Category: Mobility

Posted on

Council wants you to weigh in on allowing more homes near transit and small lot homes

On May 16, Austin City Council will take public input and vote on housing reforms aimed at making Austin more walkable, transit-friendly, affordable, and sustainable. These changes are:

Council is billing these as “transit-supportive” changes because these changes are partly meant to support access to transit, increase ridership, and strengthen Project Connect’s application for federal funding, which will be submitted this summer.

What exactly is being proposed?

Equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD)

The ETOD zoning overlay applies within ½ mile of the Project Connect light rail corridor. It will restrict non-transit-supportive land uses (e.g. gas stations, storage units, car washes), and allow an extra 60 ft. of height (~5 stories) on non-single-family lots, up to 120 ft. tall (~10 stories), if certain affordability and tenant protection requirements are met. Those requirements include:

  • providing 12-15% income-restricted units to those making below 50-60% of the median family income (MFI) or contributing to the city’s affordable housing funding
  • for existing properties with housing currently affordable to 60% MFI or under:
    • providing units of similar cost and size to existing tenants
    • providing support with moving costs

HOME Phase 2

The main focus of HOME Phase 2 is the reduction of Austin’s minimum lot size, which is how much land we require for a home to be built as a standalone property (as opposed to part of a condo regime). Austin’s current minimum lot size is 5,750 sq. ft. Staff has proposed a reduction to 2,000 sq. ft. and Austin’s Planning Commission has recommended a 1,500 sq. ft. minimum lot size. The level of density allowed at the proposed lot sizes is similar to that allowed under HOME Phase 1 (three units on a 5,750 sq. ft. lot), which passed last December.

Here is an example comparing a relatively large 12,000 sq ft corner lot and the possible development allowed under the current code and the proposed changes:

Compatibility Reform

Compatibility refers to a set of height restrictions that project a 540 ft. “force field” around single-family properties that severely limits the height of multi-family, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. These compatibility standards work to keep multi-family homes and renters far from single-family homes. As a result, multi-family homes and their residents are pushed to the outskirts of residential neighborhoods, often beside major roads and highways.

Current compatibility restrictions extend 540 ft. (1.5 football fields), and the proposed changes reduce the compatibility distance to 75 ft. City staff estimates this change will create zoning capacity for up to 63,000 homes, mostly located near transit.

Endorsements

Some of the groups who have endorsed HOME and these land use changes include:

  • AARP Texas
  • Austin EMS Association
  • Austin Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO Austin)
  • Austin Habitat for Humanity
  • CapMetro
  • Environment Texas
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 520
  • HousingWorks Austin
  • Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
  • Transit Forward
  • University Democrats

How you can weigh in

Registering for the May 16 meeting

You can use this link to register your position for or against these changes. There are three ways you can fill out the form:

  • Sign up to speak in-person at City Hall on May 16
  • Sign up to speak over the phone on May 16
  • Just register your support (i.e. answer “no” to “Do you wish to speak?”)

Note: it’s no problem to register to speak in-person even if there’s a chance you can’t make it. In fact, registering to speak in-person likely has the largest impact even if you ultimately can’t make it to the meeting.

The above link to register for the May 16 meeting closes May 15 at noon. The meeting agenda is detailed here, but here are the agenda items to select:

  • Item 4 (compatibility)
  • Item 5 (ETOD)
  • Item 6 (HOME Phase 2)

Public comments are expected to start around 10 a.m. on Thursday, and AURA will have volunteers onsite to support anyone registered to speak. If you plan to attend Thursday, please email us so we can add you to our list of speakers to help.

Speaking at the meeting can sound daunting, but speaking can be as simple as stating your name, your neighborhood or Council District, and your position on the proposed items. For extra effect, you can add your personal perspective or story, but it’s completely optional!

Email

You can email all City Council using this form or use our automated form.

Posted on

Say “YES” to Protected Bike Lanes and Better Train Service on East 5th Street!

Shared use path on Congress & Ramble, featuring a cyclist, as well as pedestrians walking a dog
Photo from TPW. Congress & Ramble pictured.

The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) is proposing safety and mobility improvements that will:

  • Enhance E 5th St by repaving the road and adding protected bike and walking paths, more outdoor spaces, and connections to major trails like the Southern Walnut Creek Trail.
  • Set up for improved train service by double tracking the Red Line tracks between Navasota & E 7th St.

Most importantly, you can help support these improvements by answering the survey linked below. We’ve provided some suggestions, but please feel free to use your own language and draw on your own experience traversing these streets.

Two train tracks
Two tracks are better than one. Photo from Wikipedia. CC-BY-SA-3.0 License. No changes made.
  • What do you like about the proposed changes?
    • Double-tracking that can increase train frequency
    • Improvements and repaving will improve comfort and safety for all modes of travel
    • Connections to the nearby trail networks which greatly open up where people can get to by walking, biking, or rolling
    • Separated and protected biking and walking paths
    • More outdoor space for people and local businesses
  • What do you dislike about the proposed changes?
    • Shared street with traffic calming and less physical protection over a small section due to space constraints
    • On-street parking which blocks the view and impairs safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers
  • Please let us know your level of support for the proposed changes.
    • These are generally very good improvements over existing conditions and we would recommend you “Strongly Support” these proposed changes.

The East 5th survey is open until August 15th, 2023. Take the survey here. You can also view TPW’s full plan here.

Posted on

Say “YES” to Protected Bike Lanes on Barton Springs Road & East 12th Street

The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) is proposing safety and mobility improvements to two major streets within the city and is soliciting public feedback on both projects.

As a general principle, we believe more space in Austin should be allocated to sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit-priority lanes, and this guide reflects that point of view.

Barton Springs Road Safety Pilot Survey Guide

TPW is proposing mobility and safety improvements on a dangerous stretch of Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive and South Lamar Boulevard. The changes include installing wider protected bike lanes by removing one lane of traffic, creating shorter and safer pedestrian crossings, relocating bus stops to those safer pedestrian locations, and installing sidewalks on the north side of Barton Springs Road through Zilker Park.

The survey has two open-ended questions asking for feedback about the design. We have suggestions for comments below:

  • What do you like about the proposed pilot design?
    • Like the protected bike lanes
    • Like the reduction to a single lane of traffic
    • Like the pedestrian enhancements
    • Love the inclusion of a pedestrian route through Zilker Park
    • Like the overall effort to make meaningful multimodal and accessibility improvements to an important city street
  • What do you not like about the proposed pilot design?
    • Dislike widening the single lane of traffic, which will encourage faster driving and counteract the recent lowering of the speed limit to 30mph
    • Dislike flexible posts along the bike lanes – prefer stronger protection such as curbs or bollards

The Barton Springs Road Safety Pilot survey is open until June 30, 2023.

East 12th St Survey Guide

Proposed Changes to Intersection of 12th & Chicon Streets

TPW is proposing significant connectivity, mobility, and safety upgrades along a 2.5-mile stretch of East 12th Street between Navasota Street and Webberville Road. The upgrades include the installation of pedestrian crossing islands, protected bike lanes, and widened sidewalks. It would remove certain left-turn only lanes and on-street parking at intersections, and optimize bus stop locations along the route.

The survey is pretty straightforward and only allows for comments on the entirety of the project, not its individual components. Below are some examples of possible responses to the open-ended questions.

  • 3. What do you like about the proposed changes?
    • Like protected bike lanes in both directions
    • Like the removal of on-street parking at intersections
    • Like floating bus stops to protect bike lanes
    • Like installation of pedestrian island crossings
    • Like widening sidewalks – prefer wider than existing conditions
  • 4. What do you dislike about the proposed changes?
    • Dislike the preservation of on-street parking along the route
    • Dislike flexible posts along the bike lanes – prefer stronger protection such as curbs or bollards
  • 5. Please let us know your level of support for the proposed changes.
    • These are generally very good improvements over existing conditions on East 12th Street and we would recommend you “Strongly Support” these proposed changes.

The East 12th Street survey is open until July 5th, 2023.

Posted on

AURA Endorses On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option

AURA’s membership has taken a vote on which options they prefer out of the proposed Project Connect light rail options. Our members voted in favor of the On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket option, with On-Street: North Lamar to Pleasant Valley coming in a close second. The remaining light rail plans still had strong support among AURA members, especially compared to a “No Build” option which received little to no support. This demonstrates AURA’s continued support of Project Connect and moving forward with building light rail.

As part of Project Connect’s public input process, we wrote a letter to Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) Executive Director Greg Cannally reflecting the endorsements of the Project Connect Working Group and AURA as a whole. Here is the full text of the letter:

Mr. Canally,

On behalf of the membership of AURA, Austin’s largest grassroots, pro-transit organization, we wanted to share our feedback regarding the current ATP Project Connect options.

First, we want to express our appreciation for ATP staff and engineers for their availability and helpfulness during the public input process. Throughout our discussion process, ATP provided detailed information and answered numerous questions. This was crucial for the success of the AURA Project Connect Working Group and allowed us to conduct a comprehensive and holistic evaluation of each Project Connect option. We appreciate their support and engagement.

To analyze all light rail options and the future of transit in Austin, the all-volunteer AURA Project Connect Working Group built a robust evaluation framework. Our goal was to equip Austinites with the necessary information to understand and contextualize each option’s impact on the city. Additionally, we aimed to provide a formal recommendation to inform an official endorsement vote of the AURA membership. After extensive research and investigation, the AURA Project Connect Working Group confidently settled on a specific recommendation: On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket with the South 1st river crossing.

While all options are undoubtedly better than the current lack of any light rail, the working group has recommended the 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket option because it lays the best foundation for the city overall. It balances every key criterion while providing a foundation that enables us to quickly and iteratively expand the system, achieve our mode shift goals, and connect every part of Austin. Although the lack of grade separation and connections to valuable destinations such as the airport are valid concerns, the working group believes that these issues can be mitigated or resolved while retaining the strengths of this initial build option. You can see the full output of the working group (recommendation, evaluation matrix, and reports) at https://aura-atx.org/project-connect-working-group-recommends-on-street-38th-to-oltorf-to-yellow-jacket-light-rail-option/

The AURA membership also chose to endorse the On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket rail option, but to also support all of the rail options.This choice shows continued, strong support for Project Connect, and that any of the light rail plans would be vastly preferred to Austin’s current lack of light rail. It’s worth noting that the vote was narrowly won, the On-Street North Lamar to Pleasant Valley option was a very close runner-up. We believe this shows the membership greatly values high ridership and believes that the significant compromises necessary for full grade separation through downtown are not worth it. In making this decision, we recognize that without grade separation our shared responsibility as transit planners and advocates will be even greater to ensure that private vehicles are given as few opportunities as possible to interfere with our more efficient and higher capacity transit options. AURA members also voted with a strong preference for the South 1st crossing and that the Austin Airport connections should not be a high priority for Project Connect’s initial phase.

Thank you for carefully considering our input  and we are excited to collaborate with Austin Transit Partnership, Austin City Council, and CapMetro to make Project Connect an historic success.

Sincerely,
AURA

Cc: Members of the Austin Transit Partnership Board

Posted on

Project Connect Working Group Recommends On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option

The AURA Project Connect Working Group has diligently built an evaluation framework over the past few weeks to analyze all light rail options and the future of transit in Austin. Our goal was to equip Austinites with the necessary information to understand and contextualize each option’s impact on the city. Additionally, we aimed to provide a formal recommendation to inform the AURA membership’s endorsement vote. After extensive research, investigation, and evaluation, the AURA Project Connect Working Group has confidently settled on a recommendation: On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket. AURA members will consider this recommendation and vote on which option to endorse as an organization.

While all options are undoubtedly better than the current lack of any light rail, the working group has recommended the 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket option because it lays the best foundation for the city overall. It balances every key criterion while providing a foundation that enables us to quickly and iteratively expand the system, achieve our mode shift goals, and connect every part of Austin. Although the lack of grade separation and connections to valuable destinations such as the airport are valid concerns, we believe that these issues can be mitigated or resolved while retaining the strengths of this initial build option.

Before delving further, we want to express our appreciation for ATP’s leadership and engineers for their availability and helpfulness throughout the public input process. Throughout our internal process, ATP provided invaluable information and answered every question we had. This was crucial for the Project Connect Working Group to conduct a comprehensive and holistic evaluation of each option from every key angle. We are excited to collaborate with ATP, City Council, and CapMetro to make Project Connect a massive success.

How Did Each Option Do?

The following infographic presents the grades that each of the proposed light rail options received based on the rubric developed by the Project Connect Working Group. The evaluated options are On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket, North Lamar Transit Center to Pleasant Valley, Partial Elevated 29th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket, Partial Underground UT to Yellow Jacket and On-Street 29th to Airport.

The rubric used to grade all proposals (link to the full report of each option below)

While there is significant variability among all the options, each one holds immense potential for Austin’s future as a transit-oriented and sustainable city. The only alternative that receives a failing grade in this assessment is not building anything at all.

Our Reports & Evaluation of Each Option

On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket

The proposed On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket rail option is a light rail system that would run through the Guadalupe, East Riverside, and South Congress corridors, connecting major population centers and destinations in Downtown Austin. This option has the potential to significantly improve Austin’s transit infrastructure, with an estimated daily ridership of 30,000 and frequent service. Compared to other non-forked options, this option has double the frequency, which can increase ridership and add value to any potential expansion of the system to the north.

While the rider experience is generally positive with fast and convenient hop-on times, the at-grade operation may result in interruptions and reliability issues. Nonetheless, the route provides excellent connectivity, including access to grocery stores, the University of Texas, and a short bus connection to St. Edward’s University. Furthermore, the rail line is expandable from all ends and covers significant parts of Downtown Austin and the University of Texas. While concerns about grade separation and coverage in certain northern neighborhoods exist, the long-term benefits in terms of ridership, rider experience, expandability, community reach, equity, and pedestrianization potential led us to select this option as our recommendation.

We are currently working on a full list of implementation and policy recommendations that will address any downsides of the system to ensure its success. Some of these recommendations will be applicable to all options, but others may be specific to the On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket rail option.

View the full report & our evaluation of this option here

Partial Elevated 29th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket

This option connects Guadalupe, East Riverside, and South Congress corridors, branching out to major destinations like Downtown Austin and the University of Texas. The system offers great connectivity, expandability, and the best rider experience out of all options, with potential for future growth and development. However, due to the high estimated cost of investing in elevated grade separation, it has fewer stations and serves fewer affordable-income households compared to the longest surface options. The option provides decent community reach and equity but needs improvements in pedestrianization potential and ridership to become a comprehensive transit system for the city.

View the full report & our evaluation of this option here

North Lamar Transit Center to Pleasant Valley

This option was incredibly promising as a vision for light rail as it offers high initial ridership figures and excellent connectivity, but is significantly constrained in terms of expandability and rider experience. While the route has excellent connectivity and pedestrianization potential, it faces challenges in rider experience, expandability, and community reach & equity due to limited frequency, expansion constraints, and gaps in serving certain neighborhoods.

View the full report & our evaluation of this option here

Partial Underground UT to Yellow Jacket

This proposed option is a light rail system that is intended to serve the East Riverside and Guadalupe corridors in Austin. It offers the highest level of service to the most densely populated areas of the city, connecting Downtown, the Texas Capitol Complex, and the University of Texas with major parks located south of the river, as well as new developments and student housing along Riverside. However, it does not offer service to North or South Austin. High costs associated with underground grade separation in downtown result in fewer stations and cause the system to miss several dense jobs and population centers further north. Initially, this option is expected to serve 20,000 daily riders, which is the lowest ridership of all the presented alternatives. Although the grade separation significantly improves the rider experience, the system’s 10-minute frequencies hold it back from truly excelling.

View the full report & our evaluation of this option here

On-Street 29th to Airport

As Austin has grown into a hub of business and tourism, hosting major conferences and events like SXSW and ACL, people from all over the world travel to the city regularly. The Project Connect Working Group took concerns about the lack of a direct airport connection seriously. However, we ultimately decided against prioritizing a direct airport connection in the initial build due to the negative impact it would have on ridership, rider experience, and connectivity. Instead, we believe that connecting the Yellow Jacket station to the airport via a shuttle or AirTrain, which is funded separately from Project Connect, is a better option. The initial build of Project Connect’s light rail will serve as the backbone of Austin’s future as a more transit-oriented and sustainable city, and prioritizing a direct airport connection would not align with this vision.

View the full report & our evaluation of this option here

Conclusion

The AURA Project Connect Working Group has worked diligently to produce these findings and recommendations. We’re confident that On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket will provide the best backbone to Austin’s future as a transit-oriented and sustainable city. Still, AURA’s endorsement ultimately belongs to its membership, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they vote for. The other evaluated options are still promising, and each holds great potential for Austin’s future as a transit-oriented and sustainable city. The only alternative that receives a failing grade in this assessment is not building anything at all.

Special thanks to Christian Tschoepe, Chloe Wilkinson, Edgar Handal, Hunter Holder, Jimmy Daly, Parker Welch, Luis Osta Lugo, Zach Faddis, and everyone else involved in helping make the vision of the Project Connect Working Group a reality.

Posted on

Project Connect Working Group Evaluation Rubric

AURA’s Project Connect Working Group has created a Graded Rubric for the 5 Project Proposals released by Austin Transit Partnership based on the following criteria listed below. The goal of the rubric is to help discern the pros and cons of each proposal. As AURA works towards making an endorsement of one of the proposals, our organization wants to give members the information so that they can make an informed vote.

Evaluation Criteria

These six criteria are focused on as they are an indicator of many successful systems both nationally and globally. These are also criteria that transit experts point to as key marks when building a new rail system. While all options are fundamentally better than the current setup, it is always important to compare and contrast proposals.

Details

Ridership

Ridership is a quite straightforward criteria: the number of riders the system expects to serve on a daily basis indicates the level of demand for and success of the system. This is possibly the best starting point we have in evaluating a successful transit system.

Relevant Indicators:

Connectivity

Access to a wide variety of local or regional activity centers is one of the main goals of any transit system. Connectivity is the criteria which measures the degree to which the system facilitates this, whether the access is through a connection directly to a key destination (or within walking/rolling distance), or through additional modes of transportation, such as a bus, bike, or car. 

Relevant indicators:

  • Connections to essential and daily needs, such as jobs, affordable housing, and grocery stores.
  • Connections to services, such as medical services, gyms, and parks
  • Connections to places of personal enrichment such as schools, universities, and libraries
  • Connections to personal and group entertainment, such as museums, movie theaters, bars, and clubs
  • Connections to forms of transportation that fill in the gaps (BRT, bike or vehicle shares, pedestrianized areas)

Rider Experience

A key factor in the continued success of a light rail system is the rider experience. Even if a route is connected well and can handle high ridership, if the rider experience is consistently negative, people are much less likely to use it. Major factors in rider experience can be measurable, such as frequency and speed, or more qualitative, such as accessibility and comfort.

In order to achieve our mobility goals our light rail system will need to be attractive and useful to both transit dependent and all purpose riders. So Rider Experience is of critical importance to the success of both Project Connect and Austin mobility as a whole.

Relevant indicators:

  • Route Frequency
  • Average speed
  • Reliability
  • Accessibility 
  • Comfort

It’s also important to note that certain indicators, like Route Frequency, are ridership multipliers. So we would get significantly more bang for our buck out of any expansions (or in the initial build) for a system with higher frequencies and similar indicators.

Expandability

Expandability is how easy the system will be to expand from the completion of the first phase of the system. It’s a measure of the potential for the rail system to grow to accommodate more riders and lay track to complete the original vision of Project Connect in the future. Or better yet, become even bigger and better than the original Project Connect vision. 

More critically, the initial rail options that have a line “forking” to Oltorf visiting South Congress will be easily expanded in the same way onto South Congress. These two options are:

ON-STREET: 38TH TO OLTORF TO YELLOW JACKET
PARTIAL ELEVATED: 29TH TO OLTORF TO YELLOW JACKET

Relevant indicators:

  • Disruptiveness and flexibility of future expansions
  • Political feasibility of expanding in each direction after phase 1 is built

Pedestrianization Potential

Good transit systems have priority for multiple modes of getting around, which includes pedestrianization. Pedestrianization is a priority for urbanists in its own right.

Since there are very few areas that are fully pedestrianized downtown currently, there’s a lot that can be gained by prioritizing good pedestrian spaces next to transit. This not only improves accessibility of transit, but creates great, memorable, public spaces.

In all of the options, the Drag has been mentioned as a candidate for pedestrianization.

Relevant indicators:

  • Potential pedestrianized blocks for each scenario

Community Reach & Equity

A comprehensive transit system can connect people from all backgrounds to opportunities. Community Reach is a criterion for evaluating a light rail system based on the extent to which it serves different neighborhoods or districts within the city. Equity ensures that regions and people of all backgrounds have access to opportunities.

Relevant indicators:

  • Number of districts covered
  • Low-income & minority neighborhoods covered

Ratings will reflect ATP’s metrics on the number of affordable housing units within a ½ mile of each stop, detailed at https://www.atptx.org/about/light-rail.

What’s Not Covered

  • Grade Separation
    • Partially covered as part of Rider Experience but does not have its own criteria
  • Airport Connection
    • Partially covered as part of Connectivity but does not have its own criteria

If you’re interested in reading the full evaluation you can read our comprehensive evaluation rubric document.

Posted on

Give Input on Bike & Transit Lanes for Downtown Transportation Plan

Cross-section of a street with bike lanes and street trees

The City of Austin is seeking input from the community on the Austin Core Transportation (ACT) Plan. The survey is open until March 31 and asks about your preferences in allocating street space in Downtown Austin for protected bike lanes and transit-priority lanes. The survey also asks for your opinion on converting one-way streets to two-way.

Survey Link: Austin Core Transportation Plan: Phase 2

Survey Guide

We believe more space downtown should be allocated to sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit-priority lanes, and this guide reflects that point of view.

Typical Street Cross-Sections

We recommend higher scores for options with more space for protected bike lanes and sidewalks.

  • Current Great Streets design (typical): 1
  • Great Streets (Pedestrian Dominant): 5
  • Potential Option 1: 5
  • Potential Option 2: 10
  • Potential Option 3: 6

Transit Street Cross-Sections

We recommend higher scores for options with more space for protected bike lanes and sidewalks.

  • Potential Transit Street Option 1: 1
  • Potential Transit Street Option 2: 5
  • Potential Transit Street Option 3: 10
  • Please tell us what you like or do not like about the transit-priority street cross-sections.
    • This one is optional, but here are some ideas for comments:
      • Like protected bike lanes in both directions
      • Dislike drive lanes wider than 10′
      • Dislike that all the transit cross sections had 3 drive lanes and none had 2 drive lanes
  • Do you support providing transit-only lanes if it would require the removal of general-purpose vehicle lanes? 5 (strongly support)

Bicycle/Micromobility Network

Ranked best to worst:

  1. Scenario 3 (complete bicycle/micromobility network coverage)
  2. Scenario 2 (balanced bicycle/micromobility network coverage)
  3. Scenario 1 (minimal changes, maintain vehicle network)
  4. Existing conditions

One-way and two-way street conversions

The survey suggests two-way streets reduce speeding and improve mobility within downtown, so we suggest a preference for two-way conversion.

  • Level of support for existing conditions: 2 (somewhat oppose)
  • Level of support for Alternative 1: 3 (no opinion)
  • Level of support for Alternative 2: 4 (somewhat support)
Posted on

Project Connect Media Release (2020-07-20)

MEDIA ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2020
AURA members identify priorities for November transportation
measure

AURA members overwhelmingly approved a set of policy preferences aimed at shaping Austin City Council’s crafting of a new transportation ballot measure for this November’s election. The specific policy planks approved by AURA members are:

  1. AURA supports the 11 cent property tax increase to pay to fund the full Project Connect plan.
  2. AURA urges City Council to require Republic Square to North Lamar Transit Center as a segment of the initial light rail project.
  3. AURA urges City Council and CapMetro to expand light rail service to Tech Ridge as soon as possible, including in the initial rail project if it is legally and financially feasible.
  4. AURA supports a historic investment in improving bus service that matches the scale of what is proposed by the Project Connect System Vision.
  5. AURA supports the construction of the “downtown tunnel” featured in the Project Connect System Vision.
  6. AURA urges City Council place a $750 million active transportation and Vision Zero bond on the November ballot.
  7. AURA urges City Council to develop a comprehensive anti-residential displacement policy approach for areas impacted by transit investment; the policy may include innovative land use, PIDs, TIFs, and new TOD below-market-housing funds.
  8. AURA supports the exclusion of new funds for roadway expansion in the package.
  9. AURA urges City Council to provide a new operations and maintenance funding stream proportional to the needs of the November package’s proposed transit capital investments.
  10. AURA urges City Council, the Austin Transportation Department and CapMetro to accelerate shovel-ready improvements in the project sequencing.

“We have an opportunity to build the infrastructure that will profoundly change how we move around our city and to do it in a way that will benefit all of us for generations to come,” said Cesar Acosta, AURA Board President. “AURA will continue to fight for transportation investments that reflect our mission of creating an Austin for Everyone. We encourage all that support our policy vision to share our positions publicly, to reach out to the Mayor and Council, and to engage our Board to find ways to work together,” concluded Acosta.

AURA is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization that advocates for an Austin that is inclusive, open to change, and welcoming to everyone.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Cesar Acosta, AURA Board President
Email: cacosta137@gmail.com

Posted on

Oppose the Burnet Road proposal

The 2016 Mobility Bond provided the City of Austin with funding “to address implementation of Corridor Mobility Reports, which identify short-, medium-, and long-term transportation improvements.”

The Corridor Mobility Report for Burnet Road proposes for the long term the addition of center-running transit lanes north of U.S. 183. It assuredly does not propose having six car-priority lanes and zero transit lanes there.

The “proposed Burnet Road project” aired by the City in recent months frames itself as carrying forward the 2016 Mobility Bond—yet it proposes having six car-priority lanes and zero transit lanes!

The document outlining this Burnet Road “project” does correctly state that its proposal for six car-priority lanes and zero transit lanes is for the moment “unfunded.” But that proposal is not merely “unfunded”—it is in direct conflict with the Corridor Mobility Report that was upheld and furthered by the Mobility Bond. Despite that, the City is already performing environmental studies related to the unfunded proposal.

If the City would like to see further improvement to Burnet Road beyond what the Mobility Bond has funded, it should further fund the implementation of the Corridor Mobility Report plans. Such funding and implementation will move Austin forward. Cavalierly discarding community-vetted, long-standing plans and returning us to square one will not.

The City is accepting comments on the “proposed Burnet Road project” until Friday, June 5, at 5 p.m., through this web form or by email to Burnet@AustinTexas.gov. Let them know what you think.

Posted on

Project Connect Media Release (2020-03-09)

Press Statement
For Immediate Release
3/9/2020

AURA is enthusiastic about Project Connect’s recommended Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The proposed light rail lines will run through dense neighborhoods — where lots of people live — and run to downtown, the Capitol, and UT — where lots of people want to go.  

In 2014, AURA argued for rail on the city’s highest ridership transit corridor, Guadalupe-Lamar, and opposed the Proposition 1 bond that failed to include this rail line. We built our reputation by demanding good rail for Austin, not just any rail. The 2020 LPA promises to deliver the rail system Austin deserves. Today, Capital Metro and city officials proposed a system plan, the “spine” of which is the Orange Line, serving Guadalupe-Lamar-South Congress, a carbon-free, pollution-free, congestion-free “highway” for transit that will carry tens of thousands of people daily on the Guadalupe-Lamar corridor. AURA Member and Project Connect Ambassador Network member Susan Somers says: “Capital Metro’s plan is big and bold. It will capture the imagination of Austinites and, when realized, give us a new freedom of access to our city, and an alternative to sitting in traffic.”

Recently, we’ve seen news about a proposal for a $7.5 billion expansion of 8 miles of I-35. Further highway expansion is the wrong direction for our city. Light rail running in dedicated transit ways uses less land to carry as many or more people. Light rail pollutes less and emits less carbon than cars on highways. Transit riders walk more and interact with their fellow Austinites more. The proposed Project Connect LPA is the right direction for getting around Austin. 

There are elements of the plan that deserve scrutiny. Given scarce dollars for transit operations, relatively low ridership lines like the Green Line should not be a high priority for construction. 

We call on City Council to remember that public transit is a system. Trains may make the headlines, but we need a complete network to ensure access for all. Project Connect calls for a historic expansion of our MetroRapid bus lines, serving all parts of the city. We need to ensure that all buses have a fast connection to the train. AURA Transportation Working Group Chair Mike Nahas says, “We would like to see shade and trees at stations, to cool those standing in the summer heat. We encourage CapMetro to continue making stations convenient for bike and scooter riders. Lastly, Austinites must be able to walk to transit and that means building sidewalks, not just near train stations but for the whole transit system.”

AURA is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization that advocates for an Austin that is inclusive, open to change, and welcoming to everyone.

CONTACT:

  • Susan Somers, AURA Transportation Working Group member, somerss@gmail.com