This site is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of one of Austin's best places to bicycle and skate - The Veloway.

The Veloway is southwest Austin's first trail exclusively for bicycles and rollerblading. Located on more than 100 acres in the Slaughter Creek Metropolitan Park, the Veloway is a 3.1 mile paved asphalt loop 23 feet wide. It is totally free of motorized traffic. Riders ride in a one-way clockwise direction. Helmets are highly recommended and required for kids. The trail is open from dawn to dusk. The trail can be accessed from Loop 1 Mopac, about a mile south of Slaughter Lane, or from Bowie High School on Slaughter during non-school hours.

A brief anecdotal history of The Veloway: For more details and probably some important corrections of folklore, you'll need to do some research, perhaps searching the records of the Austin American Statesman (www.statesman.com) and the Austin Chronicle (www.auschron.com). The Veloway has controversial roots. One of Austin's prized natural features is a spring fed pool known as Barton Springs. Barton Springs is filled year round with almost unbearably cold water and has provided a much needed respite from our brutal summers for thousands of years. The watershed that feeds the aquifer that fills the Springs is a relatively attractive rolling land with small trees and brush. Only sparsely developed in the early 80's, the land in southwest Austin above the aquifer became the target of development, some chaotic and some well-planned. One of the best planned developments created during the boom years of the 80's was Circle C. The mastermind behind Circle C is Gary Bradley, who is either the devil incarnate or the most forward thinking community creator to ever live in Texas. Circle C incorporated many unique features for its time, including a wonderful swimming facility, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Veloway. Much to the consternation of the road cyclists of Austin, public money that had been earmarked for creation of urban bike lanes was diverted to help fund Gary Bradley's bike path way out in the middle of nowhere serving his subdivision's residents, who weren't even in the city limits at the time.

Aerial photos used by written permission from Keyhole. See www.keyhole.com for more info.

Fast-forward 15 years and you'll find the Veloway becoming surrounded by development. The rapid loss of bike friendly roads makes its existence seem most fortunate, even to those who pooh pooh the idea of riding a short 3 mile loop over and over again. A decision was made a while back to allow the rollerbladers to legally use the facility ... they now comprise about half the users. Thanks largely to the in-line skaters, the recently accomplished repaving of the Veloway is a wonderfully smooth surface with very little rolling resistance. I am missing some of the critical details you might want to know, but the big picture is that a combination of optimistic investors, over-reaching developers, political opportunists, and creative visionaries gave the citizens of Austin a great recreational resource that, unfortunately, might outlive our constantly threatened Barton Springs.

Important news for Veloway users: the City of Austin repaved the Veloway in 2004. You will now find an excellent surface for both cycling and skating.

The water fountain at the Veloway is usually working. Remember to bring ample water just in case! (Also, as the heat of the summer continues, the fountain water starts to get pretty warm.)

Please send your comments to the City of Austin Parks Department at parks@ci.austin.tx.us or call them at 512-974-6700.

Photos can be found on our album page: www.veloway.com/velowayalbum

News regarding in-line skating activities and maintenance issues can be found at www.austininline.com .

Veloway.com webmaster, Lansing Pugh. To contact. please email lansing <then type the normal at sign > lansingpugh.com