Austin B-cycle is making it easier for UT students to bike between classes. The city-backed bike-sharing nonprofit cut the ribbon on five new stations inside the Forty Acres on Wednesday. Another four stations also opened in West Campus. The expansion brings B-cycle’s local inventory up to 63 stations and 520 bikes. In addition to the […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inTransportation
In bid to save taxicabs, city proposes remaking them in rivals’ image
The Austin Transportation Department has gone public with a set of proposals aimed at saving the local taxicab industry by radically transforming it. Acting Mobility Services Division Manager Jacob Culberson told the Urban Transportation Commission on Tuesday evening that ride-hailing transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft are existential threats to the conventional taxi […]
Posted inTransit
Project Connect draft plan makes premature debut
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube after a draft version of its proposed Project Connect system plan found its way online Monday evening. The plan, which features an ambitious combination of light rail, bus rapid transit, regional commuter rail, and possibly even a downtown streetcar, was […]
Posted inWhispers
City hires first robot car czar
The Austin Transportation Department has hired Jason JonMichael to serve as its new assistant director of smart mobility. A press release announcing the news touts JonMichael as “a transportation technology expert with specialized experience in connected, automated, and electric vehicle research, deployment, and program development.” He apparently gained some of this experience at his most […]
Posted inWhispers
Adler locks down No. 2 position at CAMPO
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board added a brand-new title to Mayor Steve Adler’s business card on Monday evening. With a unanimous vote, the board tapped Adler to serve a two-year term as its vice chair. He replaces Bastrop County Commissioner Clara Beckett, who had served in the role since 2014. A […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 2.13.18
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s Office hosts a copy at its website. 8. Receive presentation on the 2016 Travis County Snapshot from the American Community Survey. (Commissioners Shea & Gómez) Monitor’s Take: Everyone […]
Posted inTransportation
Contra-flow lane eyed as solution to up-up, down-down lurching of traffic at MLK
While plans to dedicate two lanes on the Drag to transit have been shelved for the moment, city planners hope to tweak another bus bottleneck on the Guadalupe Street corridor using 2016 mobility bond money. Tucked away in the proposed Corridor Construction Program – the laundry list of $450 million in projects aimed for nine […]
Posted inTravis County
In State of the County address, Eckhardt looks forward to future term
With no credible threat to her re-election in November, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt delivered a State of the County address on Thursday night that had the luxury of looking a full five years into the future. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, her tightly packed address raked across the broader yard of county […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
City unveils proposed Corridor Construction Program
The long-awaited proposed Corridor Construction Program, the road map to Mayor Steve Adler’s Smart Corridor Plan that he’s now touting as potentially “genius,” is finally out of the stable. The city’s Corridor Program Office has been working to develop the program voters approved in the record $720 million mobility bond in November 2016 that set […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Airbus’ protest at Commissioners Court crashes and burns
The Travis County Commissioners Court shot down a protest leveled by aircraft manufacturer Airbus over the county’s selection process for a new fleet of STAR Flight helicopters. A team of officials from the company’s helicopter division showed up to the court’s regular voting session on Tuesday to challenge the reasoning behind the county’s choice last […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 2.6.18
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s Office hosts a copy at its website. 4. Receive update on Pretrial Services operations. (Commissioners Daugherty & Gómez) Monitor’s Take: Turns out those ankle bracelets that some folks […]
Posted inBicycles
Council approves dockless bike-share pilot and expansion of Austin B-cycle
City Council on Thursday approved the creation of a pilot program that will allow private companies to put their on-demand rental bikes on city-owned right of way throughout the city. The vote on the pilot was one of three actions Council took based on recommendations made by Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar that also included […]