes Chris Riley a debt of gratitude for his lifetime of service.  

Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there but I wanted to pass along the opportunity to those who would like to participate. Hopefully I will see you all on the Chris Riley Bend soon! 

All the best, 

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Spencer Schumacher

He/Him

Executive Director of the Innovation and Technology Caucus of the Texas Legislature 

spe...@itcaucus.com

Chair of the City of Austin Bicycle Advisory Council

spencers...@utexas.edu

Commissioner for District 9 of the City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission 

bc-spencer...@austintexas.gov

Member of the City of Austin Downtown Commission 

bc-spencer...@austintexas.gov

[Thomas Thayer]

I won't be able to make it either, but it is well-deserved. My first encounter with Chris was not bike-related but when he was serving on the Cap Metro Board. I was concerned about a bus route they were proposing to eliminate, e-mailed all of the board members, and showed up at the next board meeting. Chris was the only board member to pay attention to my e-mail, and he addressed the issue with staff and found a workable solution that he presented to the Board. In addition to being a tireless advocate, he was always a very responsive public servant.

Tom Thayer

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