Let some council members know that sidewalks are not an option and that cyclists are a voice that need to be heard in this city.

Tangential suggestion:

If you are confident and have the traffic & bike handling skills to ride in traffic, I respectfully suggest that you may wish to consider taking the lane, even if there is a bike lane, if/when/where it may be safer for you to do so. My reading of code suggests that if you perceive a safety hazard posed by riding in a bike lane, it is legal for you to take the R traffic lane (note that if you do so, you may not pass other vehicles on the right). Example: there's no way in hell I'll ride down S. Congress in the bike lane N. of Oltorf (bus stop) b/c I can't see if a back-angle parked driver is about to pull out in front of me. I make it perfectly obvious that's what I'm watching for, & drivers seem to respect that.

Also, if a R traffic lane is less than 14' wide, you are legally granted permission to take that lane even if there is a bike lane. You don't need a reason, legally. If you can't or choose not to ride as traffic with all that entails, subject to laws that pertain to all vehicles, this is probably not a good option for you. So long as you are in forward motion when traffic is in motion, you are not, per code, obstructing traffic. But personally, if I can't ride a section fast enough to prevent a line of cars from crawling behind me I get in the bike lane if doing so is safe.

And it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if all concerned called their council representative to request better maintenance of bike lane surfaces & to report and request that particularly dangerous segments of bike lanes be examined & that the hazard should be minimized. Here are your council members' contact info. If you don't know what district you live in, or want info. about another district, use this.

/r/BikingATX Thread Link - austinonabike.com