In what promises to make a huge splash in Austin’s furious discussion of Proposition 1, ride-hailing giant Uber now says it could soon pull out of Houston. In a letter to Houston’s City Council dated today, Uber Houston General Manager Sarfraz Maredia claimed that regulations in that city “are some of the most burdensome in […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Audit pinpoints Transportation Department trouble
Austin’s top local transportation official is taking in stride a newly released report from the city auditor that finds plenty of room for improvement on city transportation initiatives. Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar said he wasn’t surprised by any of the four key findings revealed in the Transportation Effectiveness Audit, which was presented to the […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin Monitor Radio: Transportation BBB
This is the recording of our April 5 transportation discussion with State Senator Kirk Watson and Austin City Council Member Ann Kitchen. Post is embedded below. The evening was sponsored by the Downtown Austin Alliance. Austin Monitor Radio is brought to you by Austin Water. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/260635507″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inTransportation
The tricky art of linking Uber and Lyft to DWI drop
In both sides of the tug of war over what rules should govern ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft in Austin, everyone seems to agree that having more transportation options is a potential antidote for DWIs. “We are safer in this community if we have ride-share companies operating at scale,” Mayor Steve Adler told the Austin […]
Posted inBicycles
Bike Austin hopes to break cycle of inequity, congestion
Advocates of two-wheeled and two-footed transportation alternatives are building momentum in their campaign to put millions of dollars in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements on the November ballot. More than a dozen people testified in favor of funding the city of Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan and Urban Trails Master Plan at the Bond Oversight Commission’s […]
Posted inRoads
Transportation Department rolls with punches at polka-dotted intersection
A small Austin Transportation Department project that attracted worldwide headlines earlier this year has had a bumpier road than originally anticipated. The polka-dotted intersection at East Sixth and Waller streets in East Austin became a minor sensation when crews first put it together back in January. The colorful design scored plaudits for keeping Austin weird […]
Posted inTransportation
Current city law not followed by Uber and Lyft drivers
Eduardo Gutierrez picked me up in his Ford Crown Victoria. I knew the make of his car and his license plate, plus I had an idea of what he looked like. But no sticker or emblem on Gutierrez’s car alerted me to the fact that he is an Uber driver. In this respect, according to […]
Posted inTransportation
Cab driver background checks go national
For once, rules batted around on the dais did not concern Uber and Lyft drivers. City Council members Thursday approved nationwide criminal background checks for would-be chauffeur permit holders – those authorized to drive taxicabs, pedicabs, limos or city charter buses. It’s another step in what has been a lengthy attempt to align the regulations […]
Posted inTransit
Mobility Committee votes to explore transit priority
The City Council Mobility Committee on Wednesday put its imprimatur on an effort to enhance transit service on city roadways. With a vote of 3-0, Council members Ann Kitchen, Delia Garza and Sheri Gallo endorsed a proposed resolution that calls on city staff to develop recommendations for a transit priority policy. Council Member Don Zimmerman […]
Posted inRoads
East Austin superhighway breaks ground
Scores of people gathered on the northern banks of the Colorado River in East Austin on Wednesday morning to watch the ceremonial birth of a massive new roadway expansion effort. Through the distant white noise of fast-moving traffic zipping along on three overhead bridges, the crowd heard Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority officials lavish praise […]
Posted inRoads
Discount program aims to detour truckers around Austin
The Texas Transportation Commission voted on Thursday to give cross-state truckers extra incentive to avoid Austin’s notoriously congested stretch of Interstate 35. With only one dissenting voice, the five-person commission – a board of gubernatorial appointees that oversees the Texas Department of Transportation – gave the green light to a temporary discount program to lure […]
Posted inRoads
Massive road expansion bears down on Austin’s east side
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will officially turn the dirt next week on one of the largest locally financed infrastructure projects in the region’s history. Unlike other CTRMA projects – including the MoPac Improvement Project, MoPac South and State Highway 45 Southwest – the 183 South Project has largely progressed with little public controversy. […]