Stories by Jenny Blair
Bike signal debate triggers acrimony at Council
Some Austin City Council members grew irritated while debating the problems of bicycles at intersections and whether to accept grant money that could ease those problems at Thursday’s meeting. At issue was a proposal that the Austin Transportation Department accept $200,000…
Austin • By Jenny Blair • Feb 17, 2015
Transit priority lanes considered for the Drag
Close to half of all rush-hour travelers through the Drag may go by bus, and the busy corridor’s future may include dedicated bus lanes, commissioners learned at Tuesday’s Urban Transportation Commission meeting. The Austin Transportation Department is studying ways to improve…
Transportation • By Jenny Blair • Feb 13, 2015
Background checks for dog walkers ?
Fingerprinting and an eight-week wait for a background check … to walk shelter dogs? At Wednesday’s City Council budget work session, Council Member and mayoral candidate Mike Martinez noted that some would-be Austin Animal Center volunteers decide to help elsewhere…
Local Politics • By Jenny Blair • Aug 14, 2014
Ethics Review Commission dismisses complaint against Neslund
The Ethics Review Commission dismissed a complaint Tuesday night that Melissa Neslund should have registered as a lobbyist, after a hearing that chair Austin Kaplan called perhaps the board’s most contentious. A special called meeting of the commission weighed whether…
Local Politics • By Jenny Blair • Aug 13, 2014
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AURA accuses Project Connect of funding political ads for urban rail
Project Connect’s ubiquitous summer media spots about its proposed urban rail project have drawn fire from the transit activist group AURA, which calls the ads unethical. The group says the ads are a political advertising campaign funded by taxpayer dollars.…
Transportation • By Jenny Blair • Jul 30, 2014
Fix 290 calls CTRMA, TxDOT evaluation of Oak Hill Y plan ‘biased’
A representative of an Oak Hill community group is calling the criteria used to evaluate the Oak Hill Parkway Project – designed to improve the junction of SH 71 and US 290 – “subjective and biased.” Most Austinites know the…
Transportation • By Jenny Blair • Jul 8, 2014
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Council takes no action on move to remove Leffingwell from BCCP
Activists opposed to State Highway 45 Southwest lost a battle at Thursday’s City Council meeting when a motion died to replace Mayor Lee Leffingwell as chair of the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan’s Coordinating Committee. Council Member Kathie Tovo moved…
Environment • By Jenny Blair • Jun 27, 2014
Council members look for ways to shorten weekly meetings
Mindful of citizens forced to wait long hours to testify – and perhaps hoping to catch at least a few hours of sleep themselves – Austin City Council members hashed out ways Tuesday to end this Thursday’s meeting a little…
Local Politics • By Jenny Blair • Jun 25, 2014
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Leffingwell clashes with Morrison, Tovo on his position on SH45 SW
A testy exchange between Mayor Lee Leffingwell and several members at Tuesday’s Austin City Council work session put deep divisions about the proposed State Highway 45 Southwest on full display. Leffingwell found himself in the hot seat when colleagues…
Environment • By Jenny Blair • Jun 25, 2014
Capital Metro picks Endeavor Group for Plaza Saltillo development
The choice of a Plaza Saltillo developer came down to a nail-biter in the final minutes of the Capital Metro Transportation Authority board meeting Monday. In the end, the board chose Endeavor Real Estate Group and Columbus Realty Partners in…
Development • By Jenny Blair • Jun 24, 2014
LCRA Board raises rates for water customers through 2015
Water along the Colorado River Basin will get pricier, at least for customers who can still turn on the tap. The Lower Colorado River Authority’s Board of Directors voted unanimously Wednesday to raise rates for water customers. The rate…
Local Government • By Jenny Blair • Jun 19, 2014
Working group starts process of how to regulate rideshare companies
The mood swayed between optimism and frustration last Wednesday evening at the preliminary meeting of the Transportation Network Companies Working Group, where about 30 people from various transportation constituencies met to discuss ground rules for a conversation about how to…
Transportation • By Jenny Blair • Jun 18, 2014
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