High speeds are one of the biggest killers on our roadways. As city officials tackle an uptick in traffic fatalities here in Austin, speed limits come up a lot. But it’s unlikely that city and state officials will be able to make significant changes to speed limits once everything is said and done. And there’s […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Vision Zero Plan passes through Mobility Committee, heads to City Council for final approval
Austin’s Vision Zero plan is heading to the full City Council for final approval next week with the blessing of the city’s Mobility Committee, which approved the plan Monday. At Monday’s meeting, Francis Reilly, who works in the Planning and Zoning Department told the Mobility Committee that traffic deaths are a public health problem, like […]
Posted inTransportation
To reduce traffic deaths, Austin envisions ending homelessness
Robert Lormond is standing on the corner of Ben White and Manchaca watching his friend Jerry. Two police officers have stopped him. “I called him across the street. I didn’t see a police officer and he jaywalked,” Lormond says. There are crosswalks on three of the four sides of this intersection, but Jerry cut across […]
Posted inTransportation
What exactly is a Vision Zero plan? And why does Austin need one?
One hundred and two people died on Austin’s roads in 2015 – the most ever recorded. More than 20 have met a similar fate so far this year. Nearly every death involved a car. Yet, in a city where 93 percent of households own a car, Francis Reilly does not. Reilly works in the city’s […]
Posted inTransportation
Prop 1 ride-hailing measure is soundly defeated
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft were dealt a stunning blow Saturday, as Austin voters rejected Proposition 1 by a 12-percent margin. The proposition, put on the ballot by a petition circulated by the political action committee backed by Uber and Lyft, would have repealed a city ordinance requiring fingerprint background checks for ride-hailing drivers. The […]
Posted inBicycles
Bond Oversight commissioners nix bike plan recommendation
Austin’s Bond Oversight Commission on Thursday evening voted down a proposed recommendation to City Council to consider placing on the November ballot a bond that would fund bicycle and sidewalk infrastructure. Chair Keri Burchard-Juarez, who was put on the commission by Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, scheduled the special meeting at 6 p.m. in downtown […]
Posted inTransportation
If Uber and Lyft leave, could others step up?
Unbeknownst to some, the city of Austin has licensed five ride-hailing companies for operation. In case you haven’t opened your mailbox or clicked on your TV recently, two of those companies — Uber and Lyft — are currently embroiled in a public vote over what regulations the companies should be subject to. “We can all […]
Posted inTransportation
CTRMA board gets up to speed on MoPac tolling
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority formally adopted a high-tech tolling policy on Tuesday after a discussion that revealed not all were fully up to speed on the MoPac Improvement Project. At its monthly meeting, the CTRMA board of directors voted unanimously to amend its policy code to include language that provides for variable tolling […]
Posted inBicycles
Travis County considers ambitious bicycle and pedestrian proposals
The Travis County Commissioners Court has flung itself into the ongoing conversation about funding bicycle infrastructure in Central Texas. On Tuesday, the court-appointed Bicycle Safety Task Force presented a long list of detailed proposals to enhance multimodal alternatives in unincorporated parts of the county. That list included a $3.3 million slate of specific projects to […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin’s Vision Zero plan begins final march to Council
The city of Austin’s Vision Zero plan continued its final parade through boards and commissions Monday with a visit to the Public Safety Commission. And while some commissioners were dissatisfied with the 94-page document, others had little to say. “About the only thing I can say is the pictures are pretty,” said Commissioner Mike Levy […]
Posted inBicycles
Bike Austin rallies toward transportation bond
More than 100 people gathered in front of City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to urge City Council to focus on investments in alternatives to automobile transportation. Hosted by Bike Austin, the rally was the latest step in the nonprofit’s effort to put a bond proposition on the November ballot that would fund $411 million worth […]
Posted inTransportation
Are Lyft’s free rides to the polls legal?
When she’s not driving for ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, Sara Kaminsky works as a personal trainer. In fact, I exited her Toyota Corolla with a brochure for Shakeology, a weight loss program that helped Kaminsky shed more than 100 pounds over two years. I confessed that I needed to get in shape. “I could […]