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Austin Mobility News: February 27, 2023

Your weekly news update from the City of Austin Transportation Department
Red, yellow and blue icons of people traveling by different modes (car, bus, motorcycle, scooters, walking, wheelchair, bicycling and using mobility assistive devices) in front of icons depicting iconic Austin buildings (Frost Tower, the Capitol, etc).
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In this week's edition:
Para obtener más información en español, vea este correo electrónico en su navegador y haga clic en la esquina superior derecha para la traducción al español.

Set of improvements coming to multiple areas of Barton Springs Road 
Austin Transportation crews install delineators along Barton Springs Road designed to limit vehicle turning patterns and make the road safer. 
City of Austin crews from multiple departments are working along Barton Springs Road to make improvements designed to improve safety and mobility.
  • Austin Transportation Department (ATD) crews installed delineators at Jessie Street, Lee Barton Road and the Picnic Food Truck Park as well as a median extension at Josephine Street to limit vehicle turning patterns. The changes are part of a larger plan to proactively address a pattern of vehicle conflicts and crashes in the area. Learn more from the project fact sheet. 
  • ATD crews continue working at the intersection of Barton Springs Road and South First Street to make Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible safety improvements, add protected bicycle lanes and improve traffic signal operations. Crews will soon complete the second corner of the intersection and are scheduled to finish their work this summer. You can find more information on the project fact sheet.
  • Austin Public Works started construction in January to dramatically improve pedestrian, bicycle and transit access to Zilker Park along a 0.7-mile stretch of Barton Springs Road and Stratford Drive. The project includes shared-use paths with a landscaped buffer separating it from vehicle travel lanes, bus stop improvements and a new pedestrian hybrid beacon and crosswalk near the Zilker Botanical Garden entrance. Construction is expected to take 12-18 months to complete. View the project fact sheet.
Combined, these three separate projects are designed to improve an approximately two-mile stretch of Barton Springs Road from MoPac to South First Street to make the area safer to navigate for everyone who travels in the area. They also complement speed limit changes approved by Austin City Council in December 2022. Dynamic Speed Display Devices are now active in the area to alert drivers of their speed and notify them if they are exceeding the speed limit.

Safety median installed on Riverside Drive to reduce serious crashes
Safety improvements installed along Riverside Drive west of Interstate 35.
Austin Transportation Department's (ATD) Vision Zero team, working with crews from Austin's Public Works Department (PWD), recently finished the installation of a safety median on East Riverside Drive near Alameda Drive.

The improvements follow data analysis which showed several severe crashes in the area over recent years, including multiple crashes in which vehicle drivers crossed over the raised curb median and caused a fatality and multiple serious injuries.

ATD and PWD teams worked together to implement treatments that would be most effective in addressing the identified crash patterns. The project team installed more than 600 feet of guardrail and new crash attenuators that absorb the impact of a vehicle to reduce the severity of a crash and prevent drivers from crossing the median into oncoming traffic or sidewalks.

Grand Opening planned for Northern Walnut Creek Trail Extension

Join Austin Public Works Urban Trails Program and Austin Parks and Recreation for an afternoon of public festivities to celebrate the grand opening of the new section of the Northern Walnut Creek Trail.

The new section of the urban trail connects Oakbrook Drive to Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. The path goes beneath North Lamar Boulevard, making it easier for residents who are walking or biking to access destinations and amenities across this busy corridor.

Grand Opening Celebration of Northern Walnut Creek Trail

  • Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
  • Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Location: Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd.
The celebration includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Live music by Ashton "Infinity Jones" Deary, a youth bicycle ride and a nature walk. More details about the event are here.

This trail was made possible with funding from the 2016 Mobility Bond and funds from the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. The Urban Trails Program plans to eventually connect the Northern and Southern Walnut Creek Trails, learn about Walnut Creek Trail projects here.

Safe for All: 2023 Update highlights ongoing racial disparities in traffic-related fatalities and injuries 
Vision Zero mural on Odom Pavillion reminds people Life Is Valuable; Please Drive Safe.

More than 3,300 people in Austin were killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes between 2017 and mid-2022, 56% of whom were people of color. This is just one of the key findings in the recently updated Vision Zero "Safe for All" equity report, which highlights racial disparities in traffic-related fatalities and injuries, and describes Austin Transportation’s role in advancing racial equity in Austin. You can find the updated report in English and in Spanish.

Other key findings from the 2023 update are:

  • Over the past five years, Black or African American people are overrepresented among fatal and serious injury crash victims by a factor of 2.3. The latest demographic data shows that the Black/African American community now makes up less than 7% of the Austin population, while their share of severe crash victims continues to remain near 16%.
  • Austin crash data shows that people of color are overrepresented in severe crashes involving older vehicles.
  • Communities of color continue to make up a higher share of severe crash victims than they did in 2016 when Vision Zero began tracking these trends.
Vision Zero Viewer Demographics Graph
Demographics, by year, of fatal and serious injury crashes in Austin from January 2019 through January 2023. (Source: Austin Vision Zero Viewer)
The updated report describes how Austin Transportation has worked with members of the Austin community to develop a new tool—Equity Analysis Zones (EAZ)—to assist staff in analyzing and considering equity in transportation processes and decision-making. The EAZs identify areas of Austin with higher concentrations of historically marginalized populations and communities with barriers to equitable access. EAZs are based on census tracts and include nine different variables that reflect an area’s social and economic vulnerability. The EAZ framework is now being used by ATD to help equitably prioritize resources and tailor mobility and safety strategies for historically marginalized communities.

The "Safe for All" report also describes how Austin Transportation is proactively incorporating equity considerations into its safety initiatives and investments. In January 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Austin will receive $22.9 million through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program to make its streets safer for everyone. Importantly, Austin committed to allocating at least 50% of grant funds to USDOT-defined Underserved Communities.

ATD will use the funding for major intersection safety projects, pedestrian crossings, a citywide lighting study, and other safety investments.

Calendar Corner: February 28 – March 6, 2023

Austin Transit Partnership Board

The Austin Transit Partnership is an independent local government corporation with the authority and resources to design, construct and implement the Project Connect program.

 

City Council Mobility Committee

The Austin Transit Partnership is an independent local government corporation with the authority and resources to design, construct and implement the Project Connect program.


Barton Springs Road Bridge Open House

Austin Public Works is providing the community with an in-person update on efforts to address the existing bridge over Barton Springs Rd. near Zilker Park. The Austin community is invited to an Open House, where the project team will share information on the needed improvements and gather community input. For those who are unable to attend, a virtual public meeting will be open from March 2 – 16 at bit.ly/BartonSpringsBridge.

  • Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023
  • Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m.
  • Location: McBeth Recreation Center, 2401 Columbus Drive


Pedestrian Advisory Council

The Pedestrian Advisory Council advises the City of Austin and other jurisdictions on all matters relating to walking.

 

About Austin Transportation

The City of Austin Transportation Department works to provide a safe, efficient, innovative, cost-effective and sustainable transportation system that connects roadways, bikeways, walkways and transit systems in order to bring improved access and mobility to our community. We are taking proactive steps to engage and educate the community, which is why you received this news update. Visit AustinTexas.gov/Transportation.
Austin Transportation and Public Works Department
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, Texas 78767

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