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Early data on Vision Zero safety improvements shows positive trend
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Austin Transportation recently completed improvements to increase safety and improve mobility at West Braker Lane and Stonelake Boulevard in North Austin.
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Early results show some of the focused work the Austin Transportation Department (ATD)’s Vision Zero team has performed to make city streets safer is having a significant effect in reducing severe crashes, even amidst a local and nationwide trend of increasing traffic deaths.
Citywide, there have been more than 100 fatalities on the roadways this year, up 30% from last year. The early data on Austin's Vision Zero initiatives shows that despite that citywide increase, the focused safety treatments have had a positive effect in areas with some of the highest crash concentrations in Austin.
The new analysis on High-Injury Roadways (HIRs) and Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) is part of an ongoing series of reports called Vision Zero Analytics, which describe the findings in more detail.
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Safety improvements are substantially complete on six of Austin's 13 High-Injury Roadways, or sections of road ATD has identified containing the greatest number of crashes.
ATD analyzed data from January through August in 2021 compared to the 2017-19 average for the same eight-month time period. On those six High-Injury Roadways, crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries were down 17% in 2021 compared to 2017-19. On all other arterial streets in Austin, crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries were down just 1% in 2021. The 2017-19 average was used to analyze a time period before the pandemic changed traffic volumes citywide.
Click here to see a map of where the city has completed work on HIRs and where additional improvements are planned.
Improvements range from low-cost treatments such as more protected left turns for drivers or backplates for traffic signals to more substantial street design changes.
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One strategy Austin is implementing to protect pedestrians is installing Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), which give pedestrians a 5- to 7-second head start in the crosswalk before vehicles receive a green light. ATD installed these at dozens of downtown crossings in late 2019 and has continued to expand use of LPIs throughout the city at more than 40 other locations.
At the downtown crossings, there was a 54% decrease in crashes involving a pedestrian and a left-turning driver following the installation of the LPIs compared with the previous three years. This is compared to a 36% decrease at downtown signals that did not receive LPIs over that same period.
Many of these improvements are possible because of voter support. The 2016 Mobility Bond provided $15 million for Vision Zero and intersection safety programs, while 2018's Proposition G provided an additional $15 million and the 2020 Safety and Active Transportation Bond provided $65 million.
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Provide comments on MoPac South project by Jan. 7
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The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is in the process of conducting an environmental study to consider redesigning an approximately 8-mile stretch of MoPac between Slaughter Lane and Cesar Chavez Street.
A virtual open house is open through Friday, Jan. 7 where you can learn more about the designs under consideration and provide your input on the alternatives that should be carried forward.
Previous open house meetings were held between 2013 and 2015 before the project was paused. Now, the Mobility Authority is re-presenting the same six designs from the most recent open house, held in 2015, each of which is being evaluated against the No Build Alternative, or doing nothing in the area.
The six alternatives presented are all variations that include adding tolled express lanes similar to the existing express lane that runs north of the project area between downtown Austin and Parmer Lane. Benefits of tolled express lanes include more reliable travel times, minimizing impacts to the environment and increased opportunities for transit
The proposals differ in the number of express lanes (one or two) and ramp configurations near Lady Bird Lake. The Mobility Authority is scheduled to hold another open house in 2022 in which it will present one of the six designs as a Recommended Preferred Alternative. A public hearing and environmental hearing are then set for 2024 before construction could start in 2025.
Comments can be submitted online, via email at MoPacSouth@ctrma.org or by mail to CTRMA, c/o MoPac South Env. Study, 3300 N. I-35, Ste. 625, Austin, TX, 78705.
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Public feedback timeline extended for ASMP amendments
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The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP), the comprehensive transportation plan that guides Austin’s short- and long-term projects, is going through its first update, and the deadline to provide feedback about potential changes has been extended to Sunday, Jan. 16.
Community members who have thoughts about the streets around their home, work, children’s school or anywhere else in the city can review the presentation of the ASMP Street Network amendments, available here in English and here in Spanish. Comments on the potential changes can be submitted in the Public Feedback Map, available at the end of those presentations. The City has also developed an FAQ to help explain some common questions.
A survey is also open for public feedback asking for input on three new proposed policies for the ASMP. These policies were based on recent global and local events that affect the mobility needs of our community.
If you have any questions or comments about the ASMP, please visit www.AustinTexas.gov/ASMP or email ASMP@AustinTexas.gov.
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City of Austin offices will be closed Dec. 23 and 24 for Christmas and Dec. 31 for New Year's Day. There will be no Austin Mobility Newsletter Dec. 27 or Jan. 3. Enjoy the holidays!
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Calendar Corner: December 21, 2021 – January 10, 2022
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The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is hosting a virtual Open House about the MoPac South Environmental Study. The virtual meeting will consist of meeting materials for view and download, as well as both audio and visual components. Public comments will be accepted through January 7, 2022.
The Pedestrian Advisory Council advises the City of Austin and other jurisdictions on all matters relating to walking.
The 22-member Transportation Policy Board (TPB) is the governing body for the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and is made up of 20 elected officials and a representative from TxDOT and one from Capital Metro. The TPB is the body that makes decisions on CAMPO policy and decides how CAMPO funding is allocated.
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