[00:00:03]
[CALL TO ORDER]
OH ONE BY MY TIME.SO LET'S CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
GIVE US ANY TIME TO GET INTO THE, INTO THE ROOM.
UH, OUR FIRST ITEM IS THE CALLED ORDER, WHICH WE JUST DID.
IS THERE ANYONE SIGNED UP, UM, CHRISTOPHER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION OR ANYTHING? NO, SIR.
[1. APPROVAL OF November 2nd, 2021 MINUTES]
CHECK, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 2ND.I WANT TO PUBLICLY SAY, UH, SORRY.
I THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE SECOND TUESDAYS AND I HADN'T, I HADN'T CHECKED AND, UH, I WASN'T LOOKING AT MY PHONE AND THEN I SAW TEXT MESSAGES AND, SORRY.
UH, THE MINUTES, UM, ARE NOT IN THIS PACKET.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE MINUTES OR TO, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? SURE.
DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL ROLL AT ALL? UH, NO, WE DON'T USUALLY DO THAT.
I PASS THEM ON THE ATTENDANCE SHEET AND THAT'S OH YEAH.
AND AS LONG AS WE HAVE A QUORUM.
I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES, SAY AYE.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY, UH, ZOOMING IN OR CALLING IN? UM, NOT, NOT AT THE MOMENT.
NO, JAMES, I BELIEVE WILL JOIN US LATER, BUT WE HAVE PETER MULLEN WHO IS, UH, GOING TO BE PRESENTING FOR PROJECT CONNECT ALONGSIDE WITH A NEED, SO.
JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T MISS SOMEBODY THOUGH.
[2A. Lady Bird Bridge Briefing]
UM, THAT WILL MOVE US ON TO NEW BUSINESS.WE HAVE TWO ITEMS, UM, A BRIEFING ABOUT THE LADYBIRD BRIDGE AND, UM, WHICH IS NOT POSTED FOR ACTION.
AND THEN APARTMENT CITY, UM, PROPOSAL ABOUT REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION.
SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, A THE LADY BIRD, LADY, BIRD BRIDGE BRIEFING, SAY THAT FAST THREE TIMES.
UM, WHENEVER THE CITY FOLKS ARE READY TO GO, WE WILL BE READY.
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE PETER, IF YOU'RE TALKING YOU'RE ON MUTE OR YOU'RE NOT PATCHED THROUGH, IT ACTUALLY SAYS HE'S SPEAKING.
IT CAN DETECT, BUT WE CAN'T HEAR IT.
IT MIGHT BE AB SIDE OR HE'S PRANKING US ALL.
OH, WE CAN SEE CECELIA'S TALKING TO, BUT WE CAN'T HEAR HER.
I THINK IT'S ON OUR SIDE THEN.
FOLKS, GIVE US JUST A MOMENT OF, FOR THOSE THAT ARE WEBEX WORD, UH, FIXING THE AUDIO ISSUES NOW, CECILIA, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
UM, AND PETER IS ALSO GOOD TO SEE YOU THOUGH.
WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T HEAR BOTH OF YOU QUITE YET.
SO THIS GIVES US A MOMENT, UH, CHAIR, AND JUST, I GUESS FOR SOME BACKGROUND, I REQUESTED THIS ITEM AND THANKFULLY NATE OR NATHAN AGREED TO CO-SPONSOR.
I GOT A PRESENTATION ON THIS THROUGH A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP, UM, PROBABLY A MONTH AND A HALF, TWO MONTHS AGO.
I REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE, UM, SUPER GREAT PRESENTATION, LOTS OF GOOD WORK, LOTS OF REALLY GREAT WORK HAPPENING.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAD WAS, UH, WHILE THIS BRIDGE IS BEING USED FOR MULTIMODAL USE PEDESTRIAN, CYCLISTS AND THE, AND THE NEW LIGHT RAIL, UM, IT WAS, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF IT POTENTIALLY BEING USED AS WELL FOR BUSES IN THE INTERIM BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THE FIVE MINUTES BETWEEN A TRAIN GOING BACK AND FORTH.
UM, IT COULD BE USED FOR BUSES AND THAT'S KINDA, THAT'S WHAT SPURRED THIS DISCUSSION.
UM, THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THIS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY UPDATE.
IT IS NOT MENTIONED FOR ACTION SO WE CAN DISCUSS, BUT WE CAN'T MAKE, UM, A PROPOSAL.
[00:05:01]
SO IT'S UNDER TWO, A, UH, PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.SO THAT'S, DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T USED TO DO THIS.
THAT'S A BLANKET STATEMENT FOR ALL OF THEM.
CAUSE WE USED, YOU'RE GOING TO PUT IT NEXT TO EACH ITEM 1, 2, 3, YOU RAN INTO TROUBLE, RIGHT.
SO YOU HAVE, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO PROPOSE OFF HAND? I WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT AND, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S NOT THAT THE BRIDGE HAS TO BE USED FROM MY VIEWPOINT, NOT THE BRIDGE HAS TO BE USED FOR BUSES AS WELL, BUT AT LEAST AS THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE DESIGN OF THIS BRIDGE TO OPEN IT UP FOR POTENTIAL USE OF BUSES SO THAT IN THE FUTURE, UM, THAT OPTION IS AVAILABLE RIGHT.
TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF ALL OF OUR TRANSIT OPTIONS.
AND THE CONCERNING PART TO ME WAS THAT THAT WAS NOT LISTED AS, AS A DESIGN CRITERIA.
MAY I ASK, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHERE OR WHAT THE LADY BIRD BRIDGE IS.
IS THAT WHAT THE BRIEFING WILL TELL US? SO ON THAT NOTE, YES.
UM, IT'S AN, IT'S THE NEW BRIDGE THAT'S GOING TO CONNECT, UH, TEST ON TWO, THREE SOUTH OF THE RIVER OVER DOWNTOWN THERE.
IT'S GOING TO GIVE UP, IT'S AN AMAZING PRESENTATION.
I JUST WANT TO BE SURE IT WASN'T SOMETHING I SHOULD'VE ALREADY KNOWN.
THIS IS A FUTURE TO BE DESIGN BRIDGE FOR THE LIGHT RAIL.
I GUESS I SHARE THE GENERAL CONCERN THAT BUSES ARE GETTING SHORT SHRIFT AND A LOT OF THE DESIGN PROCESS.
I DON'T THINK IT, IT PUT THE, THE BUS TRAIN CONNECTIONS IN AT THE 30% DESIGN STAGE.
AND I THINK THAT'S JUST FAR TOO LATE.
IT SHOULD START HAPPENING AT THE 10% STAGE WHEN ISSUES LIKE THIS COULD GET CONSIDERED EARLY.
AND, AND, AND SO, UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T KNOW THAT WHERE THEY'RE AT WITH THE RELEASE OF AN RFP, BUT I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOT MENTIONED TO US, UH, DURING THEIR PRESENTATION, UM, WAS THAT THERE WOULD BE, UH, AN RFP RELEASE FOR DESIGN FIRMS TO DESIGN THAT BRIDGE.
AND SO MY CONCERN WAS, HEY, AT LEAST IN THE RFP, MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF HAVING BUSES ON THERE AS WELL, EVEN THOUGH WE MAY NEVER USE IT FOR BUSES, BUT AT LEAST WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN CONSIDERATION AND NOT FROM MY UNDERSTANDING.
UM, MAYBE THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE I SENT MY EMAIL, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS IT NOT EVEN BUSES WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED WHATSOEVER, NOT EVEN TALKED ABOUT IN THE DESIGN AT ALL.
AND FOR CONTEXT, DID, DID YOU GET ANY RESPONSE FROM YOUR EMAIL THAT SAID I DID NOT.
UNFORTUNATELY I DID GET A RESPONSE FROM GENERAL RESPONSING SAYING WE'VE GOT YOUR INQUIRY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BUT NOTHING TO THAT EMAIL.
STILL GETTING THE SOUND WORKING FROM WEBEX THREE.
I JUST WANNA THROW IT OUT THERE ALSO THAT I THINK THEY'RE DOING AN AMAZING JOB AND THEY'RE ARE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD AND JUST, AND THE PRESENTATION THAT I SAW AND THE, THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHERE THEY'RE AT IS FANTASTIC.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THIS ROBUST CONVERSATION AROUND MULTIMODAL USE OF AS WE'RE DESIGNING THINGS.
UM, DID ANYONE MENTION A SANTIAGO CALATRAVA AS THE DESIGNER FOR THIS? WE'RE GOING TO GO LANDMARK BRIDGE.
I MEAN, SHOOT FOR THE STARS, TEST 1, 2, 3, TEST 1, 2, 3.
I MEAN, IT MIGHT BE LOW TECH, BUT MAYBE PETER COULD PHONE.
IN ADDITION, IS THERE A PHONE LINE THAT CONNECTS THROUGH TESTING TESTING 1, 2, 3 TESTING.
[00:10:06]
WAS YOU HAVE A GOOD PHONE IN, WE COULD HOLD A PHONE INTO A MIC.I'M SEARCHING UP THE, UH, PHONING IN OPTION NOW.
SO GIVE ME JUST A MINUTE WHILE I TRY TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
JUST THAT WE CAN JUST CALL SOMEBODY CLASSIC, UH, YEAH, A FRIEND, THE OFFICIAL NAME, BUT LADY BIRD.
IT'S IT'S CALLED BLUE LINE BRIDGE.
AND THEN IT'S CALLED LADY BIRD BREAKS.
IS IT OFFICIALLY? I DO NOT KNOW THAT TO BE THE KID THAT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
UM, PLEASE, UH, I WOULD RECOMMEND, UH, FOCUSING ON THE, WHAT THE POWERPOINT NAMES.
IT, I, WHEN I DO THE AGENDA, I DO A BRIEF ITEM, A DESCRIPTION AS BEST AS I UNDERSTAND.
SO POINTEDLY LIBRARY TEST ON 1, 2, 3.
LET ME SEE IF SOMEONE ELSE IS HERE.
DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A FRAMING QUESTIONS THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT WHILE WE LOOKED THROUGH THE PRESENTATION? DID WE JUST WANT TO SET SOME CONTEXT? YEAH, I HAVE ONE QUESTION AND PLEASE, EXCUSE MY IGNORANCE.
I'M MAYBE MY BRAIN IS ONE HALF POWER, BUT, UM, SAMUEL, IN YOUR EMAIL, YOU SAY THAT THE, UM, THOSE CANNOT, THAT CANNOT RIDE THE LIGHT RAIL.
I WAS WONDERING WHO YOU WERE THINKING OF WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO ME.
SO WITHOUT KNOWING, WITHOUT KNOWING THE COST OF LIGHT RAIL RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE FARES WILL BE.
UM, IT MIGHT BE AN ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO RIDE THE LIGHT RAIL AND PUT THE BUS.
THE BUS OPTION MIGHT STILL BE CHEAPER.
THAT'S STILL THINGS I KNOW THAT THEY'RE WORKING OUT.
UM, BUT REGARDLESS OF THAT OUTCOME, IT'S STILL, PEOPLE MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE RIDING TO THE RAIL.
OR THE OTHER QUESTION IS, WELL, I WANTED TO GET INTO THIS LATER, BUT YOU KNOW, THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST OR SOUTHEAST AND NORTHEAST SIDES OF, OF, UH, AUSTIN, THE EASTERN CRESCENT ARE NOT BEING SERVED BY LIGHT RAIL RIGHT NOW.
AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING EXPANDED, UM, BUS OPTIONS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, WHAT THE CONSTRAINTS ARE THERE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE GREEN LINE AND FUTURE, UM, RIDERSHIP AND WHATNOT.
BUT IF YOU'RE GONNA, IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IF THEIR ONLY OPTION DUE TO PROXIMITY AWAY FROM A LIGHT RAIL LINE IS TO USE THE BUS.
WHY SHOULD THEY HAVE TO GET OFF OF THE TRANSFER? WHY NOT JUST GO OVER THE SAME BRIDGE? I TOOK IT TO MEAN PEOPLE WHO JUST AREN'T HERE A TRAIN STATION.
IF YOU'RE COMING FROM DOVE SPRINGS, WHY, YOU KNOW, WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO TRANSFER ON JUST IN GENERAL, ACCORDING TO CAP METRO'S PROJECTIONS PROJECT IS A FULLY COMPLETE TWO THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE.
RIDERSHIP WILL STILL BE ON BUSES.
SO BUSES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I KEEP LOOKING AT IS HOW DOES THE LIGHT RAIL CONNECT WITH THE BUS SYSTEM? YEAH.
AND AS, AND, AND IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE DESIGNING A NEW BRIDGE RIGHT NOW, WHY WOULD WE NOT KEEP OUR OPTIONS OPEN GREENFIELD CONSIDER.
IF THERE'S A GOOD REASON TO NOT JUST ARTICULATE THAT RATIO.
TO ME, HONESTLY, IF IT COMES DOWN TO AN EQUITY ISSUE, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.
THE PRESENTATION I DON'T WANT TO, YEAH.
I DON'T WANT TO, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME UPDATES THAT I'M NOT PRIVY TO, AND I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE A RUCKUS WITHOUT, WITHOUT KNOWING THE FULL STORY, YOU KNOW, TEST 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3.
AS YOU BUILD UP THE THUNDER AND THEN HAVE SOMEBODY JUST PLAYING THAT.
[00:15:05]
TEST 1, 2, 3.IT WAS, THE SPEAKER WAS SET TO THE WRONG THING.
THIS IS A GOOD THEME FOR THE NIGHT.
UM, DO YOU, UH, W WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE READY.
DO YOU WANT TO PUT UP THE PRESENTATION? COME ON, COME BE A BUTTON.
WELL, WELL, WHILE WE'RE PUTTING THAT UP, JUST AGAIN, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE TIME TONIGHT TO COME AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE AND, UM, OVER LADY BIRD LAKE.
AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED AND, AND BRING SOME CLARITY TO THE, TO THE CONTEXT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UM, AND I'M ALSO, I DON'T KNOW, AND HE CAN, ANNA, DO YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AS WELL? NICO DAY PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE, CITY OF AUSTIN.
I'M HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION AND HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS.
ANNA MARTIN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
I'M THE CHIEF OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, UM, WHICH IS THE NEW LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION THAT IS WORKING WITH CAP METRO IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO IMPLEMENT A PROJECT CONNECT FOLLOWING THE, UH, THE VOTE LAST YEAR, UH, NEXT, OH, SORRY.
SO, UM, WE LIKE TO GENERALLY, WHEN WE, WHEN WE PRESENTED OUR PROJECT CONNECT, EVEN IF WE'RE FOCUSING ON ANY SPECIFIC AREA, UM, REALLY LIKE WE START WITH THE MAP, RIGHT.
AND BECAUSE IT DESCRIBES, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE, UH, THE ELEMENTS, UM, THAT PROJECT CONNECTING.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A PROGRAM OF MULTIPLE PROJECTS.
THIS IS NOT ONE PROJECT OR TWO PROJECTS.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROJECTS THAT ARE INTENDED TO WORK TOGETHER AS A SYSTEM.
UM, AND THIS DOESN'T EVEN SHOW, YOU KNOW, THE LOCAL BUS ROUTES, WHICH OBVIOUSLY ARE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE VEINS OF THE SYSTEM REACHING THE EXTREMITIES AND OBVIOUSLY PROVIDING AN INDISPENSABLE SERVICE.
SO, UM, BUT THAT, THAT IDEA OF THIS AS A SYSTEM IS REALLY CRITICAL TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OF THE PARTS.
UM, PERSONALLY, THE COMMENTS I THINK THAT THAT MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION WERE MAKING IN THE, IN THE CONVERSATION PREVIOUSLY.
UM, SO THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THE TWO LIGHT RAIL LINES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, GET A LOT OF ATTENTION, UM, BECAUSE IT'S A NEW THING FOR AUSTIN, UM, THE BLUE LINE AND THE ORANGE LINE, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE'S ALSO IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RED LINE, WHICH ARE, UM, ALREADY UNDERWAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE BROKE GROUND ON SOME DOUBLE TRACKING IMPROVEMENTS UP AT THE NORTHWEST END, UM, THE FUTURE OF GREEN LINE, WHICH WILL SERVE, UH, MAINER AND COLONY PARK.
AND HOPEFULLY EVENTUALLY ELGON, UM, THE, THE FOUR NEW METRO RAPID LINES, WHICH, UM, YOU WILL PROVIDE REALLY HIGH CAPACITY HIGH-FREQUENCY SERVICE TO, UM, PARTICULARLY IN THE, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, EAST SIDE IN AREAS THAT AREN'T SERVED BY LIGHT RAIL, BUT CONNECT TO THE LIGHT RAIL AT KEY NODES.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOODS, CIRCULATORS, YOU KNOW, FACILITIES, IMPROVEMENTS, TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS, ET CETERA, AND, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANTLY THE, UM, $300 MILLION OF ANTI-DISPLACEMENT FUND, UH, THAT WILL GO TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS, IS RE UM, DEPLOYING, UM, TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL, UH, YOU KNOW, UNDESIRABLE IMPACTS OF SOME OF THESE INVESTMENTS NEXT.
UH, AND THE, THE PROJECT IS THE PROGRAM ITSELF IS BEING, IS BEING DELIVERED BY THIS, UH, TEAM OF AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP CAP, METRO, UH, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, ATP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS FOR THE LIGHT RAIL LINES AND THE FUTURE GREEN LINE, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL FACILITIES.
METRO RE UH, CAP METRO IS REALLY TAKING THE LEAD ON ALL
[00:20:01]
THE, THE RUBBER TIRE PROJECT.SO, UH, METRO RAPID AND METRICS BEST SUPPRESS, AND, AND THEY WILL CAP.
METRO WILL ALSO BE OF THE ENTITY THAT OPERATES ALL OF THESE, THESE, UH, THESE INVESTMENTS ONCE THEY'RE BUILT.
SO BASICALLY ADP BUILDS THEM, HANDS THEM OVER TO CAP METRO.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS, IS A CRUCIAL PARTNER IN THIS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING HAS TO WORK WITHIN, UH, MOST OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE CITY RIGHT AWAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT ALSO HAS TO WORK WITHIN THE, THE CITY SYSTEM HOLISTICALLY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY TRY TO TAKE THIS TEAM APPROACH AND THIS HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE DESIGN OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND ALL THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS WITHIN IT NEXT.
UH, SO THIS IS THE BLUE LINE ALIGNMENT THAT RUNS FROM, UH, THE AIRPORT DOWN, UH, ACROSS 180 3 AND 71.
UM, AND THEN BASICALLY DOWN EAST RIVERSIDE UNTIL IT GETS TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, OR THEN IT TAKES A RIGHT TURN AND, AND CROSSES THE LAKE, UH, ON A BRIDGE.
UH, AND THEN WHEN IT GETS TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE GOES INTO, UM, UNDERGROUND INTO THE DOWNTOWN SUBWAY TUNNEL.
UM, AND THEN IT MEETS UP WITH THE ORANGE LINE OF REPUBLIC SQUARE.
AND THEN, AND AGAIN, THIS I SHOULD, THERE'S SORT OF AN ERROR ON THIS MAP.
THE ORANGE LINE, THE BLUE LINE WILL RUN INTERLINED ON THE NORTHERN STRETCH OF THE ORANGE LINE CORRIDOR.
SO, UM, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE A, UH, A LIGHT RED VEHICLE FROM THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MARCH LINE DIRECTLY TO THE AIRPORT.
SO, UM, THAT'S A KIND OF A POWERFUL FEATURE OF THE SYSTEM, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE WATERFRONT STATION AND THE RAINY MAX STATION NEXT, UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE SCHEDULE, WE ARE IN, UM, THE, THE NEPA ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS AND OUR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND DESIGN PROCESS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE COMPLETED 15% DESIGN LAST SUMMER ENROLLED, YOU KNOW, ROLLED THAT OUT WITH THE COMMUNITY IN JULY AND AUGUST.
UH, WE'VE ALSO ENTERED INTO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT WITH THE FTA.
FTA IS A CRUCIAL PARTNER OF OURS AND WILL BE A MAJOR FUNDER, YOU KNOW, 50% OF THE COST OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE, UM, COULD BE FUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO THEY'RE WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS THE RELEASE OF THE, UH, 30% DESIGN, UM, AND THE DRAFT EIS, UM, PROBABLY LATE SPRING, EARLY SUMMER.
UM, AND THEN THE, REALLY THE, THE BIG MILESTONE IS THE, THE FTA NEPA RECORD OF DECISION, WHICH WE, UM, HOPE TO GET, YOU KNOW, AROUND A YEAR FROM NOW, WE'D BE EARLY 20, 23.
UM, AND THAT CLEARS THE WAY AGAIN FOR US TO GO FORWARD WITH THE FINAL ENGINEERING AND FINAL DESIGN, UM, OR THE TWO LIGHT RAIL LINES NEXT.
SO, UM, THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE, RIGHT, AGAIN, IT'S CONNECTING ESSENTIALLY IT'S BETWEEN THE, UM, THE ACCURATE STATION WATERFRONT STATION, WHICH YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE.
UM, IT'S THAT KIND OF THE EDGE OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
UM, THE BLUE LINE IS SURFACE RUNNING UNTIL FROM THE EAST UNTIL THAT POINT UNTIL IT GETS TO THE BRIDGE CROSSES THE OVER THE LAKE ON THE BRIDGE.
UM, AND THEN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE GOES DOWN UNDERGROUND, UM, INTO THE TUNNEL.
UM, AND SO THEN THE STATION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE, WHICH IS THE RAINY MAC STATION, UM, IS A BELOW GRADE STATION.
AND, UH, AND I CAN DESCRIBE HOW ALL THAT WORKS.
IT'S A PRETTY, UH, INTRICATE MOMENT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S INFORMING SOME OF OUR DECISION MAKING, UM, WE ARE ANTICIPATING THE, THE BRIDGE TO CARRY BOTH LIGHT RAIL, BUT ALSO, UM, OTHER MODES, BICYCLES AND PEDESTRIANS.
UM, AND I KNOW THIS INTEREST IN BUSES, WE HAVEN'T BEEN PLANNING FOR BUSES ON THE BRIDGE, SO, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT ONCE WE GET THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE CONDUCTIVITY OF THE BRIDGE TO, YOU KNOW, OTHER SURROUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY FOR BEDS AND BIKES AND BUSES IS REALLY CRITICAL.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE DESIGN OF THE BRIDGE HAS TO HAVE AN EYE TOWARDS THAT AS WELL NEXT.
THIS IS, UNFORTUNATELY, ARE YOU USING THE PDF OF THE, OF THE VERSION OR THE POWERPOINT CHRIS? WE ARE USING THE PDF VERSION.
UM, ALL RIGHT, WELL, THIS SLIDE IS A LITTLE DISTORTED, SO APOLOGIES FOR THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE, THIS IS JUST SHOWING SOME OF THE CONNECTIONS ON BOTH SIDES.
LET'S GO TO THE NEXT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE THREE.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT INFORMS OUR THINKING ABOUT THE BRIDGE, UM, IS, UH, THE, THE NATURE OF THE LAKE ITSELF, RIGHT? AND THE, THE, THE INTENSIVE LANDSCAPE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAKE.
AND HOW DO WE INTRODUCE THIS NEW PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT REALLY FITS IN WITH THAT EXISTING CONTEXT? AND
[00:25:01]
WHAT'S IN SOME CASES ACTUALLY QUITE SENSITIVE.UM, SO THAT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN OUR CONSIDERATION AS WE MOVE THIS DESIGN PROCESS FORWARD NEXT.
UM, ALSO IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT WE KNOW, UM, IS THE WATERLOO GREENWAY PLAN.
AND AS PART OF THAT, THE, THE PONTOON BRIDGE THAT WAS INCORPORATED THAT PLAN, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, WAY BACK IN 2013, UM, AND WHICH IS BEING IMPLEMENTED CURRENTLY, THE FIRST PHASE, UH, WATERLOO PARK WAS OPENED THIS LAST PAST SUMMER.
UM, THE SECOND PHASE DOWN BY THE LAKE WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UH, STARTING IN 2022.
AND AS PART OF THAT PLAN INCLUDE, UH, A PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING BRIDGE ACROSS THE LAKE, UM, IN PROXIMITY TO THIS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE DEVELOPING THE, UM, THE PLAN FOR THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE, UM, AND THIS IS PRE REFERENDUM, UM, THERE WAS, UH, THE IDEA THAT GIVEN THE PROXIMITY OF THESE POTENTIAL TWO BRIDGES OF THE PONTOON BRIDGE AND THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE, WOULDN'T IT MAKE SENSE TO ACTUALLY TRY TO COMBINE THOSE INTO ONE STRUCTURE JUST FOR, UM, ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND, UM, TO BASICALLY FULFILL, YOU KNOW, THE DIVISION OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY BRIDGE.
SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONTEXT FOR US NEXT.
UM, AND I THINK WE ALSO LIKE MANY ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM AND THE PROGRAM IN GENERAL, WE WANT TO BRING, UH, YOU KNOW, AN ASPIRATIONAL LENS TO THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE IDEA OF YOU DON'T HAVE A NEW BRIDGE OVER THE, OVER THE LAKE, UM, IS A REALLY EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY ON A, ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS.
I MEAN, BOTH FORM ABILITY, UM, BUT ALSO TO MAKE A PLACE.
I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD EXAMPLES, I'LL SHOW THESE, YOU KNOW, WHERE LIKE THE PFLUGER BRIDGE WHERE THESE, UM, THESE BRIDGES CAN BECOME NOT JUST, UH, CONNECTORS, BUT ALSO PLACES IN AND OF THEMSELVES.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THE IDEA OF THE BRIDGE AND THE IMAGE OF THE BRIDGE, UM, CAN ALSO BE A REALLY POWERFUL SYMBOL, UH, FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO THE DESIGN OF THE BRIDGE IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY, UM, WE WANT TO, UH, INVEST IN, UM, BOTH IN TERMS OF TIME AND RESOURCES.
UM, AND SO OUR, OUR, OUR PLAN IS TO DO ACTUALLY DO, UH, AN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION, UM, FOR THE SPRAYS, SO THAT WE WOULD GO THROUGH A PROCESS TO, UM, SELECT, UH, FINALISTS AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ASKED TO SUBMIT CONCEPTS FOR THE BRIDGE THAT THEN COULD BE REVIEWED, UH, WITH THE PUBLIC.
AND SO WE REALLY TRY TO RAISE THE BAR FROM A DESIGN STANDPOINT FOR THE BRIDGE NEXT, UM, JUST TO GET A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE CONTEXT, AGAIN, LADY BIRD LAKE, UM, IT'S, I, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, I LOVE THE BOTTOM RATE IMAGE HERE, UM, IN PART, JUST TO, BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE FORGET HOW THIS WAS AN INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE THAT WAS LARGELY DENUDED OF TREES AND THAT, SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST DECADES, WE HAVE BEEN IN A PROCESS OF ACTUALLY REFORESTING AND RE NATURALIZING, UM, THE LAKE, UM, FROM WHAT IT HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN.
UM, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A FLOOD PLAIN FOR MANY YEARS, AND THEN ONCE WE DID, YOU KNOW, DAMNED AT THE SERIES OF HIGHLAND LAKES WERE CONTROLLED FLOODING, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS A PLACE OF INDUSTRY UNTIL, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, WE HAD WENT THROUGH A PROCESS OF RE NATURALIZING IT, AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT CONTEXT FOR US NEXT.
AND SO IT'S BECOME THIS REALLY INCREDIBLY RICH, UH, PLACE OF NATURE, WHERE WE HAVE REALLY ROBUST HABITAT FOR, UM, DIVERSE, UM, UH, DIVERSE ANIMAL LIFE AND, AND CRITTERS, ET CETERA.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY AND WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ENHANCE IT, PROTECT THAT NEXT.
UM, IT'S ALSO BECOME AN INCREDIBLY ROBUST CENTER FOR HUMAN ACTIVITY, UM, IN TERMS OF RECREATIONAL USES.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE TWO ASPECTS, THE HUMAN USE AND THE, AND THE SENSITIVE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT HAVE TO BE HELD IN BALANCE.
UM, AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DISRUPT, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PROTECT AS WELL NEXT.
UH, AND THE BATS IN PARTICULAR, WE KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY THE BATS HABITAT UNDER THE CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE IS, IS IN PROXIMITY TO THE LOCATION OF THE FUTURE BLUE LINE BRIDGE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T DISRUPT OR, UM, IMPAIR THAT COMMUNITY.
UH, BUT IN SOME WAYS THE BATS ALSO SYMBOLIZE THAT, THAT, UH, COHABITATION OF THE NATURAL ON THE, AND THE HUMAN, UM, IN BALANCE.
AND SO IT'S A GREAT METAPHOR IN SOME WAYS FOR WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH X.
UH, AND WE DO HAVE SOME GOOD PRECEDENTS FOR PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES OR PARTICULAR, UM, SOME, YOU KNOW, THE PFLUGER BRIDGE, UH, BY, UH, LAMAR, WHICH I THINK HAS BECOME A REAL TREASURED ASSET.
AND, UM, IT'S JUST A GREAT DEMONSTRATOR ABOUT WAYS TO, HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE, THE, THE LAKE ENVIRONMENT FROM A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT THAN BEING
[00:30:01]
AUDIT OR BEING ON THE SIDE OF IT.UM, AND THEN, UH, THE NEW LONGHORN DAM BRIDGE, WHICH IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT, WHICH I THINK IS SIMILARLY IMPORTANT ASSET ON THE EAST SIDE, UM, AND THAT WE CAN DRAW LESSONS FROM THOSE ABOUT HOW PEOPLE USE THESE BRIDGES WHAT'S SUCCESSFUL.
SO THOSE THAT'S SOME OF THE CONTEXT OF THE LAKE THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONSIDER AS WE APPROACH THE DESIGN OF THE BRIDGE.
UM, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE, THE, WHAT HAPPENS AT THE, ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH SHORE, CAUSE THOSE LANDINGS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL.
SO ON THE NORTH, UH, THE NORTH LAKE SHORE, UM, THIS IS WHERE THE BRIDGE TRANSITIONS FROM BEING A BRIDGE TO GOING INTO THE UNDERGROUND SYSTEM OF THE, OF THE TUNNEL, THE LIGHT RAIL TUNNEL NEXT.
UM, SO ZOOMED IN ON THAT, UM, AGAIN, THE GOAL OF THE ALIGNMENT IS TO BASICALLY GET THE, THE TRAIN UNDERGROUND, UM, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, UM, AS WE GET TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE, SO THAT WE DON'T, UM, FIRST OF ALL, FIRST EFFICIENCY PURPOSES, RIGHT? UM, OBVIOUSLY THE TRAINS MOVE MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY UNDERGROUND THAN THEY DO ABOVE GROUND BECAUSE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THE GRADE SEPARATION RAISES ANY CONFLICTS THAT MIGHT EXIST WITH TRAFFIC OR OTHER PEDESTRIANS OR OTHERWISE.
UM, BUT ALSO TO AVOID ANY KIND OF CONFLICT WITH THE TRAIL, UM, AND THE LAKE ENVIRONMENT, I MEAN THE, THE TRAIL ENVIRONMENT ITSELF.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE WE'RE BASICALLY, WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET THE, THE TRAIN ALIGNMENT BASICALLY UNDERGROUND BEFORE WE GET TO THE TRAIL, ESSENTIALLY IN ITS CURRENT LOCATION AT THE TOP OF THE BANK.
UM, WE ARE COMING THROUGH, UM, ESSENTIALLY THE LOCATION OF THE EXISTING WALNUT CREEK BOAT HOUSE.
UM, SO IT IS LIKELY, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT BOAT HAS, WILL BE IMPACTED BY THIS.
AND WE ARE IN CURRENT DISCUSSIONS WITH, UM, ARD, WHICH OWNS THE BOAT HOUSE AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN ROWING CLUB AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT PLANS TO RELOCATE THE BRIDGE.
AND ACTUALLY PART HAS FOUND AN ALTERNATIVE LOCATION, UM, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LAKE A LITTLE BIT TO THE EAST WHERE THEY THINK IT WOULD BE, WOULD WORK FOR A RELOCATED BOATHOUSE.
UM, BUT YOU COULD SEE HERE THE, THE VARIOUS, UH, TRAIL CONNECTIONS THAT THE, ESSENTIALLY THE PAD AND BICYCLE FACILITIES ON THE BRIDGE WOULD CONNECT TO, UM, BOTH ON THE TRAIL, BUT ALSO HEADING UP NORTH ON WATERLOO GREENWAY, UM, AS WELL AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT EXTENDING THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY SOUTH FROM FOURTH STREET, ALL THE WAY TO THE BRIDGE TO MAKE THAT CYCLING CONNECTION AS WELL.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE, WE ARE PROPOSING TWO ENTRANCES TO THE RAINY STATION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE ONE, UM, RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE LAKE.
UM, AND THEN ONE, A LITTLE BIT TO THE EAST CLOSE TO WALLER CREEK.
THAT'S ANOTHER BLUE BOX, UM, ADJACENT TO THE CESAR CHAVEZ.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE PLATFORM, BOTH OF THOSE INTERESTS IS WITH CONNECT DOWN UNDERGROUND TO THE RAINY MAC, UH, TRAIN PLATFORM A LITTLE BIT TO THE NORTH.
UH, THAT'S THAT WHITE BOX, JUST SO YOU CAN SEE UNDER, UNDER CESAR CHAVEZ.
UM, NEXT, SO THIS IS A CROSS SECTION, UM, THROUGH THAT MOMENT WHERE AGAINST THE, AGAIN, THE, THE, THE TRAINS WOULD COME ACROSS ON THE BRIDGE AND THEN DIVE DOWN INTO ESSENTIALLY THE SIDE OF THE BANK OF THE LAKE.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, GETTING UNDERGROUND QUICKLY, THE PEDS AND THE BIKES WOULD ESSENTIALLY STAY UP AGAIN, HOW THAT GETS DONE AS PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS, THE PEDS AND THE BIKES WOULD STAY UP AND THEN PHYSICALLY CONNECT TO THE TRAIL AT THE TOP OF THE BANK, SORT OF WHERE YOU SEE THAT, THAT ARROWHEAD, UM, THE, THE RED ARROW.
UM, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A PROXIMATE TO THAT JUST TO THE NORTH.
THERE WOULD BE, UM, AN ENTRANCE STRUCTURE THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE, THE RAMP ENTRANCE DOWN TO THE STATION UNDERGROUND TO THE NORTH, SO THAT YOU COULD SEE THAT ARROW HEADING TO THE LEFT.
UM, AND SO ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS HAVE TO KIND OF WORK TOGETHER AND THIS PRETTY INTRICATE, UM, YOU KNOW, SPACIAL PUZZLE BETWEEN THE TRAINS, THE BIKES AND THE PEDS, THE ENTRANCES TO THE STATION, THE TRAIL, AND THE LAKE ITSELF.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF IS NOT TO, UM, DIS YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LAKE, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF, OF AREA THAT WE CAN DISRUPT IN THE LAKE ITSELF WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THE BRIDGE.
UM, AND, AND AS WELL AS THIS, THIS PIECE OF THE STRUCTURE DIVING INTO THE LAKE, WE THINK WE CAN MANAGE IT, BUT, UM, IT'S ANOTHER CONSIDERATION WE HAVE TO MANAGE NEXT.
UM, AND HERE IS A KIND OF A MORE RENDERED LANDSCAPE VIEW OF WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE AND HOW ALL THESE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS COULD WORK TOGETHER.
UM, SO YOU COULD SEE THE TRAINS KIND OF GOING UNDER GROUND AND THE LANDSCAPE BEING BUILT ON TOP OF THE PORTAL, UM, WHERE THE TRADES WOULD ENTER THE UNDERGROUND SYSTEM, UM, THAT RED SQUARE IS A KIND OF ENTRANCE CANOPY FOR THE RAMP GOING UNDERGROUND.
AND WE THINK IT'S REALLY AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A SUBWAY ENTRANCE COMING UP INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE, THE KIND OF ROBUST LANDSCAPE OF THE LAKE.
[00:35:01]
TAKING THE TRAIN INTO TOWN WOULD MERGE INTO ESSENTIALLY A GARDEN.UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE POSSIBILITY FOR OVERLOOKS POTENTIALLY ON TOP OF THE PORTAL, UM, AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES TO BASICALLY RE UM, STAYED AND ENHANCE THE NATURAL AREAS OF THE LAKE ON EITHER SIDE.
UM, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WE THINK THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE CAN BASICALLY BUILD BACK THE LANDSCAPE WITH, YOU KNOW, SERIOUS, UM, ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONALITY, UM, UH, ONCE WE'VE BUILT THE, THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM COMING THROUGH HERE.
SO AGAIN, THERE'S A REALLY TIGHT SPOT WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH A LOT AND FIT IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT FUNCTIONALITY.
ONE THING I SHOULD MENTION ALSO IS THAT THERE IS A, WE DO HAVE TO MAINTAIN, WE HAVE TO STAY CLEAR OF THE WALLER CREEK, UH, BOAT HOUSE, UH, LAGOON, WHICH IS THAT, UM, THAT SORT OF SEMICIRCULAR AREA JUST TO THE EAST OF THE PORTAL.
UM, AND WE HAVE TO ALSO MAINTAIN THAT, UH, MAINTENANCE ACCESS RAMP, WHICH COMES DOWN.
I CAN'T REALLY, I DON'T HAVE MY CAR, SIR, SO I CAN'T SHOW YOU, BUT, UH, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER IN THIS AS WELL, EX UM, SO, UM, IT'S LOOKING LIKE WE'RE MISSING A COUPLE OF SLIDES.
UM, UM, ANYWAY, SO THAT'S JUST GIVE YOU A SENSE OF, OF HOW IT'S MEETING THE EXCUSE.
UM, UH, W SOME OF THE SENSITIVITIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MANAGE IN TERMS OF GEOMETRICALLY, UM, AND THEN THE, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PROJECT CONNECT IN CONJUNCTION WITH CAP METRO AND THE CITY WE'VE ESTABLISHED THIS, UH, A SERIES OF WORKING GROUPS.
UH, WE'VE KIND OF DIVIDED THE BLUE AND ORANGE LINE ALIGNMENT UP INTO A SERIES OF GEOMETRIC, UH, AREAS WHERE WE CAN GET INTO MORE DETAILED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT, UH, VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN OCTOBER, I THINK IS, UM, UH, MR. FRANCO MENTIONED THAT WE, WE HAD A, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, DESIGN WORKSHOP AROUND THE BRIDGE, UM, THAT WAS GOING TO ROUND THE, THE, UM, THE WAS SHARED BY THE DOWNTOWN AND THE SOUTH SHORE WORKING GROUPS, UM, TO REVIEW THE DESIGN OF THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE AND TO GO OVER SOME OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AND GET FEEDBACK, UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT, UM, AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE RAISED AT THAT MEETING, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAD GREAT PARTICIPATION FOR THE MEETING.
I THINK ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING VIRTUALLY IT'S REDUCED THE BARRIERS FOR ENTRY FOR MANY PEOPLE, UM, TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE EVENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LOT OF PARTICIPANT MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN ROWING CLUB ATTEND, WHO EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THE, THE RELOCATION OF THE WALNUT CREEK BOATHOUSE.
AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE, EVEN SINCE THAT OCTOBER MEETING MADE SOME PROGRESS IN TERMS OF FINDING ANOTHER LOCATION FOR THE BOATHOUSE.
UM, OTHER QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED WERE, UM, ABOUT THE USES OF BUSES ON THE BRIDGE, AGAIN, AS CURRENTLY, WE'RE NOT, UH, PLANNING ON FOUR BUSES ON THE BRIDGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS, ONE IS, I MEAN, THERE IS CARE.
METRO DOES NOT HAVE SERVICE PLAN PLAN FOR BUSES ON THE BRIDGE.
UM, AND ALSO THERE, YOU KNOW, WE GENERALLY DON'T LIKE TO SHARE THE GUIDEWAY OR THE RAIL WITH OTHER VEHICLES, BECAUSE IT DOES POSE A RISK TO RAIL OPERATIONS.
UM, SO WE REALLY TRY TO AVOID THAT.
UM, SO, UM, THAT IS CURRENTLY NOT PART OF THE PLAN, BUT WE ARE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION ON THAT.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE, UH, THE BAD ENVIRONMENT, UM, SOME CONCERN ABOUT NOISE, AND WE'LL SAY THAT ALL THESE VEHICLES ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT ELECTRIC, SO, UM, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MITIGATE THE NOISE IMPACTS THERE.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, IS IT POSSIBLE TO BUILD A TUNNEL UNDER THE LAKE INSTEAD OF A BRIDGE ITSELF? UM, IT REALLY, UH, IS NOT POSSIBLE JUST FROM A GEOMETRIC STANDPOINT AND PURCHASE BECAUSE THERE'S NOWHERE TO COME UP OUT OF, UM, THE TUNNEL ON THE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LAKE.
UM, BASICALLY JUST BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF VERTICAL DISTANCE YOU'D HAVE TO CLIMB, UM, YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO GET ALL THE WAY ACROSS 35 BEFORE YOU COULD GET ABOVE GROUND.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, AND PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT PARKING, YOU KNOW, UM, WHICH IS I THINK A GOOD ONE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UH, WE ARE, I THINK IT'S PART OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PLAN SEEING, UH, SOME SIGNIFICANT PARKING BUILT, BUT ALSO WE ARE TRYING TO, UM, MITIGATE ALL THAT WITH, WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF RAIL AND MORE ROBUST TRANSIT.
AND PART OF THE WHOLE LAND FOR, FOR APPROACHING NEXT IS TO, UM, FACILITATE MODE SHIFT AWAY FROM CARS.
UM, AND SO WE THINK, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WITH A STATION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE, OF THE BRIDGE, THERE'S, WE, WE ANTICIPATE REALLY GOOD ACCESS TO THE BRIDGE.
SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HEAR WHAT YOU, YOUR THOUGHTS CAUSE, UM, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RFQ
[00:40:01]
AND RFP PROCESS FOR THE BRIDGE, AND SO WANT TO FOLD AS MUCH FEEDBACK INTO THAT, UM, INTO THAT RFQ RFP AND WITH AS MUCH CLARITY AS WE CAN POSSIBLY PROVIDE, UM, INTO THAT PROCESS.COULD YOU, COULD YOU CLARIFY WHAT PEOPLE'S PARKING CONCERNS WERE? PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO DRIVE TO THE, I THINK IT WAS PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE LAKE AND SPECIFICALLY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DRIVE TO THE BOATHOUSE.
SO, YEAH, WE'RE, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULDN'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT NOT ALL OF US ARE QUITE READY TO JUMP ONTO PUBLIC TRANSIT, BUT WE'LL GET THEM THERE.
I HAVE COMMENTS, BUT I WANT TO OPEN IT UP TO ANY COMMISSIONER WHO WANTS TO RAISE THEIR HAND FIRST.
RUBEN, ARE YOU RAISING YOUR HAND? OKAY.
I JUST WANT TO ASK PETER, DID YOU HEAR MY EARLIER COMMENTS ABOUT BUSES AND THE 10% AND 30% DESIGN? YEAH, YEAH, I DID.
AND I SEE YOU, UM, I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
LIKE WE HAVE TO, THIS IS, AS I SAID, THIS IS A MULTIMODAL SYSTEM, RIGHT.
AND IT HAS TO FUNCTION EFFICIENTLY AS A SYSTEM AND WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR THOSE BUS RAIL UP CONNECTIONS, WHEREVER WE CAN.
I THINK WE'RE DOING, UM, REALLY WELL IN SOME PLACES, YOU KNOW, UM, AND WE PROBABLY COULD DO BETTER IN OTHER PLACES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE QUESTION IS HOW DO BUSES, UM, INTERACT WITH THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PLAN, RIGHT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A RAIL STOP THERE AND THAT'S A GREAT, ALSO ANOTHER GREAT PLACE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR BUSES TO, TO CONNECT.
SO, UM, AGAIN, BUS OPERATIONS IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE OVER THAI, RIGHT? PARTICULARLY WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
AND THERE'S MORE ANALYSIS HAS TO BE DONE THERE, BUT WE HAVE TO CREATE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL SURREAL CONNECTIONS AS POSSIBLE.
UM, DO I SEE ANYONE ELSE'S HANDS? I CAN TAKE UP A LITTLE BIT OF TIME HERE.
SO IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS SOME COMMENTS, OKAY, I'LL JUST JUMP IN WITH A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.
NUMBER ONE, A GREAT PRESENTATION.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF PEOPLE COMING IN FROM WHEREVER LET'S SAY THE AIRPORT AND THEY GO INTO A HOTEL ON RAINY AND THEY COME OUT INTO A GARDEN AND THEY HAVE TO WALK TWO MINUTES TO RAINY.
THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL SPATIAL EXPERIENCE.
UH, THE OTHER TAKEAWAY, ONE OF THE TAKEAWAY, UM, CALATRAVA IS IN THE MIX.
AND SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CALL IT TROUGH AS AN ARCHITECT WHO DOES REALLY AWESOME BRIDGES AND OTHER THINGS.
WE MAY NOT HAVE THE BUDGET FOR HIM, YOU KNOW, HE'S WAY PAST NEEDING PRESTIGE, BUT YEAH, YEAH, BUT IT THAT'S JUST MORE SIDE COMMENTS.
UM, SO THEN A COUPLE OF SPECIFIC COMMENTS, YOU KNOW, UM, I CAME INTO THIS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, SAMWELL WELL HAD MENTIONED ABOUT BUSES.
I DEFINITELY SEE THE COMPLEXITIES OF MIXING MODES, PARTICULARLY HERE HAVING TO DIVE IN UNDER AND THAT SORT OF ISSUE.
IS THERE A DISCUSSION ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE RIVER, HOW BUSES CONNECT TO THAT STATION IS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, COMPROMISE IS NOT A BAD WORD.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME COMPROMISE WHERE, UM, MAYBE YOU DON'T BUS ACROSS THE RIVER, BUT THERE STILL BUS CONNECTIVITY.
MAYBE PEOPLE HAVE TO SCOOT ACROSS THE RIVER.
THEY HAVE TO WALK ACROSS THE RIVER AND THE BUS MAY NOT BE ACTUALLY ON THE, THE BRIDGE ITSELF.
HAS THAT BEEN DISCUSSED ON HOW THE SOUTH SIDE INTERACTS WITH BUSES? WELL, AGAIN, I WOULD SAY, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW THE BUS SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE RAIL SYSTEM HOLISTICALLY, RIGHT.
AND THE BUS NETWORK NEEDS TO SERVE THE PUBLIC IS LIKE THE LIGHT RAIL NETWORK.
IT HAS TO SERVE THE PUBLIC AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ARE TRANSIT DEPENDENT.
I MEAN, THAT'S, UM, UM, I DO WANT TO ADDRESS, I THINK THAT THE, THE NOTION THAT LIGHT RAIL IS SOMEHOW LIKE, UH, UH, UH, A HIGHER COST PRODUCT.
I THINK I REALLY WOULD JUST, I WOULD URGE YOU NOT TO, TO THINK ABOUT IT THAT WAY, THAT CERTAINLY NOT THE INTENTION OR THE INTENT BEHIND LIGHT RAIL.
THE GOAL IS TO MAKE LIGHT RAIL AS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, WE, WE HAVEN'T, THERE WERE WAY AHEAD OF SETTING FAIRS FOR THE SYSTEM, BUT CERTAINLY THERE IS, YOU KNOW, NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO BE AN EXCLUSIVE PRODUCT.
SO PLEASE, UM, IT REALLY IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PART OF MAKING THE WHOLE SYSTEM WORK AND MOVING IT'S OUR MOST POWERFUL WAY TO MOVE PEOPLE, RIGHT.
IN TERMS OF NUMBERS AND SPEED.
SO, UH, WE WANT TO MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE AS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I THINK THAT ABSOLUTELY LIKE WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE ACTUALLY OPTIMIZE ALL THOSE BUS RAIL CONNECTIONS, INCLUDING,
[00:45:01]
YOU KNOW, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAKE, FOR SURE.YOU THAT'S A PROCESS THAT WE'LL BE DOING CONTINUALLY OVERTIME.
CHRIS, YOU MIGHT BE, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS A QUESTION FOR SAMUELL OR FOR PETER, BUT WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE, UH, THE WATERFRONT STATION? THAT'S NOT FOR ME.
YEAH, NO, I MEAN THE WATERFRONT STATION IS THE DEVELOPMENTS INTO THAT DEVELOPMENT.
UH, I, I, WE LET PETER ANSWER THAT ONE, THEN I CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF UPDATE ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, FOR SURE.
I MEAN, THE WATERFRONT STATION IS A, IS A, YOU KNOW, WILL BE BUILT AS PART OF THE PROJECT CONNECT BLUE LINE CONTRACT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF PROJECT CONNECT.
OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO, IT HAS TO BE COORDINATED WITH WHAT, WHATEVER ENDS UP HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, AT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
AND, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS ON THAT, AS THAT EVOLVES, DEVELOPS GETS RESOLVED YEAH.
WITH REGARDS TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
SO JUST FOR, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY KNOWS, BUT I'M ONE OF THE OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, I'M HONEST DOES A DESIGN COMMISSION.
I SERVE AS THE LIAISON TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFORD ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH I'M THE CHAIR OF.
SO THAT'S WHY I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE.
UM, THIS THURSDAY AT OUR COUNCIL MEETING COUNCIL WILL ACTUALLY BE TAKING UP, UM, THE DISCUSSION OF A POSSIBLE TOURS FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, UM, AND INCLUDED IN THAT IS THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT VISION PLAN, WHICH HAS THESE CONNECTIONS IN THEM.
SO I WOULD SAY VERY POSITIVE LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR COUNSELOR OR GAUGE THE FUTURE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT PASSES, IF THE TERRORIST DOES PASS, THAT'D BE A SUPER POWERFUL TOOL TO HAVE MONEY FOR MORE INFRASTRUCTURE STREETS, ROAD, OR ROADS, STREETS, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE IN GENERAL, TO HELP SPUR REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AREA.
SO I THINK IN GENERAL, IT'S MOVING ALONG VERY NICELY.
SO THE TIMELINE IS JUST A LITTLE AHEAD OF WHERE THIS IS.
THAT'S, THAT'S HARD TO SAY ONLY BECAUSE, UM, IT'S ALL DEPENDENT ON DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA, RIGHT? THAT THE TOUR'S FUNDING IS DEPENDENT ON, ON CAPTURING THAT INCREMENT IN TAX VALUE.
SO WHO KNOWS WHEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO START DEVELOPING THERE? I WILL SAY THOUGH THAT THE STATESMEN SITE IS ALREADY, UM, MOVING, MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH COUNCIL AND THAT'S A MASSIVE REDEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND I'M SURE THERE'S PROBABLY, I SHOULDN'T SAY I'M SURE.
I WOULD IMAGINE THERE'S PROBABLY DEVELOPERS LINED UP TO START REDEVELOPING THAT AREA AS WELL.
UM, BUT I AIN'T GOT NO CRYSTAL BALL.
SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WERE DECISIONS TO BE MADE ON THAT THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE LONG-TERM POSSIBILITIES FROM A DESIGN STANDPOINT.
THAT'D BE PETER COULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR SURE.
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
UM, I, I DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS ROBUST CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT STAFF AND, UM, CA METRO, EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN PROJECT CONNECT WITH REGARDS TO WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS KIND OF WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY WHO'S GONNA END UP PAYING FOR IT.
I'M NOT SURE, I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UM, I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN LOOKING INTO, INTO THESE CONNECTIONS AND THIS BRIDGE, UH, AS A PART OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.
AND FOR THOSE LISTENING AT HOME, A TURN STANDS FOR, UH, TAX INCREMENT RATE REINVESTMENT ZONE.
UM, ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE? YEAH, SO, SO PETER, COULD YOU, COULD YOU, FIRST OF ALL, YES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
SECOND TIME I SEEN IT AND IT ONLY GETS BETTER EVERY TIME.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ASIDE.
THAT'S A GOOD SIGN, RIGHT? I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT I, THAT I'M BEING NEGATIVE WITH THIS, WITH ASKING THIS QUESTION.
I THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING AMAZING WORK.
YOU GUYS ARE SUPER CHALLENGED.
UM, YOU'RE DOING A TIMELINE THAT IS SUPER, SUPER FAST AND I'M PROUD OF ALL OF OUR CITY STAFF, EMPLOYEES ATP EVERYBODY.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND EFFORT.
UM, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE, THESE ROBUST DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE DESIGN OF OUR DESIGN FUTURE OF OUR CITY.
COULD YOU GO BACK? YOU MENTIONED TWO CONSIDERATIONS AS FAR AS WHY CAP METRO WAS NOT POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT PUTTING BUSES ON THIS, ON THIS BRIDGE RIGHT NOW.
COULD YOU REITERATE THOSE FOR US? YEAH, SO I THINK, UM, SOME OF THIS IS HISTORY AND I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE HAVEN'T HAD A PLAN FOR OPERATING BUSES ON THIS SET TO SAY THAT WE COULDN'T IN THE FUTURE.
CAUSE AGAIN, BUS OPERATIONS WILL CHANGE AND EVOLVE OVER TIME, BUT THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE PLANNING, UM, YOU KNOW, LEADING UP TO THE REFERENDUM AND CERTAINLY AS PART OF OUR INITIAL DESIGN PHASE.
SO THAT'S WHY, WHEN WE'VE DONE THIS, UH, INITIAL ENGINEERING AND PRELIMINARY DESIGN THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED.
SO, SO THAT'S JUST IN THE RECENT HISTORY THAT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN PARTICULAR ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE, UM, THAT AREA IS SO VERY CONSTRAINED
[00:50:02]
THAT I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT HOW TO INCORPORATE ANOTHER VEHICLE MODE INTO THAT SYSTEM, INTO THAT THAT COULD VERY CONSTRAINED LOCATION.SO I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF INHIBIT WILL INHIBIT, UM, FUTURE VEHICLE USE IN THAT AREA.
UM, AND THEN WHEN, SORRY, WHEN YOU SAY FUTURE VEHICLE USE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY FUTURE, IF YOU WERE TO INTRODUCE BUSES INTO THE SYSTEM, RIGHT.
IF YOU WERE INTRODUCED BUSES INTO THE SYSTEM, IT'S JUST ADDING, HAVING, YOU KNOW, HAVING BUSES CROSSING THE TRAIL, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY LIKELY, YOU KNOW, AT THE SAME LEVEL, UM, IT JUST SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT IN TERMS OF SCALE WITH THE SCALE OF THAT NORTH SHORE LOCATION.
SO WEAVING BUSES INTO THAT I THINK IS, IS GOING TO BE REALLY CHALLENGING.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY SPEAKING FROM THE LIGHT RAIL OPERATION STANDPOINT, IT'S BEST PRACTICE, NOT FOR BUSES AND NOT FOR LIGHT RAIL TO SHARE THE GUIDEWAY WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLES.
BECAUSE THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY OF RISK TO THE LIGHT RAIL OPERATIONS IS HIGH, RIGHT? SO GENERALLY WE DON'T, WE DON'T.
AND WHEN YOU SAY BEST PRACTICES FROM A CAP METRO PERSPECTIVE, OR FROM A FTA PERSPECTIVE OR WORK, DO YOU HAVE EVIDENCE OF THESE BEST PRACTICES BECAUSE PORTLAND, OREGON IS ALREADY DOING IT RIGHT NOW.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE PORTLAND, SILICON BRIDGE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE.
AND YOU CITED IT IN YOUR, IN YOUR LETTER.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE SCALE OF INTRODUCING THAT OTHER MODE INTO THAT BRIDGE RESULTS IN THAT THAT BRIDGE IS OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCALE THAN THE SCALE OF THE BLUE LINE, THIS, THIS BRIDGE.
SO, UM, I KNOW IT'S BEEN DONE IN CERTAIN PLACES, BUT AGAIN, THE LIGHT RAIL EXPERTS.
AND THAT IS NOT ME JUST TO BE FAIR PERSONALLY, BUT THE LIGHT RAIL EXPERTS AT ATP, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF HOW WE AND OUR CONSULTANTS, RIGHT, WHO ARE DEVELOPING THE LIGHT RAIL DESIGN.
GENERALLY SPEAKING WITH ALMOST ALMOST NO EXCEPTION, DO NOT WANT TO COMBINE OTHER MODES ONTO THE GUIDEWIRE.
DO YOU KNOW HIM A REASON FOR THAT SPECIFIC REASONINGS? WELL, WELL, ONE EXAMPLE IS THAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BUS BREAKS DOWN ON THE TRACK? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TRAIN BREAKS DOWN ON THE TRUCK? WELL, AGAIN, TRAINS JUST, TH THERE'S JUST PART OF THE VALUE OF TRAINS IS THAT THEY'RE ON A TRACK AND THEY GO WHERE THE TRACK GOES AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A HIGHER LEVEL OF RELIABILITY.
SO AS I UNDERSTAND, SO I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE THINKING IS THAT, UM, IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE, POTENTIAL CONFLICTS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN DIFFERENT MODES.
SO IT HAS TO BE MANAGED VERY CAREFULLY.
AND AGAIN, GENERALLY NOT, WE'RE NOT APPROACHING THE DESIGN OF THE LIGHT RAIL, UM, TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OTHER VEHICLES.
THAT'S THE CONCERNING PART FOR ME, YOU CAN ASK A QUESTION.
DO YOU THINK THAT PERHAPS THE CONSULTANTS IN THE VARIOUS EXPERTS WHO DID NOT CONSIDER IT DID NOT CONSIDER IT BECAUSE IT JUST WASN'T ASKED.
I LOVE THE RENDERING AND THE KIND OF QUAINTNESS OF THE SPACE, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT HE COULDN'T MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SPACE AS WELL, THAT INCORPORATED ANOTHER MODE, BUT PERHAPS THEY WERE JUST NEVER.
I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD DEFINITELY GO BACK AND RE ASK, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS WHERE THEY, WHERE PEOPLE ASKED.
WELL, I THINK, UM, AGAIN, I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS, IT CERTAINLY WASN'T PART OF THE, THE, THE DIRECTION ORIGINALLY, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WASN'T RIGHT.
IT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN ORIGINALLY AGAIN, NOT SAYING THAT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN, UM, BUT IT JUST WASN'T.
UM, I THINK THE, WHAT, WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE THE CONSULTANTS WOULD SAY IS THAT IF THE DIRECTION WAS TO INCORPORATE BUSES INTO THIS LOCATION, YOU WOULD WANT TO SEPARATE THOSE FROM THE LIGHT RAIL GUIDE ONE, CAN I, THAT WOULD BE THE RESPONSE BECAUSE YOU, YOU REALLY DON'T WANT THOSE THINGS TO OVERLAP UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE THEM OVER ALL.
CAN I JUST MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION HERE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? THIS BRIDGE IS NOT YET DESIGNED AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO IT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
THESE ARE, THIS IS, THIS IS SIMPLY, UM, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, AS PETER MENTIONED, IT'S, IT'S, THEY'RE CONCEPTUAL OF WHAT THEY THINK WOULD BE THE BEST THING.
BUT AS PETER MENTIONED, THEY'RE ABOUT TO PUT OUT, THEY'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER AN RFP FOR WORLD-CLASS DESIGN FIRMS TO HELP SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS. ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT IN THAT RFP, WE SAY, IF YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO PUT BUSES ON THIS SYSTEM AS WELL, PLEASE INCORPORATE THAT INTO YOUR DESIGN.
WHAT, WHAT I'M HEARING PETER SAY IS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE RFP.
AND I THINK THAT IS THE INJUSTICE THAT WE'RE HAVING HERE.
IS IT BLOCKING THAT OFF RIGHT NOW AND NOT EVEN GIVING WORLD-CLASS DESIGNERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
[00:55:01]
IS A GRAVE INJUSTICE.WE'RE ESSENTIALLY SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT.
AND THAT'S MY POINT IS THAT IT'S NOT YET DESIGNED TO LEAVE IT UP TO THE EXPERTS, TO DESIGN IT, AT LEAST ALLOW FOR THAT DESIGN MODIFICATION.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY COULD ALL COME BACK AND SAY, AND WE CAN'T DO IT WITH BUSES, BUT AT LEAST CORRECT, AT LEAST WE DIDN'T PRE CORRECT.
AND IF YOU CAN'T BE DONE, IT CAN'T BE DONE.
AND AS AN ENGINEER MYSELF, I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER MYSELF.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS TOLD IS THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING.
WE CAN COME UP WITH DESIGNS FOR ANYTHING AS LONG AS YOU THROW ENOUGH MONEY AT IT.
WELL, I KNOW THERE'S A BALANCE THERE, RIGHT? IT MIGHT BE UGLY.
IT MIGHT NOT HAVE THE GESTALT.
IT MIGHT BE EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU WOULD SAY, OKAY, WELL, THESE ARE THE REASONS WE'RE NOT DOING.
IF YOU DON'T, WE DON'T LIKE THAT FEEL, WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND THAT MONEY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YOUR PROPOSAL IS TO SAY AN OUT PROPOSAL PROPOSAL THAT YOUR, YOUR ASK IS LIKE, WHY AREN'T WE ASKING THEM EXACTLY.
THAT'S THE POINT RIGHT NOW? WE'RE SAYING, NO, WE JUST NOT GOING TO DO IT.
WHEREAS WHY DON'T WE ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE TO TELL US NO.
IS WITH THE CONSTRAINT OF THE PROJECT.
LIKE HOW WIDE THE BRIDGES I'LL LET PETER ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UM, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT DESIGNED YET.
SO I WOULD IMAGINE THERE'S NO CONSTRUCT.
YEAH, NOT, BUT IT'S, IT'S A CONSTRAINT, CERTAINLY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE IN PARTICULAR, IT MAY BE IN THE SOUTH SIDE TOO.
THERE'S MORE ROOM ON THE SOUTH SIDE, BUT AGAIN, THERE ARE OTHER, THERE ARE OTHER AEDES AND, UM, CONSIDERATIONS ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
UM, BUT PETER, ONCE AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS ARE FOR.
UM, I THINK THAT THE, I THINK THOSE ARE GOOD POINTS, I THINK GENERALLY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE DESIGN COMPETITION, UM, WHICH IS INTENDED TO, TO ASK FOR CONCEPTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE BUILT, RIGHT.
UM, THIS IS NOT, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR FANTASY, WE'RE ASKING FOR REALITY.
I THINK THAT, UM, WE WANT TO BE AS CLEAR IN OUR INSTRUCTIONS AS POSSIBLE.
AND I THINK, UM, IF THE BRIDGE IS DESIGNED TO HAVE BUSES, THEN, THEN THAT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF, AGAIN, PRESUMING IF YOU ACCEPT THAT THE BUSES ARE NOT GOING TO RIDE ON THE GUIDEWAY ITSELF, RIGHT? IF THE BRIDGE, IF THE BUS, IF THE BRIDGE IS GOOD, CAUSE THAT'S AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE, THAT'S NOT A DESIGN ISSUE, BUT IT'S ALSO A SIGNALING ISSUE, RIGHT? SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS. YOU COULD EASILY, EASILY OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE BY SIGNALS AND SIGNAGE AND OPERATIONS.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT DONE IMPEDIMENT COMPLETELY AGAIN, BUT THE, THE DESIGNERS ARE NOT GOING TO SOLVE THAT.
WE NEED TO GIVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE DESIGNERS ABOUT HOW THIS BRIDGE IS GOING TO BE OPERATED.
SO IF THE, FROM THE OPERATOR'S PERSPECTIVE THAT THE BUSES SHOULD NOT SHARE THE GUIDEWAY WITH THE TRAINS, THEN YOU KNOW, THEN WE WOULD BE DIRECTING THEM TO PROVIDE SEPARATE, DEDICATED FACILITIES FOR THOSE BUSES.
WHICH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY COULD BE DONE.
AND THEN SOMEBODY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO WEAVE THAT IN TO THE NORTH SIDE AGAIN.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANT TO GIVE AS CLEAR DIRECTION TO THE, TO THE COMPETITION AS POSSIBLE.
AND AGAIN, THE DIRECTION FROM KENT METRO HAS NOT BEEN TO PROVIDE BUS FACILITY HERE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE, WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE ARE.
WELL, I JUST LIKE TO, I WANT TO GO ON RECORD AS READING ONE PART OF THIS STATEMENT.
I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT AND IT KIND OF SUMS UP MY, MY VIEWPOINTS ON, BECAUSE AT SOME POINT IT BECOMES AN EQUITY ISSUE AS WELL.
UM, PARAGRAPH 1, 2, 3, 4 OF MY EMAIL TO THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP SAYS FURTHER IN THIS PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION, THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM HAS ONLY ONE ONLY HAS ONE EAST AND WEST ROUTE WHILE I AM SURE IT IS WELL-INTENTIONED.
THIS FOOTPRINT DOES NOT SERVE THE MAJORITY OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED PARTS OF OUR CITY.
WHILE THE NEW LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM GOES NORTH TO SOUTH.
FOR THE MOST PART, OUR EAST AUSTIN RESIDENTS ARE RESIGNED TO EXPANDED IN QUOTES AND HOPEFULLY BETTER BUS CONNECTIONS.
IT IS NO SECRET THAT THESE, THESE UNDERREPRESENTED PARTS OF AUSTIN WERE IMPLEMENTED BY OUR OWN CITY'S DESIGN UNDER THE 1928 MASTER PLAN FOR AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHICH FORCED PEOPLE OF COLOR EAST, AS WE REFLECT ON THESE PAST DESIGN MISTAKES AND EMBARK ON A NEW DESIGN FOR OUR CITY'S BRIGHT FUTURE, WE MUSTN'T LET THE DESIGN OF THIS NEW BRIDGE FURTHER, THE OPPRESSIVE AND RACIST PAST OF OUR CITY.
SO MANY YEARS REMOVED FROM THAT DARK TIME PERIOD IN AUSTIN.
AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE BECAUSE YEAH, PEOPLE OF COLOR STILL LIVE EAST OF AUSTIN AND THEY WERE, IT WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY INTENTIONALLY BY OUR CITY TO PUT THEM EAST OF AUSTIN.
AND FOR US TO RECTIFY THAT SITUATION, BY GIVING THEM EQUAL ACCESS TO ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION IN THIS DESIGN IS COMPLETELY WRONG.
IF WE'RE GOING TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO USE DESIGN THIS TIME, BUT AS OPPOSED TO DESIGNING THEM AND PUSHING THEM OUT, WE'RE JUST GOING TO NOT DESIGN FOR THEM.
AND THAT'S THE PART THAT'S PART OF THE CRUX OF MY, OF MY ARGUMENT.
BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT ALL WE'RE HEARING IS NO, WE DON'T WANT THAT.
WE HAVEN'T EVEN OPENED IT UP TO SAY, IF PEOPLE CAN DO THAT OR NOT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, WE'RE JUST SAYING NO.
[01:00:02]
AND SO ONCE AGAIN, PEOPLE OF COLOR IN EAST AUSTIN WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE BETTER BUS CONNECTIONS, WHICH WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE BUS CONNECTIONS ARE YET, THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE, THEY'RE NOT GETTING EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN.AND I THINK FROM, FROM, FROM IF YOU DID WANT TO GIVE BETTER BUS CONNECTIONS, AND ONCE AGAIN, I'M NOT CAT METRO, I'M NOT AN OPERATIONS GUY.
UM, BUT IF YOU DID WANT TO GIVE BETTER, BETTER BUS CONNECTIONS, WOULDN'T ANOTHER CONNECTION OVER THE BRIDGE, BE A BETTER BUS CONNECTION, AS OPPOSED TO SITTING IN TRAFFIC.
AND , WOULDN'T THAT BE A BETTER BUS CONNECTION? YOU HAVE ONE MORE OPTION.
AND I THINK WE'RE LIMITING OUR OPTIONS.
I DO WANT TO SAY HAVING SERVED ON THE PROJECT CONNECT AMBASSADOR NETWORK, I THINK WE DO KNOW WHAT THE, A LOT OF THOSE BUS CONNECTIONS ARE.
RIGHT? SO ALL THAT PURPLE IN THE FIRST MAP, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE EXPANDED AND UPGRADED, UM, BUS NETWORK.
THAT'S GOING TO BE FUNDED AS PRODUCT PROJECT CONNECT.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF, I THINK THERE'S A PRETTY GOOD NUMBER OF EAST WEST THINGS GOING ON THERE.
AND SO I DON'T WANT TO NEGLECT THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE I THINK, UM, I JUST, I JUST, I JUST, I SAY TO SAY THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE UPGRADED BUS CONNECTIONS ARE, IS GOING TO HAPPEN THROUGH PROJECT CONNECT, I THINK IS, IS NOT ACCURATE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PUSH BACK ON THAT, THAT PIECE OF IT A LITTLE BIT.
I THINK IT'S IN THIS MAP RIGHT HERE.
AND, UM, I APOLOGIZE IF I MISSPOKE, I'M NOT TRYING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE HARD WORK YOU GUYS DID BEFORE.
WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME BETTER EXPANDED BUS CONNECTIONS, BUT BUS CONNECTIONS, CHANGE CITY GROWTH PATTERNS, CHANGE DEVELOPMENT CHANGES AS, AS, AS THEY DO SIT, UH, BUS BUS CONNECTIONS WILL CHANGE AS WELL.
I'M JUST SAYING THEY'RE FLUID WAS MY POINT.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR, UH, POTENTIALLY NEGATING ANY OF YOUR HARD WORK IN THE PAST.
CAN I JUST ASK ONE QUESTION OR MAYBE IT WOULD HELP SATISFY SOME OR PROVIDE ANSWERS THAT WOULD SATISFY SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS IS, UH, TO ASK THE ENGINEERING PLANNERS WHO ARE WORKING ON AT ATP FOR THE, UH, THE PARAMETERS THAT THEY ARE OPERATING IN FROM FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.
CAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST REQUIREMENTS ABOUT MIXING, UH, PEDESTRIANS AND VEHICLES AND VEHICLES WITH EACH OTHER.
UM, UM, I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS BECAUSE I HAVEN'T WORKED IN THAT AREA FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS, BUT I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN PREVIOUS PRETTY CONCRETE, UM, REQUIREMENTS FOR SEPARATION BETWEEN VEHICLES, YOU KNOW, AND THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM THE COMMUTER RAIL VEHICLE AND THE LIGHT RAIL VEHICLE AND INNER INTERPLAY WITH BUSES.
NO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE EITHER.
I'M JUST, I'M ASSUMING THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE THAT WOULD HELP.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T KNOW THE FULL STORY OF THIS, BUT I'M ASSUMING THAT GIVEN THAT THERE IS PRECEDENT IN PORTLAND, OREGON FOR A CONNECTION X JUST LIKE THIS, WHERE THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM SHARES THE SAME GUIDEWAY AS THE BUS SYSTEM AND THE BRIDGE IS, IS, IS DESIGNATED FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS AS WELL.
I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WHATEVER THOSE GUIDELINES ARE ALLOW FOR THIS, THIS, THIS TO HAPPEN, UNLESS FOR SOME REASON, OREGON IS NOT INCLUDED IN FDA GUIDELINES, BUT I, YEAH, I HAVE, I WAS ON THAT BRIDGE WHEN THEY WERE BUILDING IT AND IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT.
I DON'T BELIEVE I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT TO, FOR US TO OPEN IT UP TO OUR DESIGN TEAMS TO TELL US NO, AS OPPOSED TO CITY STAFF TELLING US, NO.
SO IS THERE A PROPOSAL, LIKE HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD? IS THERE A SPECIFIC APP? YES.
THIS WAS THE SPECIFIC, THE SPECIFIC ACT FOR ME WOULD BE, UM, FOR AS THIS BODY TO WRITE A MEMO TO COUNCIL, UM, REQUESTING ATP TO INCLUDE BUSES IN THEIR POTENTIAL DESIGN RFP, SORRY, PETER, YOU WERE GOING TO GO AS WELL.
I THINK SAM WELL FINISHED IF YOU, IF YOU HAD A SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE GOING TO, TO, I WAS JUST GOING TO OFFER THAT.
I THINK WE CAN COME BACK WITH MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIKE AGAIN, UM, ONE OF THE, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, UM, SUGGESTED TO KIND OF CLARIFY SOME OF THESE OPERATIONAL, UH, REQUIREMENTS THAT WERE, THAT THERE WERE THE BASIS OF THE DESIGN WORK TODAY AND THAT'D BE FANTASTIC.
MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE RFP GOES OUT BECAUSE I REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION IN A SUBSEQUENT EMAIL TO ATP AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK YET WHAT I REQUESTED, EVEN WHAT THE TIMELINE FOR THAT RFP WAS AND GOT NOTHING IN RESPONSE.
SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED THAT WE WOULD BE SPINNING OUR WHEELS, YOU KNOW, NOT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE EXTEND, AND WE CAN GET IT.
WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT BACK TO YOU IN A TIMELY WAY.
UM, AGAIN, I THINK IT WILL BE JUST FURTHER
[01:05:01]
INFORMATION, I THINK REITERATING THE BASIS OF WHAT I'VE BEEN DISCUSSING TONIGHT, BUT WE CAN GET MORE YOU MORE INFORMATION FOR SURE.UH, PETER, I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE THAT, UH, EVERY TIME I SEE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PLAN, I GET MORE AND MORE EXCITED AND WANT TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD SO BADLY, LIKE RIGHT NOW, UM, UH, SORRY, I'M GONNA LIKE TAKE THIS HOME AND LOOK THROUGH IT AGAIN, UH, TOMORROW OR SOMETHING, BUT, UM, A COUPLE THINGS HERE I WOULD ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT, UM, ADDING THAT REQUEST EVEN AS A NICE TO HAVE INTO THE RFP.
UM, AND HAVE WE LOOKED AT, UM, DEDICATING BUS TRANSIT LANES ON EXISTING BRIDGES AS WELL? ANNA MARTIN, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, WE CERTAINLY HAVE, AND WE THINK IN THE FUTURE IT MIGHT BE A C ALL OF THE ABOVE SOLUTION.
WE KNOW THAT THE CITY IS GROWING SO MUCH AND HOPEFULLY TRANSIT RIDERSHIP WILL ALSO GROW EXPONENTIALLY.
SO WE SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT THE SOUTH FIRST STREET BRIDGE.
UM, WE PAUSED SOME PLANS THAT WE HAD.
UM, WHAT DO YOU TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD ON THAT BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWNS ABOUT THE ORANGE LINE NOW THAT THE ORANGE LINE PLANS ARE A LITTLE MORE CLEAR WE'RE REINVESTIGATING, IF WE SHOULD, UM, FURTHER THOSE PLANS FOR THE SOUTH FIRST STREET, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND I MEAN, CAUSE YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT EXPLORING THIS AS A DESIGN OPTION IN THE RFP, UM, AND WOULD SUPPORT, UH, THAT'S NOT A MOTION YET, BUT WOULD SUPPORT US PUTTING SOMETHING FORWARD TO COUNCIL FOR THAT.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY CHEAP WAY TO CREATE NORTH SOUTH, UH, OPTIONS FOR BUS, UH, BUSES ON EXISTING BRIDGES BY CONVERTING THOSE LANES.
SO, UM, THAT'S NOT AN, OR IN MY MIND THAT'S AN END, BUT WE'LL THROW THAT OUT THERE.
WELL, ALONG THOSE LINES, UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS MAYBE Y'ALL AREN'T PEOPLE ASK, BUT I'M ASSUMING THIS WAS GENERALLY POSITIVE.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT EXTREMELY COST PROHIBITIVE, UH, SIGNALIZATION OPERATIONS COULD ALL BE WORKED IN WHAT, ANOTHER CONNECTION FOR BUSES, UM, OVER THE BRIDGE.
WOULD THAT BENEFIT THE SYSTEM, THE WORDS THAT COME TO MIND AS WE'RE PLANNING THE FUTURE OR RESILIENCY REDUNDANCY FUTURE-PROOFING SO YEAH, I THINK THE ANSWER WOULD BE, YES.
I MOVE THAT WE PROVIDE A, UH, LETTER TO IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE COUNCIL OR ATP.
WE CAN DECIDE WHO BEST THAT IS.
BUT THEN WE PROVIDE A LETTER REQUESTING THAT ATP, UM, INCORPORATE THE USE OF BUSES AND ALL OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CARS, UM, IN THE RFP FOR DESIGN FIRMS FOR THE NEW BLUE LINE BRIDGE.
BUT NOT AS A REQUIREMENT ONLY AS OPTIONAL, LIKE THERE ARE CERTAIN LIMITS THAT BANK I'M SO SORRY.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IS THAT THE BUS IS COMPLETELY, UM, OPTIONAL BECAUSE THE OTHER ARE THE REQUIREMENTS, BUT IF THEY COULD CONSIDER THE BUSES AND IF THERE WERE A WAY TO DEVELOP A PRO TO JUST SEND IN A DESIGN THAT DIDN'T HAVE A CLASS THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE, BUT IF THEY SEND IN DESIGNS THAT DID HAVE BUS THAT RULE.
AND I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE, INTO THE SPECIFICS OF HOW ATP MIGHT WRITE THIS PROCUREMENT, BUT THERE'S MANY WAYS TO, TO, UH, TO PRIORITIZE OR SIGNAL THE IMPORTANCE OF THINGS IN PROCUREMENT, RIGHT? ONE OF THEM COULD BE, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO INCORPORATE BUSES, YOU GET MORE POINTS IN THE, IN THE OVERALL, IN YOUR OVERALL SCORING.
UM, THERE'S, THERE'S MANY WAYS I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO SHOW OR TELL ATP HOW TO DO THAT, BUT YES, I THINK IT, THERE, IT SHOULDN'T BE A, UH, A REQUIREMENT PER SE, THAT THIS BRIDGE HAS TO HAVE BUSES, BUT AT LEAST OPEN THE OPTION OUT TO THEM.
SO ARE YOU PROPOSING THIS, UH, BEFORE WE GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR YOU GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, W UM, WE MAY VOTE TO SAY THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA, BUT WITHOUT EXACT LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF US, IT'S, YOU KNOW, SO THE SECOND PART WOULD BE, ARE YOU PROPOSING GROUP WRITING OF THIS OR THAT YOU WRITE THIS, THAT AND PRESENTED THROUGH EMAIL? CAN WE, CAN WE DO, UM, SO TO CLARIFY ODD, ACCORDING FROM WRONG, BUT I BELIEVE WE NEED TO HAVE AN ACTUAL DOCUMENT IN ORDER TO MAKE A MOTION LIKE THIS ONLY BECAUSE WITHOUT THE DOCUMENT, THE MOTION, I SUPPOSE, TO MAKE THE MOST INTUITIVE FOR YOU ALL TO AGREE TO MAKE THE DOCUMENT, WE'RE MAKING A MO WE'RE MAKING A MOTION TO MAKE A MOTION.
COULD I ASK PETER WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR THE RFP GOING OUT? LIKE WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHERE, WHERE, WHEN WOULD THAT HAPPEN IN THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT? YEAH, SO, UM, WE ARE ANTICIPATING PROBABLY A TWO PHASE
[01:10:01]
PROCESS WITHIN RFQ, UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS THAT WE WOULD SELECT QUALIFIED TEAMS TO THEM PARTICIPATE IN THE, IN THE, THE RFP OF THE COMPETITION PHASE.SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I EXPECT THE RFQ TO GO OUT, YOU KNOW, IN JANUARY, THAT'S MY HOPE.
UM, AND THEN RFP WOULD BE THAT THAT PROCESS WILL TAKE A FEW MONTHS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME BEFORE THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROPOSALS HAVE TO GET CODIFIED.
I HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK THIS ISN'T MATERIAL QUESTION FOR THE RFQ, SO WE COULD HEAR THIS IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, MAYBE GET ANOTHER, CAUSE I ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE TECHNICAL SPECS MYSELF AS WELL.
UM, YOUR, THE PRESENTATION WAS GREAT, BUT I'D LOVE TO HEAR, HEAR EVEN MORE.
CAUSE I'M JUST THAT KIND OF NERD.
UM, AND THEN DO A MOTION THEN AND HAVE SOMETHING WRITTEN UP THAT WE CAN REFLECT ON, UM, IN ADVANCE MAYBE.
IS THAT FILM? YEAH, I, I THINK, UH, YES, UH, GENERALLY I AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT REGARDLESS, W W IT'S NOT UP TO US DESIGN THIS THING EITHER.
UM, AND SO I WOULD NOT WANT TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE A POSITION THAT WE DO NOT WANT BUSES ON THIS BRIDGE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE DESIGN TEAMS. WE'RE NOT THE DESIGN FIRMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE POTENTIALLY THINKING ABOUT THIS.
AND I JUST WANT TO LEAVE IT OPEN TO DESIGN FIRMS TO ACTUALLY SOLVE THIS PROBLEM FOR US AND NOT US AS OPPOSED TO CITY STAFF IN THIS CASE, UM, TELLING THE PUBLIC NO.
AND TELLING THE PEOPLE OF EAST AUSTIN, NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE ANOTHER ACCESS POINT OVER THE BRIDGE.
SO, UH, IF I CAN SUMMARIZE, THEN I THINK WHERE WE'RE AT IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LITERAL WORDS OF EMOTION IN FRONT OF US TO VOTE ON.
SO THAT IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT, BUT YOU ARE OPEN TO, UM, UH, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT HELPS BOTH DECIDE THE SCOPE OF THAT WITHOUT TRYING TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION.
LIKE WE'RE NOT PROVIDING SOLUTION, BUT WE WANT TO HELP SET THE SCOPE OF THE RFP.
AND WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION BECAUSE I'M JUST GONNA IMAGINE THIS, THIS ISN'T BASED ON ANYTHING THEY'RE GOING TO COME BACK AT SOME POINT, AND THEY MIGHT SAY GEOMETRICALLY AND SOIL WISE, WE KNOW OFFHAND THAT IT'S THREE X THE COST TO GO 14 FEET WIDER.
IT'S PROBABLY NOT TRUE, BUT LET'S JUST SAY, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
AND THEN WE MIGHT DECIDE, OKAY, WELL, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS, BUT SHORT OF SOME MAJOR THING LIKE THAT, YOU WOULD STILL BE OKAY WITH A MONTH FROM NOW.
LET'S HAVE A MOTION THAT'S PRE-WRITTEN THAT WE CAN IN, IN THEORY.
I WOULD JUST, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET UNTIL YOU PUT IT UP TO DESIGN FIRMS TO ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEM, RIGHT? I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, THE LBG AND EXPRESSWAY IN, AND I KNOW IT'S CARS, BUT THE LBJ EXPRESSWAY IN DALLAS WAS ORIGINALLY SLATED TO BE A TUNNEL.
WELL, THE FIRM THAT ENDED UP GETTING THAT PROJECT WAS ABLE TO SHAVE A LOT OF MONEY OFF OF THE PROJECT.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH, BUT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF OF THE PROJECT, BECAUSE THEY DECIDED TO USE A CUT AND COVER PROCESS.
YET TEXTILE ORIGINALLY DESIGNED IT TO BE A TUNNEL, BUT WHEN THEY OPENED IT UP TO THE GENERAL TO CONTRACTORS AND DEVELOPERS, TO THINK THROUGH THE SOLUTION, THEY FIND A SOLUTION.
THERE WAS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS CHEAPER.
AND SO I DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THE SAN DIEGO CALATRAVA'S OF THE WORLD OR ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE DESIGNING THIS BRIDGE.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WHERE WE ARE IS, UM, DIFFERING A MONTH.
UH, AND IS IT AT ALL POSSIBLE, UH, PETER THAT WE COULD GET INFORMATION VIA EMAIL, UH, THAT GETS TO CHRISTOPHER WHO WOULD THEN DISSEMINATE IT TO THE REST OF US? UM, SURE.
AND SO THEN WE WOULD, WE WOULD RE WE WOULD TAKE THIS UP AGAIN IN JANUARY THEN MAYBE THE PROPOSAL.
DOES THAT SOUND GOOD? AND ANY, YOU HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING, ANY WORDS OF WISDOM YOU WANT TO WEIGH IN ON? THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
WELL, I THINK WITH THAT, THEN WE'RE AT THE END OF THIS, IF WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
[2B. Farm & City Projected Regional Transportation Presentation]
ALL RIGHT.WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO B UM, JUST GO AND, UM, WE'LL GO.
SO YOU WANT ME TO THAT'S RIGHT.
ITEM TWO B UM, FARM AND CITY PROJECTED REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PRESENTATION.
MY NAME'S JAY BLAZER, CROSSLEY I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FARM AND CITY, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR IN AUSTIN.
[01:15:01]
AND, UM, I HAVE TO SAY, UH, IT W THERE IS TREMENDOUS VALUE IN A GRID NETWORK OF DEDICATED TRANSIT LANES AND HAVING A, ANOTHER BRIDGE WITH DEDICATED BUS LANES WOULD BE PRETTY AWESOME.SO I JUST HOPE WHATEVER WE DO, WE RECOGNIZE THE POTENTIAL VALUE OF THAT.
UH, AND THE OTHER THING THAT PETER DIDN'T MENTION DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT MEETING, I THINK COMMISSIONER RYAN MIGHT AGREE WITH ME THAT THIS IDEA CAME UP OF LIKE THE BRIDGE ITSELF BEING A PARK, A PUBLIC SHARED SPACE, AND THERE WAS IDEA THAT THERE SHOULD BE A STAGE AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY A SHOW ON THE BRIDGE.
EXTRA POINTS IF IT'S ON TOP OF A BUS, RIGHT? YEAH.
IT HAPPENS ON THE PFLUGER BRIDGE EVERY DAY.
YOU SHOULD DESIGN INTO THE BRIDGE.
WELL, UM, SO, UH, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
AND I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR AUSTIN.
AND, UM, I, UH, I WOULD HOPE THAT IF YOU GUYS, LIKE THERE COULD BE SOME ACTIONS THAT YOU COULD SORT OF MOVE FORWARD.
I THINK THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, HAS SOME REAL POTENTIAL THINGS THE CITY COULD DO TO HELP IMPROVE REGIONAL PLANNING, TO GET MORE EQUITABLE, SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR THE AUSTIN REGION, UM, AND FARM FARM.
CITY'S A FIVE, ONE C3 NONPROFIT, AND WE WORK ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND, UM, SO PART OF WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU IS A STORY OF AUSTIN.
UM, ONE OF THE STORIES OF AUSTIN THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T GET IS WE'RE ACTUALLY THE MOST SPRAWLED OF THE TEXAS METRO REGIONS, UH, IN TERMS OF THE PERCENT OF PEOPLE WHO GET TO LIVE IN URBAN PLACES, WE HAVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE OTHER THAN THE VALLEY.
UM, AND, AND SO MORE PEOPLE LIVE IN SORT OF SUBURBAN OR RURAL PLACES OR CAR DEPENDENT PLACES IN AUSTIN THAN OTHER METRO REGIONS.
UM, AND BASICALLY LIKE FOUR OR FIVE TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN URBAN PLACES IN HOUSTON OR DALLAS THAN IN AUSTIN.
AND SO PART OF THAT IN, IN PART OF IT, THERE'S THIS WHOLE MYTH ABOUT THAT WE HAVEN'T BUILT ROADS AND THAT'S NOT TRUE.
AND AUSTIN HAS MORE LANE MILES PER CAPITA THAN ALL THE OTHER LARGE TEXAS METRO REGIONS.
UM, WE HAVE MORE ROADS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WAS A SUCCESS AT KEEPING 20 TO 22 INTO THEIR CHAVEZ FROM BEING FREEWAYS, BUT WE BUILT ROADS UP THE WAZOO HERE.
UM, ONE QUICK QUESTION, WHO IS SE T R AND P UH, SOUTHEAST.
OH, UM, YEAH, SO AND TEMPLE BEAUMONT, AND THEN PETE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS BEBE, UH, PERMIAN BASIN.
UM, SO, UH, AND PART OF THE RESULT IS THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN DRIVE MORE THAN THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON OR DALLAS.
UH, THE VMT VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED PER CAPITA IN AUSTIN IS HIGHER THAN, THAN OTHER TEXAS METROS, UH, BECAUSE WE SUBSIDIZE DRIVING MORE.
UM, AND THEN ONE OF THE RESULTS OF THAT IS THAT WE HAVE HIGHER TRAFFIC DEATHS PER CAPITA THAN OTHER TEXAS METROS.
AND TH THE LITTLE WEIRD CHART ON THE RIGHT IS JUST MAKING A DIFFERENT POINT THAT, THAT, THAT TRAFFIC DEATHS ARE WORSE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAN WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THE AUSTIN REGION HAS A TRAFFIC DEATH PROBLEM, AND THE, THE REST OF THE REGION IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN AUSTIN IS, BUT OUR REGION AS A WHOLE IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER TEXAS CITIES.
UM, CAN YOU ASK A QUESTION ON MY BEHALF, ISN'T WORKING NOW, WHAT DOES MPO MEAN? SO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION.
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION IS OUR NPO FOR THE AUSTIN REGION.
UM, AND THAT'S THE SIX COUNTIES.
SO TRAVIS WILLIAMSON HAYES, BURNETT BASTROP CALDWELL, IS THAT ALL OF THEM.
SO THOSE SIX COUNTIES ARE SORT OF OUR REGION.
UM, AND SO, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE AFFORDABILITY, UM, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS, WHEN YOU COMBINE THEM, THIS SORT OF CHART, UH, ON THE LEFT IS THE YELLOW PLACES ARE MORE AFFORDABLE THAN THE ROUND PLACES.
AND THE POINT IS ACTUALLY THAT THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A MYTH THAT LIKE PEOPLE HAVE TO GO OUT TO MAINER TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD.
AND YOU, IF YOU, IF YOU WERE IN POVERTY, YOU CANNOT LIVE IN MAYNARD BECAUSE IT'S COST TOO MUCH TO DRIVE.
YOU HAVE TO DRIVE SO MUCH TO LIVE OUT THERE.
UH, AND TH THE AFFORDABLE PARTS OF THE AUSTIN REGION ARE ACTUALLY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH, BASICALLY, IF YOU TELL
[01:20:01]
ME YOUR ADDRESS, I CAN TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOUR NEIGHBORS DRIVE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE URBAN FORM OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.UM, AND THAT'S THE VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED IN THAT ISN'T THIS A LAND CODE ISSUE? SURE.
UH, W WHICH, YES, UH, BUT I'LL GET IT WHAT I'M GETTING AT.
UM, UH, WE DID DO THIS ASSESSMENT OF SORT OF SEPARATING AUSTIN, THE THREE CHUNKS THERE'S URBAN AUSTIN AND SUBURBAN AND RURAL.
AND THE MAIN POINT FROM THESE SLIDES IS THE URBAN AUSTIN IS ACTUALLY THE MOST AFFORDABLE.
AND, UH, PEOPLE DRIVE THE LEAST, OR DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE AS MUCH AND HAVE THE LOWEST CARBON EMISSIONS.
AND IT'S BOTH HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ARE MORE AFFORDABLE IN URBAN AUSTIN.
WHEREAS SUBURBAN AUSTIN IS MORE EXPENSIVE AND THEN RURAL AUSTIN IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
UM, AND SO THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS IS TO GET AT THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING REGIME, UH, ENDS UP ALLOCATING MONEY ACROSS THE AUSTIN REGION, ENDS UP, UH, DRAMATICALLY IMPACTING THINGS LIKE THE PROJECT OR PROJECT CONNECT AND, AND A CORE PART OF THAT IS THE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTS.
AND EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN, UH, THE MPO DEVELOPS A REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST.
AND GENERALLY ACROSS THE NATION, REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTS ARE TERRIBLE AND, AND DON'T ARE BAD.
LIKE THEY, THEY, THEY MESS UP, THEY GENERALLY UNDERESTIMATE URBAN GROWTH AND OVERESTIMATE SUBURBAN GROWTH.
AND THAT IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN AUSTIN.
AND SO THIS CHART IS SHOWING YOU, UM, THAT LIKE OUR MOST RECENT FORECASTS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY OFF IN TERMS OF UNDERESTIMATING TRAVIS COUNTY GROWTH AND OVERESTIMATING GROWTH IN HAYES AND WILLIAMSON.
UM, JAY, IF I CAN JUST ASK YOU A LITTLE QUICK CLARIFYING QUESTION WORKED DURING THE PAST YEAR.
I BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SAY I'M JUST FOR THE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF COMMISSIONERS AND THE PUBLIC, SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE SLIDES HAVE REFERENCES TO WHERE YOU FIND THE INFORMATION.
SOME OF THEM DO NOT IN GENERAL WORD, WHAT ARE THE SOURCES THAT YOU WERE USING YOU WRITE? SO I GUESS THESE, UM, THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IS FROM EITHER THE CAMPO OFFICIAL REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST OR FROM THE TEXAS STATE DEMOGRAPHER OR FROM THE U S CENSUS.
AND SO, UH, I THINK LIKE THIS SLIDE IS COMPARING THE TEXAS STATE DEMOGRAPHER'S ESTIMATES.
SO PART OF THE ISSUE IS IT'S NOT JUST CAMPO.
THE TEXAS STATE DEMOGRAPHER HAS SYSTEMATICALLY UNDER UNDERESTIMATED, URBAN COUNTY GROWTH AND OVERESTIMATED SUBURBAN COUNTY GROWTH IN RECENT HISTORY.
AND THAT'S THE DISCHARGE IS JUST STATE DEMOGRAPHER DATA.
UM, AND IT REALLY IMPORTANT STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTIN.
UM, RECENTLY IS THE, WHEN THE MOST RECENT REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST WERE ADOPTED CAMPO.
AND ONE OF THE POINTS I MEANT TO MAKE EARLIER IS I THINK CAMPO STAFF ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
AND ACTUALLY, I THINK ASHBY JOHNSON HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF KIND OF REFORMING CAMPO AND DOING A GOOD JOB.
UM, IT'S THE POLITICS, THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
UM, AND SO PART OF WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT THERE, IT WAS SORT OF KNOWN THAT THE OLD FORECASTING REGIMES WERE BAD AND CAMPO ADOPTED THE, UH, URBAN SIM, UH, METHODOLOGY TO ESTIMATE GROWTH IN THE REGION AND ADOPTING THIS SORT OF, YOU KNOW, UH, TECHNOCRAT KIND OF METHODOLOGY.
THIS WAS THE FIRST DRAFT OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT GROWTH WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE AUSTIN REGION, WHICH WAS VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY, THIS IS OUR PREVIOUS FORECAST.
SO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST CARRIED THE 2045.
WE'VE ALWAYS ASSUMED THIS SORT OF INSANE AMOUNT OF GROWTH IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
THIS WAS THE FIRST DRAFT OUT OF URBAN SIM.
AND THE MODEL SAID THE GROWTH, THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY.
WE WILL ADD A MILLION PEOPLE IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
LIKE WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN SAYING ALL THIS TIME.
AND SO THEN WILLIAMSON COUNTY DISAGREED AND SAID THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR US.
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO ADD 450,000 PEOPLE TO WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
AND BECAUSE THEY HAD THE VOTES, THERE WAS A POLITICAL VOTE TO SAY, OKAY, FINE.
AND SO WHEN OUR REGION PLANS TRANSPORTATION, THERE WAS A POLITICAL DECISION TO JUST ADD PEOPLE TO THE FUTURE OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
AND THIS DOES MEAN TECHSTOP MONEY IS ALLOCATED TO A LITTLE BIT EXTENT BASED ON THIS.
AND THAT DOES MEAN THE PEOPLE OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY ARE GETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY BECAUSE OF THIS.
UM, AND THERE IS IN THE TEXAS STATE DEMOGRAPHER.
[01:25:01]
UH, WEIRD THINGS.THERE'S AN ASSUMPTION BY THE STATE DEMOGRAPHER THAT HAYES AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY WILL CONTINUE AT A RATE OF 4% GROWTH FOREVER, WHICH DOESN'T HAPPEN.
YOU DON'T ANY, ANY PLACE LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE A SUSTAINED GROWTH RATE.
EVERYTHING LIKE TRAVIS COUNTY HAS A DECREASING GROWTH RATE BECAUSE EVEN AS YOU'RE ADDING MORE PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, YOU GET BIGGER AND BIGGER.
AND SO THERE'S SOME IMPOSSIBLE ASSUMPTIONS BUILT INTO THESE GROWTH FORECASTS, EVEN AT THE STATE DEMOGRAPHER LEVEL.
UM, AND SO PART OF THE PROBLEM AND WHY WAS WILLIAMSON COUNTY ABLE TO BASICALLY ALLOCATE MORE MONEY TO ITSELF IN THIS PROCESS, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE INEQUITABLE STRUCTURE OF THE MPO.
AND SO, UM, 45% OF THE VOTES AT THE CAMPO TPC ARE FOR TRAVIS COUNTY IN CITY OF AUSTIN OR PEOPLE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
WHEREAS 56% OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR REGION ARE IN TRAVIS COUNTY AND 60% OF THE PEOPLE IN JOBS.
AND SO THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF OUR REGION WHO LIVE IN TRAVIS COUNTY HAVE A MINORITY OF THE VOTES THAT ARE NPO.
AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE HERE IS THAT THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, UH, REQUIRES MPOS TO THINK ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND REQUIRES NPOS TO CONSIDER EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION.
IT DOESN'T REQUIRE THEM TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD ASK CAMPO TO CONSIDER EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION.
AND SO THE WHOLE POINT IS THIS IS AUSTIN TODAY.
UH, THIS IS THE OFFICIAL CAMPO REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST DATA THAT I THINK IS 2015.
EVERYTHING IN YELLOW IS, IS BASICALLY RURAL, UH, OR OPEN SPACE.
EVERYTHING THAT'S LIGHT ORANGE IS SUBURBAN AND EVERYTHING THAT'S ORANGE AND BROWN IS URBAN.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, PART OF IN TEXAS METROS, THERE'S, THERE'S VARIOUS INDICATIONS ABOUT HALF OF PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE A SUBURBAN SPRAWL LIFESTYLE.
AND HALF OF PEOPLE WANT A BIG HOUSE, EVEN IF IT MEANS THEY HAVE TO DRIVE EVERYWHERE, BUT ABOUT HALF OF PEOPLE DON'T, AND HALF OF PEOPLE WISH THEY COULD WALK TO STUFF, EVEN IF IT MEANS THEY HAVE A SMALLER HOUSE OR NO YARD, UH, WHEREAS IN OUR REGION, UH, YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THE HOUSING AVAILABLE IS CAR DEPENDENT.
AND THIS IS OUR OFFICIAL REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST.
WE'RE GOING TO BE IN 2045 AND EVERYTHING, ALL OF OUR PLANNING IS GOING TOWARDS THIS, WHERE WE ASSUME THE, A MUCH STRONGER MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL LIVE IN CARTA, PRENUP PLACES, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S VERY DISTINCT, VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE THINK PEOPLE WANT.
UM, AND, AND PART OF THE, IF I COULD WEAR IT TO GO BACK AND FORTH, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS DIFFERENCE, THIS IS ENVIRONMENTAL NIGHTMARE.
THIS IS 350 SQUARE MILES OF RURAL AND OPEN SPACE CONVERTED TO SUBURBAN.
THIS IS VMT INCREASING, IT'S IT.
AND, AND IT WILL MAKE TRAFFIC WORSE FOR EVERYONE IF THIS IS OUR REGION'S FUTURE.
UM, BUT THIS IS OUR OFFICIAL PLAN.
THIS IS WHAT WE ALL ARE PLANNING ON.
AND SO FAR THE CITY HAS PROPOSED.
SO WE SHOULD AT LEAST CONSIDER THE IDEA OF NOT GROWING THIS WAY AND MAYBE WE COULD GROW DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT MODELS.
WE PROPOSE, THEY EVERYWHERE GROWS TO THE SAME MODEL, JUST AS A SORT OF TECHNICAL, UM, BASELINE.
AND IN THIS MODEL, YOU, EVERY TRANSPORTATION ANALYSIS ZONE, EVERY TAZ, UH, JUST GROWS AT THE SAME RATE, UH, AS THE REGIONAL RATE.
AND THEN IN THIS MODEL, WE DEVELOPED A WHOLE EQUITABLE GROWTH, ACTUAL EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO, WHERE YOU ACTUALLY WOULD TRY TO FOCUS AND ALLOW MORE PEOPLE TO LIVE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF PROJECT CONNECT AND LIGHT RAIL.
UM, AND IN THIS MODEL, YOU, YOU ACTUALLY COULD HAVE MORE OF A BALANCE WHERE MORE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO LIVE WALKABLE, LOW CARBON LIFESTYLES, UM, ACROSS THE REGION, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT IN VARIOUS PLACES.
UM, AND SO SOMETHING THAT WE, THAT RUBEN HELPED WITH IS WE ACTUALLY GOT THE, UH, STOPS MODEL FROM CAPITAL METRO, WHICH IS HOW THEY ESTIMATE RIDERSHIP.
AND SO TODAY IN AUSTIN, OR BEFORE PRE COVID ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE, UM, A HUNDRED THOUSAND TRIPS HAPPEN ON TRANSIT EVERY DAY ON A WEEKDAY.
AND THE ESTIMATE IS WITH PROJECT CONNECT, YOU'LL GET ABOUT 250,000.
HOWEVER, IN THIS EVERYWHERE, IT GROWS TO THE SAME SCENARIO.
[01:30:01]
YOU WOULD HAVE 455,000 PEOPLE ABLE TO USE TRANSIT.UH, AND THEN IN THE ETO D SCENARIO, ALMOST 600,000.
AND SO THE, AND THIS, THIS IS THE EXACT SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE AND LEVEL OF EXPENSE FOR CAP METRO, UM, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TWICE.
YOU COULD HAVE MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE ABLE TO RIGHT.
USE TRANSIT IF YOU ALLOWED FOR, UH, AN EQUITABLE GROWTH SCENARIO.
UM, QUICK, REALLY QUICK QUESTION.
CAN YOU GO BACK ONE SLIDE? IS, ARE YOU SAYING THAT TOP BAR ORIGINAL CAMPO, THE 2045 ESTIMATE IS ACTUAL RIDERSHIP OR PEOPLE WITHIN THE WATERSHED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YEAH, TH THAT'S ESTIMATED WITH PROJECT CONNECT, GIVEN THE OVERALL FORECAST TURN IN, AND THERE ARE FDA APPLICATION.
WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF SPENDING THEM ON, AND THEN IN THE BOTTOM BAR THAT FARMING CITY, WHEREVER THE ETOD ONE THAT'S ESTIMATED RIDERSHIP, NOT ESTIMATED PEOPLE WITHIN THAT'S JUST, YES, JUST ESTIMATED RIDERSHIP.
SAME GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS AND ALL OF THEM, SAME FORMULA, JUST BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY.
AND SAME TRANSIT ROUTES AND SAME FREQUENCY AND EVERYTHING, BUT JUST, YOU WOULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE WRITING IT IF THEY ACTUALLY WERE ALLOWED TO LIVE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF IT.
UM, AND THEN SIMILARLY ON THE DEBATES, IF YOU LOOK AT THESE MAPS THAT TEXT THOUGHT PROPOSED TO NOT CONSIDER THE COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVES, RIGHT.
35 BASED ON THESE MAPS, UM, TTI DEVELOPED THESE MAPS.
AND WE ACTUALLY WERE GOT TO BE PART OF THE PEOPLE WHO TALKED TO TTI WHEN THEY WERE DOING THIS AND THEY ACCEPTED OUR PROPOSAL.
AND THEY SAID, YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT.
WE SHOULD DO EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING.
WE SHOULD CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE FUTURE GROWTH SCENARIOS.
AND SO TTI, OH, THIS SUMMER RAN THE, THESE TRAVEL DEMAND MODELS OF USING OUR EVERYWHERE, GROSS THE SAME MODEL.
BUT THEN THAT INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO BE MADE PUBLIC.
AND SO AS OF NOW, TXDOT HAS NOT ALLOWED THAT INFORMATION TO BE PUBLIC.
AND THE DATA BEHIND THESE MAPS ALSO IS NOT PUBLIC.
UM, AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT MAPS LIKE THIS, AND WHEN TXDOT SAYS, IT'LL TAKE TWO HOURS TO DRIVE FROM DOWNTOWN AUSTIN TO ROUND ROCK IN 2045, THEY'RE ASSUMING ALL THE SPRAWL WHEN THEY SAY THAT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS BRAWL.
AND THE SPRAWL MAPS ARE SOMEWHAT BASED ON THE FREEWAY WIDENING THAT WE, WE ALL HOPE TO DO SO THIS IMPACTS KIND OF EVERYTHING.
UM, AND SO, UH, INSTEAD I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN REGION DESERVE EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING AND THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ACTUALLY SUGGESTS THAT STATES AND DLTS AND MPOS USE SCENARIO PLANNING, AND MAYBE, MAYBE WE ARE GOING TO SPRAWL AND MAYBE IT'S RIGHT, THAT WE'RE JUST GOING TO SPRAWL AUSTIN.
WE'RE GOING TO PAVE OVER THE WHOLE HILL COUNTRY, BUT MAYBE NOT.
AND AT LEAST OUR METRICS, AND AT LEAST OUR ANALYSIS SHOULD ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT WE WON'T DESTROY THE WHOLE HILL COUNTRY.
UH, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUGGESTS WE DO THIS, UH, AND EVEN TEXTS THAT IN ITS LONG RANGE PLANNING ACTUALLY DOES SIMILAR SCENARIO PLANNING.
AND THE FUNNY THING IS WHEN TEXAS DID THEIR TEXAS 2050 PLAN, THE, THE RESPONDENTS CHOSE THE SORT OF MULTIMODAL CONNECTED VISION, AND THE MOST PEOPLE WANTED SORT OF SOMETHING THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT TXDOT GENERALLY IS DOING TODAY.
UM, AND TEXTS THAT HOUSTON HAS GONE EVEN FARTHER AND DEVELOPED SOMETHING CALLED SWIFT SUSTAINABLE WAYS TO INTEGRATE FUTURE TRANSPORTATION.
AND IT IS A SCENARIO PLANNING TOOL THAT'S MEANT TO BE USED FOR KIND OF LONG RANGE PLANNING FOR TXDOT HOUSTON, ALTHOUGH THEY INSIST IN THE DEBATES IN HOUSTON, THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE IT FOR AN ACTUAL FREEWAY DEBATE RIGHT NOW, OR ANYTHING, BUT TXDOT HAS THESE TOOLS AND THEY ARE ABLE TO ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WON'T DRIVE AS MUCH.
THEY'RE ABLE TO ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF, LET'S SAY WE ADDED A BUNCH OF TRANSIT, OR WE FIXED THE SIDEWALKS WHERE PEOPLE COULD WALK AND BIKE, UM, AND, AND THEY CAN ENTERTAIN THESE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THREE, SORRY YOU GO BACK TO THAT, TO THE SLIDE WITH THE BAR CHARTS, UM, THE CONGESTION RELIEF WHERE IT SAYS 67.4% VOTED FOR, OR PREFERRED URBAN CONGESTION RELIEF.
CAN YOU KIND OF JUST KIND OF DESCRIBE WHAT URBAN CONGESTION RELIEF IS FROM THE TECHSTOP PERSPECTIVE? RIGHT.
UM, WELL, SO THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS A CURRENT RADICAL REGIME OF INVESTING IN THE TEXAS CLEAR LANES PROJECT, WHICH IS CONGESTION RELIEF, WHICH IS BASED ON THE SORT OF NOT DATABASE PROPOSAL THAT WIDENING FREEWAYS CAN REDUCE CONGESTION.
[01:35:01]
SO THAT PROPOSAL WAS THAT CONGESTION RELIEF SCENARIO IS BASICALLY CONTINUING TEXTS, NOT GOING IN THE WAY IT'S GONE.UM, WHEREAS THEY WERE, THEY ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF, OF GOING DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
SO IT'S, IT'S MORE, MORE, MORE CAR LANES.
UM, I MEAN, YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR CON.
THE ONLY WAY TO REDUCE CONGESTION IS TO ACTUALLY CHARGE PEOPLE FOR DRIVING.
UH, BUT THAT TEXAS DOESN'T TRY TO DO THAT VERY MUCH.
UM, SO, UM, SO THE POINT IS THE TXDOT CAN DO THIS STUFF AND WE COULD ENTERTAIN THIS KIND OF FUTURE AND TECHSTOP AUSTIN CAN AND SHOULD DO THIS KIND OF STUFF.
AND WHILE WE ALL DECIDE HOW TO FIX , WE SHOULD ACTUALLY HAVE BETTER INFORMATION.
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TERRIBLE INFORMATION TO TRY TO MAKE THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS.
UM, AND, AND YOU CAN IMAGINE BASICALLY THE IDEA IS THAT CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, ALL KINDS OF DECISIONS THAT CAMPO, UH, HAVE ONE FORECAST, AND THEN WE ENTERTAIN THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THAT FORECAST.
AND INSTEAD WE CAN IMAGINE HAVING MULTIPLE FORECASTS AND ENTERTAIN THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF VARIOUS TRANSPORTATION PACKAGES, GIVEN DIFFERENT FUTURES.
UM, AND SO WE, WE NEED TO, I THINK WE SHOULD ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT WE MIGHT SPRAWL.
WE MIGHT HAVE SOME KIND OF MIDDLE SCENARIO WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE ETO D SCENARIO FOR THE WHOLE REGION.
WE ALSO SHOULD ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE'S BEHAVIORS MIGHT CHANGE AND THE PEOPLE WON'T DRIVE AS MUCH IN THE FUTURE OR MIGHT DRIVE MORE OR, OR WHATEVER.
UH, AND THEN WE ALSO SHOULD ENTERTAIN DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT INVESTMENT SCENARIOS IN TERMS OF WHAT KIND OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PEOPLE SHOULD GET.
UH, WE SHOULD DO ALL OF THIS TOGETHER.
WE HAVE THE COMPUTING POWER TO DO THIS.
IT'S ONLY POLITICAL WILL THAT WE LACK.
AND THEN WE COULD END UP IN SOME KIND OF PLACE WHERE THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN COULD SAY, OKAY, IF WE WANT TO GO THIS DIRECTION, THE COSTS AND BENEFITS ARE THIS AND THAT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IDEALLY THIS IS AN OH, AND SO PEOPLE MIGHT, SOME OF YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT THE ENVISION CENTRAL TEXAS PROCESS THAT HAPPENED.
AND THERE WAS A WHOLE NONPROFIT THAT WORKED FOR LIKE A DECADE OR SO, WHICH WAS TERRIFIC.
HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM WAS IS IT WAS A NONPROFIT THAT, THAT DIDN'T, THAT WE DON'T NEED A NONPROFIT TO TALK ABOUT HOW AUSTIN COULD BE MORE SUSTAINABLE.
WE NEED OUR ACTUAL REGIONAL GOVERNMENT TO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF, AND WE NEED THE ACTUAL DECISION, THE PUBLIC DECISIONS, THE PUBLIC SHOULD GET TO ENTERTAIN THE POSSIBILITIES.
UM, AND SO IN THE, MAYBE THE, UH, FINAL STRIKE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GREAT BOOK ON THIS ABOUT EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING.
AND THE QUOTE IS THAT THESE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTS, UM, WHERE WE ONLY, WE ONLY HAVE ONE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST IS, IS ESSENTIALLY COLONIZING THE FUTURE.
AND IT'S SAYING THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE THIS WAY AND WE DEMAND IT, WHEREAS WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBLE.
AND SO I HOPE THE CITY OF AUSTIN CAN WORK BETTER WITH CAMPO, UM, TO DO A BETTER JOB OF THIS KIND OF STUFF.
AND IT REALLY COULD IMPACT THINGS LIKE PROJECT CONNECT OR 35 OR EVERYTHING, UH, AND A, A FINAL THOUGHT.
IT ACTUALLY IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE DEBATE OVER THE, THE, UM, THE GROAT, WHAT WAS IT CALLED? THE ANYWAY, ANY URBAN DEVELOPMENT HAS TO DO A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS AND THAT TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS IS BASED ON THESE COMPLETELY FLAWED REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTS.
AND SO, AND EVEN AISD SCHOOL SITING DECISIONS ARE SOMEWHAT BASED ON THIS FLAWED FORECASTING PROCESS.
AND SO I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL CONSIDER THAT.
UM, I'LL JUST SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, AGREE, YOU KNOW, 10 X, UH, THIS, THIS STATEMENT THAT IT'S MOSTLY POLITICS IS TRUE, UNFORTUNATELY ABOUT ALMOST EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, UH, DATA FOLKS.
AND I'M GONNA POINT AT MYSELF, YOU KNOW, IT'S A CONSTANT SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION.
THE, YOU KNOW, AND THE ISSUE IS NOT THAT PEOPLE NEED BETTER DATA.
THEY JUST NEED A DIFFERENT SET OF VALUES AND NOT JUST, BUT IT WOULD CERTAINLY HELP TO HAVE A DIFFERENT SET OF VALUES.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO ASK A VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION.
IF IT'S NOT ABOUT EDUCATION, IT'S NOT ABOUT GIVING THEM THE RIGHT DATA, YOU'RE GETTING THE DATA FROM THEM.
THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO USE IT IN THE WAY THAT YOU ASSIGN VALUE TO IT.
AND I LIKEWISE ASSIGN VALUE TO IT.
DO YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION BEYOND TAKING OVER THE GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW, IN INSTALLING PEOPLE THAT AGREE WITH YOUR VALUES, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE? SO I THINK THE CITY OF AUSTIN SHOULD WORK WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS TO DO A BETTER JOB HERE.
AND I THINK, I THINK THE AUSTIN COUNCIL MEMBERS
[01:40:01]
AND MAYOR WHO ARE ON THE CAMPO BOARD CAN ASK FOR A MUCH BETTER PROCESS AND IT'S REASONABLE TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS.UM, UH, W I THINK THE INEQUITY OF THE KAPPA BOARD, IF ALL TEXAS MPO BOARDS NEEDS TO BE SOLVED, UM, AND THAT COULD BE SOLVED BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE OF THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL, UM, OR IT COULD, OR THE GOVERNOR OR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO FIX IT.
UM, SO THE, YEAH, SO, UM, SO LET ME JUST ADD THIS.
SO IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOU BASICALLY DESCRIBING THE SENATE PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS MORE PEOPLE IN LA COUNTY THAN 15 STATES OR WHATEVER, BUT WE HAVE THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WHICH THEORETICALLY COUNTERS THAT, IS THERE AN EQUIVALENT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR MPOS THAT IS RIGHT.
AND THAT'S LEVERAGEABLE THERE, THERE IS NOT.
THAT'S THE THING IS THAT THE WAY TEXAS NPOS WORKS IS THEY'RE LIKE A SENATE.
AND SO LIKE HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL WAS MUCH WORSE.
HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL IS THE MOST UNDEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION IN AMERICA, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE THE U S SENATE.
UM, AND SO THERE IS NO HOUSE, UH, IN PORTLAND, OREGON, UH, LIKE 40 YEARS AGO, THEY ACTUALLY CREATED A ENTITY CALLED METRO THAT ACTUALLY IS VOTED ON THERE'S DISTRICTS AND THEIR EQUITABLE DISTRICTS FOR THE WHOLE METRO REGION, BUT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE, THEY STILL HAVE THE OLD COUNCIL TOO.
SO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TWO ENTITIES THAT ACTUALLY HAVE TO AGREE ON THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
SO THAT'S ONE METHOD, UM, UH, MINNEAPOLIS ST.
PAUL ACTUALLY JUST HAS A, UM, APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, BUT HAS EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION IN THEIR NPO.
AND SO THERE ARE THE TWO ANSWERS ARE EITHER YOU NEED TO REWRITE THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENTS THAT THE GOVERNOR AND ALL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE TO SIGN, UH, TO ACTUALLY HAVE EQUITABLE VOTES, OR YOU COULD DO WEIGHTED VOTING AND THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT, BASICALLY EVERYONE HAS TO AGREE TO IT.
UM, WHEREAS THE WEIGHTED VOTING, YOU JUST NEED A MAJORITY VOTE.
AND SO IF WE WERE TO HAVE REFORM IN AUSTIN, I THINK THAT THE QUICKEST WAY IS THAT IS TO HAVE A WEIGHTED VOTING AND YOU WOULD NEED THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AND JUST ENOUGH OF OTHER PARTNERS TO AGREE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE EQUITABLE MPO TO DO THAT.
SO LET ME, LET ME COMMENT BY THE WAY, JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR CHARTER AS THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, CAMPO ACTIVITIES ARE SPECIFICALLY UNDER OUR, UH, COMMITTEE, NOT THE ZONING AND PLANNING COMMISSION, NOT THE PLANNING COMMISSION, SO WHERE THEY MAY TOUCH ON LAND USE AS FAR AS CAMPO IS CONCERNED, WE ARE WITHIN OUR LIMITS.
IF WE MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL CONCERNING ACTIVITIES AT CAMP.
AND, UM, WE'VE TALKED WITH, THERE ARE FOUR COUNCIL PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY, UM, SERVE ON THE CAMPO POET, TRANSPORTATION POLICY, BOARD, AND KITCHEN IS ACTUALLY THE VICE CHAIR OF THE TPV.
ALTHOUGH SHE DOESN'T GET SHOWN THE RESPECT SHE DESERVES FOR THAT POSITION.
UH, ALISON ALDER IS ON THE TVB.
I SUSPECT THAT'S WHY I GOT APPOINTED TO THE BOARD.
THE ONLY ONE SHE COULD FIND WHO EVEN KNEW WHAT CAMPO WAS, UM, UH, NATASHA HARPER, MADISON, UM, AND, UM, DISTRICT DATE WILL PAY JEALOUS IS ON BOARD.
AND I THINK IN TERMS OF, THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT I THINK IT WOULD DO SOME GOOD TO KNOW THAT THEIR CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE THINKS THAT THEY ARE, THEY ARE ALL, ALL WOULD LIKE A CAMPO THAT WAS BETTER REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE REGION, RATHER THAN THE LAND OF THE REGION.
I THINK THEY WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING THAT THEIR URBAN POLICY COMMISSION, URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION FELT THAT THEY WERE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
IS THERE A PROPOSAL OR A DOCUMENT OR A PROPOSED ACTION? UM, WELL KNOW, I, I DON'T HAVE A DOCUMENT RIGHT NOW, UH, BUT I WOULD SUGGEST OR HOPE, I GUESS, ONE JUST HAVING THE UTC PAY ATTENTION AND LIKE THE CITY OF AUSTIN SHOULD NOT ACTUALLY DOMINATE THE WHOLE REGION, BUT SHOULD BE PLAYING AT THE TABLE, YOU KNOW?
[01:45:01]
SO THAT ONE JUST, I THINK UTC BEING AT THE TABLE FOR THESE DISCUSSIONS IS, IS CRUCIAL.BUT, UH, I, I PERSONALLY, I WOULD SUGGEST A, UM, SUGGESTION TO COUNCIL THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN PURSUE AN EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING PROCESS, UM, AND PURSUE THOSE KINDS OF REFORMS TO REGIONAL PLANNING, UH, RIGHT NOW WOULD BE VERY USEFUL.
UH, ANOTHER THING TO SAY IS THERE'S THE NEW FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL IS AMAZINGLY GOOD.
UH, HOWEVER, PART OF THE POLITICS WAS IT BASICALLY HALF OF THE MONEY.
THERE'S LIKE $20 BILLION FOR VISION ZERO.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF MONEY FOR SIDEWALKS.
IT WAS MUCH A GOOD THING, BUT THEN HALF OF THE MONEY IS COMPLETELY UP TO THE DISCRETION OF STATES AND DEITIES.
AND TH THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT WE'RE JUST GOING TO USE ALL THAT MONEY TO JUST WIDEN A BUNCH OF THINGS, FREEWAYS AGAIN, AS WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.
AND SO THAT DISCUSSION HAS ALREADY STARTED, AND THAT'S THE PLAN AT CAMPO IS TO USE ALL THAT EXTRA MONEY NOW TO, TO THERE'S AN OLD LIST OF ALL THE ROAD PROJECTS.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WE SHOULDN'T ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT MAYBE WE COULD DO BETTER AND WE COULD PROVIDE BY PEOPLE WITH BETTER ACCESS AND MOBILITY, UM, SOMEHOW.
SO I, HOWEVER, SORRY TO BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
I THINK THE EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING CONCEPT REALLY COULD BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND THE REGION.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO HELP HELP YOU ALL WORK TOWARDS HOW WE COULD PROPOSE THAT TO CAMPO.
UM, I MEAN, I WON'T SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY I'M, I'M ON BOARD.
I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO CRAFT A STATEMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ONE, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, SO WHAT IS THE URGENCY? ARE THERE ITEMS COMING UP IN COUNCIL OR ITEMS COMING UP AT CAMPO THAT ARE, THIS IS, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY LONG-TERM PLAN.
IT ISN'T A PLAN TO DEFEAT THE SENATE, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN WITH, WELL, I GUESS I JUST REALLY QUICKLY WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING, ALL YOU ARE SAYING IS THAT, UM, AUSTIN NEEDS TO HAVE A VOTE RELATIVE TO THE SIZE THAT IT OCCUPIES WITHIN THE REGION, BASICALLY.
WELL, THAT'S REALLY ABOUT THE EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION AT CAMPO EQUITABLE SCENARIO PLANNING IS SAYING WE SHOULDN'T HAVE JUST ONE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECAST.
WE SHOULD HAVE MULTIPLE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTS AND IDEALLY HAVE A PROCESS FOR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN DEVELOPING THOSE GROWTH FORECASTS AND HAVE, HAVE THE PEOPLE OF THE AUSTIN REGION ACTUALLY BE PART OF IMAGINING WHAT OUR FUTURE MIGHT BE LIKE.
SO, UH, SO THERE'S REALLY TWO MAIN REFORMS IS THE REPRESENTATION AT CAMPO AND THE VOTES, RIGHT? THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN DON'T HAVE THEIR FAIR SHARE OF VOTES, RIGHT.
BUT THEN ALSO THIS WHOLE REGIONAL GROWTH FORECASTING PROCESS IS BROKEN AND HAS TERRIBLE RESULTS.
WELL, AND, UH, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE BASED ON YOUR PRESENTATION, THAT THAT IS ABSOLUTELY BY DESIGN VARIOUS ENTITIES BENEFIT FROM SHOVELING MONEY INTO SUBURBAN'S ROLE.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY IS THE MOST INDEBTED COUNTY IN TEXAS BASED ON ROAD BONDS, WHICH ARE BASED ON THEIR FORECAST.
SO IT'S A WHOLE, IT'S A WHOLE THING.
SO THEN I'M GUESS I'M GOING TO PROPOSE THAT, UM, WE PUT THIS KIND OF DISCUSSION ITEM ON OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
UM, UH, I DON'T THINK WE CAN ACT ON IT EXACTLY RIGHT NOW.
WE DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN EXACT THING TO ACT ON, BUT IF WE ARE PICKING THEMES FOR THE YEAR, LET'S SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURAL CHANGE IS A WAY BETTER THAN A BUNCH OF BAND-AIDS.
SO I APPLAUD THE INITIATIVE TO SAY, LET'S TRY AND FIGURE OUT SOME INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, GET RID OF THE US SENATE.
SHOULD WE JUST LIKE THAT? I WOULD JUST SAY, I REALLY AGREE.
I FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SAW THIS LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE DOING A BUNCH OF THINGS WITH CAMPO GROWTH MODELS.
AND I REMEMBER FIVE YEARS BEFORE THAT, WHEN WE WERE DOING A LITTLE, SOME THINGS WITH THAT, IT WAS, AND WE'VE BEEN BUILDING ON THAT, BUT I THINK WE CAN'T JUST COME INTO THE PROCESS SOMETIMES, EVEN AT THE LAST STAGE OF THE PLANNING PROCESS AND TRY TO FIX IT.
WE'VE GOT TO, WE'VE GOT TO REFORM IT.
WE'VE GOT TO REFORM THE WHOLE STRUCTURE.
SO I THINK THAT IF THIS BODY CAN START PUSHING BUTTONS WITH THAT, IT WILL BE VERY HELPFUL.
I JUST WANT TO SAY GREAT PRESENTATION, JAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ENLIGHTENING US AND BRINGING US TO THE TABLE.
[3A. Downtown Commission: Commissioner Cynthia Weatherby]
MOVE ON TO THE, UH, THE LIGHTENING GROUNDS, STAFF BRIEFINGS THREE, A DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, OR WHETHER IT BE WELL, IT'S REALLY EASY ONE BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON,[01:50:01]
POSTINGS AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS, THE MEETING WAS CANCELED AT THE LAST MOMENT.[3B. Joint Sustainability Commission: Commissioner Diana Wheeler]
UH, JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION.WE MET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE MONTHS.
AND, UH, WE MET AT THE NEW AUSTIN ENERGY BUILDING AND IT'S GORGEOUS.
AND THERE WERE TWO VERY FASCINATING PRESENTATIONS ON FLEET ELECTRIFICATION.
AND, UM, THEN, SO THERE WAS A WILLOW CONNOR FROM THE EMERGING TECH DIVISION AT FLEET MOBILITY WITH THE CITY SPOKE AND ALSO, UM, CAMERON FREEBURG AT AUSTIN ENERGY WITH THEIR GREEN BUILDING, TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION SPOKE.
AND SO ESSENTIALLY THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS 7,000 VEHICLES, BUT THEY ARE PLANNING FOR AS THEY AND THEIRS.
THEY EACH HAVE LIKE A 10 YEAR LIFE SPAN ISH.
AND WE'RE TALKING TO EVERYTHING FROM CO REGULAR CARS TO, UM, POLICE CARS, TO, YOU KNOW, FIRE TRUCKS.
AND SO, AND, AND BIG TRUCKS LIKE THAT.
AUSTIN ENERGY USES TO MAINTAIN THE, THE LINES.
AND SO WHILE THERE IS, THERE'S DEFINITELY THE PLAN, THEY ARE ENGAGING TO BUY MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND BEEF UP THEIR, UM, THEIR EVY FLEET, UH, UNTIL THE PICKUPS AND TRUCKS COME OUT, IT'S GOING TO BE HARDER AND HARDER FOR THEM TO GET, UM, REALLY A BANG FOR THEIR BUCK.
BUT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE CHEVY BOLTS, MR. BEACHY, WHATEVER MITSUBISHI IS, UH, THEY'RE THE FORD FUSIONS.
AND SO IT WAS JUST NICE TO HEAR THAT THEY'RE PLANNING THAT.
AND OF COURSE, WHEN YOU PLAN THAT YOU ALSO NEED TO PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CHARGING PORTS.
AND SO KIND OF HAND IN HAND, THERE'S ALL THAT CHARGING.
BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.
THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WHICH HAS BEEN PASSED HAS A GOAL OF, UM, FOR ALL OF AUSTIN, 40% OF VEHICLE MILES.
SO NOT 40% OF VEHICLES, BUT 40% OF VEHICLE MILES DRIVEN BY CITY OF AUSTIN, REGULAR PEOPLE IN AND OUT.
THAT IS THE, THAT IS THE GOAL GIVEN BY THE, UM, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN BY 2030.
SO THAT 40% OF VEHICLE TRAFFIC IN AUSTIN IS ELECTRIC BY 2030.
AND OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO BE A HARD GOAL TO MEET, BUT AT LEAST WE, WE HAVE A HARD GOAL TO BE AIMING FOR INSTEAD OF A TWO EASY GOAL.
SO I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR THAT.
AND THEN THE, UM, JOINT COMMISSION ALSO, UH, MADE A MOTION TO INCREASE, UM, BY, BY UP TO 15 PEOPLE, UM, THERE, WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IS TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY TAKE THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND PROPERLY, YOU KNOW, GIVE IT JUSTICE AND IMPLEMENT IT.
UM, THEY, UH, WE VOTED TO HAVE A WORKING GROUP OF UP TO 10 CITIZENS AND, UM, AT LEAST SIX, SIX OF THE PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION PLUS 10 CITIZENS TO BE CHOSEN, TO FORM A NEW WORKING GROUP.
SO IF ANYBODY KNOWS ANY CITIZENS WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THAT WORKING GROUP TO REALLY IMPLEMENT THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, LET ME KNOW.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, A GOOD UPDATE.
[3C. Bicycle Advisory Council: Commissioner Athena Leyton]
THE BICYCLE ADVISORY ATHENA, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU USE YOUR, YOU MIGHT LEAVE.UM, THE ALL AGES BICYCLE NETWORK S UH, WE GOT AN UPDATE ON IT.
THEY HIT THE 50% BENCHMARK AND THEY EXPECT TO HIT THE 80% GOAL BY 2025.
UM, THEY HAVEN'T STARTED SPENDING THE 2020 BOND FOR THE BIKEWAYS YET, SO THEY EXPECT TO HIT THAT GOAL EARLY.
AND THERE WAS AN UPDATE TO CRASH INJURY REPORTING, SPECIFICALLY ONES THAT RESULT IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A DATABASE AND A MAP THAT SHOWS WHERE THE BAD CRASH HAS HAPPENED, BUT THAT IT'S NOT ACCURATE OR UP-TO-DATE, UM, AN APD SAYS THEY DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO KEEP IT CURRENT BECAUSE IT WOULD JUST TAKE TOO LONG TO ENTER ALL THE DATA.
AND SO THEY'RE RECOMMENDING IMPROVEMENTS ON THAT TO COUNSEL.
[3D. Pedestrian Advisory Council: Commissioner Allie Runas]
ALLIE WOULD PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY, UM, PC GOT A WALK, BIKE, ROLL BRIEFING, UM, TALKING ABOUT URBAN TRAIL SIDEWALK COM BICYCLE PLAN UPDATES.UM, UM, AND THEY KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED MORE ABOUT HOW, UM, THERE WERE SOME MORE LIKE, UH, SOLUTIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY, THEY COULD ROLL OUT QUICKER THAT ARE COST-EFFECTIVE AND AT A WIDER SCALE, UM, WHILE MAINTAINING, UM, LIKE GOOD, LIKE POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM, UH, RESIDENTS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, THINGS LIKE ADDING, LIKE, I FORGET WHAT THEY CALLED IT, BUT LIKE ADDING TRAFFIC CIRCLES WHERE INTERSECTIONS ARE KIND OF REALLY BIG AND CRAZY, UM, AND THEN FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR AREAS THAT DON'T HAVE SIDEWALKS, BUT THAT BUILDING SIDEWALKS WOULD BE INTRUSIVE.
UM, AND THEN THEY ALSO DID A, UM, THEY SELECTED, UH, TWO NEW FULL MEMBERS,
[01:55:01]
TRISHA AND GARRETT.UM, THEY DID THEIR OBJECTIVE SETTING AND BYLAWS REVISION AND A NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION, BUT I WAS NOT ABLE TO STAY FOR THOSE.
[3E. City Council Mobility Committee: Commissioner Mario Champion]
THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE THAT'S ME, I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORKDAY, AND I DID NOT MAKE IT UNLESS JIM BURKE, UM, CHRISTOPHER HAVE SOME UPDATE, NO BIG UPDATES.UM, THEY SELECTED THEIR DATES, UM, GOT SOME UPDATES FROM THE, UH, UH, 2016 MOBILITY BOND.
UM, SO ANNA WAS ABLE TO PRESENT ON THAT AND, UM, THAT'S REALLY ABOUT IT.
JUMPING IN TEACHING ME ABOUT, WELL, OH, OKAY.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WAS ON THE SAME TOPIC.
[3F. Community Advisory Committee for Austin Transit Partnership Board: Susan Sommers]
THEN WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.YEAH, SO WE MET ON NOVEMBER 15TH.
UM, WE GOT AN UPDATE ON THE JPA PASSAGE, SO THERE WAS THAT BIG JOINT MEETING WITH, UM, WHERE THEY DIDN'T GET THE JPA PASSED AS A JOINT THREE BODY UNIT, BUT THEY, UM, SO THE CAP METRO BOARD, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL ARE IN THE PROCESS.
AND I THINK MAYBE NOW HAVE PASSED THE G JPA INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, AND ACTUALLY THEY GOT SOME MORE EDITS IN THERE THAT I THINK WERE REALLY POSITIVE.
SO WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN WE HAD A PRESENTATION.
UM, WE HAD A PRESENTATION ON HOW TO REPLACE OUR OWN MEMBERS, WHICH IS ACTUALLY LEGALLY COMPLICATED.
AND, UM, AND THEN WE, UM, UH, HEARD A PRESENTATION ABOUT, UH, THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
THAT'S IN THE PROCESS AT THE CITY.
UM, AND WE ALSO HEARD ABOUT, UM, THE, UH, DISPLAY ANTI-DISPLACEMENT PLANNING WITHIN PROJECT CONNECT.
AND THOSE WERE TWO PRETTY INTERESTING PRESENTATION.
SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT PEOPLE GO BACK THROUGH BECAUSE THERE'S THESE, ALL THESE, UM, IT'S INTERESTING, CAUSE THERE'S LIKE ALL THESE PARALLEL THINGS HAPPENING THAT ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER, BUT ARE NOT THE SAME RIGHT NOW ON VARIOUS CITY BODIES, WHICH IS REALLY INTERESTING.
SO, UM, I, LIKE, I WOULD SAY JUST, JUST WATCH THOSE MEETINGS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE, UM, THEY'RE INTERESTING AND HELPFUL.
AND WE MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEK, SO HEY, THANK YOU MUCH.
[4. Future Agenda Items]
WE'RE ONTO A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, AS ALWAYS ROLL THEM OUT THERE.IF YOU GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND, IF IT, I MEAN, I WOULD SAY THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE IN JANUARY RUBEN, DO YOU WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THINKING ABOUT, UM, FARMING CITY AND CAMPO, UH, INTERACTIONS? AND IF YOU THINK THAT THERE'S A SURE.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE THE SAME EXACT MEETING.
I MEAN, THAT WAS A LITTLE LESS TIME URGENT, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE JANUARY.
UM, ALSO ON THIS LIST FROM JUST BEFORE, HOW ARE WE FUNDING TD M UPDATE A S AND P F DAY PROJECT CONNECT, UH, RACIAL EQUITY, AUNTIES PLACEMENT TOOL, WHICH MAYBE WHAT YOU WERE JUST MENTIONING, UM, RED RIVER EXTENSION, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE RED LINE, UH, I'M MOST INTERESTED IN THE, THE BIKE TRAIL, THE RED LINE, THE PARKWAY, I THINK IT'S CALLED OR RED LINE RED LINE PARKWAY PARKWAY.
UM, IS THAT A PURELY PRIVATE ACTIVITY OR IS THERE A CO CITY INVOLVEMENT IN THAT? I MEAN, THERE'S DEFINITELY, I MEAN, PART OF THAT SECTIONS OF THAT ARE ACTUALLY, I THINK THE FIRST SECTIONS OF THAT ARE FUNDED IN THE 20, THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CITY URBAN TRAIL.
IT JUST HAS A PRIVATE FOUNDATION KIND OF SUPPORTING IT OR PRIVATE NON, YEAH.
I MEAN, I'D LIKE TO HEAR IT UPDATE.
I RIDE THAT TRAIL ALL THE TIME.
UM, IF, UH, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP IT OUT, NOT TO BE JUST, YOU KNOW, ME PERSONALLY, BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THE CITY.
UH, PUT THAT ON A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A FUTURE THINGS THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN PARKING, THE BUOY STREET UNDERPASS, A BUOY STREET UNDERPASS.
OH, THAT WAS WHAT WAS MENTIONED, UM, UH, AROUND THE TRADER JOE'S I FORGET WHICH TEAM IT WAS.
IT WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT ONE.
HE WAS THE SHOAL CREEK CONSERVANCY CREEK.
AND I, I THINK, UM, I NEED TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION BEFORE I BRING HIM WOULD BRING INTO HIM.
LET'S JUST GET TO HAVE THESE ON OUR LIST OF REMINDERS.
ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYBODY YOU MENTIONED THERE WERE ABOUT TO DO AN AMENDMENT TO THE STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN TO BETTER ALIGN IT WITH, UH, PROJECT CONNECT.
AND I MIGHT SUGGEST THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO DO A DRESS REHEARSAL BEFORE THEY PRESENTED TO COUNCIL.
[02:00:01]
I MEAN, YOU WILL KINDLY OFFER TO LISTEN TO THE DRESS REHEARSAL IN FRONT OF US.I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY WHICH GROUP IS THAT JUST FOR THE, THIS IS THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, STRATEGIC MOBILITY AND ASAP.
SO IF IT WAS ANOTHER GROUP AND THERE ARE LOTS OF ACRONYMS FLYING AROUND, IT COULD BE, UM, OKAY.
THEY SEEM LIKE SOME GOOD ONES.
UM, I GUESS WE'LL PASS THEM THROUGH EMAIL AND SEE WHAT MIGHT BE, UH, ON, UH, SOMEONE'S CALENDAR.
UM, DO ANY OF THESE HAVE ANY URGENCY AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TOSSED OUT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL'S HAPPENING NEXT WEEK OR NOT NEXT WEEK, BUT OKAY.
UH, ANY LAST MINUTE DISCUSSION BEFORE WE ADJOURN ANYTHING, SOMEONE WAS THINKING I HAVE JUST ONE.
THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING, UM, FOR THE YEAR, UM, YOU GAVE YOUR NAME AND, UM, WE WILL MEET AGAIN, UH, JUST TO CLARIFY, ON JANUARY 11TH, WE WILL NOT BE MEETING THE FIRST, THE SECOND TUESDAY IN JANUARY.
UM, THAT'LL BE JANUARY 11 RATHER THAN THE FOURTH, BUT YOU'LL, YOU'LL GET EMAILS ABOUT THAT FROM ME LATER ON AS WELL.
I COME AND GO AS I PLEASE FROM DOWN HERE UP NORTH, THE MAN BETWEEN BABY.
CAUSE I ALWAYS FEEL THE SAME WAY, MAN.
NO MATTER HOW I TRIED IT MAKES ME WANT TO DIE.