Boy’s Bike Crash and a Father’s Frustration: City Urged to Improve Safety of Springdale Road

By Noemi Castanon

Reporting Texas

Nabil Ezzarhouni and his son Rumi were headed home from their afternoon bike ride through the Southern Walnut Creek trail in January when a car hit the 7-year-old  at the intersection of Lyons and Springdale roads.

“I’m OK. I’m OK,” was the first thing Rumi said after being hit. 

Austin police and emergency services quickly arrived, checked Rumi and determined that while he had suffered bruises and scrapes, he did not need hospitalization.

Father and son had been biking around their Govalle neighborhood ever since they moved to Austin in 2019 and had never had such a scare. But Austin bicycle safety advocates warn that the road can be dangerous and have urged the city to make it safer, especially with the expansion of the nearby trail system popular with cyclists and pedestrians.

“We love going through the Walnut Creek trail,” Ezzarhouni said.

The trail is among Austin’s most popular destinations for runners, hikers and bike riders. With more than 7.3 miles of multi-use trails, its paved path rolls by trees, flatland, soft hills and along the picturesque Walnut Creek in East Austin.

But most people using the trail have to brave the streets to get there, and road risks need to be addressed more effectively, Ezzarhouni said.

 “We need to ensure bikes are safe and have the right to be driven around without having to take a chance,” he said. 

Austin has invested over $1.3 billion since 2016 to transform its roads for bike safety, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works. But accidents like the one involving little Rumi are common. In 2025, cars seriously injured 22 cyclists, and five cyclists. So far this year, three bikers have been seriously injured, according to Vision Zero dashboard of traffic safety. 

The goal of Vision Zero is to eliminate injuries and deaths from traffic crashes. The division of the city’s department of transportation and public works redesigns streets to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers 

Various organizations in the city, including Safe Streets Austin, Bike Texas and Ghisallo, advocate for bicyclist safety in different ways. 

“We need to make sure our streets are designed in a way that doesn’t encourage people to drive quickly,” said Adam Greenfield, interim executive director of Safe Streets. 

Bike Texas led efforts to pass the Lisa Torry Smith Act in 2021, which requires cars to stop for bicyclists. Previously, there was a requirement to yield for pedestrians, but no reference to bicyclists.

Bike Texas is located behind Springdale Road in East Austin, where executive director Robin Stallings said he has witnessed multiple crashes. 

“The biggest problem is the speed of the traffic on Springdale Road because there is no signal between Airport and Seventh Street, so there is no break in the traffic,” Stallings said.   

Ezzarhouni contacted the City Council about Rumi’s wreck and the dangers on Springdale Road. 

“​​Council Member Velásquez is aware of this situation,” said Jaqueline Hermosillo, spokeswoman for Council Member José Velásquez. “Staff from Transportation and Public Works are scheduled to meet with the child’s parent.” 

City staffers told Ezzarhouni that they would have to collect data on that intersection to see what could be done to introduce more safety measures. 

“It is unfortunate that it would require that extreme data rather than recognizing it is a dangerous area,” said Derek Hensen of the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative.

Ghisallo focuses on teaching bicyclists different methods of staying alert when biking and recognizing their surroundings. 

Stallings said the city has already designed a safer crossing at Springdale Road because planners expect more bike traffic once the Walnut Creek trail connects with the Boggy Creek Bridge. The city has not announced when construction will begin, however.

“How many more fatalities and severe injuries do you think there need to be before we put in a traffic signal?” Stallings said. 

“We cross, walking our dog at least once a day there, and it’s very dangerous,” said Govalle neighborhood resident Chad Schexnayder. “Some cars will actually speed up if you are in the intersection.” 

Several crashes have also occurred in recent years at the intersection of Springdale and Bolm roads, just down from the Lyons Road intersection, according to city data. Safety measures are yet to be set in place.

Getting funds for improving the street’s safety is the issue, according to an Austin Transportation and Public Works official. 

“The Urban Trails team has reviewed the intersection of Springdale and Bolm Road and has scoped some potential improvements, but no funding source has been identified at this time,” said John Eastman, Sidewalks and Urban Trails Division manager of Austin Transportation and Public Works, through an email response.

Greenfield said the cost of fixing roads is a bargain compared with the expenses added up from ambulance fees, hospitalization costs and possible lawsuits.

“It is actually very expensive for people to get killed and seriously injured — as well as immoral,” Greenfield said.

Hensen teaches all age groups, ranging from children to seniors. He tells them that when you are riding, you are not alone.

“You’re not riding a bike in isolation. When riding in a group, we are a set interacting with other sets in the world. A set of cars, pedestrians, scooters,”  Hensen said. “They exist in relationship with other vehicles, bikes, and people, and to be using all your senses is important.”

Fifty to 70% of all crashes can be avoided by improving the safety of drivers, according to Preston Tyree, former education director of the League of American Cyclists, now a member of Safe Streets Austin. 

“We use an acronym called ACE: ability, condition, equipment,” Tyree said.

Tyree asks bicyclists to know their skill level and to ask how comfortable they are with the route they are taking. He urges riders to make sure that their bike is in proper condition and that they have the right safety gear, equipment such as a helmet and lights.

“We plan on getting a new helmet and doing some more biking with some slightly changed rules to ensure safety,” Ezzarhouni said.