Lone Star Rail District representatives have revealed new details about a proposed passenger rail corridor between Georgetown and South San Antonio — with several stops in Austin — and are asking the city to amend an interlocal agreement that City Council approved last December. The proposed LSTAR commuter service would utilize the current Union Pacific freight line […]
Transportation
Posted inPreservation, Transit
Landmark Commission delays fate of Pine Street
The future of East Austin’s Pine Street Station will remain in limbo for at least another month after last week’s postponement of a grass-roots bid for historic landmark designation. Though the Historic Landmark Commission again discussed the buildings at Fifth and Waller streets, the case was postponed again. Following public outcry about the proposed demolition […]
Posted inMonitor News & Media, Radio, Transportation
Austin Monitor Radio, show 25: TNCs
Monitor reporter Tyler Whitson joins publisher Mike Kanin to talk TNCs with the City of Austin’s Gordon Derr and Carlton Thomas as well as UT Professor Kara Kockelman to talk transportation networking companies. The show is posted below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178038192″ 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 inAustin, Elections, Transit, Transportation
Martinez to pitch bus rapid transit investments
City Council Member and Austin mayoral candidate Mike Martinez is looking to pitch multiple bus rapid transit lines as the next major transportation investment for the area. In an interview with the Monitor, Martinez nodded to the work done by Project Connect – efforts that led to a $600 million rail bond question that was […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Transportation
Long road ahead for TNC ordinance
Since City Council approved an ordinance in mid-October that would legalize transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft, city staff has been hard at work. Not only are they drafting contracts that authorize these companies to operate under the ordinance, they are putting together a report for Council with suggestions for a pilot program to […]
Posted inAustin, Bicycles, Hays County, Local Government, Transportation, Travis County, Williamson County
CAMPO weakens bicycle, pedestrian funding
Despite repeated objections from Austin City Council Member Chris Riley, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board voted Monday to soften a policy that directs federal funds toward bicycle and pedestrian projects under a proposed long-range plan. The CAMPO board voted to amend a long-standing policy in the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan that […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Housing, Transit
City beefs up transit portion of SMART Housing
With a swift, unanimous approval, City Council members amended the transit requirements for the city’s SMART Housing program last week. SMART stands for Safe, Mixed-income, Accessible and Reasonably-priced Transit-oriented housing. Last week, Council tweaked the “T” to require that SMART Housing be located within a half-mile walking distance of a transit route. Council members voted […]
Posted inDevelopment, Land Development Code, Transit, Transportation
Austin Monitor Radio, Show 22
Brennan Griffin and Amy Hartman of AURA join Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about the past, present, and future of the organization. Link below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/174499415″ 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 inDevelopment, Transportation
Commission changes position, endorses bike plan
A second visit to the Planning Commission proved much more successful for the Bicycle Master Plan, which will now move on to City Council with a full slate of commission recommendations. The last time Planning Commissioners considered the plan, they did not recommend it to Council. Though commissioners voted 4-1 in its support, that wasn’t […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics, Transportation
Reporter’s Notebook: Urban rail parking spaces
We’re saving extra parking spaces for the train … In a discussion about the value of a possible rail station at Austin Community College’s Highland Mall campus this week, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty brought up an interesting question. Commissioners were discussing a nomination for the high-tech company Rackspace to the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, […]
Posted inResources, Transportation
Commissioners debate Capital Metro pass program
A relatively routine spending item at Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday turned into an extended discussion of the value of providing free Capital Metro transit passes to county employees. The item, to approve a contract with Capital Metro for an initial $40,000 of an $80,000 expenditure, got the attention of Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, who is […]
Posted inTransportation, Uncategorized
Council still far from agreement on TNC ordinance
City Council members demonstrated Tuesday that there is still considerable disagreement about the finer points of an ordinance that would temporarily legalize transportation network companies in Austin, despite its approval on first and second readings, with a final reading on Thursday’s agenda. The conversation at this week’s Council work session revolved almost exclusively around Council […]