The first traffic death on Aug. 26 happened just before 7 a.m. A man was making a left-hand turn out of an apartment complex in West Austin; he was killed after his car collided with a Jeep Cherokee. Later that day a bicyclist ran a red light and collided with a driver heading south on […]
Vision Zero
Posted inTransportation
City advances speed management projects
On the heels of an ongoing citywide speed limit reduction program, the Austin Transportation Department has launched a new traffic calming program to help retrofit Austin’s streets for an increasingly urban environment. The speed mitigation program is intended to complement speed limit reductions with street design modifications and address the fact that, while total crashes […]
Posted inTransportation
Council orders transit election, $460M active transportation bond for November ballot
City Council is giving voters an opportunity to transform the city’s mobility infrastructure on Nov. 3 with a tax rate election for a $7.1 billion investment in a mass transit rail system, and a $460 million active mobility bond. Voters will decide whether to approve the $0.5335 per $100 valuation property tax rate to fund […]
Posted inTransportation
New online dashboard tracks traffic crash trends in Austin
The Austin Transportation Department has unveiled a new tool for the public to track the number of traffic crashes, injuries and deaths in the city. The Vision Zero Viewer allows people to see where the most crashes are happening and how the numbers this year compare to years past. “This is a continuation of our efforts […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City could see sharp decline in traffic fatalities after speed limit reductions
City Council recently made a decision to decrease speed limits to 25 mph on most residential streets. Now it’s up to the Transportation Department to implement the new limits, educate the public and partner with the Austin Police Department to enforce them. Eric Bollich, Transportation’s managing engineer, said the department is working on a deployment […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin Transportation proposes slowing some city streets to 25 mph limit
Despite a 50 percent decrease in driving as a result of the city’s Stay Home, Work Safe order, traffic fatalities are up nearly 26 percent this year compared to last year – which also saw a sharp increase (about 19 percent) in deaths compared to 2018. The steady rise, according to Eric Bollich, assistant director […]
Posted inRoads
Austin Transportation updates citation process to change driver behavior
In an effort to address the city’s road safety crisis, the Austin Transportation Department has come up with a way to make drivers understand the consequences of violating traffic laws. As of yesterday, drivers charged with failure to yield will now be required to appear in court if the violation causes a crash resulting in […]
Posted inRoads
Panel will look at future of development and displacement along I-35
A panel of national experts convened by the Urban Land Institute will look at ideas next week for how Austin could steer development plans for the land surrounding – and possibly covering – Interstate 35 in the years to come. The nine-member panel will spend the week touring the area along I-35 from Cesar Chavez […]
Posted inRoads
Traffic deaths went up in Austin last year. Safety advocates ask: Where’s the moral outrage?
Billy Brewster loved lawnmowers. The 15-year-old, who was autistic and nonverbal, would just admire them from afar. “Billy sometimes wouldn’t even want to use the lawnmower,” his mother, Mia Brown, said. “He just wanted to stand there and look at it.” He also liked to leave his house in Northeast Austin and wander the neighborhood. […]
Posted inTransportation
Updated: Austin eliminating traffic deaths by 2025 a remote possibility, city audit finds
The city of Austin is unlikely to reach its goal of zero traffic deaths or serious injuries by 2025, according to a new report from the city auditor’s office. “While a goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries is an appropriate vision for Austin, (Transportation Department) staff acknowledged that it is unlikely the city […]
Posted inRoads
Lower speed limits coming to some Austin roadways
Austin City Council approved a round of speed limit changes Thursday, the latest tangible sign of the city’s efforts to make streets safer. “We know that it’s much more likely for a severe crash to happen when speeds go up even just five miles per hour,” said Lewis Leff, transportation safety officer for the city […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City continues to work toward Vision Zero goals
As of this past weekend, there have been 48 traffic fatalities in Austin since the beginning of the year. The city, according to an ambitious plan passed three years ago, would like to bring the number of annual traffic deaths down to zero by 2025. One of the primary solutions the city is looking at […]