Members of the Mobility Committee heard an argument Thursday for implementing a program that would increase enforcement of vehicles blocking bike lanes in hopes of making the streets safer for cyclists. Though the committee made no action regarding the future of the “bike lane bounty” program, City Council members who sit on the committee appeared to […]
Samuel Stark
Posted inRoads
UTC calls TxDOT proposal to expand I-35 ‘just so weak’
Urban Transportation commissioners voiced their continuing concerns Tuesday about the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans to reconstruct and expand the portion of Interstate 35 that goes through Austin’s downtown. TxDOT is currently studying the environmental impacts of the two design options it has left – Build Alternative 2 and Updated Build Alternative 3 – and is scheduled […]
Posted inCity Council
Council postpones vote on controversial license plate reader resolution
Nearly 40 people showed up at the City Council meeting last Thursday either to voice their concerns or show their support for the re-implementation of the Austin Police Department’s automated license plate reader program, which has proven to be an incendiary issue for Austinites. Reinstating the program would cost $114,775 and use around 20 cameras […]
Posted inTransit
Two more Texas towns are considering leaving Capital Metro
Two more Austin suburbs – Lago Vista and Manor – have decided to hold an election this November to determine whether to pull out of their partnerships with the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. These elections follow Leander’s vote in May, where residents ultimately decided to stay with the transit organization. “Council, we have had several […]
Posted inTransit
Advocates continue the fight for free transportation for Austin’s unhoused
The start of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s monthly board of directors meeting yesterday had a different feel than usual. Typically, a few speakers may approach the podium to speak in support of or against an item on the agenda. Yesterday, however, advocates and members of Austin’s unhoused community packed the Rosa Parks Boardroom to implore Capital Metro to […]
Posted inDevelopment
Parks board raises concerns over Statesman PUD proposal, calling it ‘not superior’
The Parks and Recreation Board said Wednesday that the highly anticipated mixed-used development plan composed of several buildings on the former Austin American-Statesman lot does not do enough to protect the iconic space in front of the Congress Avenue Bridge. In a unanimous recommendation to City Council, the parks board said the proposal does not fulfill […]
Posted inParks
Parks board continues talks about alleviating ‘flagrant’ violations of leash laws
Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board recommended Monday to create more fenced off-leash dog areas in the hopes of decreasing the rising number of citizens allowing their dogs to roam parklands leash-free where they are not permitted to do so. Austin currently has only 13 off-leash dog areas. “This off-leash dog issue has just kind of evolved […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro struggles to recruit and retain more bus operators
Late last year, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority raised the starting hourly wage for bus drivers to $22/hour and kicked in a $5,000 signing bonus for qualified candidates with a commercial driver’s license. But despite these perks, the transit organization is having trouble hiring enough bus drivers to fill all available positions. “Generally, we’re gaining about […]
Posted inTransportation
Data tracking electric scooter collisions still incomplete
If you’re an Austinite living within a few miles of downtown, there’s a good chance you know of someone who has been in an electric scooter crash, sustaining anything from a few scrapes to a much more serious injury. Though scooter crashes and injuries occur with regularity around the city, there is currently no standardized […]
Posted inEducation
Crossing guard shortage persists as school start date nears
“Let’s go crossing now, everybody’s learning how, looking left and right with me,” crossing guard Jimmy McCord sang to the tune of the Beach Boys hit “Surfin’ Safari.” “I’m a bit of an entertainer,” he noted. This is just one of the songs Boone Elementary students may hear while safely crossing the street to school […]
Posted inTransportation
Mobility committee hears the case for remotely piloted delivery robots
The colorful little robots roaming the streets of Austin, delivering burritos and fried chicken, are likely not going anywhere soon. If anything, this might only be the beginning of the era of robotic delivery. At least that was the sentiment at the City Council Mobility Committee meeting Thursday when the Transportation Department gave a presentation […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin explores increasing traffic enforcement to reduce growing fatalities
In a memo sent Wednesday, Austin’s police and transportation departments updated City Council on strategies to reduce an increasing number of severe crashes and fatalities on the city’s streets and highways. In 2021, there was the highest number of traffic fatalities on record, and 2022 is on track to surpass it, according to the memo. […]