COVID-19 update

Austin farmers markets remain open with strict COVID-19 precautions

Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller is open for business.

Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller/Facebook

Fed up with shopping for food at jam-packed grocery stores? Fortunately, you’ve got an option in Austin — farmers markets.

On March 17, the City of Austin banned community gatherings of 10 people or more to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. But the order exempts farmers markets, as well as grocery stores, big-box stores, warehouse stores, gas stations, and food pantries.

As such, at least five weekly markets — operated by the Barton Creek Farmers Market, Sustainable Food Center (SFC), and Texas Farmers Market — remain open as “critical healthy food access points.” They are:

Barton Creek Farmers Market, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., open 9 am-1pm Saturdays
SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown, 422 Guadalupe St., open 9 am-1 pm Saturdays
SFC Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley, 3200 Jones Rd., open 9 am-1 pm Saturdays
Texas Farmers’ Market at Lakeline, 11200 Lakeline Mall Dr., 9 am-1 pm Saturdays
Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller, 4209 Airport Blvd., open 10 am-2 pm Sundays

Some vendors are taking preorders for fruits, vegetables, and other food for on-site pickup.

While some markets remain open, SoCo Select Farmers and Makers Market and Farmshare Austin’s mobile markets have temporarily shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The farmers markets that are open won’t look the same as they normally do, though.

For instance, Texas Farmers’ Market says that in an effort to promote social distancing, it has canceled special events, compost drop-offs, music performances, and on-site food consumption. In addition, it has changed how the vendors are arranged.

“All food will be packaged to go, and we ask that you pick up your products and leave,” Texas Farmers’ Market tells shoppers. “Do not idle at the market, and do not consume any food or beverages on site.”

Similarly, SFC’s markets have temporarily eliminated activities and events, on-site dining, café areas and food sampling, and self-service.

“Don’t greet anyone at the market with hugs or handshakes,” SFC reminds patrons.

In terms of making purchases, SFC and Texas Farmers’ Market caution against handing payments directly to vendors. Instead, you should put cash or a credit card on a vendor’s table, and then let the vendor pick it up.

“If you are able, we encourage you to set up Apple Pay on your smartphone before you arrive and use this as a payment method,” Texas Farmers’ Market advises. “If you do use this method of payment, please sanitize your phone before you arrive and after you leave the market.”

The market urges anybody who’s not feeling well to stay home.

“We encourage everyone who is healthy and feels safe to visit our farmers markets in order to procure healthy, local food from area farmers, ranchers, and small businesses,” Texas Farmers Market says.

For its part, Barton Creek Farmers Market has added hand-sanitizing stations and is regularly sanitizing common areas. It asks customers to use credit cards, rather than cash.

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share the road

Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Justin Wallace on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in Austin, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Austin, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling-friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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