The long-delayed report that will recommend giving two lanes of Austin’s iconic Drag entirely to buses is near the finish line, according to Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar. “If these improvements are to be considered for funding, we’ve got to get them out the door,” Spillar said of the Guadalupe Street Corridor Improvement Program’s final […]
Transportation
Posted inTransit
TxDOT document reveals limp projections for I-35 bus plan
The Texas Department of Transportation has projected less than stellar ridership numbers for a proposed enhanced bus line on I-35, but a top Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority official says he isn’t losing any sleep over it. On Wednesday, Capital Metro Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development Todd Hemingson unloaded on the prediction that the […]
Posted inRoads
Daugherty set to ruffle feathers with Reimers-Peacock push
Tuesday could be a bumpy ride for Reimers-Peacock Road. The long-planned connector between Hamilton Pool Road and State Highway 71 is set to play a featured role in the Travis County Commissioners Court’s expected final discussion of project recommendations for a November bond vote. The staff-endorsed list of recommendations – which includes roadway, bicycle, sidewalk, […]
Posted inTransportation
Robot car revolution could usurp tens of millions of dollars from city coffers
With no cars to park, whither the parking fees? That question is one of many that the city of Austin will have to answer as it prepares for a possible future where personal car ownership is replaced by shared fleets of fully automated electric vehicles. “This is not a problem tomorrow,” Austin Transportation Director Rob […]
Posted inTransportation
Capital Metro blames cheap parking for one sector of ridership declines
The University of Texas isn’t the only institution of higher education whose students are turning cold on public transit. On Monday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors learned that a partnership with Austin Community College has seen dwindling fortunes since its launch at the beginning of the decade. Since the spring of 2011, […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to lose its head
Linda Watson, the president and chief executive officer of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will step down at the end of 2017. The agency made the announcement through a press release sent out just before 5 p.m. on Monday, just hours after the board of directors wrapped up its monthly meeting by awarding Watson with […]
Posted inTransportation
Pedestrian Safety Action Plan open for public comment
Austin’s road to eliminating traffic deaths will involve more planning and at least one new tool in the toolbox according to the draft version of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. The document – itself a recommendation of the Vision Zero Action Plan adopted by City Council more than a year ago – provides 21 recommendations […]
Posted inTransportation
At Capital Metro’s Traffic Jam, Adler brings the noise
Mayor Steve Adler’s plan for the next big transportation funding package is a new way forward indeed. On Wednesday night, at a large public engagement event meant to highlight the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ongoing Project Connect process, Adler suggested that the plan would dwarf the historic $720 million package that voters approved last year. […]
Posted inBicycles
B-cycle is expanding. So why are all the new stations near downtown?
B-cycle, Austin’s bike-share system, recently added three new stations as part of an 18-station build up over the next 18 months. All of these new stations will be close to or in downtown, adding to the company’s existing 51 docks. An expansion might seem like an opportunity to finally build a station outside of B-cycle’s […]
Posted inTransportation
TxDOT pressures Capital Metro to act fast on I-35 transit
Time is running out for the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority to decide whether it will commit millions toward a vision that could bring dedicated transit infrastructure to I-35. At a board of directors work session on Tuesday, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development Todd Hemingson reported that the Texas Department of Transportation’s timeline for […]
Posted inTransportation
Capital Metro could get into the ‘smart city’ game
Austin’s transit agency is working toward a pilot project that would use wireless technology to complement its bus service and bolster multimodal options in downtown. Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief Information Officer Joe Iannello confirmed to the Austin Monitor recently that the agency is in talks with a group of private firms and one nonprofit […]
Posted inTransportation
Council members walk the walk on new bond-funded project
Mayor Steve Adler and two City Council colleagues celebrated the first sidewalk to be funded by 2016 Mobility Bond money by taking a walk on it Thursday morning. Joined by Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and Council Member Greg Casar, Adler and about two dozen city staffers, residents, activists and members of the media strolled […]