[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
WE ALREADY, IT LOOKS LIKE ATX SENTENCE TOO.
I AM THE CHAIR OF THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
I AM COUNCIL MEMBER PAY JEALOUS.
I WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
IT IS MAY 12TH, 2022 AT 1:05 PM.
WE ARE LIVE HERE IN THE AUSTIN CITY HALL.
I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HERE ON THE DICE WITH ME COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, AND THEN PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.
WE HAVE MAYOR PRO TEM, ALISON ALTER, AND THE VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY.
WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL BIKE MONTH WITH AN AGENDA THAT HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT THE CITY AND OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING TO MAKE BICYCLING SAFER AND EASIER FOR AUSTINITES.
BEFORE WE GET INTO PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS TODAY.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
THE DIRECTOR OF ATD, BOB SPILLER IS GOING TO BE MOVING ON FROM THIS CITY SHORTLY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A VERY BRIEF HIGHLIGHT.
HE HAS DONE IMMENSE WORK WITH THE BICYCLE PROGRAM ALL THE WAY, DATING BACK TO 2014, CREATING ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AS, AS A SUBDIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT, WORKING EXTENSIVELY ON THE 2016 MOBILITY BOND, WHICH GAVE A LOT OF, UH, VOTER APPROVED DOLLARS INTO BICYCLING URBAN TRAILS AND ON-STREET CONNECTIVITY AND ALL THE WAY INTO THE 2020 ACTIVE MOBILITY BOND, WHICH I KNOW WE LED ON AND A NUMBER OF MY COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT TO THE VOTERS, BUT IT REALLY WAS UP TO YOU TO KIND OF PLAN THAT OUT AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE STEPS ARE GOING TO BE.
AND IT HAPPENED CONJOINTLY WITH PROJECT CONNECT.
SO WE KNOW THAT YOUR TENURE WITH THIS CITY HAS CREATED SO MUCH IMMENSE CHANGE AND IS SETTING US UP TO BE THE BIKE CAPITOL OF TEXAS, WHICH I KNOW WE, WE LOVE TAKING THAT TITLE FOR OURSELVES.
UM, I THINK THE MAYOR PRO TEM MAY HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.
I'M SURE THERE WILL BE OTHER THINGS THAT WE THANK YOU FOR THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE MEETING MAYOR PROTESTING.
UM, THAT MR. SPELLER, UM, I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND, UH, THE CHAIR LAID OUT A NUMBER OF THE MAJOR MOBILITY PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE, UM, BEEN ENGAGED IN DURING YOUR, YOUR TENURE.
SO I WANTED TO JUST COME IN ON SOMETHING THAT I THINK AS A MANAGER IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU AND SOMETHING THAT I'VE NOTICED, UM, AND THAT IS THAT YOU DO A REALLY GOOD JOB HIRING.
YOU HIRE REALLY QUALITY FOLKS WHO ARE DEVOTED TO IMPROVING, UM, MOBILITY WORK IN OUR CITY.
UM, AND I KNEW THAT YOU'LL BE LEAVING US IN GOOD HANDS ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, THROUGHOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
WE NEED TO THINK OF SOMETHING TO EMBARRASS YOU WITH.
WELL, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO KICK OFF THE TEN ONE COUNCIL AND OUR FIRST TRANSPORTATION, OUR FIRST MOBILITY, UH, WITH, WITH YOU ALL WITH YOU.
AND, UM, OVER THE YEARS, THAT THAT HAS BEEN JUST VERY EXCITING, YOU KNOW, AND WE, WE GOT TO BUILD THIS, THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER, THE PROGRAM WITH THE NEW COUNCIL.
I MEAN, YOU CERTAINLY WERE AROUND WELL BEFORE THIS NEW COUNCIL STARTED, BUT, UM, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE ALWAYS APPRECIATED IS THAT YOU ALWAYS ASK, HOW CAN I DO SOMETHING NOT WHY CAN'T I DO IT? AND THAT IS, UH, THAT IS SO IMPORTANT, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR CITY, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE GET NEW THINGS DONE AND THAT'S HOW WE ADDRESS PROBLEMS. SO, UM, I HAVE ALWAYS ADMIRED THAT.
AND I THINK THAT THAT IS WHAT IS STOOD YOU IN GOOD STEAD, UM, AND OUR, OUR TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY, UM, WHOLE PROGRAM FOR THE CITIES, BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS SAY, WHAT CAN I DO? AND THEN YOU DELIVER, SO WE'RE GOING TO SORELY MISS YOU.
UH, BUT AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, YOU HAVE BUILT A FABULOUS TEAM, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, MY STAFF AND I ALWAYS HAVE ENJOYED WORKING WITH.
AND SO, SO WE KNOW THAT THE CITY WILL STILL BE IN GOOD HANDS.
AND I'M SURE YOU WON'T BE A STRANGER VICE-CHAIR KELLY, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME CHAIR.
UM, I WANT TO ECHO THE COMMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE, DIRECTOR SPILLER.
I, I WAS DEEPLY SADDENED WHEN I HEARD THAT YOU WERE TAKING ANOTHER POSITION, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S TIME TO SPREAD HER WINGS AND FLY OFF TO DO MORE GREAT THINGS.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM A NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS PERSPECTIVE, I REMEMBER THE LEARNING CURVE THAT I HAD WHEN IT CAME TO TRANSPORTATION AND THE EASE AT WHICH YOU WERE ABLE TO KINDLY AND PATIENTLY EXPLAINED TO ME HOW PROJECTS WERE GOING IN MY DISTRICT AND WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR EVERYONE IN CITY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ALSO EVEN, UM, YOUR OVERSIGHT ON THE PROJECTS THAT OCCURRED IN DISTRICT SIX.
[00:05:01]
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US.WELL, I HOPE WE'VE SUFFICIENTLY EMBARRASSED YOU WELL, I WAS COMPLETELY UNPREPARED FOR THIS, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL SURPRISE.
UM, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY GOAL, UH, TO HELP AUSTIN BECOME THE BEST CITY THAT IT COULD BE.
AND, UM, HAVING LIVED IN AUSTIN WHEN THE ECONOMY WAS TRULY AWFUL.
AND I TELL PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, REMEMBERING BACK WHEN BUILDINGS WERE BOARDED UP WITH PLYWOOD BECAUSE, UH, UH, THE JOBS WERE LEAVING AUSTIN AND NOW WE'RE IN THE OPPOSITE SITUATION.
AND IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL PROBLEM TO HAVE, UH, GROWTH AND SUCCESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO STRIVE TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BRING ALL PEOPLE ALONG TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SUCCESS, I JUST WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU AND SERVE THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND THE VISITORS TO AUSTIN.
THIS HAS TRULY BEEN A HIGH POINT IN MY CAREER AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE, UM, I HOPE TO TAKE WHAT I'VE LEARNED HERE IN AUSTIN AND SPREAD IT TO OTHER CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
UH, THERE MAY NOT BE QUITE AS PREPARED AS AUSTIN, UH, TO GO INTO SORT OF THIS BRAVE NEW ECONOMY AND BRAVE NEW MOBILITY WORLD, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE MANY MORE OPTIONS THAN JUST THE TWO OR THREE WE USED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST A DECADE AGO, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT TRANSIT AND THE AUTOMOBILE AND MAYBE WALKING, AND NOW WE TALK ABOUT SCOOTERING AND BICYCLING AND, AND DOING ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT MOBILITY IDEAS, YOU KNOW, CAR SHARE AND SO FORTH.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT TRULY IS THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF MOBILITY AND, AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE TO SPREAD THOSE OPTIONS, UH, FOR AUSTIN, SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST THE BEST MOBILE CITY IN AUSTIN, BUT THE BEST MOBILE CITY IN THE COUNTRY, UH, AN ODE TO BIKES, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST GOT HERE, THERE WAS ANOTHER TOWN IN THE FAR NORTHWEST, WE ALWAYS TRIED TO STRIVE TO OUT PASS, AND NOW WE HAVE THOSE FOLKS COMING TO VISIT US.
AND, AND, UH, WE WON'T EVEN SAY THE NAME OF THE CITY THAT WE'RE REFERRING TO.
UH, THAT WAS A RULE THAT THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR.
AND I PASSED THAT, THAT WE WOULD NOT MENTION P TOWN HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND SO NOW WE HOPE TO REALLY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP FOR OTHER CITIES.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE, THE AMAZING WORK EACH OF YOU DO BECAUSE, UH, I'M JUST THE DIRECTOR AND WE'RE JUST THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
WE CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, HERE IN THE CITY AS WELL.
AND YES, I'M SUFFICIENTLY EMBARRASSED.
THERE'S I'M SURE THERE'S MORE TO COME BEFORE YOU'RE GONE.
[Public Communication: General]
MOVE INTO PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS FIRST UP WILL BE DARREN YOUR WRITER.
UM, THANK YOU COMMITTEE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
MY NAME IS DARREN, YOUR WRITER, AND I'M SURPRISED YOU WERE ABLE TO PRONOUNCE THAT CORRECTLY.
I'M A MEMBER OF AUSTIN OUTSIDE AND ACTIVATE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ADVOCATES THAT SEE THE PARK.
AND I'M JUST HERE TO SPEAK REGARDING THE SIERRA PARK BONDS AND REGIONAL CONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN CEDAR PARK AND AUSTIN DISTRICT SIX.
SO WE RECENTLY PASSED OUR TRANSPORTATION BONDS UP HERE, AND THAT INCLUDES A DEDICATED TRAIL AND MIX MOBILITY FUNDING, SPECIFICALLY TRAILS FROM OUR BELL DISTRICT DOWN TO THE BRUSHY CREEK TRAIL, WHICH CAN BENEFIT EVERY RANCH RESIDENTS.
AND IT'S ALSO CAN BE PART OF THE RED LINE PARKWAY SECTION AS WELL, UM, WHICH HOPEFULLY ALL OF YOU KNOW ABOUT AND ALSO TRAILS CONNECTING ANDERSON MELDED, THE BRUSHY CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL, AND THEN A MASTER MOBILITY PLAN THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT, UH, IT'LL FUND.
UM, WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THAT MASTER MOBILITY PLAN AS WELL.
UH, IN ADDITION, WE'VE ALSO KICKED OFF THE PROCESS OF THE 180 3 FRONTAGE ROADS WITH CAMPO, UM, GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO AVERY RANCH BOULEVARD.
AND THIS INCLUDES AN EXTENSION OF THE SHARED USE PATH ALL THE WAY TO, UH, UH, AVERY RANCH, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT EXTENDED, UH, SOUTH INTO AUSTIN PAST AVERY RANCH.
AND THEN LASTLY, UM, OUR PARKS BOND, UH, PASSED AS WELL FOR OUR PHASE TWO OF OUR 200 ACRE LAKE LINE PARK, WHICH IS WITHIN TWO MILES OF AVERY RANCH, LAKE CREEK AND ANDERSON AREAS OF AUSTIN, UH, WHICH WILL OBVIOUSLY BE A BENEFIT TO, UH, CITIZENS OF AUSTIN IN THAT AREA TO COME AND VISIT OUR GREAT PARK.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER, TO IMPROVE THE CONNECTIVITY IN THIS AREA, UH, BETWEEN CEDAR PARK AND AUSTIN.
AND MY ASK IS JUST, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER WAYS THAT BOTH CITIES CAN WORK TOGETHER FOR A BETTER REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS TODAY.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS SEBASTIAN BARBOZA.
[00:10:01]
ITEM.[1. Approve the minutes of the Mobility Committee meeting ofApril 14,2022.]
APPROVING THE MINUTES OF THE MOBILITY COMMITTEES.DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MOTION MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON? DO I HAVE A SECOND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.
PASSES UNANIMOUSLY WITH EVERYONE.
[2. Update from the chair of the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) regarding recent UTC actions.]
UPDATE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION REGARDING RECENT UTC ACTIONS.AND I SEE MR. CHAMPION IS HERE.
I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
I'LL GIVE YOU A QUICK, UH, UTC UPDATE FROM OUR LAST MEETING LAST TUESDAY.
SO MOST OF THE MEETING WAS, UM, A BUDGET UPDATE FROM, UH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND FROM ATD THROUGH IN PRETTY GOOD DETAIL, BUT NOT SO MUCH DETAIL AS TO MAKE IT, UH, BORING.
WE LEARNED ABOUT THE PIECES THAT YOU'RE DOING AND HOW THEY PLAN TO CALCULATE, UH, CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE, WHICH WAS NICE TO HEAR AS WELL BECAUSE WHILE NO ONE HAS A CRYSTAL BALL, THERE ARE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING AND THE BUDGETS NEED TO BE ADAPTABLE FOR THAT.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
I'M SURE YOU WILL GET A SIMILAR REPORT OUT AT SOME POINT.
THE THING THAT WAS A, THAT WE DID THAT IS MOST WORTH TALKING ABOUT IS WE HAD ANOTHER PRESENTATION ON THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE AND THE PROPOSED DEDICATED BUS WAY ON IT.
UM, I WANTED TO GIVE, UH, THE PERSONAL THANKS TO, UM, PETER MULLINS AND HIS TEAM.
THE FIRST CAME UP IN FEBRUARY AT UTC.
THERE WAS SOME, UH, UH, SOME, SOME THE EAGER ADVOCACY ON THE UTC SIDE FOR WHY NOT LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY, BUT A BUS, UH, BEING ABLE TO EXIST ON THAT BRIDGE.
AND AT THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS PERHAPS THE LACK OF CLARITY ON IF THAT WOULD BE WORTH IT OR NOT, BUT THIS TEAM WENT BACK AND THEY PRESENTED A COUPLE OF OPTIONS AS THERE'S NO DECISION MADE YET, BUT IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THEY TOOK IT SERIOUSLY.
AND, UM, THERE DOES SEEM TO BE SOME MOMENTUM, UH, FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING MORE MODES ON THAT BUS.
IT DOES OPEN UP SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT WOULDN'T BE THERE OTHERWISE.
SO WE DID PASS A RESOLUTION, JUST SORT OF CRAFTED FROM THE DYES AND SAID, IT'S REALLY JUST A SINGLE LINE LONG.
IT SAYS UTC PREFERS AND SUPPORTS THE DEDICATED BUS LANE OPTION FOR THE BLUE LINE BRIDGE.
THIS WAS PASSED BY EVERYBODY THAT WAS IN ATTENDANCE.
I BELIEVE THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN AN EXTENSION THAT ROUGH HAND.
UM, BUT WE DID PASS THAT RESOLUTION.
THERE WAS SOME VERY EXCELLENT DISCUSSION.
THE, UM, THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEW ENERGY THAT CAME ABOUT, AND I THINK IT'S WORTH EXPRESSING THAT IT DID SEEM TO BE EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE CREATED IF A DEDICATED BUS LANE ENDS UP ON THAT BRIDGE.
STILL UNCLEAR VERY WELL, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE A POSITIVE OPTION.
THAT'S I THINK THAT'S ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DID WORTH DISCUSSING OR ANY QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE DICE? I DON'T SEE ANY AT THIS TIME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORKING ON THAT.
[3. ATX Walk Bike Roll updates on Austin's sidewalk, urban trails and bicycle plans]
THE NEXT ITEM IS GOING TO BE THE UPDATE ON ATX WALK, BIKE ROLL.UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M THE URBAN TRAIL PROGRAM MANAGER, AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH NATHAN WILKES AND LAURA DARREN FIELD, UM, FROM THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO TALK ABOUT HEX BLOCK, BIKE ROLL.
SO OUR INITIATIVE TO UPDATE THE URBAN TRAILS, SIDEWALKS AND BIKE WAY PLANS.
SO GOING TO GIVE A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, SPEND A LITTLE TIME TALKING ABOUT OUR EQUITY FOCUS, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED SO FAR, AND THEN HOW WE'RE USING THAT TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING PRETTY HIGH LEVEL OVER ALL OF THIS.
ALL THE INFORMATION IS ON OUR WEBSITE AND OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE TIME AT THE END FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION.
SO AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE UPDATING THE THREE MODAL PLAN.
SO COMING OUT OF THIS, WE'LL STILL HAVE THREE SEPARATE PLANS, THE SIDEWALK BIKEWAY AND URBAN TRIAL PLANS.
AND OUR GOAL HERE IS FIRST TO UPDATE THEM, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE REFLECTIVE OF AUSTIN'S CURRENT CONDITIONS, THE URBAN TRAIL AND BIKEWAY PLANS WERE LAST ADOPTED IN 2014 AND SIDEWALKS IN 2016.
SO A LOT HAS CHANGED IN AUSTIN SINCE THEN, THEN WE'RE USING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE EMBEDDING SOCIAL AND RACIAL EQUITY INTO OUR PLANS AND INTO OUR PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT ONCE WE BUILD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE, DO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES WE NEED TO MAINTAIN IT? AND HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER BY UPDATING THESE THREE PLANS AT ONCE TO REALLY BE THINKING ABOUT THIS
[00:15:01]
AS A SAFER AND MORE CONNECTED NETWORK WITH ALL THREE PLANS, KIND OF SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER, THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT, ARE THERE WAYS TO BUILD HIGH-QUALITY BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS AND LAST TIME, NEXT SLIDE.SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT WITH THESE MODAL PLANS, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BIKE LANE OR A SIDEWALK, IT'S MORE ABOUT THAN JUST GETTING YOU FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
AND IT REALLY IMPACTS A LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES OF QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO WE'RE TAKING ALL OF THIS INTO ACCOUNT AS WE GO THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS.
SO WE BEGAN THIS PROCESS IN WINTER OF 20 20, 20, 21 WITH THE FIRST PHASE.
AND DURING THAT PHASE, WE CREATED AN EQUITY FRAMEWORK, WHICH I'LL SPEAK ABOUT IN A MOMENT AND THEN HAD THE CONSULTANTS REALLY LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS NOW AND WHAT ARE THE COMMUNITY NEEDS AND PRIORITIES.
WE'RE NOW IN PHASE TWO, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM THE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES, UM, AND STARTING TO HAVE OUR BUILD-OUT PLANS.
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE MOVING THIS NETWORKS TOWARDS ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION? AND SO WITH THAT, WE'LL BE GOING OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND BACK TO, UM, MOBILITY COMMITTEE, UM, WITH OUR SCENARIO EVALUATION, SO THAT WE'LL HAVE THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT FOLKS CAN WEIGH IN ON.
AND THEN LASTLY, PHASE THREE, WE'LL BE PUTTING ALL OF THIS TOGETHER AND GOING TO THE PUBLIC TO SAY, DID WE GET THIS RIGHT? AND WE'RE AIMING FOR ADOPTION AND SPRING SUMMER OF 2023.
SO OUR GOAL OF EMBEDDING EQUITY INTO THIS PLANNING PROCESS, WE FIRST HAD DECIDE WHAT DOES EQUITY MEAN? SO WE'RE USING THE EQUITY OFFICES DEFINITION WHERE EQUITY IS ACHIEVED WHEN RACE NO LONGER PREDICTS A PERSON'S QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE BEGAN THIS PROCESS WITH THE CONSULTANT TEAM UNDERTAKING AN EQUITY SCAN.
THEY TALKED TO COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THEY LOOKED AT PAST PLANNING EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY HAS, OR HAS NOT ADDRESSED EQUITY IN THE PAST.
THEN THEY USE THIS TO CREATE AN EQUITY FRAMEWORK.
SO THIS FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE, REALLY TALKS ABOUT HOW DO WE CENTER EQUITY AT EACH STAGE IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, BOTH THROUGH PLANNING AND THEN INTO IMPLEMENTATION, AND THEN ALSO INCLUDES TOUCH POINTS WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TALKING TO THEM, UM, AND THAT THEY KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WITH ALL OF THIS, WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZING THAT PAST PLANS AND INVESTMENTS HAVE NOT MET THE NEEDS OF ALL AUSTINITES OR HAVE ACTIVELY HARMED COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, WHICH IS FURTHERED INEQUALITIES AND TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH, SAFETY, HOUSING, AND INCOME.
AND BY REALLY HAVING THIS EQUITY FOCUS, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TYING TO ADDRESS NEXT SLIDE.
SO SOME OF HOW WE'RE BUILDING EQUITY IN IS THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
SO OUR GOAL HAS REALLY BEEN TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED IN PAST PLANNING EFFORTS, SUCH AS COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES AND TO DO SO IN A WAY THAT THEIR INPUT MEANINGFULLY SHAPES THE PROJECT.
SO COMING OUT OF THE PLAN, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS TO HAVE OUR PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS EXCEED THE RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND INCOME DEMOGRAPHIC MAKEUP OF THE CITY.
SO WE REALIZED THAT'S A PRETTY TOUGH GOAL TO MEET, BUT IT'S WHAT WE WANT TO STRIVE FOR.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS NOT DECREASING THE AMOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT, BUT REALLY PUTTING OUR RESOURCES TOWARDS REACHING THOSE HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.
AND ONE WAY THAT WE'RE DOING THAT IS THROUGH COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS.
SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST PHASE OF OUTREACH, WE HIRED 12 COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS WHO ALREADY HAVE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES WHO CAN GO AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND ENGAGE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT TYPICALLY ENGAGE WITH THE CITY.
SO DURING THIS FIRST PHASE, WE WERE ASKING THE COMMUNITY WHAT THEIR PREFERENCES AND PERCEPTIONS OF WALKING, BIKING, AND ROLLING IN AUSTIN ARE WHAT KIND OF TRIPS THEY'RE MAKING WITHOUT A CAR.
AND WHY, WHAT FACTORS GO INTO, IF SOMEONE'S GOING TO CHOOSE TO WALK OR BIKE SOMEWHERE, AND THEN HOW CAN WE BETTER SERVE THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WALK BIKE OR ROLL OR NEED TO, AND WHERE TO BARRIERS EXIST? NEXT SLIDE.
SO OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF KIND OF COMPILING ALL OF THIS, WHICH YOU'LL FIND ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW PIECES HERE.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE ASKED WERE IF PEOPLE AGREED OR DISAGREED WITH THIS STATEMENT, THAT IN AUSTIN, PEOPLE OF ALL RACES SHARE EQUAL ACCESS TO SAFE AND COMFORTABLE
[00:20:01]
PLACES TO WALK, BIKE OR ROLL, AND YOU CAN SEE THE RESPONSES ON THE CHART HERE, AND WE'VE BROKEN THEM OUT BETWEEN ALL RESPONSES.AND THEN OUR FOCUS POPULATION, OUR FOCUS POPULATION BEING DEFINED AS RESPONDENTS WHO EITHER REPORTED AN ANNUAL INCOME BELOW 50,000 OR A RACE OR ETHNICITY OTHER THAN NON-HISPANIC WHITE.
SO WHAT I WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THE STRONGLY DISAGREE, OR YOU CAN SEE THAT THE FOCUS POPULATION 50% DISAGREED WITH THIS STATEMENT, NEXT SLIDE.
AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION WE ASK WERE WHY RESPONDENTS WANT SAFE AND COMFORTABLE PLACES TO WALK, BIKE, OR ROLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE BROKEN OUT RESPONSES.
THE TOP THREE WERE ALL THE SAME, BUT IF YOU GO DOWN TO NUMBER FIVE WITH, TO SPEND LESS MONEY, YOU CAN SEE THAT 58% OF THE FOCUS POPULATION CHOSE THIS REASON COMPARED TO ONLY 43% OF ALL RESPONSES.
SO WHILE WE HAD OUR COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS, DRAWING PEOPLE TO OUR SURVEY, THE COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR ENGAGEMENT REALLY ALLOWS FOR MORE IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION.
AND WHAT WE KEPT HEARING AGAIN, AND AGAIN, WERE CONCERNS AROUND HOUSING.
SOME OF OUR AMBASSADORS THEMSELVES ARE HOUSING INSECURE AND THAT WHAT WE WERE HEARING THEM TALK ABOUT EITHER FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE OR THOSE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES, WAS THAT IT'S REALLY HARD TO ENGAGE AROUND SIDEWALKS OR BIKE LANES.
IF THEY'RE FEELING THAT THEY'RE BEING DISPLACED FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES.
SO THEIR SENTIMENT WAS VERY MUCH, YOU KNOW, IF WE NOT, IF WE DON'T THINK WE CAN LIVE HERE NEXT MONTH, LET ALONE A FEW YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS BUILT, HOW CAN WE TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS BIKE LANE OR SIDEWALK OR TRAIL, WHATEVER THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS THAT KIND OF, THEY FIRST NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO BE LIVING.
SO THIS WAS A THEME THAT KEPT COMING UP NEXT SLIDE.
SO THEN WITH THAT, HOW ARE WE MOVING FORWARD? NEXT SLIDE.
SO IN GENERAL, ESPECIALLY THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AMBASSADORS REALLY SHOWCASE THIS NEED FOR HOLISTIC POLICY SUPPORT.
SO LOOKING AT POLICIES THAT TYPICALLY HAVEN'T BEEN INCLUDED AS PART OF MODAL PLANS BECAUSE THEY GO BEYOND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT WE FIND THAT THIS POLICY SUPPORT IS REALLY NEEDED TO ACHIEVE EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION OUTCOMES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY GOALS AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION.
AND A BIG PART OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH ANTI-DISPLACEMENT AND AFFORDABILITY.
SO WITH PROJECT CONNECT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY RECOGNIZED THIS MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED A LARGE INVESTMENT IN ANTI-DISPLACEMENT WORK AS WELL.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE SOMETHING AT, YOU KNOW, REASONABLE SCALE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE IMPACTS THAT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION MIGHT HAVE.
AND COULD WE COUPLE THAT WITH SIMILAR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AVOIDING ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF OUR WORK, THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE BETTER INTEGRATE WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? WHERE DO WE NEED TO EVALUATE MODAL AND EQUITY BIAS AND OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS AND POLICIES.
AND THEN ONCE WE BUILD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY HAS WHAT THEY NEED TO USE IT? SO MAKING SURE THEY HAVE AFFORDABLE E-BIKE ACCESS OR BIKE SHARE EXPANSION AND PLACES TO PARK THEIR BIKES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WITH BETTER CONNECTIVITY AND LAND USE POLICIES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE REASONS TO WALK, BIKE ROLL, CAUSE IT'S EASIER TO GET TO YOUR DESTINATIONS.
AND WE ALSO HEARD A LOT OF NEED FOR TREE AND NATIVE PLANTING PROGRAMS SO THAT YOU HAVE SHADE AND A PLEASANT PLACE TO BE NEXT SLIDE.
SO WE LOOKED AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT KIND OF ALL OF THESE HOLISTIC POLICIES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, FOR EACH MODE, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT GOES INTO BUILDING AN URBAN TRAIL OR BIKEWAY OR SIDEWALK.
SO NOW WE'LL KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH THE DIFFERENT MODES.
SO FOR URBAN TRAILS, UM, ONE THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR POLICY ARE BEST PRACTICES AROUND SHARED USE CORRIDORS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING REALLY WELL, ADDING TRAILS ALONG RAIL LINES OR ALONG UTILITY EASE MAPS, WHICH WE'RE JUST STARTING TO DO IN AUSTIN.
AND HOW CAN WE GROW THAT NEXT SLIDE? AND THEN AS WE HAVE THIS GREAT GROWING URBAN TRAIL NETWORK, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MANAGE AND MAINTAIN IT.
SO WHAT CONSIDERATIONS DO WE NEED TO MAKE THERE? UM, HOW CAN WE KIND OF EXPAND OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR NON-PROFITS AND HOW CAN WE NOT ONLY MAKE SURE THAT THE TRAILS ARE MAINTAINED, BUT THEY'RE ACTIVATED THAT THERE'S PROGRAMMING OR PLACEMAKING TO DRAW MORE PEOPLE OUT TO THESE TRIALS
[00:25:02]
NEXT.AND THEN OF COURSE, WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR NETWORK DEVELOPMENT.
SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THE MAP FROM 2014 AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO UPDATE.
SO PART OF THIS IS THROUGH THE PUBLIC INPUT MAP.
WE ASKED PEOPLE WHERE THEY WANTED TO SEE THIS DIFFERENT INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO OUR CONSULTANTS ARE NOW LOOKING AT WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO SEE TRAILS AND WHICH OF THOSE WE CAN ADD TO THIS MAP.
WE ALSO WENT AND WALKED SOME OF THESE LINES, SOME OF THEM WERE DRAWN JUST DOWN THE CENTER LINE OF A CREEK.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS THAT AN APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR A TRAIL? IS THERE ROOM FOR A TRAIL THERE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S RIGHT BEHIND SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
UM, AND SO SOME OF THESE LINES YOU MIGHT SEE KIND OF SHIFTING OR BEING REMOVED WITH ADDITIONAL CONNECTIVITY ADDED ELSEWHERE, THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT DESIGN STANDARDS.
SO WHEN WE'RE BUILDING A TRAIL, BASED ON THE CONTEXT, THE TRAIL IS IN, HOW, WHY DOES IT NEED TO BE, AND WHEN DO WE NEED TO SEPARATE PATHS SO THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT SPACES FOR PEOPLE MOVING SLOWER VERSUS PEOPLE MOVING MORE QUICKLY, NEXT SLIDE.
SO OUR NEXT STEPS IS ONCE WE HAVE THIS BUILD OUT MAP, WE'RE GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHICH PROJECTS DO WE BUILD FIRST.
AND SO OUR PRIORITIZATION IS GOING TO COME OUT OF LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
SO PRIORITIZING PROJECTS BASED ON CONNECTIONS TO NATURE BASED ON CONNECTIONS TO NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS OR CITY-WIDE DESTINATIONS MORE OF A REGIONAL SCALE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING TO THE PUBLIC WITH THIS FALL.
AND OUR BIG CHALLENGE, WHICH I MENTIONED A LITTLE ALREADY IS HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE BUILDING IN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WHILE MITIGATING FOR ANY POTENTIAL NEGATIVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS DISPLACEMENT.
SO THE NEED, THERE IS REALLY COST DEPARTMENTAL RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL STILL BE WORKING ON.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO NATHAN WELKS TO TALK ABOUT BIKE WAYS.
UM, YEAH, WE'LL TALK ABOUT BIKE WAYS.
SO WE HAD A REALLY STRONG FOUNDATION WITH THE 2014 BICYCLE PLAN.
THAT'S WHEN WE SHIFTED FROM THIS PAINTED BICYCLE LANE INFRASTRUCTURE, AS THE NORM TO INTRODUCING THIS, YOU KNOW, AT THE TIME PROTECTED BICYCLE LANES AND TALKING ABOUT ALL AGES AND ABILITIES WAS A NEW THING.
UM, AND I USUALLY TALK ABOUT PAINTED BICYCLE LANES.
LIKE IF WE HIT CALLED SIDEWALKS PAIN IN LIONS ON THE EDGE OF A STREET, NOBODY WOULD WALK AND, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT'S CLEARLY NOT SAFE.
SO WE'VE OVER THE LAST, UM, I GUESS SIX YEARS, EIGHT YEARS IF I'M DOING THE MATH, RIGHT.
UM, WE'VE INTRODUCED A LOT OF THAT PROTECTED BICYCLE LANE INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'VE ACTUALLY HIT OUR POLICY MILESTONE OF 50%, UH, ALL AGES NETWORK BUILD OUT, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY EXCITING.
SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, LARGELY THE, THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF KIND OF THAT QUALITY TEST AND HAVING ACCESS TO ALL AGES AND ABILITIES FACILITIES AND HAS BEEN WANTING MORE OF IT.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS, UH, THE NEXT ITERATION ON TOP OF WHAT WE DID IN THE S AND P PROCESS.
SO DURING THE 2019 AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, WE ADDED ABOUT 50% TO THE STRATEGIC.
THEY ALL HAD DISABILITIES NETWORK BASICALLY SAYS OF ALL THE STREETS IN AUSTIN THAT SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED BY SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALL AGES AND ABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS WHAT'S THAT SUBSET THAT'S REALLY STRATEGIC, ACHIEVABLE, AND REALLY KIND OF HIGH IMPACT AND MODEST COST.
SO THE S AND P ADDED 50% TO THAT NETWORK.
AND WE'LL PROBABLY ADD ANOTHER 50% OR DOUBLE IT AGAIN, AS WE'RE LOOKING A LOT DEEPER.
NOW I'M AROUND A LOT OF NEW, UM, REGIONAL ASSETS AND, YOU KNOW, CITY-WIDE AND REGIONAL, LIKE, WHAT IS PROJECT CONNECT DOING? HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE TO THOSE TRANSIT STATIONS? HOW DO WE DOVETAIL WITH SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS? HOW DO WE COUPLE WITH THE NEW URBAN TRAIL PLANNING? SO IT'S A LOT OF REALLY EXCITING UPDATES, UH, EVEN
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF NEW WORK THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IN 2014 OR 2019.
UM, WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GREAT INPUT THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW AND THE, BOTH THE OPEN COMMENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I NEED THIS HERE AND, UH, ALSO THE, THE PUBLIC, UH, INPUT MAP WHERE PEOPLE MAPPED OUT WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE NEW CONNECTIONS, NEW CONNECTIVITY, UM, AND HAD BARRIERS AND PROBLEMS WITH ACCESS.
SO, UH, THE NEXT PIECE IS IN THIS PLAN UPDATE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE REALLY GREAT ANALYTICS KIND OF SHARED ACROSS, UM, URBAN TRAILS, SIDEWALKS, AND, UH, BIKEWAY PLANS.
AND THIS IS GOING TO LOOK AT THE OUTCOMES OF IF WE BUILD THIS TYPE OF THIS CONNECTIVITY HERE WHO WILL BE EFFECTED, UM, WHO WILL BENEFIT AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE ACCESS AND WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING KIND OF DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE CONNECTED.
SO WE'RE GOING TO, UM, USE THE SAME SCENARIO THEMES AS URBAN TRAILS
[00:30:01]
WITH BIKE WAYS.AND THAT'S BECAUSE THOSE TWO NETWORKS ARE VERY COMPLIMENTARY AND RELATABLE.
SO KATIE MENTIONED IT A SECOND AGO.
UH, THE THREE THEMES ARE ACCESS TO NATURE, CONNECTION TO NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS AND CITY-WIDE DESTINATIONS.
THE 2014 PLAN WAS LARGELY FOCUSED ON, ON THIS KIND OF CITY-WIDE DESTINATIONS IDEA.
UM, JUST BECAUSE THERE WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE OLD MAPS OF LIKE HOW FRAGMENTED THIS ALL AGES AND ABILITIES BICYCLE NETWORK WAS, AND NOW IT'S KIND OF COMING INTO BEING, AND WE CAN NOW CONTEMPLATE, YOU KNOW, THE CONNECTIONS IN NATURE NATURE COULD LOOK LIKE, HOW DO WE USE STREETS TO CONNECT PLACES WHERE WE DON'T HAVE PARKLAND AND URBAN TRAILS? SO LIKE THE NOW IS PROJECT, DO WE PLANT LIKE A LIVING BARRIER, UH, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THE STREET TO CREATE A TRAIL LIKE ENVIRONMENT.
SO WE COULD DO THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WOULD CONNECT THE BOGGY CREEK TRAIL WITH THE BUTLER TRAIL, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THE CITY, IF WE'RE SMART ABOUT HOW WE BUILD THAT INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW WE DOVETAIL IT, NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS, UM, I SHOULD JUST SAY WHAT WE'RE HEARING THROUGH AMBASSADOR CHANNELS RIGHT NOW IS THAT, UM, KIND OF OUR, UH, FOCUS, UM, GROUPS ARE FOCUSED POPULATION IS REALLY LIKING THE IDEA OF THE CONNECTIONS TO NATURE AND NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS MORE THAN THE CITY-WIDE NETWORK.
I DON'T SEE THE CITY-WIDE NETWORK GOING AWAY, BUT, UM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE, LIKE I SAID, THE 2014 PLAN FOCUSED ON CITYWIDE DESTINATIONS.
I THINK WE'LL BE BENDING HARD INTO LOOKING AT LIKE BEYOND SAFE ROUTES AND PEOPLE GETTING TO THE SCHOOL NEAR THEM, HOW TO, HOW DO PEOPLE GET TO THEIR PARK OR THEIR CONVENIENCE STORE, OR JUST GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE AND GET SOME FRESH AIR.
UM, SO LIKE URBAN TRAILS WILL HAVE PRIORITIZATION FACTORS THAT KIND OF, UH, HELP HELP SHAPE A KIND OF OBJECTIVE PRIORITIZATION FOR EACH OF THESE THREE THEMES.
AND THIS IS KIND OF HOW I SEE THE CENTRAL CHALLENGE OF THIS PLAN UPDATE IN THE 2014 PLAN.
I THINK WE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF LOOKING AT LIKE, UM, WE SHIFTED THE VISION OF THE PLAN FROM WHAT CAN AUSTIN DO, UH, FOR BICYCLING AND PEOPLE THAT BUY SCHOOL TO SAY, WHAT CAN BICYCLING, YOU KNOW, AND NOW SCOOTERING, UM, DO AS A TOOL TO ADVANCE THE GOALS OF THE CITY.
SO THIS IN MY VIEW IS KIND OF THE HARDEST WORK TO DO THIS INTERSECTIONAL WORK, UH, WHERE YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH PARTNERS AND WORK ACROSS SILOS AND REALLY LOOK DEEPLY AT WHAT IS OUR IMPACT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AGENCY IN THESE AREAS TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING ALONG THE WHOLE CITY WITH US, YOU KNOW, IN THE REALMS OF AFFORDABILITY CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, UM, THE ACCESS TO NATURE, LIKE WE COULD ADDRESS PARKLAND DEFICIENT AREAS.
IF WE, IF WE DESIGN OUR STREETS, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, HEALTH BEING, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF HEALTH CRISIS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH OF BEING ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE, GETTING ACTIVE PHYSICAL HEALTH, UM, AND THEN AS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, HAVING MOBILITY CHOICES REALLY IMPACTS WHO WE ARE AS A CITY AND, AND US INDIVIDUALLY IN COMMUNITIES.
SO I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO LAURA TO TALK ABOUT THE SIDEWALK PLAN AND PEDESTRIAN.
IT'S SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS WORK, ESPECIALLY DURING BIKE MONTH AND JUST APPRECIATING HOW FAR WE'VE COME AND HOW FAR WE HAVE TO GO.
UM, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE PEDESTRIAN REALM OF THE WORK WE'RE DOING AND, UM, STANDING IN FOR THE HIGHLY COMPETENT AND ADMIRE JOHN EASTMAN, UH, WHO RUNS OUR SIDEWALKS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION OUT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
AND WE PARTNER WITH THEM A LOT FROM THE TRANSPORTATION SIDE, UM, TO BUILD OUT A PEDESTRIAN NETWORK THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, USABLE FOR EVERYONE, UH, IN THIS UPDATE TO THE SIDEWALK PLAN.
IT REALLY IS DRAWING ON THAT SIDEWALK PLAN, THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN THAT WE DID IN 2018.
UM, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE REALLY LOOKED AT SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS AND UNDERSTOOD THE UNDERINVESTMENT IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT AND WHAT THAT MEANS FROM A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, AS WELL AS OUR VISION ZERO PLANS TO REALLY BUILD OUT THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PET NETWORK PLAN THAT WE'VE HAD HAD AS A CITY.
UH, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO REALLY START WITH COMBINING THAT SIDEWALK ASSET WITH THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, UM, REALLY SETTING THAT VISION FOR A HEALTHY LIVING AND GREEN STREET NETWORK.
UM, WE ALSO ARE LOOKING TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES TO HOW WE CAN ACCELERATE THE WORK OF GETTING THIS NETWORK ON THE GROUND.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT HERE IN A MOMENT, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT NETWORK IS COMBINED WITH OTHER CHOICES, SO YOU CAN GET TO A TRANSIT AND YOU CAN GET AROUND, UM, UH INTERMOTELY AND WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, RELATE TO BRING ABOUT SUPER COMPREHENSIVE WORK.
THIS IS AT PEYTON JENN AND OLIN ROAD, UM, WHERE I JUST GOT A NOTE FROM ONE OF OUR AMBASSADORS, LINDA THIS MORNING ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE'S HEARD FROM HER COMMUNITY.
SHE'S VERY DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE GEORGIAN ACRES AREA AND, UM, HOW MUCH SHE'S HEARD, UH, JUST GOOD
[00:35:01]
THINGS ABOUT THIS.AND SHE WAS JUST DRIVING THROUGH IT THE OTHER NIGHT AND SAID HOW VISIBLE IT IS FOR HER, HOW PREDICTABLE AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH WORK.
LIKE YOU SEE HERE, UM, WITH THAT WE CAN, UM, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, SO THE FOCUS AREAS WITHIN THIS UPDATE TO OUR SIDEWALK PLAN AND REALLY GROWING INTO A PEDESTRIAN NETWORK PLAN IS AS I MENTIONED TO ACCELERATE THE BUILD OUT OF THE NETWORK USING OTHER ALTERNATIVES.
UM, SO THE IDEA OF A SHARED STREET, A STREET THAT REALLY WE LEARNED THROUGH THE HEALTHY STREETS INITIATIVE, UM, THAT PEOPLE, UH, REALLY, UM, WERE DRAWN TO, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF SHARING THAT SPACE, WALKING TOGETHER, UM, IN A COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT, UM, KNOWING THAT THEY'LL, THERE'LL BE SOMEONE DRIVING, YOU KNOW, TO THEIR HOUSE, BUT THEY'RE DOING SO SLOWLY AND, AND THERE'S NOT VERY MANY CARS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPETE WITH THAT SPACE.
SO WE'VE BEEN PILOTING THAT, UM, WITH POP-UPS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, AND IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN JUST GETTING OUT ON THE STREET WITH THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THESE SHARED STREETS CONCEPTS CAN BE APPLIED.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT LIKE A MATH PROBLEM, IF WE HAVE A TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED MISSING MILES OF SIDEWALKS, COULD WE TAKE SOME OF THOSE MILES AND MAKE THEM INTO SHARED SPACE? UM, THE OTHER PIECES TO THIS IS CERTAINLY GETTING A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, UM, UH, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TOGETHER THAT UNDERSTANDS WHERE WE HAVE THOSE GAPS IN CROSSINGS AND WHAT THOSE TREATMENTS NEED TO BE AND HOW WE THEN PRIORITIZE OUR WORK TO GET THOSE CROSSINGS BUILT OUT, UH, ALONG WITH THE SIDEWALK ASSETS, AND THEN UNDERSTANDING THAT WORK WITH RESPECT TO COVERAGE AND ACCESS INTERMOTELY WITH, UH, TRANSIT AND THE LIKE, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT NETWORK REALLY IS SERVING THE MOST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WE POSSIBLY CAN GET, UM, IN THAT PURSUIT, JUST LIKE WITH URBAN TRAILS AND BIKE WAYS, WE'RE LOOKING AT VARIOUS SCENARIOS, UH, THOSE SCENARIOS WOULD LOOK AT MAYBE THAT BALANCE OF SHARED STREET AND SIDEWALK INFRASTRUCTURE, KIND OF, WHERE DO WE START AND HOW, AND WHERE DO WE EMPHASIZE, UH, WHICH APPROACH TO GET THE MOST AMOUNT OF COVERAGE.
UM, WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SCENARIOS, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SENSE AND CAN BE, UH, UNDERSTOOD, AND WE CAN GET FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC IN THIS NEXT PHASE OF WORK AS WE GO FORWARD.
UH, AND THEN FINALLY, OF COURSE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, UPDATING, UH, THIS PLAN AS OUR ADA TRANSITION PLAN, WE HAVE, UH, PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SIDEWALK PROGRAMS I'VE EVER HAD THE DISTINCT PLEASURE TO WORK WITH.
THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, 20 CREWS OUT THERE EVERYDAY POURING CONCRETE SOMEWHERE IN THE CITY EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT THAT IS STILL, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF WORK WE HAVE TO DO TO STILL BUILD OUT THIS NETWORK.
AND, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY LEVERAGING ANY AND ALL STRATEGIES TO CONTINUE TO MAKE PACE, TO BRING OUR, OUR CITY UP TO THE ACCESSIBLE STANDARDS THAT ALL OF OUR PEOPLE OF AUSTIN DESERVE.
UM, WITH THAT WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WE HAVE JUST A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE HERE.
WE'RE WELL INTO PHASE TWO, UM, BUILDING OUT SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES THAT KATIE AND NATHAN SPOKE TO THE SCENARIO EVALUATION, UM, JUST LOOKING AT WAYS, HOW DO WE TACKLE THIS WORK? WE HAVE THE REAL PRIVILEGE OF HAVING RESOURCES TO DO IT.
UM, WE'LL NEED MORE IN THE FUTURE, BUT WITH WHAT WE HAVE, HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EQUITABLY SERVING THE CITY, UM, THAT GETS INTO PROJECT PRIORITIZATION AND BUILD OUT PLANS.
UM, AND THEN WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WHEN WE GO BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THIS FALL, UM, WHERE WE BUILD, HOW WE PRIORITIZING THE PROJECTS AND HOW THOSE DECISIONS ARE BASED, DID WE GET THAT RIGHT? AND THEN INTO THE FALL AND SPRING OF, UH, PHASE THREE, UH, LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE PRESENTING FULL PLANS THAT REALLY SPEAK TO ALL OF THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY AND HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROCESS.
AND SO WITH THAT, I THINK WE CAN, UM, LEAVE YOU WITH ONE MORE SLIDE OF A LINK TO RESOURCES, DO WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO THE PUBLIC WORKS PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE FOR THE WAY THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRESENT THE FEEDBACK WE'VE HEARD AND THEN WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION.
THAT PRESENTATION IS A GREAT UPDATE.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON.
IS IT KATIE I'M WHO PRESENTED FIRST? UM, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT CONSIDERATIONS AROUND TRAILS.
I JUST WANTED YOU TO CLARIFY FOR ME, IF YOU COULD, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION PROXIMITY TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
SO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THEM BEING CLOSER TO, OR FURTHER AWAY FROM, SO WE WANT TO BE LINKING TO SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT THEN THERE WERE SOME TRAILS THAT WE WALKED WHERE IT WAS BASICALLY LIKE A CREEK INTO SOMEONE'S BACKYARD.
AND SO THAT IS POTENTIALLY BASED ON THE SCENARIO, NOT THE RIGHT PLACE FOR A TRAIL, BECAUSE THERE IS NO LAND FOR A TRAIL.
COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, AND THEN MAYOR PRO TEM AFTER THAT.
UH, YES, I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE, THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM.
COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SCOPE OF WHAT THEY WORK ON? I CAN SPEAK SOME TO THAT.
UM, COLE KITTEN, ISN'T HERE TODAY, BUT HE'S REALLY
[00:40:01]
BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB LEADING SOME OF THIS.UM, BUT WE'VE HAD THE AMBASSADORS.
WE STARTED WITH THEM JUST INITIALLY TO DO OUR PHASE ONE OF OUTREACH, UM, AND TRY AND DRAW PEOPLE TO THE SURVEY, HAVE A SET NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS EVERY MONTH, AND THEN THEY PROVIDE A REPORT.
SO THESE ARE PAID AMBASSADORS.
UM, BUT THEN IT WORKED SO WELL THAT WE'VE KEPT ABOUT SIX, I THINK, UH, AROUND THERE OF THEM ON TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH US AND CONTINUE IN GOING OUT TO THEIR COMMUNITY.
SO FOR DEPENDING ON WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON, WE MIGHT GIVE THEM A DIFFERENT TOPIC TO GO GET FEEDBACK ON KIND OF OUTSIDE OF THESE, JUST, YOU KNOW, PHASE ONE, PHASE, TWO PHASE THREE OUTREACH, TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING THE COMMUNITY ENGAGED AS WE GO THROUGH THIS.
AND DO THEY COVER GEOGRAPHIC AREAS? IS THAT HOW IT'S SET UP? YEAH, EACH ONE.
UM, AND I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH MORE INFORMATION, BUT EACH ONE WAS REALLY MEANT TO COME FROM A SPECIFIC COMMUNITY, WHETHER THEY LIVED THERE OR HAD TIES TO IT, BUT THEY ARE, THEY ENDED UP, I THINK, PRETTY GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED.
UM, UH, ONE OF THE REASONS I ASK ABOUT THAT IS I'M, I'M CURIOUS WHETHER IT'S APPROPRIATE TO ASK FOR THEIR HELP, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH PROJECT CONNECT, UH, WE'RE IN A PHASE RIGHT NOW, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND CAP METRO AND IN ATP, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, UH, TO BE LOOKING AT, UH, AT, UH, THE 30 DESIGN AND WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ALL THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, UH, ADOPTING AND SUBMITTING THE 30% DESIGN TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN DECEMBER.
UH, BUT THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IS A HUGE PART OF THIS RIGHT NOW.
AND I KNOW THAT ADP AND CAP METRO ARE VERY INVOLVED AND, AND HAVE SET UP A WHOLE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVING COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS.
SO TO ME, THAT'S A VERY, UM, HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL TO, TO REALLY TALK DIRECTLY TO FOLKS.
AND JUST WONDERED IF PERHAPS Y'ALL HAD HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S ANY SYNERGIES THERE.
WE CERTAINLY ARE BORROWING, UH, A STRATEGY FROM THE CLIMATE PLAN ACTUALLY THAT WE REALLY TOOK A LOT OF INSPIRATION FROM.
AND SO I THINK JUST IN THE GESTURE OF SHARING THAT LEARNING AND JUST SHARING HOW MUCH DEEPER WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY AND GET TO KNOW THEM AS KIND OF COLLEAGUES IN A WAY IT'S BEEN JUST SUCH A JOY.
SO, UM, WHEREAS WE DON'T HAVE, I THINK, ANY FORMAL DISCUSSIONS RIGHT NOW WITH, UH, PROJECT CONNECT, I THINK, AND CERTAINLY THEY ARE JUST INCREDIBLE AND HOW THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
I MEAN, WHERE WE FEEL KIND OF LIKE THE LITTLE TINY HALF BILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM NEXT TO THE BIG ONE.
UM, BUT I THINK THERE'S CERTAINLY, YEAH, WE'LL TAKE THAT, COMMENTARY IT TO HEART AND HOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR AMBASSADORS NOW AND HOW MAYBE OUR COLLEAGUES MIGHT BE ABLE TO SIMILARLY TAKE INSPIRATION FROM, UM, WHAT WE TOOK FROM THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE.
I WILL SAY TOO, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM REALLY WAS AN EMBEDDED ACTION AND STRATEGY WITHIN THE ASM MP.
AND SO AS WE SAW THIS STRATEGY COMING INTO THE FOLD FOR ATX WALK, BIKE, ROLL, YOU KNOW, COLE AND I HAVE INVESTED OUR RESOURCES IN BRINGING THOSE AMBASSADORS ALONG, UH, MUCH FURTHER THAN THEY WOULD HAVE NORMALLY THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS.
THEY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY SERVED IN A PHASE ONE, BUT NOW THEY'RE GOING TO SERVE ALL THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THAT'S A STRATEGY TO REALLY EMBED THEM WITH OUR WORK GOING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT THE WORKS, I THINK THE AMBASSADOR LINK IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FOSTER AND DEVELOP, UM, WITH WHEN THE FOLKS THAT WE WORK WITH NOW AND OTHERS THAT MAY COME ALONG.
SO I THINK IT'S THERE FOR THE, FOR THE, UM, COLLABORATION.
WELL, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT YOU MIGHT TALK TO, UM, ACM FEELING DACA OR PERHAPS WITH A, AN EQUAL DAY TO JUST TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SYNERGIES, BECAUSE CERTAINLY THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING NOW, UH, WITH REGARD TO SIDEWALKS AND BIKES, ET CETERA, IS, UH, IS A PIECE OF PROJECT CONNECT.
AND SO THEY HAVE, I IMAGINE THEY HAVE VERY, I'M SURE THEY'RE HEARING THINGS ANYWAY.
AND, UM, THEY, THERE MIGHT BE SOME SYNERGIES THERE.
UM, I WANTED TO FIRST, UM, FINALLY LAND ON COUNCIL MEMBER HYPER MADISON'S COMMENT ABOUT THE TRAILS AND THE SINGLE FAMILIES.
WHEN WE LIVED IN MADISON, THEY HAD PUT A, UM, THROUGH AN AREA WHERE THERE HAD BEEN A TRAIN TRACK AND IT WAS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
AND IT, IT, IT OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON HOW MUCH SPACE YOU HAVE AND THE PARTICULAR CONFIGURATION FOR, UM, THAT TRAIL.
UM, BUT IT WAS A HUGE AMENITY FOR THOSE HOMES ONCE IT WAS IN, UM, AND REAL OPPORTUNITY, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND IT'S DIFFERENT, CAUSE IT'S WHERE THERE WAS A RAIL LINE.
UM, BUT I, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE SHOULD ASSUME THAT YOU CAN'T DO
[00:45:01]
IT IN THAT SPACE.I THINK IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE AMOUNT OF SPACE AND WHETHER, WHETHER YOU CAN GET THE APPROPRIATE EASEMENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, SECURED.
UM, I WANTED TO, I FOUND IT INTERESTING, THE COMMENTS ABOUT SORT OF FOCUSING ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS.
AND I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW DISCUSSIONS FROM OTHER PLANS, LIKE THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROCESS AND THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH, WHICH ARE, YOU KNOW, SIDEWALK AND BIKE IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN REALLY THOROUGHLY VETTED FOR EACH DISTRICT AND PRIORITIZED IN IMPORTANT WAYS.
UM, I KNOW IN MY DISTRICT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE KEY PRIORITIES FOR FOLKS AND THEY'VE ALREADY PROVIDED FEEDBACK THROUGH ALL THAT, UM, AND MAY NOT BE NECESSARILY THE ONES TARGETED IN, UM, SOME OF YOUR OUTREACH.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FOR ALL OF THOSE 10 PLANS THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW THEY'RE BEING, UM, INTEGRATED INTO THE WHITE WALK, BIKE ROLL PROCESS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY CAN SEE US.
UM, THE SAFE ROUTES PLANS I SEE AS KIND OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, AT LEAST FOR THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMPONENTS FOR WALKING AND BICYCLING, LIKE THEY DID IT, THEY DID THAT KIND OF VERY HYPER-LOCAL PLANNING FIRST AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S OVER A HUNDRED SCHOOLS SPREAD THROUGHOUT AUSTIN AND THOSE DESTINATIONS ARE LARGELY LIKE VERY LOCAL.
AND ONE OF THE BEAUTIES OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOND PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IS THEY'RE ALL MANAGED AS STANDALONE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE THEIR OWN PRIORITIZATION.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, AS SAY THE BIKEWAYS PROGRAM ELEVATES THE PRIORITY OF THESE CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL DESTINATIONS, THOSE LOCAL DESTINATIONS COULD BE PARKS, LIBRARIES, CIVIC CENTERS, SCHOOLS, ANYTHING WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THERE'S A SEPARATE PROGRAM, THAT'S ALREADY RESOURCED TO FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON SCHOOLS.
UM, SO WE HAVE THE LIBERTY TO PARTNER AND SO FAR THAT OUR PLANS AND PRIORITIZATIONS KIND OF CONNECT.
SO WE COULD PARTNER WITH SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, TO CO-FUND SOMETHING THAT MAYBE IS ON THE MARGINS, ON THEIR PRIORITIZATION, SO THAT WE CAN DO MORE OF THAT TYPE OF WORK.
DOES THAT HELP? UH, YEAH, I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I, THAT I UNDER UNDERSTOOD CAUSE SOME OF THE BIKEWAYS ARE MUCH, YOU KNOW, FURTHER AWAY FROM THE SCHOOLS.
AND, UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL JUST TO THE BUCKET OF MONEY, THAT'S SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL, RIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW, BEYOND SAFE ROUTES, SAFE ROUTES WAS NOT LOOKING HOW YOU GET TO YOUR LOCAL PARK.
SO THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE URBAN TRAIL AND THE BIKEWAY PLANS AND EVEN, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK PLANS CAN LOOK DEEPER AT IS LIKE, IT'S NOT JUST SCHOOLS THAT, THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GET TO.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT ADDITION OF, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU GET TO YOUR LOCAL PARK.
AND I WANT TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF OUR EFFORTS, UM, TO ADOPT A COMMERCIAL PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE WITH ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS BEING, UM, CONNECTING OUR PARKS, UM, BY THESE MOBILITY PIECES, UM, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING, UM, STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE CONNECTED UP WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT'S WORKING ON THAT SO THAT WE CAN MAXIMIZE THE MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE ALLOWED UNDER THE LAW, UM, TO ADVANCE, UM, JUST HUGE SHOUT OUT.
WE'VE BEEN KATIE AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING, I THINK LARGELY THE CONNECTION CAME THROUGH THE
AND WE FOUND THAT THE PARKLAND DEDICATION TEAM WAS LOOKING LIKE VERY ACTIVELY AT ALL.
THE, THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE SAME THING OF HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE ACROSS
UH, SO WE WE'VE ENABLED LIKE CREEK CROSSINGS AND
SO WE'RE NOW VERY CONNECTED AND THEIR WORK IS AMAZING.
AND, AND CERTAINLY I THINK THERE'S AN EXISTING ORDINANCE.
AND IF, IF YOU'RE SAYING THAT THERE'S A NEW ONE THAT MAYBE WOULD GIVE THEM EVEN MORE RESOURCES TO STITCH TOGETHER PARKLAND, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE STARTED REALLY KIND OF, I THINK, IN EARNEST WORKING TOGETHER.
AND I THINK TENTATIVELY THE MODEL RIGHT NOW IS THEY, THEY GET THE LAND AND THEN WE WORK TO BUILD THE CONNECTIVITY ON TOP OF IT, BUT IT, IT GETS A LITTLE MORE NUANCED THAN THAT LOCATION.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, UM, YOU CONNECT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE.
SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE RESIDENTIAL AND HOTELS WHERE WE CAN REQUIRE BAND DONATIONS OR EASEMENTS, UM, FOR THE PARKS, UM, WITH THE COMMERCIAL PARKLAND DEDICATION, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DETAILS ARE STILL TO BE FIGURED OUT.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE PRIORITIES I BELIEVE IS, IS SORT OF THOSE MOBILITY ACCESS POINTS.
[00:50:01]
SURE AS WE CONSTRUCT THAT ORDINANCE, THAT WE'RE DOING IT AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE TO ADVANCE OUR MULTIPLE GOALS.NOW THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT YOU CAN DO BECAUSE IT IS A PARKLAND ORDINANCE.
UM, BUT THIS WOULD ALLOW SOME OF THOSE WAREHOUSES, LIKE IF WE HAD NEW WAREHOUSES GOING IN, THIS HAS BEEN A PERENNIAL PROBLEM FOR CONNECTIONS OF TRAILS, THEY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, REQUIRED THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO BE GIVING US THOSE EASEMENTS FOR THE ET CETERA.
UM, AND SO THEY'RE JUST MAYBE SOME PARTICULARS NUANCES OR TWEAKS THAT WOULD, WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.
UM, AND THAT YOUR INSIGHTS FROM YOUR WORK MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US CONSTRUCT THAT, UM, MOST EFFECTIVELY.
YEAH, THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION ON THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO POLICIES.
AND THAT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR ME TO HEAR, AND I SHOULD JUST CAVEAT WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE STRATEGY ABOUT THEY GET THE LAND AND WE BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE, EVEN WITH, UH, THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ALREADY BEYOND OUR CURRENT BOND CYCLE IN TERMS OF LIKE COMMITMENTS FOR WHAT WE CAN BUILD WITH WHAT THEY'RE REQUIRING.
SO IF, IF THE POLICY COULD BE INCLUSIVE TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL, IT'S JUST ANOTHER THAT'S WHEN IT'S, I MEAN, THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO FEES.
AND, UH, I DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS MEMORIZED, BUT THERE'S A PORTION OF IT THAT'S FEES AND THERE'S A PORTION OF IT THAT'S LAND.
UM, SO IT HELPS ON BOTH OF THOSE FRONTS AND IT CAN'T BE USED FOR MAINTENANCE.
THAT'S REALLY GREAT BECAUSE THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS EXPENSIVE AND ANYTHING THAT CAN KIND OF POWER IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ONGOING CONNECTION IS, IS GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE QUESTIONS.
I'M ALSO INTRIGUED BY THE CONVERSATION AROUND ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO GET CITY-WIDE OR ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO GET IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS? AND IT REMINDS ME OF PLANNING PRINCIPLES I'VE SEEN, UM, IN, IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHWAYS REALLY ARE DESIGNED FOR I'M GOING FROM ONE BIG CITY TO ANOTHER BIG CITY, AND THEN INSIDE THE CITY, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT TO NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THEN WHEN I THINK ABOUT SOMEONE IN AUSTIN WHO MIGHT BE CURIOUS ABOUT TRYING TO RIDE THEIR BIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE, HAVING THOSE CONNECTIONS TO, YOU KNOW, THE GROCERY STORE AND DAYCARE OR YOUR DOCTOR'S OFFICE, LIKE STARTING WITH THOSE IS I THINK WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TRY THAT MODE SHIFT A LITTLE EASIER.
UM, BUT IT IT'S INTERESTING TO ME THAT THE SAME PRINCIPLES THAT CAN APPLY TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC STILL ALSO APPLIES TO BIKES WHERE ONCE YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THEN YOU CONNECT TO THE NEXT TRAIL AND YOU GET TO GO, YOU KNOW, TEST OUT THE OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD AND FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT RESTAURANTS THEY HAVE TO OFFER.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY CREATIVE WAY OF GETTING PEOPLE TO TRY A MODE THAT THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE CONFIDENT ON YET.
UM, AS FAR AS I THINK THE WORD MIGHT BE MICRO TRAILS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR, BUT A HANDFUL OF US WERE OUT AT GEORGIA AND ACRES ON TUESDAY MORNING.
UM, IT WAS ABOUT THE PARKS FOUNDATION RECEIVING SOME DOLLARS FROM C3 AND ACL FEST TO INVEST MONEY BACK INTO OUR PARKS.
AND I WAS ABLE TO TOUR A REALLY, REALLY SHORT CONNECTION TRAIL THAT BASICALLY CONNECTED A NEIGHBORHOOD TO A PARK THAT WITHOUT THAT CONNECTION, IT WOULD HAVE HAD TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND.
AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS SAFE FOR KIDS.
AND SO I, I LOVE THAT Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE NEWS TO SHARE ON THOSE TINY CONNECTIONS.
ARE THERE ANY MORE IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE JUST HELPING, UM, OPEN UP THAT ACCESSIBILITY WHERE THERE MIGHT BE FENCES CURRENTLY? YEAH.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THE GOALS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE KIND OF BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH URBAN TRIALS, BUT NOW REALLY ADDING IT INTO THE PLAN THROUGH THIS UPDATE.
UM, ONE EXAMPLE WE HAVE ACTUALLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOW IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL AT COPPERFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SO THERE'S, UM, A BROKEN DOWN CULVERT.
SO IT USED TO BE USED AS A CROSSING, THEN THE CULVERT COLLAPSED.
AND SO NOW MAYBE SOMEONE STILL USES IT, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS NOT SAFE.
SO BRINGING THAT BACK UP, UM, AND ADDING A TRAIL THERE, BUT WE'VE DEFINITELY HEARD, LIKE I GET SO MANY EMAILS FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE, IF ONLY I HAD THIS LITTLE PIECE OF TRAIL, I COULD GET TO, YOU KNOW, A NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE OR SOMETHING BY CONNECTING TO DEN AND CALL THIS ACTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND WORKING TO ADD.
AND I KNOW I HAVE SOME CONSTITUENTS WHO WORKED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM AND IT'S NOT A PAVED DURBIN TRAIL, BUT IT'S VERY MUCH A FOOT PATH AND A BIKE PATH WHERE, UM, THEY TEAMED UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM, PUT IN WHAT THEY CALL SWEAT EQUITY AND, YOU KNOW, USE SOME OF THE HOURS THAT WERE PART OF THAT COMMITMENT.
UM, AND NOW THEY HAVE A GREAT PATHWAY TO SCHOOL THAT IS A FOOT PATH THAT BIKES CAN USE AND IT CONNECTS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND A MIDDLE SCHOOL TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITHOUT PEOPLE HAVING TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR GET IN THEIR CAR TO GET WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.
SO I, I, I'M ALSO A FAN OF THAT PROGRAM.
UM, DO YOU MIND IF I SAY ONE MORE? YEAH.
I THINK WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING UP IS A REALLY IMPORTANT THING.
AND I, I, I THINK A LOT IN OUR PLANNING ABOUT INCREMENTAL STRATEGIES AND, UM, AS YOU WERE TALKING, LIKE ONE THING COMES TO MIND AND I GUESS LIKE THE PREMISE OF WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY IS THAT OUR URBAN TRAIL COST PER MILE, LIKE THE, THOSE
[00:55:01]
LITTLE CONNECTIONS DIVIDED BY MAYBE IT'S ONLY A THOUSAND FEET LIKE THAT COULD BE, UM, AT 5 MILLION, FOUR TO FIVE, $6 MILLION PER MILE, THAT MIGHT BE A MILLION DOLLAR CONNECTION.BUT WHAT'S THE NATURE TRAIL VERSION OF IT THAT LEGITIMIZES THAT CONNECTIVITY.
UM, I REMEMBER THERE WAS A SHORT CONNECTION BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THERE WAS A CHAIN LINK FENCE CUT.
AND THERE WAS ACTUALLY LIKE A, A WET POND, LIKE DETENTION POND THAT ALREADY HAD SOME TRAILS AND THERE WAS A NATURE TRAIL, BUT IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE MAP IN OUR CITY-WIDE MAPPING AND THE WAY TO GET FROM ONE NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE OTHER, ACROSS THIS BARRIER WAS TO GO ON 180 3.
AND THERE WAS A FATALITY, YOU KNOW, LIKE WALKING, BIKING, FATALITY.
I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS, BUT I THINK THOSE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COST TO DEVELOP THAT BASELINE CONNECTIVITY THAT LIKE GIVE IT 10 YEARS, SEE WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES WE HAVE IN 10 YEARS.
UM, BUT I REALLY LIKED THE IDEA OF LIKE STITCHING TOGETHER OUR NETWORKS WITH, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO MAKE IT AS SAFE AND QUALITY.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE SIDEWALK EXAMPLE OF LIKE MAYBE QUIET STREETS, HELP US COVER MORE GROUND FASTER, WHERE, WHERE MAYBE WE DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A SIDEWALK.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE DOING IT INFORMALLY ALL OVER TOWN, YOU KNOW, OF A FENCE POST BREAKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STILL KIDS ARE ABLE TO GET TO THE PARK IN A WAY THAT'S MUCH SAFER.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S HAPPENING IN LOTS OF PLACES AND I APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE EFFORT, THE EFFORT TO FORMALIZE THOSE AND MAKE THEM MORE SAFE AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE KNOW, IF THEY'RE JUST LOOKING UP ON A MAP THAT, THAT THEY CAN FIND IT.
UM, AS FAR AS THE SHARED STREETS, PILOT.
I SAW ON THE WEBSITE THAT SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS WOULD BE UPDATED AS THEY'RE AVAILABLE.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN THOSE MIGHT START TO BE LISTED SO THAT PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT IT ON THE WEBSITE? YES.
UM, WE ARE, YES, WE HAVE, UM, AT LEAST TWO LOCATIONS THAT WERE, UM, CLOSE ENOUGH TO, TO FEEL READY TO SHARE.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN A VERY NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF BASED STRATEGY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF GETTING, UM, THE APPROACH.
SO, UH, WITH THAT IN MIND, YEAH.
WE'RE LOOKING AT AVENUES G AND H UM, YOU MIGHT RECALL THAT WAS ONE OF OUR HEALTHY STREETS THAT, UM, HAS BEEN VERY, UH, REAL WELL-SUPPORTED GENERALLY SPEAKING, OF COURSE, THEY'RE ALL, UM, GET ALL KINDS OF FEEDBACK, BUT, UM, THE OTHER ONE IS A SERIES OF STREETS IN AND AROUND JUST SOUTH OF, UH CANAIGRE UM, JOE SARAH'S ORRICK, UH, ROYAL SEIKO AREA.
SO THOSE ARE TWO THAT WE'VE ADVANCED THE DESIGN FOR.
AND THEN WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT WE WERE STILL THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO ADDRESS.
UM, LIKE WHAT DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD REALLY NEED HERE? IS IT A SHARED STREET? IS IT A SIDEWALK? IS IT SOMETHING ELSE? SO WE'RE, UM, WE'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, IN THE FALL, I THINK FOR THE PILOT.
AND THEN I THINK ALSO WE'LL FIND, UM, OR AT LEAST WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THESE POP-UPS THAT HAVE BEEN SO MUCH FUN.
LIKE LITERALLY, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE A TENT, UM, SET UP IN THE STREET WHERE NEIGHBORS, YOU KNOW, ON A SATURDAY MORNING CAN BRING THEIR CUP OF COFFEE AND THEIR TODDLER OVER TO, TO TALK WITH US, UM, AND SPEND SOME OF THE BEST ENGAGEMENT I'VE EVER DONE, UM, WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE, WE THINK THERE'S A SORT OF A SPECTRUM OF NEEDS THAT COME OUT OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS WHEN YOU'RE LITERALLY THERE WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THE STREET.
AND SO MAYBE THE APPROACH NEEDS TO HAVE A SPECTRUM OF, OF STRATEGIES AND TOOLS TO ADDRESS WHERE, WHAT WE'RE HEARING.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOME OF THE, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED SO FAR AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED WITH THE SHARED STREETS PILOT.
AND MY LAST QUESTION, IF THERE ARE NO, OTHERS IS JUST, I SAW ONE OF THE IMAGES IN THE SLIDES ABOUT, UM, USING EITHER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENERGY CORRIDORS TO DO THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT WAS HAPPENING IN SAN ANTONIO AS I WAS GROWING UP THERE.
HOW ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH UTILITY EASEMENTS, UM, WHETHER THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS OR WHETHER THEY'RE PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATIONS, HOW, HOW IS THAT GOING? YEAH, I THINK IT'S JUST AN ONGOING AS WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE MORE TRIALS AND CAN REALLY LOOK AT A TRAIL AS A CASE STUDY, IT'S MUCH EASIER THAN KIND OF TALKING ABOUT IT, HYPOTHETICALLY.
SO IN TERMS OF THE, UM, TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS, WE JUST PERMITTED AUSTIN TO MAIN OR TRAIL ALONG CAPITOL METRO'S FUTURE GREEN LINE.
AND MOST OF THAT IS IN THEIR RIGHT OF WAY.
SO THAT'S REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THAT.
UM, AND I THINK ESPECIALLY ONCE THE TRAIL IS THERE AND THEN THE GREEN LINE COMES IN, IT'S JUST GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
CAUSE AGAIN, THESE INFRASTRUCTURE TYPES SHOULD GO HAND IN HAND.
UM, THEN IN TERMS OF UTILITY CORRIDORS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE KIND OF CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE URBAN TRAIL STAKEHOLDER GROUP THAT'S KIND OF WORKING THROUGH PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS AND THEN BERGS FROM SPUR TRAIL, WHICH IS UNDER DESIGN GOES RIGHT UNDER A LOT OF TRANSMISSION LINES.
AND SO WE'RE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, WORKING WITH THEIR TRANSMISSION ENGINEERS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE DO THIS IN A WAY THAT'S NOT GOING TO COMPROMISE SAFETY.
ARE THERE, ARE THERE ANY LAST QUESTIONS FOR THIS GROUP? I THINK WE HAVE COVERED THEM OFF.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE NEXT STEPS.
[01:00:01]
THE NEXT ITEM WILL BE[4. Update on the MetroBike program's new functions features and improvements.]
AN UPDATE ON THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM.JASON JOHN MICHAEL ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.
UM, I'M JOINED TODAY BY OUR COLLEAGUES AT CAP METRO.
CHAD VALENTINE WILL ALSO HELP, UH, WITH THE PRESENTATION TODAY.
UM, AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GIVING YOU GUYS AN UPDATE.
I THINK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, UPDATES OVER THE YEARS, BUT I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO GIVE A FORMATIVE UPDATE ON WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE STANDING RELATED TO OUR, OUR DEPARTMENTAL DEPARTMENTAL CON UH, UH, PARTNERSHIP AND HOW WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING TO TAKE THE METRO BACK THE PROGRAM TO ALL KINDS OF NEW LEVELS AND NEW PATHWAYS TO, TO USE A TERM THAT'S BEEN PUT OUT TODAY.
UM, SO I'LL, I'M GOING TO GET STARTED BY, UH, KIND OF GOING OVER WHERE, WHERE WE STARTED, UH, WITH METRO BIKE.
UM, AND HOW HAS BEEN GOING OVER OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WITH THE PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH CAP METRO, AND THEN WHERE WE ARE GOING FROM HERE.
SO I'M SORRY, THAT'S PROBABLY, UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADVANCE ONE MORE TIME.
SO FIRST I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE LEADERS ON THE LEADERSHIP AND THE VISION, UM, THAT THE CITY HAD IN 2013, IN 2013, THERE WERE NOT A LOT OF CITY-BASED, UH, BIKE SHARE PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND SO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, TOOK ON THIS INITIATIVE, UM, JUST SO HAPPENS, UH, WHILE ROB WAS STILL AT PUBLIC WORKS BEFORE STARTING AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND THEN WITH HIS MOVE, THE B CYCLE PROGRAM, IT WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED, UH, MOVED OVER TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WITH THE FORMATION OF THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION GROUP.
UM, WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS, IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, UH, WE CREATED, UH, A NONPROFIT, UM, TO HELP OPERATE, UH, THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM AND REBALANCING THE BIKES.
AND THEN OVER THE YEARS, OVER THOSE FIVE YEARS, WE REALLY, UH, CONTINUED TO SLOWLY INCREMENTALLY, UM, UH, EXPAND THE FLEET.
UH, EVERY YEAR, UH, WE HAD ADD NEW NEW BIKES AND NEW STATIONS, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, AND, UM, AND IN THE SUMMER OF 2018, WE, WE EXTENDED THAT CONTRACT ALL THE WAY UNTIL NEXT YEAR, AROUND SUMMER OF 2020 IS WHEN WE, UH, WERE A SUCCESSFUL THANKS FOR YOUR, YOUR, YOUR HELP AND, UH, ALL THE COUNSELORS HELP AND MOVING AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT FORWARD, UH, WITH CAP METRO TO START THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP.
AND THEN IN THE FALL OF 2021, UH, WE, WE WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT, THE CAP METRO HAD BROUGHT ON A AGAIN, GREAT PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER HERE TO, UM, REALLY LOOK AT PLANNING AND AN EXPANSION OF THE METRO BIKES SYSTEM.
AND THAT'S ALSO WHEN WE, UH, RETOOLED, UM, AND REBRANDED, UH, FROM THE ALL THE OLD BRAND OF AUSTIN, B CYCLE TO THIS NEW BRAND OF METRO BIKE.
UH, AND THEN REALLY IN THE SUMMER HERE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN A AND CHAD, WE'LL GO OVER THESE SLIDES LATER ON IS, UH, WE'RE HEADED TOWARDS AN UPDATE OR AN AMENDMENT TO THAT IN A LOCAL AGREEMENT.
NOW THAT WE'VE WORKED ON, UH, THESE FORMATIVE PLANNING ELEMENTS, UH, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE AS PARTNERS CAN, CAN HELP DELIVER THAT OUTCOME.
SO HOW'S IT GOING? UM, RIGHT NOW A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE OPERATIONS ARE DONE BY THE NONPROFIT BIKE SHARE OF AUSTIN, UM, AND, AND BETWEEN CHAD'S CREW AND MY CREW, UH, WHO WERE THERE IN, UH, IN PERSON AS WELL.
UH, WE HANDLE THE GOVERNANCE AND OVERSIGHT OF THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM AS A WHOLE OVER THE YEARS THERE, YOU CAN SEE HOW WE'VE, UH, INCREMENTALLY INCREASED BOTH THE STATIONS AND THE NUMBER OF BIKES IN THE SYSTEM.
NEXT SLIDE, SOME STATS ON RIDERS.
SO, UH, REMEMBER AND RECALL THE, THE UPDATES THAT WE GAVE DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC AND HOW WE SAW AN UPTICK IN THE USE OF ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, UH, AS A HEALTHY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE.
AND SO WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT BETWEEN THAT AND THE, THE E-BIKE USAGE THAT WE HAD MENTIONED BEFORE AND, AND HOW WE WERE SEEING THAT INCREASE, UM, THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, A LARGE EXPANSION IN THE NUMBER OF TRIPS AND MOST OF THAT TRIPS BEING PREDOMINANTLY DONE THROUGH OUR NEW, UH, ELECTRIC ASSIST BICYCLES.
[01:05:02]
ONE OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE THAT NOW ARE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THEM.I THINK THERE'S, UH, SOME NOT TOO FAR AWAY, UM, UH, THAT WE BEGAN INSTALLING THE, THE MODULAR DOCKS WHERE THEY MADE SENSE.
AND SO THESE DOCS, AS WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE EASIER TO INSTALL THEY'RE FASTER INSTALL, AND WE CAN KIND OF FLEX THE SIZE OF THE, THE STATION, UM, BY CHANGING THE AMOUNT OF DOCS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN THERE.
AND THIS HELPS US BE, UM, IT ALLOWS US TO PLACE, UM, UH, DOCS IN PLACES THAT WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PLACE THEM IN THE PAST, UH, BECAUSE OF THE LONG, 40 FOOT MINIMUM REQUIREMENT OF THE OLD DOCS.
NEXT SLIDE, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE PROGRAM.
THIS IS A NEW ELEMENT TO THE PROGRAM THAT WAS CO-CREATED WITH, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND, UH, ATD CAT METRO TEAM.
UM, AND THIS IS A PILOT IN OUR ART INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE, THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY, UH, TO HELP GAIN A SENSE, AGAIN, THE PRIDE AND OWNERSHIP OF NOT ONLY JUST UTILIZING THE METRO BIKE SYSTEM, BUT WHAT IT MEANS TO THE CITY, WHAT IT MEANS TO, TO INDIVIDUALS AS WELL.
AND WE'RE PLEASED TO SHOWCASE, UM, LOCAL ARTISTS, JESSE MELANSON.
SO THIS IS, UH, UH, SOME FOLKS MAY KNOW HIM AS JML, UH, AND HIS ARTWORK THROUGH, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE MENTIONED, UH, GEOMETRIC DESIGNS THAT ARE GONNA BE FEATURED ON UP TO 200 METRO BIKES, UH, FOCUSED ON THE E-BIKES AND, UH, TWO ART PANEL DESIGNS THAT WILL GO INTO ABOUT 20 DIFFERENT METRO BIKES STATIONS.
NOW, THESE WILL BE THE, THE OLD STATIONS WITH THE KIOSK, UM, UH, IN THOSE LOCATIONS AS WELL.
WE'VE, JESSE IS A RESIDENT OF EAST AUSTIN AS WELL.
AND, UH, NOW I'M, UH, TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, UH, CHAD BALLANTINE WITH CAPITAL METRO AND GO OVER, UM, WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
I'M CHAD BALLANTINE, VICE PRESIDENT OF DEMAND RESPONSE, AND INNOVATIVE MOBILITY AT CAPITAL METRO.
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT THIS TODAY.
UM, STEP FORWARD FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WITH METRO BIKES.
SO, UM, AS JASON, JOHN MICHAEL TALKED ABOUT WE'VE, WE'VE REALLY COME A LONG WAY.
WE'VE LEARNED A LOT WHEN WE DID OUR AGREEMENT IN 2020, IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TIMES WE HAD JUST HIT INTO THE PANDEMIC.
SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME LEARNING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT E-BIKES.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THOSE, UH, THOSE SMALLER DOCS, THOSE 3.0 DOCS.
AND SO, UM, NOW IS REALLY COMING TO THE NEXT STEP WHERE WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, MOVING FORWARD TO AMEND OUR, AN INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CAPITAL METRO AND CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE STILL WANT TO MAINTAIN A PARTNERSHIP.
UM, THIS PARTNERSHIP WAS WORKING VERY WELL, UM, AND WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
SO PART OF THIS, UH, PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING TO DO WILL BE, UM, WE'LL BE BRINGING THIS PARTNERSHIP, UH, INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT UPDATE TO OUR CAPITAL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UM, IN TWO WEEKS, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN COUNCIL, THIS WILL LIKELY BE CONSIDERED, UM, BY JUNE OR JULY.
SO THIS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD FOR, BUT, UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TALKED THROUGH Y'ALL WITH ALL OF THIS WITH YOU, AND KIND OF GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO.
SO ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS IS THE TRANSITION TO 100% ESS ELECTRIC FLEET.
UM, IT'S, IT'S BEEN VERY CLEAR TO US THAT ESS BIKES ARE THE, WHAT PEOPLE PREFER.
THOSE ARE USED THREE TO FIVE TIMES MORE OFTEN THAN THE HUMAN POWERED MANUAL POWERED BIKES.
UM, SO WE WANT TO TRANSITION OUR, THE ENTIRE FLEET, UH, TO AN IN ESS, UH, BIKE SHARE.
WE ALSO, UM, REALLY WANT TO CONTINUE FORWARD MOVING WITH, UH, COORDINATING WITH TRANSIT FOR, YOU KNOW, FIRST MILE LAST MILE, BUT ALSO REALLY LOOKING AT THE MOBILITY PICTURE ACROSS THE BOARD, AS WE'VE AT CAPITAL METRO, WE'VE BEEN ROLLING OUT THE PROJECT CONNECT PROJECT AND ALL OF THESE NEW AND EXCITING THINGS, AND WE'VE SEEN THE APPETITE FOR TRANSIT.
WE ALSO SEE THAT TRANSIT CAN'T JUST EXIST ON ITS OWN IN ISOLATION.
AND SO BIKES ARE REALLY HUGE PIECE OF THIS.
UM, AND THE GROUND IS SET REALLY WELL FOR, UM, FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS.
SO NOW WE WOULD LIKE TO LOOK TOWARDS BUILDING BIKES AND BIKE, SHARE INTO OUR PROJECTS FROM THE GET-GO, RATHER THAN HAVING IT AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
UM, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROMOTE THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM TO EXISTING USERS.
WE WANT TO MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT BASE, BUT WE WANT TO EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY TO, UH, NEW USERS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO INSTALL MORE OF THOSE MODULAR DOCKS.
AND SO THAT, THAT ALLOWS US TO DO A LOT SMALLER IMPLEMENTATIONS WHERE RATHER THAN PUTTING IN A HUGE KIOSK AND STATION AT A LOT OF THESE PLACES, WE CAN NOW PUT IN THESE SMALLER DOCKS WHERE, WHERE THERE'S NOT A HUGE NEED, BUT WE KNOW THERE IS A NEED.
AND SO THAT REALLY ALLOWS US SOME SCALABILITY AND IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEMS
[01:10:01]
THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD THE ABILITY TO SOLVE IN THE PAST.UM, AND I THINK ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS, AS WELL AS INTEGRATING WITH THE BICYCLE NETWORK, THAT'S BEEN THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THE BIKE NETWORK HAS COME A LONG WAY IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND I EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GOING IN LOCK STEP WITH AUSTIN IN AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, ACTIVE MOBILITY TEAM, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE PART OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AS WE DO, AS WE, AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THEM TO BUILD THE TRAILS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE THERE AND WE'RE OFFERING OUR SUPPORT, AND WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING THE, UH, BIKE SHARE PROGRAM ALONGSIDE THAT, SO THAT IT ALL MAKES SENSE.
UM, AND THEN WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
WE HAVE AS CAPITAL METRO, WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT MAINTAINING, UM, ASSETS.
WE, WE DO A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT ROLLS IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT, UM, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, FROM TRAINS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BIKES.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, STATE OF GOOD REPAIR MAINTENANCE, 24, 7 OPERATIONS AND ELECTRIFICATION.
UM, SO THESE WERE ALL THINGS THAT ARE IN OUR WHEELHOUSE.
AND SO THESE REALLY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER VERY WELL.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS THESE ARE SOME NOTABLE CHANGES THAT YOU'LL, YOU'LL BE SEEING WITH THE BIKE SHARE, UM, INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT.
WE, UM, ARE LOOKING TO INCORPORATE THAT NONPROFIT THAT IS CURRENTLY OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THE PROGRAM INTO CAPITAL METRO AS, AS OUR OWN STAFF, SO THAT THEY'RE DIRECTLY STAFFED BY CAPITAL METRO.
UM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEY, UM, HAVE HIGH WAGES, GOOD WAGES, GOOD BENEFITS, UM, AND A LONG-TERM PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROGRAM AS A IT'S CURRENTLY BEING OPERATED BY A NONPROFIT, AND I'M AMAZED AT WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH SO LITTLE, BUT I THINK IT'S NOW TIME THAT WE'RE VERY GROWNUP CITY AND THIS BIKE SHARE IS REALLY GROWING UP, THAT WE REALLY FORMALIZE THINGS AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BUILDING THIS OUT FOR THE LONG RUN.
SO WE'LL BE WORKING TOWARDS THE OPERATIONAL STABILITY OF THE PROGRAM.
UM, INTEGRATING WITH FAIRS, WE REALLY ARE LOOKING TOWARDS, UM, EQUITY PROGRAMS, FAIRS, INTEGRATION WITH BUSES.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE YOU CAN GET OFF OF A BUS AND GET ONTO A BIKE AND YOU JUST USE ONE THING AND IT'S REALLY EASY.
IT NEEDS TO BE SIMPLE, AND IT JUST NEEDS TO BE KIND OF A NO-BRAINER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO GET TO WHERE WE INTEGRATE ALL OF THESE THINGS.
SO THAT MOBILITY, ISN'T SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO, TO REALLY, UH, FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT MODES.
SO, UM, BY BRINGING THEM ALSO IN HOUSE, THIS ALLOWS US TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON AREAS WHERE EQUITY IS GOING TO BE A HUGE, IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS, UH, THE EXPANSION OF THE, OF THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH GEOGRAPHICALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
WE WANT TO EXPAND THAT FOOTPRINT, UM, AND, AND MOVE TO AREAS WHERE THEY MIGHT NOT BE AS LUCRATIVE, BUT THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE EQUITY IS A REALLY HUGE PIECE OF WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING.
AND SO THIS ALLOWS US THAT FLEXIBILITY TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON WHAT OUR COORDINATES ARE FOR THIS.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THIS AGREEMENT TO BE A 10 YEAR AGREEMENT.
AND, UM, WE ARE GOING TO JOINTLY FUND UP TO, UM, $11 MILLION EXPANSION IS WHAT THE GOAL IS.
SO THIS WILL BE A MASSIVE EXPANSION OF THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE KNOW THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR IT.
SO THIS WILL TURN, YOU KNOW, CONVERT TO, UM, E-BIKES AS WELL AS EXPANSION OF THE FOOTPRINT.
WE REALLY WANT BIKES AND BIKE SHARE TO KIND OF BE UBIQUITOUS IN THIS TOWN, BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO STILL BE A DOCK SYSTEM.
SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO ALIGN WITH TRANSIT AND ALIGN WITH OUR, UM, URBAN TRAILS.
UM, AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, THAT FOCUS.
AND SO THIS IS WHAT WE WILL BE COMING BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR, UM, LATER THIS SUMMER.
AND I BELIEVE THAT IS NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND THERE'S BIKE SHARE WITH A DOG ON THE BACKPACK BECAUSE THAT'S A GREAT PICTURE.
UM, AND WE'RE OPEN TO QUESTIONS.
UH, I KNOW PROBABLY A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND WE WERE JASON, JOHN MICHAEL, AND I CAN DEFINITELY TAG TEAM AND ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.
I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE WITH THOSE DOG BACKPACKS AROUND TOWN.
ONE COUNCIL MEMBER HOPPER, MADISON THANK YOU, CHAIR.
UM, SO I'VE JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, YOU PROBABLY KNOW PRESTON TYREE, UM, YOU PROBABLY HAVE SEEN HIM RIDE AROUND TOWN ON HIS TRIKES.
HE DOES A, UM, A TOUR WITH, UH, FOLKS OF A CERTAIN AGE AND THEY HAVE THOSE THREE WHEELERS.
AND SO I'M JUST TAKING A LOOK AT THIS WHERE WE GO FROM HERE AND IT TALKS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ALL AGES AND ABILITIES.
AND SO I JUST WONDER WHAT THE FLEET LOOKS LIKE.
IS THERE ACTUALLY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN, THAN A BIKE WITH TWO WHEELS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
[01:15:01]
AND JASON CAN BACK, UH, FINISH THIS OUT, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, SO CURRENTLY THE PLAN IS TO EXPAND THE EVE EVE E-BIKES WITH A TWO-WHEEL FLEET.UM, BUT, UH, OUR FUTURE PLAN IS TO LOOK TOWARDS TWO OTHER SORT OF DIRECTIONS THAT WE WILL, ONCE WE GET THIS CURRENT BIKE SHARE PROGRAM UNWELL UNDERWAY AND WELL-MAINTAINED, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, PUT OUT THERE, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, HAVING SORT OF A FREE RANGE BIKE TYPE OF PROGRAM.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT DOWN THE ROAD WHERE WE HAVE SORT OF LIKE, MAYBE LIKE A LITTLE MORE OF LIKE A LIBRARY TYPE OF THING, WHERE YOU CAN CHECK OUT A BIKE.
MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED IT FOR ONE OR TWO TRIPS.
MAYBE YOU WANT TO TRY IT FOR A WEEK OR MAYBE A DAY, OR, YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY ON THAT AS WELL AS OFFERING ADAPTIVE BIKES.
AND SO THERE'S A HUGE, UH, ELEMENT THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO GET INTO.
UM, ACCESSIBILITY IS REALLY VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO TRY TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF AS WELL.
SO, UM, ADAPTIVE BIKES CAN BE ALL KINDS OF THINGS WHERE IT'S HAND PEDALS.
IT CAN BE THREE WHEELS, IT CAN BE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND SO THERE'S A HUGE, UH, YOU KNOW, REALM OF KIND OF EVOLVING IN THAT AREA.
I WOULD LOVE FOR AUSTIN TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF SORT OF THE ADAPTIVE BIKE, UM, MODEL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD WE HAVE ON OUR FUTURE PLANS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MADISON.
UM, THE OTHER THING I WAS GOING TO SAY IS, YOU KNOW, UM, A LOT OF, I HAVE A LOT OF BICYCLE CONVERSATIONS.
YOU CAN PROBABLY IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, WITH MOBILITY BEING ONE OF MY POLICY PRIORITIES.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I HEAR MOST CONSISTENTLY, ESPECIALLY FOLKS WHO ARE MULTIFAMILY, UM, A LOT OF MY FOLKS IN INCOME, RESTRICTED HOUSING, UM, THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THEM TO PUT THEIR BIKES.
AND SO I JUST WONDER, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO ENVISION WHAT THESE ADAPTABLE BIKES LOOK LIKE, AND IF IT'S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO PUT AWAY THE STREAMLINED TWO WHEEL BIKES, I JUST SORT OF WONDER HOW WE'RE GOING TO ACCOMMODATE STORAGE OF A, YOU KNOW, ONE THAT'S MORE SECURE OR ADAPTABLE FOR DIFFERENT, UH, ABILITY TYPE.
AND SO THAT'S JUST, JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY ON MY MIND AND THAT I THINK THAT EXPANDS THAT CONSIDERATION FOR ME.
AND THAT IS GREAT, UH, COMMENT, UM, CUSTOMER HARPER, MADISON.
UM, AND AS YOU MAY RECALL THROUGH SOME OTHER UPDATES WHERE WE'RE RIGHT NOW RESEARCHING SOME, SOME OTHER THINGS THAT WE EXPERIENCED OR HAVE, UH, PULLED FROM, UH, UM, SOME OTHER CITIES, BUT MOSTLY THOSE CITIES I WOULD SAY ARE IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
UM, AND, UH, SPECIFICALLY AROUND ADAPTIVE CYCLE, THAT'S AN INTERESTING, UM, UH, CHALLENGE TO UNPACK.
UM, AND TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, STORAGE AS WELL AS TRAINING AND OTHER AND OTHER ITEMS LIKE THAT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF THINGS LIKE BACK BIKE, VALET PROGRAMS THAT COULD BE IN SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
UM, THOSE VALET PROGRAMS MAY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, ALSO, UH, PROVIDE MAINTENANCE ON THESE ADAPTIVE CYCLES THAT AFTER CYCLES TAKE A WHOLLY DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT, AT, AT, AT HAD MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE ENGINEERED DIFFERENTLY.
UM, AND SO, UH, AND THEY'RE ENGINEERED IN A WAY TO, TO, TO BE ADAPTABLE.
UM, SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE INTERESTED IN, IN EXPLORING IS THIS, UM, ADAPTIVE CYCLE VALET PROGRAM.
AND I, AND IF I COULD ADD ONE MORE LAST THING.
SO ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS THAT IT'S WE'RE AS WE HAVE METRO BIKE AND IT'S CURRENTLY IT JUST THE BIKE SHARE PROGRAM, AND THAT'S REALLY SORT OF THE CONSTRAINTS OF WHERE IT IS RIGHT NOW, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT REALLY ADAPTING METRO BIKE IS MORE THAN JUST BIKE SHARE, BUT LOOKING AT SORT OF THE BIGGER PICTURE.
SO TALKING ABOUT THE ADAPTIVE BIKES AND ALL OF THESE OTHER THINGS, WE ALSO HAVE, AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE'VE GOT A METRO BIKE CAGES AT SOME OF OUR RAIL STATIONS THEY'RE BEING UNDER UTILIZED RIGHT NOW.
AND WE WANT TO TRY TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, BEYOND JUST THE BIKE SHARE, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO WITH CURRENT ASSETS.
SO THAT WOULD BE A GREAT, UH, POTENTIAL PROJECT TO ADAPTIVE, YOU KNOW, UH, TO, UH, REUSE THAT AND ADJUST HOW WE'RE CURRENTLY USING THAT.
UM, BIKE STORAGE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS, UM, THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT MAYBE DOING BIKE STORAGE BEYOND JUST THE RAIL STATIONS OR THE MAJOR TRANSIT CENTERS.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT, THAT IS ALSO A PIECE OF IT.
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF, OF METRO BIKE TO REALLY KIND OF PICTURE HOW EVERYONE MOVES, BECAUSE IT'S A LOT MORE COMPLEX THAN JUST PUTTING BIKES OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO REALLY CONSIDER HOW EVERYONE WANTS TO MOVE AROUND THE COMMUNITY, EVERYONE HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND THAT MEANS A LOT DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
AND SO TRYING TO WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND THAT AND REALLY TRY TO REALLY GET TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS REALLY NEEDING AND WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS.
UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT PIECE BECAUSE WE REALLY, THE PROOF IS IN THE NUMBERS AND, AND THE USAGE.
AND WE REALLY WANT TO JUST SHOW THAT, UM, THAT WE'RE LISTENING TO COMMUNITY AND KIND OF REACTING QUICKLY.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL PAUSE FOR MY COLLEAGUES, TASKS AND QUESTIONS,
[01:20:01]
FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING PROGRAM AND WE'VE SEEN IT GROW, YOU KNOW, UM, AS JASON, JOHN MICHAEL WAS MENTIONING.
WE HAVE TALKED IN THE PAST ABOUT, UM, THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM IN, IN AREAS THAT ARE FURTHER OUT OF TOWN.
AND SO I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE CURRENT, UM, OUT OF TOWN MEANING AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN, AND I'M WANTING TO SEE WHAT ELSE THINKING IS ABOUT THAT.
I DO LIKE THE FOCUS ON CONNECTING TO OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM, AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME CHALLENGES WITH OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM REACHING TO ALL PARTS OF TOWN AT THE MOMENT, BUT, UM, BUT WE DO HAVE AREAS FURTHER SOUTH, YOU KNOW, FURTHER NORTH THAT, UM, THAT WILL BE, ARE ACTUALLY ARE CONNECTED TO, TO, UM, BUSES AND THE BRT NOW.
SO WHAT IS SHELL'S THINKING ABOUT, UM, ABOUT EXPANDING THE, THE, UM, THE NETWORK? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I, UH, JASON WANTS TO START AND I GUESS WE HAVE OKAY.
UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS REALLY INTERESTING IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR A BIKE SHARE PROGRAM TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, PLACES TO CHECK OUT BIKES AND CHECK THEM IN, YOU KNOW, NO, I, I THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY PREFERENCE.
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY PREFERENCE.
AND IT'S, AND SO IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO, YOU KNOW, AND SO A LOT OF TIMES THE BEST, THE BEST APPROACH TO EXPANDING TRADITIONALLY IS TO JUST EXPAND OUT AND, AND, AND REALLY CREATE THE LARGER NETWORK.
THERE ARE ISLANDS ARE, ARE A POTENTIAL, IT'S NOTHING WE HAVEN'T RULED ANYTHING OUT.
AND WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS ONCE WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'RE GOING TO START DOING A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WHERE WE'LL, WE'LL DO A LOT MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO FIND OUT WHERE SOME OF THESE POCKETS ARE BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GREAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSIT NETWORK IS GREAT.
THIS IS NOT JUST TO SORT OF SUPPORT AND FOLLOW ALONG TRANSIT NETWORK, BUT IT'S ALSO A GREAT WAY TO LOOK WHERE WE'VE GOT HOLES IN POCKETS, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE SERVICE.
AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WITH CAPITAL METRO, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T RUN A 35 FOOT, 40 FOOT BUS DOWN EVERY STREET, AND THAT WOULD MAKE NO SENSE.
BUT WHEN WE START LOOKING AT THIS WITH OUR, SOME OF OUR SMALLER TRANSIT OPTIONS AND ALL THE WAY DOWN TO METRO BIKE, THIS IS REALLY IDEAL FOR WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TRANSIT, WHERE WE HAVE THOSE HOLES.
AND SO THAT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF THE HUGE PIECES IS HOW WE RANK, UM, SORT OF THE NEED AT AREAS OF NEED.
AND SO THAT IS A BIG PIECE THAT WE WANT TO USE THIS AS A TOOL TO FILL IN GAPS RATHER THAN JUST ACCENTUATE WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE TRANSIT.
IS, IS THERE STILL THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY? UH, I KNOW AT ONE POINT THERE WAS THE WEB PAGE THAT PEOPLE COULD GO ON AND, AND INDICATE WHERE THEY'D LIKE TO SEE B UH, YOU KNOW, B CYCLE, IS THAT HAPPENING STILL? OR THERE IS, UM, WE DO, WE TAKE FEEDBACK RIGHT NOW AND WE HAVE THAT MAPPED.
WE DON'T HAVE A REALLY GOOD MECHANISM FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE, WHAT WE ALSO WANT TO DO IS WE WANT TO TRY TO, UM, HAVE A MORE INTERACTIVE WAY TO HAVE PEOPLE AND NOT JUST WEB, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN-PERSON, UM, TO HAVE PEOPLE IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE AND IDENTIFY WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE STATIONS, BUT ALSO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW OFTEN THEY NEED IS THIS A RECREATIONAL ASSIST TO COMMUTE AND THAT KIND OF THING.
SO WE, WE WANNA, UM, THAT'LL BE, UH, BE A BIG PIECE OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND AS WE LOOK FOR THIS 10 YEAR SORT OF TIMELINE WITH METRO BIKE, THE, THE, THE GOAL IS BASICALLY TO BE DOING THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, DO EXPANSIONS CAN GO BACK TO OUTREACH, TO EXPANSIONS OUTREACH EXPANSION, SO THAT IT'S A CONSTANT CYCLE.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S GOTTA BE A BIG PIECE OF IT THAT'S GOING TO BE BUILT IN.
AND SO THAT IS, THAT IS THE PLAN IS TO DO THE WEBSITE PIECE, BUT ALSO SEE WHAT OTHER WAYS WE CAN ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE.
AND I LIKE THAT QUESTION ABOUT THE EXPANSION OUTSIDE OF THE URBAN CORE, MOSTLY BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I SEE SOMETIMES ON MY COMMUTE HOME IS PEOPLE HAVE RENTED SOME FORM OF TRANSPORTATION, AND THEN THEY JUST DITCHED IT BECAUSE THEY GOT TO A HILL AND IT EITHER WOULDN'T GO ANYMORE OR THEY JUST COULDN'T GET IT.
THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE ENERGY TO GET THAT BIKE UP THE HILL.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT THESE 3.0, UM, DOCS COULD BE EVEN MORE FLEXIBLE? I KNOW THE ONES THAT ARE IN THIS SLIDE ARE INSTALLED, AND OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN UNINSTALL THEM AND PUT THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE AS YOU SEE FIT.
BUT, UM, IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION FOR KIND OF THAT ONE WAY TRANSPORTATION, WHERE THEY MAY NOT BE WRITING IT INTO TOWN, BUT THEY MAY WANT TO RIDE IT BACK OUT OF TOWN? YES, THAT'S AN, AND THAT'S A GREAT USE CASE FOR THOSE 3.0, DOCS, THOSE LITTLE, THE SINGLE DOCS, BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY NEED, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE BATTERY POWERED, SO YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO CONNECT THEM TO ELECTRICITY AND THEY HAVE THE CELLULAR CONNECTION.
SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, A FEW BOLTS INTO THE, INTO THE GROUND.
SO THEY ARE INCREDIBLY MOVABLE.
SO WE COULD EVEN USE THAT AS AN EXPERIMENT.
SO IF WE GET A BUNCH OF REQUESTS FROM A SPECIFIC LOCATION, UH, HOUSING, UH, COMPLEX, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS TRY THESE THINGS OUT
[01:25:01]
AND PULL THEM OUT.SO THIS ALLOWS US A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY.
I LOVE THOSE THREE POINTS FOR THAT REASON, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, IF YOU'RE PUTTING A DOCK OF 15, YOU KNOW, 15 DOCS, YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT.
BUT WITH THESE 3.0 DOCS, YOU'RE ABLE TO DO THAT IN A MATTER OF A DAY OR TWO, VERSUS HAVING TO DO A MUCH LARGER PLANNING PROCESS.
SO THAT DOES OPEN UP OUR OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THEN REMIND ME, MAYBE YOU SAID THIS EARLIER IN YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT IS THE FINANCIAL COMPONENT OF IT NOW STREAMLINED BETWEEN CAP METRO AND METRO BIKE, WHERE IF YOU ARE BUYING A DAY PASS, YOU CAN UTILIZE BOTH FORUMS OR ARE THEY STILL, I USE THEM ON SEPARATE APPS.
AM I DOING IT WRONG? YOU'RE NOT DOING IT WRONG.
UH, SO WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS THAT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF OUR GOALS, AND THIS IS THIS, THIS INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT HELPS MOVE US TOWARDS THAT GOAL.
UM, CAPITAL METRO IS PROPOSING AN AMP CARD.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAIRS, AND WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO LOOK AT NEW WAYS TO DO THAT.
WE'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WHERE WE INCORPORATE THIS INTO THAT KIND OF PROGRAM.
UH, CURRENTLY YOU CAN BUY A PASS THAT BUYS A BUS AND A BIKE PASS, ONE PURCHASE ON OUR CAT METRO APP.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN YOU WANT TO USE THE BIKE, IT'LL LINK YOU INTO THE, UM, THE METRO BIKE APP.
SO IT IS STILL TWO DIFFERENT, UH, APPS.
UM, BUT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY CLOSE TO BEING ABLE TO INTEGRATE THAT IN A LOT OF THE, UH, APP PROVIDERS OUT THERE ARE BUILDING A LOT OF THIS INTEGRATION BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY CITY REALLY CLAMORING TO MAKE THIS A MUCH MORE STREAMLINED PROCESS.
I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE STILL WORKING ON IT.
UM, I MIGHT SEE VICE-CHAIR, KELLY'S HAND UP ON THE REMOTE.
I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
I'M GOING TO SAY THAT WRAPS UP OUR QUESTIONS AND IF WE'VE GOT ONE FOR YOU LATER, UM, THEN WE'LL SEE IF WE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU, BUT I THINK WE'RE DONE APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I JUST WANT TO THROW ONE LAST THING OUT THERE THAT NONE OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT A DIRECTOR SPILLER AND HIS TEAM.
I MEAN, WE'RE STANDING ON SHOULDERS OF ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE.
SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK THAT METRO JUST CAME IN AND DID ANY OF THIS, UH, THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN JUST AMAZING AND THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING.
[5. Update on the Austin Energy E- Bike program.]
TO BE NUMBER FIVE, AN UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN ENERGY E-BIKE PROGRAM.I'M A MANAGER OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND I'LL BE GIVING THE UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN ENERGY E-BIKE PROGRAM AND JUST TO CONTINUE THE ROAST AND EMBARRASSMENT OF ROB SPILLER.
UH, HE HAS JUST BEEN A GREAT PARTNER.
UH, I'VE BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TEAM FOR 10 YEARS NOW.
AND, AND ROB AND HIS TEAM HAD JUST BEEN FANTASTIC AS WELL AS, AS WELL AS CAP METRO.
UM, IN REGARDS E-BIKES REBATES AND INITIATIVES.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR GOALS IS, IS MODE SHIFT, UH, EARLY ON THE PANDEMIC.
I PERSONALLY GOT AN ELECTRIC BIKE AND QUICKLY REALIZE I DIDN'T NEED A CAR ANYMORE.
SO I HAVE BEEN CAR-LESS FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW.
I THINK THESE ARE JUST A GREAT ALTERNATIVE, UH, FOR SOME FOLKS, UH, AS A WAY TO GET OUT OF THEIR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.
SO ALTHOUGH THE PROGRAM, UH, BACK ON, WE SKIPPED ONE, ALTHOUGH THE PROGRAM'S BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS, THE REBATE PROGRAM, UH, I JUST PULLED THE LAST ROLLING FOUR AND A HALF YEARS.
UH, WE JUST REALLY HAVE BEEN SEEN AN ACCELERATION DURING THE PANDEMIC AND AS NEWER TECHNOLOGIES AND ELECTRIC BIKES HAVE BEEN GOING AROUND IN THE REBATE PROGRAM, UH, THE REBATE PROGRAM ITSELF OR INDIVIDUALS, IT GOES UP TO 300 AND FOR FLEETS, IT'S 400, A EXAMPLE OF FLEETS WHO HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE REBATE, UH, INCLUDE, UH, THE METRO BIKE SOLUTION INCLUDE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AS A DEPARTMENT, UH, AS WELL AS BIKE, TEXAS AND OTHERS.
BUT THE VAST MAJORITY IS ON INDIVIDUAL CONSUMER REBATES.
UH, WE DO SUPPORT 24 LOCAL E UH, E-BIKE AND BICYCLE RETAILERS AND STORES.
THAT'S PART OF THE REBATE PROGRAM IS WORKING WITH A LOCAL DEALER.
UH, ALL OF OUR INFORMATION AND PROGRAM INFORMATION TO INCLUDE AN ONLINE REBATE PORTAL IS AVAILABLE AT PLUG-IN AUSTIN.COM.
NEXT LINE, UH, A FOCUS WITH OUR PROGRAMS, ALL OUR TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIC ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMS IS EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
IT'S ONE OF OUR CORE FIVE PILLAR STRATEGY.
UM, AND WE HAVE CONDUCTED HUNDREDS OF E-BIKE, UH, ACCESS AND SAFETY TRAININGS.
UH, THEY DID SLOW DOWN OBVIOUSLY DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE HAVE STARTED TO BRINGING THOSE BACK ON.
UH, WE HAVE ONE SCHEDULED AT THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS RESOURCE FAIR, MAY 21ST.
I WE'LL BE BACK THERE AND NOT ONLY IS IT
[01:30:01]
ABOUT ACCESS, IT'S ALSO ABOUT, UH, SAFETY.AND THEN FOR FOLKS WHO ATTEND, UH, THIS, UH, SAFETY AND ORIENTATION TRAINING ON E-BIKES, THEY ALSO GET TO KEEP THEIR HELMET AS WELL.
UH, MY TEAM HAS ALSO TODAY ONSITE AT HAKA, MAY FEST, UH, TALKING ABOUT ALL THINGS, TRANSPORTATION, ELECTRIFICATION TO, UH E-BIKES AND THAT PARTICULAR FACILITY HAS A FOCUS ON, UH, UH, OUR ELDERLY COMMUNITY.
UM, NEXT SLIDE, UH, OUTREACH IS JUST A CORE PILLAR, UH, EVEN WORKING WITH OUR COMMIT, UH, COMMUNITY, EVERYTHING WE DO, WE TRY TO WORK A COMMUNITY FIRST, WHAT WE FOUND EVEN WELL, INTENTIONED INFRASTRUCTURE OR PROGRAMS, IF WE'RE NOT WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AT, AT BEST IT'S IGNORED, IT'S IGNORED AT WORST.
IF IT FEELS LIKE A FORM OF GENTRIFICATION, THAT'S NOT FOR US, THAT'S FOR PEOPLE MOVING IN HERE.
SO WE WE'VE BEEN VERY DELICATE AND CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT THAT STRATEGY.
UM, REGARDING OUTREACH, UH, HERE IN AUSTIN, UH, HELD THE LARGEST ELECTRIC VEHICLE RIDE AND DRIVE EVENT IN NORTH AMERICA HAPPENED AT CIRCUIT OF AMERICAS JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO.
THERE WERE OVER 13,000 E-BIKE AND EAST SCOOTER DEMO RIDES AT THIS AND 21,000.
MOSTLY AUSTINITES MOSTLY CENTRAL TEXANS.
I CAME OUT AND ATTENDED THE EVENT.
UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE PRODUCERS, UH, TO YOU GO EVEN BIGGER AND BOLDER, UH, THIS NEXT YEAR.
WE ALSO PROVIDED LAST YEAR WHEN WE EXPECT TO PROVIDE AGAIN, THIS YEAR IS A DISCOUNT CODE FOR CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES, UH, AND, AND STAFF, UH, NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND THIS IS JUST EXAMPLE EVERYTHING.
MY SMALL TEAM DOES IT'S SMALL, BUT MIGHTY HAS A COLLABORATION ASPECT OF IT.
UM, SO HERE'S A, I THINK A GREAT EXAMPLE AROUND E-BIKES.
SO WE DID PRODUCE, UH, BOTH GENERAL USE SAFETY AND SPECIFIC VIDEOS FOR HACA RESIDENTS ON ACCESS OF, OF THE E-BIKE, UH, SHARE THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM.
UH, AND SO HERE ON THE LEFT IS ONE OF THE HAKA AMBASSADORS, AS WELL AS SANDRA WHO'S A PROPERTY MANAGER.
SO THEY ARE THE STARS OF THE VIDEOS THEMSELVES.
AND THEN WHEN WE GOT ASKED TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH USA TODAY ABOUT E-BIKES AND HOW IT IMPACTS, UH, WE INTRODUCED, UM, USA TODAY TO SANDRA, AND HE COULD SEE HER QUOTE THERE OF HOW IMPORTANT THAT KIOSKS ADJACENT TO HER, HER COMMUNITY, HER PROPERTY, REALLY PROVIDING AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION LIFELINE, USING HER WORDS FOR LOW INCOME RESIDENTS.
SO IT JUST CONTINUES TO PUSH THE MOMENTUM AND REALLY IT'S ABOUT COLLABORATION AND OUTLET OUTREACH OUTREACHES, THE FIRST BIG STEP, UH, AS WELL AS THEN REDUCING FINANCIAL BARRIERS, UH, WHETHER IT'S REBATES, UM, OR OTHER INCENTIVES, NEXT SLIDE.
AND THIS IS A PILOT, UH, THAT, THAT MY TEAM PRODUCED AND WE'RE WORKING WITH SEVERAL PARTNERS.
NOW, YOU MAY HAVE GOTTEN A, MORE OF A DEEP DIVE ON THIS, UH, EARLIER.
AND ONE OF THE EARLIER QUESTIONS WAS ABOUT STORAGE FOR INDIVIDUAL USE.
SO THIS IS A GREAT PILOT PROJECT.
UH, WE'RE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CHESTNUT NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION, AS WELL AS MOD BIKES AND OTHERS, UM, AND A PROPERTY WHICH IS 75% FORDABLE HOUSING.
AND REALLY THERE'S ALSO SOME ELECTRIC VEHICLE SHARE THAT'D BE AT THE PROPERTY, BUT SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT E-BIKES, IT'S REALLY A WAY TO RESIDENTS, TO SECURELY LOCK IN CHARGE THEIR E-BIKES, IT'S A MODULAR DESIGN.
WE WORKED WITH THE LOCAL FABRICATOR TO DESIGN THIS BECAUSE IT WASN'T AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET.
AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE ABLE TO PROVE THE CONCEPT TO MAKE IT A, TO COMMERCIALIZE THIS PRODUCT, TO GET A BIGGER REACH.
UM, SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT ASPECT OF IT.
UH, AND THIS PARTICULAR PILOT WORKING WITH MOD BIKES ALSO INCLUDES AN ELECTRIC BIKE FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS.
SO IT'S A SAFE PLACE TO SECURE.
YOU ALSO DON'T HAVE TO LUG IT UP TO YOUR UNIT OR YOUR APARTMENT.
IT'S JUST EASILY ACCESS ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
IT'S WELL LIT, IT'S SECURE, UH, AS A WAY TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.
WHAT ABOUT FOLKS IN MULTIFAMILY THAT DON'T HAVE A GARAGE OR A SECURE PLACE TO PUT THEIR BIKE, UH, AND A CONVENIENT WAY FOR THEM TO BE PART A PART OF THIS SOLUTION, AS WELL AS PART OF THE OVERALL PILOT? UM, WE WILL BE DOING SOME PILOT AND WHITE PAPERS TO INCLUDE RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT ON, UH, MARKETING OUTREACH, AS WELL AS SURVEYS TO SEE WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T, UH, AS WE MAKE THIS INFORMATION MORE READILY AVAILABLE TO, UM, NOT ONLY AUSTIN, BUT POTENTIALLY OTHER CITIES THROUGHOUT THE US WHO ARE FACING THESE SAME KINDS OF BARRIERS, UH, NEXT LOT.
[01:35:02]
AND I'M JUST ENDING ON THIS NOTE, UH, TYPICALLY IN OUR COMPANY, WHEN WE HAVE INTERNAL MEETINGS, WE ALWAYS START WITH A SAFETY MOMENT.AND THEN WE END A MEETING WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE MOMENT.
AND AS SOMEONE WHO WHO'S BEEN MANAGING THIS PROGRAM FOR 10 YEARS, I, YOU KNOW, WE GET A LOT OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THE REBATES.
WE DO A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, EVIE, UM, HOME CHARGING REBATES, AS WELL AS OTHER REBATES.
AND I CAN SAY WE GET MORE GOODWILL AND MORE FUN NOTES.
A LOT OF THESE ARE HANDWRITTEN NOTES ON THE E-BIKE REBATE PROGRAM.
AND HERE'S JUST AS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME, UH, THIS ONE WAS A CUSTOM CUSTOMER HANDWRITTEN NOTE, UH, HOW MUCH THEY JUST LOVE THEIR E-BIKES, HOW HAPPY HE KNEW THEY ARE.
THERE WAS A REBATE HOW THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE CURIOUS AND JEALOUS, HOW THEY FELT LIKE BIKES WERE NO LONGER FOR THEM, AND NOW THEY CAN, AND THEY'RE JUST BEING BACK IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S JUST A, IT'S DEFINITELY A VERY FEEL-GOOD PROGRAM FOR THE CITY.
UH, AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF APPRECIATION FOR THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS AND WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S, UH, LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, THAT IS IT ON MY FORMAL PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, COUNCIL MEMBER, HAMPER, MADISON.
UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW IF YOU'RE ABLE TO DISCLOSE WHAT COMPLEXES, UM, LIKE YOU SAID, A LARGE PROPERTY, BUT YOU DIDN'T DISCLOSE THE PROJECT.
AND YOU SAID CHESTNUT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS IN DISTRICT ONE.
UM, BUT DIDN'T NAME THE PROJECT.
ARE YOU ABLE TO SHARE THOSE WITH ME? YES.
MA'AM IT'S IVORY PROPERTIES IS THE NAME OF THE PROPERTY.
SO, UM, BECAUSE THAT ONE I KNOW IS NOT COMING ONLINE UNTIL NEXT SUMMER.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE INTERIM.
SO THIS IS OUR, SO WHEN WE DESIGNED THE PILOT, WE FIRST HAD A CONCEPT AND THEN TO MAKE IT REAL, THEN WE HAVE TO HAVE A PARTNER.
SO WE'VE SHOPPED THIS AROUND AND WE ALSO WANT IT TO THE TIMING TO BE A UNIT UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UH, AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO DO SOME SORT OF RETROFIT.
BUT WITH THAT SAID, WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO OTHER PROPERTIES THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS AS WELL.
WE'RE NOT LIMITED TO JUST ONE PILOT PROPERTY, BUT THIS IS JUST WHERE WE ARE WITHIN THE DISCOVERY AND FINDING, UM, FINDING PARTNERS TO WORK WITH ON THIS.
BUT WE'RE VERY OPEN TO, TO TALK TO, UH, OTHER PROPERTY MANAGERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT DISTRICT ONE IS LEADING THE CHARGE WITH, YOU KNOW, A PROPERTY THAT'S ACCESSING AFFORDABILITY UNLOCKED AND IS COMPLETELY PARKING FREE.
UM, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE, UM, SOME MORE OF THOSE POP UP AROUND THE CITY.
I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT EITHER IN THIS COMMITTEE OR IN HOUSING AND PLANNING WAS IN HOUSING AND PLANNING.
SO I KNOW THAT CONVERSATION WAS REALLY ENLIGHTENING WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT PREVIOUSLY.
UH, ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, MAYOR PRO TEM CAMERA'S IN TURKEY COULD SEE ME AND IT WAS A LITTLE HARD, BUT, BUT I SQUINTED AND I SAW YOU.
UM, SO THIS IS REALLY, REALLY, UM, INTERESTING.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING TO ADVANCE THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK, FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU COULD, UM, SEND OVER I'M SURE ALL MY COLLEAGUES WOULD WANT TO, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BLURB THAT WE COULD USE IN OUR NEWSLETTERS TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE REBATES, UM, AND HOW TO GET THEM.
AND THEN CAN YOU, I HAVE NOT LOOKED INTO HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO PURCHASE AN ELECTRIC BIKE.
CAN YOU GIVE US THE SENSE OF WHAT THOSE COSTS RANGE? CERTAINLY.
SO WE, SAM, UH, THEY START AROUND $900 ON, UP ON MY PERSONAL RESEARCH.
WHEN I BOUGHT MY E-BIKE, IT SEEMED LIKE TO GET A DECENT ELECTRIC E-BIKE, YOU'RE STARTING AT AROUND 14, $1,500.
AND WHAT I MEAN DECENT IS YOU WANT, UM, HYDRAULIC BRAKES VERSUS MECHANICAL BRAKES.
CAUSE THESE ARE HEAVIER BIKES.
YOU WANT THE BETTER BRAKING, POWER.
YOU KIND OF WANT THE ENERGY AND GENERALLY THAT THE OOMPH AND THAT SEEMED TO BE THE PRICE POINT.
UH, TALKING TO MY REBATE TEAM, MY SUPERVISOR, HE SAYS THE AVERAGE, UH, E-BIKE THAT HE SEES THAT COMES TO THE REBATE PROGRAM PROGRAM IS $2,000.
AND THE NUMBER ONE RETAILER IS AN OUTFIT CALLED MUD BIKES HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO I'D SAY BETWEEN 1500 AND 2000, UH, BUT JUST LIKE REGULAR BIKES, YOU CAN BUY A NON ELECTRIC BIKE FOR 5,006.
I MEAN, YOU CAN REALLY, YOU KNOW, GO ON.
SO IT'S, IT'S A PRETTY WIDE, BUT ON AVERAGE, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 15 AND 200,000 AS WELL, AND THOSE BIKES ALLOW YOU TO DO ESS OR IS IT ONLY ELECTRIC? UH, TYPICALLY BOTH.
UM, AND THEN WITH AN ADJUSTABLE ASSIST, PEDAL ASSIST IS NICE.
WHAT I TYPICALLY DO, IF I'M GOING SOMEWHERE, I DO A HIGH PEDAL
[01:40:01]
ASSIST THERE, SO I'M NOT AS SWEATY.AND THEN ON THE WAY BACK, I TURN IT OFF ALL THE WAY TO ONE OR ZERO, AND IT'S A REGULAR BIKE ON THE WAY BACK.
BUT MOST OF THEM AT THAT PRICE POINT HAVE BOTH IS SO THE PEDAL ASSIST JUST MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE LANCE ARMSTRONG, BUT IN YOUR MIND, YOU'RE STILL PEDDLING IT.
YOU DON'T KNOW REALLY A DIFFERENCE OTHER THAN YOU CAN TAKE THAT HILL AND YOU FEEL GREAT.
AND THEN MOST OF THEM ALSO HAVE A THROTTLE.
TYPICALLY I JUST USE THE THROTTLE IS WHEN YOU'RE AT A STOP AND THE THROTTLE JUST GETS YOU FROM THAT STOP SIGN SAFELY AND KIND OF LURCHES YOU FORWARD, AND THEN YOU START PEDALING.
SO I TYPICALLY RECOMMEND THE BIKES AND THAT'S WHERE THAT PRICE POINT THERE.
YOU ALSO HAVE THAT TO HAVE BOTH FOR THOSE TYPE OF USE CASES.
UM, AND I'M SORRY, IF YOU HAD ALREADY MENTIONED THIS, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, STILL A PRETTY HEFTY PRICE, YOU AND WITH THE REBATE, UH, FOR MANY PEOPLE, OR IS THERE ANY SORT OF FINANCING PROGRAM, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE COMPANIES WHO SELL THEM OFFER MY BIKES HAS A FINANCE PLAN.
UH, MOST OF THE BIKES STILL EVEN WITH A GREAT DEALERSHIP NETWORK ARE ONLINE.
SO EVERYTHING FROM AMAZON AND PAYPAL, YOU KNOW, THEY ALL HAVE THESE TYPE OF PROGRAMS YOU CAN PAY BY THE MONTH.
UH, AND THEN IT'S JUST, IT'S THE SAME KIND OF, THERE'S ALSO JUST LOANS THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY FOR THAT TYPE OF PRICE POINT, SAME THING WITH BIG, BIG MONITOR TVS, ELECTRIC BIKES, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, AND OBVIOUSLY CREDIT CARDS.
UH, ONE THING WE'VE TRIED TO HAVE DONE IS TO SPEED UP THE REBATE PROCESS AND MAKE IT EASIER.
SO IN THE RETAILERS, WE HAVE THESE NICE LITTLE KIND OF SLEEVES THAT HAVE INFORMATION.
SO WHY THEY'RE GETTING THEIR BIKE, A CUSTOMER CAN JUST FILL IT OUT ON THE FLY, TAKE A PICTURE AND SUBMIT IT IN.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THERE'S AN ONLINE PORTAL.
THAT'S WE CALL ECP AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ACRONYM, CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT ECP STANDS FOR, BUT IT'S A PRETTY STATE OF THE ART GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SO PEOPLE CAN TRACK THEIR CHECK AND THEN THE CHECK IS MUCH QUICKER AND THE REPORTING IS MUCH BETTER, MUCH BETTER AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE TAKEN A LOOK TO SPEED UP THAT PROCESS, MAKE IT AS EASY.
IT, MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO PROBABLY ABOUT DUE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT TIERS AND NOW THAT WE HAVE HAD SOME GOOD DATA AND TO SEE IF WE'RE HITTING THE MARK APPROPRIATELY.
UM, AND I ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THE PILOT SOMETIMES AMAZING, UM, I WAS MEETING WITH THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION THIS MORNING.
I THINK THEY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY INTERESTED, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME OF THEM TALKING ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AND TO HELP, UM, ACCELERATE ADOPTION IN COMPLEXES AS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE QUESTIONS.
UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON AN IFC TO KIND OF SPEAK MORE DIRECTLY AT HOW WE CAN TRY TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO UTILIZE THESE REBATES OR HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW TO RIGHT SIZE, UM, THE TYPE OF ELECTRIFICATION REBATES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED.
AND SO I APPRECIATE MR. POPPA HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ME IN MY OFFICE ABOUT, UM, HOW, HOW THAT SHOULD BEST BE WORDED, HOW PRESCRIPTIVE TO BE, WHAT, UH, PROGRAMS MIGHT NEED TO BE LOOKED AT AND BETTER DETAIL.
UM, SO THAT WILL BE COMING SHORTLY.
UM, YOU SHOULD LOOK TO THE MESSAGE BOARD IF, IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL INPUT THAT, UM, MY COLLEAGUES FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR US TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, UM, IN, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
UM, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE INCENTIVIZE THIS.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE READY TO TAKE THAT LEAP AND TRY THAT NEXT STEP.
AND, UM, I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME PROACTIVE STEPS MOVING FORWARD TO REALLY GET PEOPLE, TO TRY THAT MODE SHIFT.
UM, AND I LOVE THE CONVERSATION AROUND HOW TO GET THEM INTO APARTMENT COMPLEXES, BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STORAGE IN APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND BEING ABLE TO CHARGE THE E-BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IF, IF WE WANT PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF THEIR CARS, UM, AND, AND STOP SITTING IN TRAFFIC SO MUCH.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM? I DON'T SEE ANY, SO THE NEXT ITEM, THANK YOU, MR. POPPA FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[6. Update from Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca on the City's Strategic Mobility Outcome.]
10 ALMOST LAST ITEM IS AN UPDATE FROM THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, GNP A DACA ON THE CITY OF STRATEGIC MOBILITY OUTCOME.AND I THINK SHE'S JOINING US REMOTELY.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING MY REPORT? I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY, BUT I WILL JUST STAY LIGHT.
UM, THERE'S SOME GREAT BACKUP MEMOS TO ABOUT SPEED LIMITS AND, UM, ONE OF THEM IS ABOUT SCHOOL ZONE SPEED MODIFICATION.
AND SO IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THOSE, I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY HELPFUL.
SO, UM, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DIG INTO EACH OF THEM, UM, IN A LOT OF DETAIL, BUT I'M REALLY GLAD THAT THAT INFORMATION IS COMING THROUGH FOR US.
UM, IF THERE'S NO, I SEE DIRECTOR SPILLER COMING UP AND IF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO RAISE YOUR HAND OR SPEAK UP IF I CAN'T SEE YOU.
UH, ON THIS EVE MEMOS, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD TO COUNCIL AND A FULL MEMO WILL BE COMING TO COUNCIL ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, AND ON AN UPCOMING, I BELIEVE JUNE 9TH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MEETING.
UH, WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO ADD A HANDFUL OF
[01:45:01]
ADDITIONAL ARTERIALS THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON AND JUST COULDN'T QUITE GET THEM READY FOR THE MEMO THAT WE SENT TO MOBILITY COMMITTEE.WE DID WANT TO GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO LOOK AT THEM.
UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, CHANGING THE SPEED LIMITS ON OUR MATERIALS TO BETTER FIT THE NEEDS OF OUR CITY BEFORE.
AND SO WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER JUST TO SEND THE MEMOS AS OPPOSED TO, UH, TRY TO DO A BRIEFING.
UM, UH, BUT WE'RE GENERALLY RIGHT.
SPEEDING OR, OR CHANGING THE SPEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RIGHT SPEEDS FOR THE CONDITIONS, UH, BASED ON THE ENGINEERING STUDY AND THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION IT IS.
WE MAY, WE MAY ALL NEED TO GO THROUGH OUR OWN DISTRICTS AND UNDERSTAND KIND OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, IN RELATION TO OUR CONSTITUENCIES, BUT IT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION.
I THINK MOST OF US ARE, ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS WE CAN MOVE ON TO
[7. Identify items to discuss at future meetings.]
IDENTIFYING FUTURE ITEMS WE STILL HAVE ON OUR LIST, AN AUTOMATED VEHICLE INDUSTRY PANEL, UM, THAT VICE CHAIR KELLY HAS REQUESTED MOSTLY ABOUT, UM, THE, THE WORK HAPPENING WITH INNOVATION WITH THE USES ARE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY.UM, I 35 AND PROJECT CONNECT UPDATES POTENTIALLY COMING IN SEPTEMBER AND OTHER IDEAS ABOUT, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HAVING A HARD TIME MAINTAINING THE LEGAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS LIKE INSPECTIONS AND REGISTRATIONS.
THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT IS SOMETHING I THINK WOULD BE A GREAT TOPIC FOR US TO TAKE UP.
AND WE'VE ALSO HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EITHER TSA OR GENERAL MOBILITY, UH, SITUATIONS HAPPENING WITH THE AIRPORT, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO THE TRANSPORTATION THAT, THAT THEY NEED.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS AT THIS MOMENT THAT FOLKS WISH TO HIGHLIGHT COUNCIL MEMBER HOPPER, MADISON? THANK YOU.
CHAIR AND COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, I POSED MY QUESTION ALREADY AROUND STORAGE, BUT ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS ABOUT BIKE FACILITIES IN GENERAL AND THE LACK OF CONSISTENCY, UM, AND WANTING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE FOR STREAMLINING, UH, BIKE FACILITIES.
AND THEN, UM, WOULD THAT BE FACILITIES LIKE PARKING SPOTS OR JUST OKAY.
UM, CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT AND I'LL MAKE A SPECIFIC, I'LL GIVE A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE, BUT I'M CERTAIN THAT THE BROADER CONVERSATION IS IMPORTANT.
UM, A CONSTITUENT OF MINE POINTED IT OUT FOR ME AND I WENT AROUND AND I HAVE, UM, FOUR OR FIVE INCOME RESTRICTED HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN LESS THAN A MILE RADIUS.
AND I WENT AROUND AND TOOK A LOOK AND THERE ARE DUMPSTERS ON THE SIDEWALK, UM, AND DUMPSTERS, YOU KNOW, AT THE CURB ON THE STREET SIDE.
AND SO JUST TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.
SO I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE, UH, ARR FOLKS.
UM, AND THEN, OH, UM, AND THEN I WANTED TO ASK, UM, THERE'S A, THE, UH, OH, WHAT'S THE, I HAD TO LOOK UP WHAT THE ACRONYM MEANS.
AGAIN, IT'S AN ORGANIZATION, A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT SORT OF ESTABLISHES WHAT BEST PRACTICES ARE, UM, A BIKE ORGANIZATION TO GIVE ME A SECOND.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS.
UM, AND SO RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE SOME ESTABLISHED, THERE'S SOME ESTABLISHED PROTOCOL I ALREADY, I JUST WONDER, YOU KNOW, WHERE AUSTIN SORT OF FALLS IN THE LINE OF FOLLOWING THAT, THAT REGIMEN, YOU KNOW, DO WE, AND IF NOT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET CLOSER TO WHAT THE NATIONAL STANDARDS ARE? CERTAINLY LOOK INTO THAT.
I THINK A NUMBER OF OUR TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS HERE LOCALLY PARTICIPATED IN THAT CONFERENCE.
UM, SO MAYBE WE CAN GET A LITTLE CLARIFICATION ON EXACTLY IF EVERY, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S A PROGRAM THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING TO A T OR IF THERE'S SUGGESTIONS WE'RE TAKING FROM IT.
SO I, WE, WE DEFINITELY CAN LOOK MORE INTO THAT.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, THIS MIGHT BE RELEVANT TO, UH, UM, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY HAD ASKED ABOUT.
UM, AND THAT'S, I THINK, IS IT SMARTTRACK? I'M GOING TO BLANK ON THE NAMES, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A PRESENTATION AT CAMPO ABOUT THAT, BUT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO HAVE SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE.
UH, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT, UM, I KNOW ATT ATD HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PAST WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, OUR EFFORTS AROUND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, TECHNOLOGY, UM, UH, DEVELOPMENTS.
SO I THINK IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO IF IT FITS WITH, I DIDN'T QUITE CATCH EVERYTHING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY WAS ASKING ABOUT, BUT LIKE THE SOUNDS GOOD.
I SEE MAYOR PRO TEM HAS HER HAND UP.
UM, I WANTED TO SUGGEST THAT, UM, WE MIGHT THINK ABOUT WILDFIRE EVACUATION,
[01:50:01]
UM, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF OUR ABILITY TO FRAGMENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN IT, UM, THAT MIGHT BE TOGETHER WITH THE WELFARE DIVISION.UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING AS WE APPROACHED THE AMENDMENTS FOR THE SMP ON, UM, TRYING TO FLESH OUT SOME STRATEGIES THAT WOULD GO UNDER THE NEW AMENDMENT RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION BEING PART OF THE, UM, RESPONSE OR PREPARATION FOR THOSE DISASTERS.
UM, AND IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT COULD BE DONE AND DISCUSSED ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.
UM, SO I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON THERE AND WHERE WE MIGHT NEED TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL PLANNING.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT I'M WONDERING ABOUT IS I FEEL LIKE WE WERE GOING TO TAKE AN ADDITIONAL STEP ON THE SCOOTER REGULATION, UM, THAT I'M NOT SURE WE CLOSE THE LOOP ON THAT.
UM, IF THERE'S AN UPDATE WITH RESPECT TO HOW WE ARE APPROACHING, UM, THOSE MOBILITY MECHANISMS, IS THAT A MATTER OF ENFORCEMENT OR WOULD THAT BE THE MATTER OF THE FRANCHISE VERSUS OPERATING AGREEMENT CONVERSATION? WELL, I THINK THE LOOSE END HAS TO DO WITH THE FRANCHISE OPERATING AGREEMENT PART IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE CLOSE THAT LOOP.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO JUST IF THERE ARE FOUR APPROACHING THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY, NOW THAT WE'VE HAD A LOT MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF AN UPDATE ON, ON HOW WE'RE APPROACHING THAT.
I AGREE I WILL, I WILL DEFINITELY ISSUES.
UM, AND THERE WERE, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF SORT OF LIABILITY AND SAFETY ISSUES WITH RESPECT TO BEING ON SIDEWALKS, UM, THAT WERE, THEY WERE JUST LIKE OPEN LOOP HOLES THAT I'M NOT SURE WE EVER GOT RESOLVED.
SO NOTED ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE OUT OF SUGGESTIONS.
UM, WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN TO TAKING MORE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER IDEAS THAT COME ALONG IN THE INTERIM AND, YOU KNOW, KEEP OUR OWN INTERNAL RUNNING LIST ABOUT DEADLINES, YOU KNOW, FOR BIG PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR, OUR COMMITTEE IS UPDATED ON.
AND ON THAT NOTE, IT IS 2:57 PM.
I WILL ADJOURN, UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE OF MAY 12TH, 2022.
AND I HOPE EVERYBODY GETS TO RIDE A BIKE SOON.