The City of Austin is inviting participants in the South Austin Combined Neighborhood Plan to learn about neighborhood connectivity, bicycle route choice and potential for improvement in their area with a local bike ride and free cycling class Feb. 9.

Local business Bikealot, the City of Austin and the Austin Cycling Association are hosting an hour-long cycling and route choice class led by League of American Bicyclists instructors. After the class, attendees will begin their journey through South Manchaca and Westgate, two neighborhoods that are included in the SACNP planning area, according to Bikealot owner Brad Wimberly.

"At the conclusion of the ride, people will have a chance to give feedback on what they like about the area," Wimberly said. "I've lived around here for seven years and biked the area, so I've been able to give feedback on the route."

Wimberly said the route will likely pass through the Crockett Center shopping complex and possibly detour out of the planning area to pass the Sunset Valley Farmers' Market.

"I see it as somewhat of a brainstorming ride to get people to come out and ride the roads together with somebody from the City of Austin," he said.

City Planner Francis Reilly said he will be co-teaching the cycling class and participating in the bike ride, which was organized based on interest expressed in surveys and at the project's first meeting earlier this year.

The city initiated the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan in 2008 to direct Austin's growth and redevelopment for the next 30 years. The SACNP is an Imagine Austin planning area consisting of the Westgate, South Manchaca and Garrison Park neighborhoods. As part of the yearlong neighborhood planning process, residents and property owners in that area meet with city staff and identify where they want to see development.

At the initial workshop, local residents and business owners identified physical liabilities, assets and opportunities in different parts of the planning area, and the route is organized around those locations so that participants can stop and discuss them, Reilly said.

"People really want to be able to walk and bike in their neighborhood," he said, noting the bike ride will give residents a chance to consider neighborhood connectivity from a cyclist's perspective. "The way you experience your neighborhood is going to be different depending on whether you're walking, driving or biking."

Reilly said attendees are encouraged to bring cameras to photograph what they like about their neighborhood as well as areas for improvement. As part of the SACNP, the city is organizing a photo safari through which local residents can help city planners understand the neighborhood better through photographs.

The cycling class begins at 9 a.m. Feb. 9 at Bikealot, 4418 Pack Saddle Pass, and the bike ride is expected to last until about 11 a.m.