It’s a dog-eat-chicken world… In comments to City Council during citizens communication Thursday, the city’s top anti-dog demagogue, Robert “Crocodile” Corbin, described the Austin Animal Center’s “no kill” policy as “destructive to humans, animals, the environment and our finances.” He reminded them of a previous story he had recounted to them “about a large, old […]
Capital Metro
The city’s urban transportation system.
Posted inTransit
Corridor plans pushing forward with bus pullouts
A prominent selling point in Mayor Steve Adler’s pitch for a $720 million mobility bond has drawn a lukewarm reception by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. On multiple occasions, Adler has hyped bus pullouts as a key feature of his so-called Go Big Corridor Plan, a package that would spend hundreds of millions on regional […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro ponders fare-ly big changes to MetroRapid service
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced plans on Monday to add eight new stops to its two premium MetroRapid routes, but even bigger changes for the two-year-old service could be right around the corner. Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro’s vice president of strategic planning and development, told the Austin Monitor on Tuesday that the agency could […]
Posted inTransit
Message to Cap Metro: Don’t worry about TNCs
A prominent mass transportation expert told the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors on Monday that ride-hailing services have little impact on public transit ridership. The data presented by Jarrett Walker, author of the book Human Transit, contradict one of Capital Metro’s official explanations for a sinking number of passengers. “Ride-sourcing has a small […]
Posted inAustin
Cap Metro takes down social media post referencing 2013 Barton Springs drowning
In the photo, a curly haired woman stares into the camera wearing a red lifeguard bathing suit, holding a red rectangular flotation device over her shoulder. “It can be really serious at Barton Springs,” reads the quote that accompanies the picture. “Two years ago, this guy was on drugs and he was swimming and then […]
Posted inTransit
MetroRail stations dealing out of the card game
Riders will not be able to use a physical credit card to buy train tickets at MetroRail stations come October. The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that starting on Oct. 9, ticket vending machines at the agency’s nine stations will only accept cash and the agency’s stored value transit passes. “Capital Metro is implementing […]
Posted inTransportation
TxDOT clarifies MoKan dos and MoKan don’ts
The Texas Department of Transportation has closed the door on running public transit without an accessory road project on a future travel corridor that runs between Interstate 35 and State Highway 130. On Thursday, a TxDOT spokesperson told the Austin Monitor that the “MoKan corridor could not be exclusively rail,” a decision that could upend […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Can’t lose
Clear eyes, full hearts and… a sled… Mayor Steve Adler is hip with youth culture and he’s not afraid to show it. Last week, Hizzoner unleashed a small tweetstorm that focused on local music culture and also featured GIFs borrowed from every millennial’s favorite television series, Friday Night Lights. “Not only is music related to who […]
Posted inDevelopment
Labor group calls foul on Plaza Saltillo document
As Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Plaza Saltillo development project snakes its way through City Hall, one prominent labor rights group is raising concerns about the transit agency’s partner in the deal. The Workers Defense Project shared with the Austin Monitor a document created by Endeavor Real Estate Group that touts worker protections that fall short […]
Posted inTransportation
Light rail proposal joins mobility bond discussion
As City Council members careen toward their first chat with the public over a potentially massive mobility bond, a new proposal for light rail investment has risen up from the grassroots. On Thursday, the nonprofit Central Austin Community Development Corporation announced that it had shared with Council members its vision for a 5.3 mile, $397.5 […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro previews Connections 2025 survey
After months of consultant-driven introspection, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is on the verge of revealing new insights that could result in big changes along the agency’s service network. It’s all part of the Connections 2025 process, the yearlong study that will lead up to the recommendation of a new five-year service plan, likely to be […]
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 […]