[00:00:05]
[CALL TO ORDER]
5:00 PM ON MAY 2ND, 23.SO I'M CALLING YOU OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION TO ORDER.
UM, UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, CORRECT.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Urban Transportation Commission REGULAR MEETING on April 4th, 2023.]
IS THE AGENDAS, APPROVAL OF MINUTES TO ANYBODY.CHARACTER ROOM APPROVING THE MINUTES.
SO YOU HAVE TO MOVE IT FIRST BEFORE YOU COMMENT.
MOTION APPROVE THE LAST, OKAY.
[2. Discussion and possible action on the Transit Signal Priority System and Emergency Vehicle Preemption System Presenter: Brian Craig, Transportation and Public Works Department]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY SYSTEM, AN EMERGING VEHICLE, UH, PREEMPTION SYSTEM.UH, THIS ONE WILL BE VERY INTERESTING.
BRIAN CRAIG IS PRESENTING GOOD EVENING.
UM, ONCE AGAIN, MY NAME IS BRIAN CRAIG.
I'M THE MANAGING ENGINEER FOR THE ARTERIAL MANAGEMENT DIVISION WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING.
UM, HERE JUST TO BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY, EMERGENCY VEHICLE PREEMPTION, AND A, UM, PROJECT THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UM, UNDERWAY.
SO, JUST KIND OF A BRIEF DEFINITION OR DESCRIPTION OF T S P AND E V P AS WE GENERALLY REFER TO THEM.
BUT THEY ARE TWO, UM, TOOLS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOOLBOX TO HELP TRANSIT VEHICLES AND EMERGENCY VEHICLES, YOU KNOW, TRAVERSE OUR, OUR NETWORK, UM, YOU KNOW, AND HELP THEM REDUCE DELAY AND IMPROVE RELIABILITY THROUGH OUR SYSTEM.
AND REALLY IT'S MODIFYING THE, YOU KNOW, THE EXISTING TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING BY EITHER, UM, YOU KNOW, EXTENDING A GREEN OR EARLY GREEN FOR TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY OR REALLY INTERRUPTING THE NORMAL OPERATION FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES TO, UM, GET, TO GET THEM A GREEN LIGHT, UM, AS THEY APPROACH THE INTERSECTION.
SO REALLY A BRIEF HISTORY OF, UM, OF T S P AND E V P IN AUSTIN.
UM, WE DEPLOYED E V P BACK IN THE EARLY NINETIES.
UM, REALLY BACK THEN EVERYBODY WAS USING THE SAME SYSTEM OF, YOU KNOW, INFRARED TRANSMITTER ON A EMERGENCY VEHICLE AND A RECEIVER AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, TYPICALLY MOUNTED ON A MASS ARM.
UM, AND WITH A LOT OF PROJECTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS FUNDING TO, TO GET THAT INSTALLED, BUT VERY LITTLE TO MAINTAIN IT.
SO OVER TIME AS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF LOCATIONS WERE, UM, INCREASED, YOU KNOW, MAINTENANCE BECAME MORE OF A CHALLENGE.
UM, AND SO IN 2011 WHEN WE WERE PREPARING TO UPGRADE OUR SIGNAL SOFTWARE, WE HAD ALSO MET WITH A F D E M S TO KIND OF DISCUSS THE STATE OF THE SYSTEM AND, AND FUTURE PLANS.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE KIND OF DID WAS PULL BACK T UH, EVP AT THAT POINT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAD IN THE FIELD WAS, WAS WORKING.
UM, AND AS FAR AS TSP GOES, WE, WE PROCURED A NEW CENTRAL SOFTWARE FOR OUR TRAFFIC SIGNALS, AND THAT INCLUDED A TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY, UM, MODULE, WHICH WAS, UM, REALLY A, A VIRTUAL LINK WITH CAP METRO'S, UM, CAD SYSTEM DISPATCH SYSTEM.
SO WE WERE, UM, WE SET IT UP SO THAT WE'RE GETTING THE LOCATION DATA FOR 8 0 1 AND 8 0 3 ROUTES, UM, THROUGH A HARDWIRED LINK, UM, AT, AT CTECH.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT TOOK A FEW YEARS TO, TO IMPLEMENT.
UM, BUT THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE T S P ROUTES HAVE BEEN ACTIVE SINCE 20 13, 20 14.
UM, AND THROUGH THAT, UM, EXPERIENCE, WE SAW HOW GETTING G P S DATA OFF OF TRANSIT VEHICLES, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKED PRETTY WELL.
AND WE WERE THINKING THAT THAT COULD BE EXPANDED
[00:05:01]
TO A F D AND E M S FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLE PREEMPTION.SO IN 2017 TIMEFRAME, WE HAD APPLIED FOR A CAMPO GRANT, UM, AS A JOINT EVP T S P PROJECT IN ORDER TO TRY TO ROLL THIS OUT CITYWIDE.
UM, WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THAT GRANT.
UM, BUT THEN IN 2020, UM, CAMPO HAD PULLED BACK FUNDING FOR A NUMBER OF PROJECTS AND THIS WAS ONE OF THEM.
UM, SO THAT KIND OF LEFT US SCRATCHING OUR HEADS, SO TO SPEAK, OF, OF WHAT TO DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME WE, WE SAW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF THESE WERE VERY BENEFICIAL PROJECTS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO TO EVERYBODY IN THE SYSTEM AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO HELP E M S, UM, A F D GET TO SITES FASTER, RESPOND TO, YOU KNOW, INCIDENTS AND THEN ALSO WITH THE TRANSIT VEHICLES.
SO WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TOOK THE MATCHING FUNDS THAT WE HAD SET ASIDE FOR THE, FOR THE CAMPO GRANT, UM, ALONG WITH SOME OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WERE DEFUNDED, SO WE HAD A POOL OF MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, WE DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THIS PROJECT.
UM, SO 2021, WE BASICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ENTERED INTO AGREEMENT WITH, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE VENDOR THAT PROVIDED OUR CENTRAL SOFTWARE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE SCOPED OUT A PROJECT TO, UM, TO IMPLEMENT A CITYWIDE E EVP PROD E V P SYSTEM, UM, USING OUR EXISTING COMMUNICATION NETWORK, UM, SO THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DEPLOY ANY ADDITIONAL HARDWARE IN THE FIELD, WHICH WAS REALLY THE, THE MAINTENANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING.
UM, SO LAST YEAR WE BEGAN DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR WE'LL CONTINUE, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PROJECT, GETTING IT TO THE POINT WHERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, DEPLOY IT CITYWIDE NEXT YEAR.
SO REALLY JUST A DESCRIPTION ON HOW E V P THEN AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE WORKS.
UM, AS I INDICATED BEFORE, TRANSMITTER ON THE FIRETRUCK EMS VEHICLE RECEIVER AT THE SIGNAL, UM, REALLY NEEDS A LINE OF SIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, ON ROADWAYS THAT, UM, HAVE CURVATURE OR SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TREES, THAT CAN CERTAINLY LIMIT THE LINE OF SIGHT FOR, UM, EMERGENCY VEHICLES TO THE POINT WHERE AT SOME LOCATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSMITTER OR THE RECEIVER AT THE SIGNAL CAN'T SEE THE TRANSMITTER UNTIL THEY'RE ALMOST ON TOP OF THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL.
UM, THE PROPOSED, THE PROPOSED SYSTEM, UM, WILL BE GETTING VEHICLE LOCATION DATA FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM VEHICLES THAT WILL BE PASSED TO OUR TRAFFIC SIGNAL SERVERS IN WHICH WE WILL, UM, DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE WITHIN, UH, VIRTUAL ZONES.
AND WHEN THEY ARE, THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SEND A SIGNAL TO OUR TRAFFIC SIGNAL, UM, SO THAT A PREEMPTION CAN BE, CAN BE IMPLEMENTED.
UM, ONE OF THE BIG BENEFITS OF THIS TYPE OF METHOD METHODOLOGY IS THAT THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL, UM, EQUIPMENT NEEDED IN THE FIELD.
WE HAVE COMMUNICATION TO ALL OF OUR TRAFFIC SIGNALS, SO AS LONG AS THAT IS MAINTAINED AND, AND OPERATING WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PREEMPTION.
SO T S P, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE IT ON TWO ROUTES.
UM, AND WE'VE HAD THAT SINCE 2013.
UM, THE WAY THAT SYSTEM WAS SET UP, A LOT OF THE, UM, LOGIC WAS ON CAP METRO SIDE AS FAR AS, UM, THEY BUILT IN WHERE THE BUSES NEEDED TO BE WHEN THEY SENT A REQUEST FOR, UM, FOR T S P, UM, IN THAT SYSTEM, BECAUSE OF THE SIGNAL SOFTWARE WE HAD AT THE TIME WERE REALLY LIMITED ONLY TO PROVIDING A SMALL GREEN EXTENSION, UM, OF THE, OF THE SIGNAL.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE, ARE DOING IS WE ARE ABSORBING ALL OF THE BUSINESS BUSINESS LOGIC.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHIN OUR OWN SYSTEM, WE'LL DEFINE THESE ZONES IN WHICH, UM, A TRANSIT VEHICLE CAN REQUEST T S P.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE SEEING PERFORMANCE ISSUES WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROVIDING 10 EXTRA SECONDS, BUT THE BUSES AND GETTING THROUGH, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXTEND THAT ZONE SO THAT, UM, WE GET NOTIFIED A LITTLE EARLIER, WHICH THEN WOULD BASICALLY MEAN WE COULD INCREASE THAT, UH, GREEN EXTENSION.
UM, AND LIKEWISE THE, THE FURTHER IN ADVANCE, IN ADVANCE OF THE SIGNAL THAT WE CAN GET NOTIFICATION THAT THE, THAT THE BUS IS COMING, THE EASIER IT IS FOR US TO ADJUST THE SIGNAL TIMING TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS TO OTHER VEHICLES IN THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF, OF THIS TYPE OF METHODOLOGY IS THE FACT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SCALE IT
[00:10:01]
CITYWIDE VERSUS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WAY THAT WE'RE EXIST, WE'RE DOING IT WITH CAT METRO RIGHT NOW.UM, IT REALLY DIDN'T SCALE VERY WELL, SO WE'RE KIND OF LIMITED TO JUST TWO ROUTES, YOU KNOW, AT ABOUT 140 SIGNALS.
SO JUST A BRIEF STATUS OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS PROJECT.
UM, LAST YEAR WE HAD IMPLEMENTED THE FIRST 15 SIGNALS, UM, FOR T S P, UM, AND WE WENT AHEAD AND, YOU KNOW, OBSERVED THEM, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED A FEW BUGS, GOT THOSE CORRECTED, AND THEN IN THE LAST MONTH, MONTH AND A HALF, WE COMPLETED, UM, PHASE ONE, WHICH WAS DEPLOYMENT OF 50, UM, TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE WITHIN PHASE ONE IN WHICH WE'RE MONITORING, UM, THAT OPERATION AND, UM, MAKING, MAKING TWEAKS TO AN ADJUSTMENTS, UM, SO THAT WE'LL BE READY TO, UH, DEPLOY CITYWIDE AT THE END OF THE, AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, THE EVP SYSTEM, UM, MOST OF THE, MOST OF THE BACKEND SOFTWARE HAS BEEN COMPLETED REALLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH WITH T S P.
UM, IN MANY WAYS THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALMOST IDENTICAL IN NATURE, IT'S JUST HOW WE, UM, ASK THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL TO A, TO ACT WHEN THEY RECEIVE THAT, UM, THAT SIGNAL.
UM, AND CURRENTLY WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, A F D E EMS AND, UM, AND THEIR CAT OPERATORS ON GETTING, UM, RELIABLE LOW LATENCY AT VEHICLE LOCATION DATA.
UM, THIS IS JUST GRAPHICAL INTERFACE OF, OF ZONES.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN OUR OPERATORS ARE MONITORING THE SYSTEM, THEY CAN SEE WHEN VEHICLES ENTER A ZONE, UM, AND YOU KNOW, IT'LL LIGHT UP AND THEN THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WE CAN GATHER FROM IT, SPEED OF THE VEHICLES, UM, AND WHETHER THE VEHICLES ARE LATE OR NOT.
UM, AND REALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE BUILDING OUT HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE A LOT OF THE REPORTING CAPABILITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SYSTEM IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE FREQUENCY, THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS, UM, RECEIVE T S P REQUESTS AND E V P REQUESTS, YOU KNOW, THE SPEED OF VEHICLES OR DELAY WITHIN THESE ZONES.
UM, REALLY THE, THE TYPE OF MEASUREMENTS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE REALLY NOT SEEING, YOU KNOW, ACROSS, YOU KNOW, THE INDUSTRY WHEN WE DO LITERATURE SEARCHES, UM, WE DON'T SEE, WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF GREAT BEFORE AND AFTER, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPARISONS AND, YOU KNOW, WITH THE 8 0 1, 8 0 3 BECAUSE THE TSP SYSTEM WENT LIVE WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN THOSE ROUTES WENT LIVE, YOU KNOW, THERE REALLY WASN'T A BEFORE CONDITION.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO SEE THE TRUE EFFECTIVENESS BY MONITORING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW TRANSIT ROUTES ARE IMPACTED ONCE THIS GOES LIVE, WHAT THE REDUCTION IN, UM, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE ONCE WE GO LIVE.
UM, AND THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE UPDATE.
UM, I AM OPEN TO QUESTIONS NOW.
YEAH, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO, UM, QUANTIFY THE EFFECTS, SO TO SAY LIKE, UM, SINCE 2013 WE'VE SAVED, UM, YOU KNOW, X NUMBER OF MINUTES ON TRANSIT VEHICLES FOR, UM, INDIVIDUALS TRAVELING ON THE 8 0 1, 8 0 3, UM, THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
LIKE, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, LIKE, THAT WOULD BE DATA THAT I THINK A LOT OF US WOULD BE CURIOUS ABOUT.
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE ABLE TO DO? DO YOU GET LIKE RECORDS OF OF THAT? SO, SO WHEN WE IMPLEMENTED 8 0 1, 8 0 3, LIKE I SAID, THERE REALLY WASN'T A BEFORE CASE THAT WE COULD COMPARE TO.
UM, BUT THAT IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF STORY THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO, TO TELL ONCE, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE'RE READY TO GO LIVE.
AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, ONCE YOU GO LIVE, IT'S VERY HARD TO TURN IT OFF AND, YOU KNOW, FOR TWO WEEKS TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE A, YOU KNOW, A NOT ON CONDITION.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED, WE'VE WORKED WITH CAT METRO, UM, IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING THE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST 15, THE FIRST 50, UM, BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY BE WORKING WITH THEM TO, UM, YOU KNOW, DETERMINE WHAT AVERAGE, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAVEL TIME ACROSS A SPECIFIC ROUTE IS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE TURN IT ON.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WORK WITH THEM LOOKING AT PASSENGER COUNTS AND, AND TAKING MEASUREMENTS AFTER, YOU KNOW, THE SYSTEM IS ACTIVE.
[00:15:10]
UM, I KNOW THAT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP IS CONSIDERING A VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM LIKE THE ONE IN LIKE THE TSP SYSTEM IN PHOENIX, AND YOU CITE THAT AS A MODEL.IS IT ONE YOU'VE LOOKED AT OR AT ALL FAMILIAR WITH? I COULDN'T SAY THAT I AM.
UM, IT, I, I MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE, THE SYSTEM THAT THEY USE, UM, IF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IF I HAD THE, THE MAKE AND MODEL OF IT, BUT I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T TELL YOU OFFHAND.
APPARENTLY IT'S PARTLY HOMEGROWN, SO YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIND UP MUCH ABOUT IT UNLESS YOU TALK TO THEM DIRECTLY.
BUT ATP STAFF HAVE MENTIONED THAT AS A SYSTEM, AS A MODEL FOR WHAT IS POSSIBLE WITH PSP.
IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, WE'LL LET BRIAN GO AND, UH, ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
[3. Discussion and possible action on Vision Zero Updates Presenter: Lewis Leff, Transportation and Public Works Department]
ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON VISION ZERO UPDATES, UH, PRESENTED BY LOUIS.LEFT IT UP, I'M SLIDE STAY RIGHT THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INVITING ME BACK.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU, GET ALL AN UPDATE ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON AND SOME OF THE TRENDS AND INSIGHTS THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE DATA.
UM, THE FIRST HALF OF THE PRESENTATION WILL BE VERY DATA FOCUSED, SO LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO PAUSE ALONG THE WAY OR WE CAN KIND OF PAUSE AFTER THAT DATA SECTION AND THEN WE'LL JUMP INTO MORE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES THAT IMPACTS.
SO, UH, AS WAS MENTIONED, MY NAME IS LEWIS LEFT.
I'M THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICER, LEADING OUR COMMUNITIES VISION ZERO EFFORTS FROM OUR NEW TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, AS WE USUALLY DO.
BEFORE WE START, I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE WHY WE'RE HERE AND WHY WE DO THE WORK THAT WE DO.
WE USE THIS PUBLIC HEALTH METRIC CALLED YEARS OF LIFE LOSS TO REMIND OURSELVES OF ALL THE YEARS THAT PEOPLE DON'T GET TO EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN, UH, PREMATURELY KILLED IN A TRAFFIC CRASH.
SO THEY DON'T GET TO EXPERIENCE THAT, AND THAT MEANS THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR FRIENDS ALSO DO NOT GET TO EXPERIENCE THAT OVER TIME.
SO JUST A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON THE REALLY TRAGIC LOSS THAT WE'VE HADN'T EXPERIENCED JUST WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THIS YEAR IN MARCH.
SO AS A REMINDER AND, AND THE CONTEXT OF WHAT TYPE OF WORK WE DO AND, AND WHY WE DO IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY AROUND THE SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH AND THAT RECOGNIZES THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE, THE ROADWAY USERS AND THEIR BEHAVIORS.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT HOW WE DESIGN THE ROADS.
IT'S A MIX OF A, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TOPICS THAT ARE ALL GONNA HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AND, AND WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS THE SAFER GOAL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REACH OF ZERO RELATED FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES.
AND THIS REALLY IS AN ETHICAL APPROACH, AND IT'S ABOUT NOT ACCEPTING THESE FATALITIES OF SERIOUS INJURIES AS SOMETHING THAT JUST HAPPENS IN THE RUNWAYS.
IT'S JUST PART OF THE TRADE OFF OF GETTING AROUND TOWN IS THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE DYING EVERY THREE AND FOUR DAYS IN AUSTIN.
THE HUMAN BODY'S VULNERABLE AND WE KNOW THAT THE HUMANS, UH, EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.
AND WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT ABILITY TO MAKE MISTAKES WITH BEING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A TWO TON VEHICLE, THAT MEANS THAT THOSE MISTAKES CAN BECOME FATAL PRETTY EASILY.
SO RECOGNIZING THOSE ASPECTS, WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS REALLY SEPARATE USERS IN TIME AND SPACE.
THAT MEANS WITH SIGNAL TIMING THAT BRIAN WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT, WE CAN DIVIDE A LEADING PEDESTRIAN INTERVAL, LETTING FOLKS START TO CROSS THE ROAD BEFORE THE VEHICLES START, OR SEPARATING USERS AS THEN SHARED USE PASS OR SEPARATED BIKE FACILITIES TO BE ABLE TO SEPARATE THEM FROM THE MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC MAKES IT SAFER FOR EVERYBODY ON THE ROADWAYS.
AND JUST MENTIONING ONE LAST PIECE, WE REALLY CAN'T PREDICT WHERE THE NEXT SEVERE CRASH HAPPENS.
YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY IS SERIOUSLY INJURED EVERY 16 HOURS ON AVERAGE, AND AUSTIN, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THE NEXT ONE'S GONNA HAPPEN EXACTLY, BUT WE KNOW THE FREQUENT ONES THAT OCCUR ON THE SAME TYPES OF ROADWAYS.
WE KNOW THE CONDITIONS WHERE IT'S MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY TRY TO FOCUS ON, BEING PROACTIVE, NOT JUST REACTIVE TO THE HISTORY OF CRASHES.
AND THE SAFE SYSTEM APPROACH IS NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ME, MY TEAM OF FIVE PEOPLE, OUR DEPARTMENTS, IT'S REALLY ALL THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SYSTEMS COMING TOGETHER.
AND THAT MEANS LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THAT MEANS, UH, SOME TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT ON THE ROADWAYS, THAT MEANS
[00:20:01]
EMS AND FIRE BEING ABLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY TO CRASHES.THAT MEANS CAT METRO PROVIDING OPTIONS FOR MASS TRANSIT, WHICH IS TYPICALLY MUCH SAFER THAN BEING, UH, A SINGLE DRIVER IN A VEHICLE.
THAT MEANS THE POLICY MAKERS HAVE TO BE ON BOARD, AND THAT MEANS DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TOWARDS THIS SAME GOAL.
SO, UH, THANKFULLY WE'VE BEEN A VISION ZERO CITY FOR SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS NOW, AND WE'VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS IN THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE, BUILDING UP THAT KNOWLEDGE BASE AND KNOWING WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T, UH, BUT WE'VE GOTTA KEEP WORKING TOWARDS EVERYBODY WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL AT THE END OF THE DAY.
HERE'S SOME OF THE DATA AND TRENDS THROUGH THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
UH, THESE ARE BY CRASHES, AND THE NEXT SLIDE WILL BE BY ACTUAL PEOPLE.
SO LOOKING AT CRASHES, SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES, WE'VE HAD 107 RELATIVE TO THIS POINT.
LAST YEAR WAS 110, SO A LITTLE BIT OF A REDUCTION THERE.
WHEREAS WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A, AN INCREASE IN FATAL CRASHES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE HIGHLIGHTED NUMBERS, PEDESTRIAN SEARS INJURIES AND PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ARISING IN AUSTIN AS THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS AS THEY HAVE BEEN NATIONALLY.
AND WE SEE THE MOTORIST DEATHS ARE, AND SERIOUS INJURIES CONTINUE TO BE THE MAJORITY OF THE DEATHS AND SERIOUS INJURIES THAT WE SEE OVER TIME.
BUT YOU CAN SEE JUST SHIFTING FROM SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES OVER TO FATAL CRASHES, THAT PERCENTAGE THAT RELATIVE SHARE, UH, YOU START TO SEE THE VULNERABLE USERS, PEOPLE WALKING AND BIKING START TO SHOW UP MORE FREQUENTLY, ADJUST SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES, AND THEY SHOW UP MORE FREQUENTLY THAN THEY WOULD INGEST ALL OVERALL CRASHES AS WELL BECAUSE OF THAT VULNERABILITY HERE IS THE BY MODE FATES, UH, AND SERIOUS INJURIES BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN INJURED OR KILLED.
THE SAME THING SHOWS UP HERE AS FAR AS PERCENTAGES SHARE OVERALL AMOUNTS.
WE STILL, AGAIN, HAVE SEEN ABOUT A FLAT SERIOUS INJURY NUMBER RELATIVE TO LAST YEAR AND A LITTLE BIT HIGHER ON THE FATALITY NUMBER.
PRETTY MUCH I WANNA FOCUS IN PARTICULARLY ON THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING OR BIKING, JUST TO SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THE INSIGHTS THAT WE FIND AND, AND TRY TO CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON JUST UNDERSTANDING THE, THE DATA FROM DIFFERENT LENSES.
UH, IF WE SHOW BY DAY OF THE WEEK AND BY HOUR OF THE DAY AND FOUR HOUR BINS WHEN CYCLIST CRASHES HAPPEN OVERALL, AND THEN WE REALLY DIG DOWN INTO THOSE FATAL AND SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES THAT WE'RE TRYING HARDEST TO AVOID.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TRENDS ARE TYPICALLY AROUND THE MOST ACTIVITY DURING THE WEEK, UM, FOR OVERALL CYCLISTS CRASHES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT SHIFT THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET INTO THOSE LATE NIGHT, UH, LATE, LATE EVENING, EARLY KIND OF OVERNIGHT PERIOD.
YOU START TO SEE MORE OF THOSE, UH, SERIOUS INJURIES AND FATALITIES HAPPEN IN THOSE DARKER PERIODS.
IT'S A SIMILAR CONDITION WITH THE PEDESTRIAN CRASHES AS WELL.
UM, OVERALL, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THE, UH, MAJORITY OF THOSE CRASHES HAPPENING IN THE EVENING AND, AND THE PM PEAK WHEN MOST PEOPLE ARE GETTING AROUND.
AND THEN INTO THOSE EVENING HOURS, PARTICULARLY ON THE WEEKENDS, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THOSE HIGHER NUMBERS, EVEN THOUGH ACTIVITY RELATIVE TO A WEEKDAY IS A LITTLE BIT LESS.
TRY TO MOVE THIS FOR FOLKS THIS ROOM.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENS.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT.
YOU SEE EVEN HIGHER NUMBERS IN THOSE EARLY MORNING HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THE WEEKENDS, SATURDAY, SUNDAY MORNINGS, WHEN YOU DON'T TYPICALLY SEE THAT SORT OF ACTIVITY OVERALL DURING THE WEEK WHEN YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT PEDESTRIAN CRASHES OVERALL.
SO A SHIFT INTO THOSE LATE NIGHT, EARLY EVENING, OVERNIGHT HOURS WHEN IT'S DARK, WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS LIKE IMPAIRMENTS AND DRESSINESS AND OTHER THINGS PLAYING OUT, THAT'S WHEN WE SEE THE MAJORITY OF OUR SERIOUS INJURY FATAL CRASHES FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES HIGHLIGHTING THAT FROM A GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE, UH, WHERE THESE ACTUALLY HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS ASSUME THEY'RE HAPPENING AT CROSSWALKS.
UM, BUT THE REALITY IS WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF THESE HAPPEN ON FREEWAYS.
A LOT OF THESE HAPPEN ON ARTERIALS AND SERVICE ROADS IN THE MID-BLOCK AREAS, AND THEN INTERSECTIONS ARE ACTUALLY A SMALLER PERCENTAGE OVERALL RELATIVES TO SOME OTHERS.
AND THERE'S A CATEGORY HERE CALLED NEAR VEHICLE, NEAR PEDESTRIAN ON THE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES LOOKING AT THE LAST THREE YEARS.
AND REALLY THAT'S, WE'VE SEEN A INCREASE IN PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THEIR CARS FROM A MINOR CAR CRASH AND BEING ABLE, BEING HIT AND STRUCK AND KILLED AFTER THAT AS A SECONDARY CRASH.
SO THEY'RE COUNTED AS PEDESTRIANS EVEN IF IT WAS A SECONDARY CRASH AFTER THEY HAD JUST GOTTEN OUTTA THEIR CARS.
ALSO SEEN SOME UNIQUE RUNOFF, THE ROAD TYPES OF SITUATIONS WHERE SOMEBODY MIGHT BE IN A PRIVATE PARKING LOT OFF OF THE FREEWAY OFF OF THE SERVICE ROAD AND, AND THEY GET HIT AND KILLED.
SO SOME OF THESE ARE, UH, ARE UNIQUE SITUATIONS, BUT THE MAJORITY ARE HAPPENING ON OUR FREEWAYS OR MAJOR ARTERIALS IN OUR SERVICE ROADS, KIND OF IN THOSE MID-BLOCK AREAS.
NOT AS MANY HAPPENING ON INTERSECTIONS.
SAME THING WITH CYCLIST FATALITIES.
A LOT OF THE MAJORITY OF THE ONES THAT WE SEE ARE HAPPENING MORE OUTSIDE OF INTERSECTIONS IN THOSE MID-BLOCK AREAS.
AND I THINK IT LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THOSE SHARED USE PATHS SEPARATED BY FACILITIES ARE REALLY WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS ON OUR ENGINEERING DESIGN EFFORTS.
[00:25:01]
UH, INTERSECTIONS ARE TWO OUT OF THE, UH, 10 FOR THAT THREE YEAR PERIOD FOR CYCLISTS.I WANNA BREAK DOWN A LITTLE BIT OF THE, THE ROADWAY OWNERSHIP.
UH, WE'VE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT THIS IN RECENT YEARS, JUST RECOGNIZING THE DIFFERENCE OF HOW THE ROADS ARE DESIGNED WHEN THEY'RE DESIGNED WITH, YOU KNOW, MOVING VEHICLES THROUGH QUICKLY AND MOVING THE VAST MAJORITY OF VEHICLES AND, AND HIGHER VOLUMES OF VEHICLES THROUGH QUICKLY.
YOU SEE THESE TRENDS START TO PLAY OUT NEGATIVELY FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES.
AND SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE TOP GRAPH HERE IS JUST THE TREND OVER TIME FROM A SIX YEAR LOOK THROUGH 2022, THE DARKER LINE IS THE PEDESTRIANS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON STATE-OWNED ROADS.
AND THEN THIS IS THE PEDESTRIAN TREND OVER TIME ON CITY ROADS, WE'RE SEEING THE SAME THING WITH THE DARK SOLID LINE FOR CYCLISTS.
AND THE DOTTED LINE IS THE OFF SYSTEM, THE CITY-OWNED ROADS FOR CYCLISTS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT TREND IS REALLY INCREASING ON THOSE STATE-OWNED ROADS RISES, IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT IN A, IN A BIT OF AN INCREASE THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS FOR THE OFF SYSTEM ROADWAYS.
THIS IS BY AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN STREET LEVEL.
AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT, SIMILAR CONCEPTS, YOU KNOW, LEVEL FIVES ARE THESE FREEWAYS, LEVEL FOURS ARE FRONTAGE ROADS AND SOME OF OUR MAJOR ARTERIALS LEVEL THREES OUR ARE CITY STREETS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE MAJORITY OF 'EM, YOU CAN SEE THE TREND PLAYING OUT YEAR BY YEAR.
THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE GENERALLY IN THE, THE HIGHER LEVEL STREETS WHERE THERE'S WIDER FASTER ROADWAYS, PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES BY YEAR.
JUST SHOWING YOU STATEWIDE TRENDS AND HOW THAT RELATES TO THE ON SYSTEM, OFF SYSTEM WITHIN THE CITY.
STATEWIDE TRENDS, AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, HAVE BEEN GOING UP OVER TIME AND YOU CAN SEE THAT TREND ON SYSTEM ROADS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS ALSO GOING UP SIMILAR RATES, WHEREAS THE OFF SYSTEM ROADWAYS HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT OVER THAT SAME PERIOD.
CYCLIST FATALITIES HAVE BEEN RISING ON SYSTEM, UH, THROUGHOUT THE, OR STATEWIDE OVERALL, THAT DARK LINE THERE AND YOU CAN SEE THE SCALE HERE IS A LITTLE BIT SMALL.
THANKFULLY WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY OF THOSE BICYCLIST FATALITIES IN AUSTIN.
SO, UH, SEEMS TO JUMP AROUND QUITE A BIT, JUST RECOGNIZING THAT THE SCALE IS A LITTLE BIT SMALL.
WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFF SYSTEM AND ON SYSTEM ROADS FOR CYCLIST FATALITIES.
STEPPING BACK TO OVERALL CRASHES, NOT JUST PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS, BUT OVERALL, UH, SEEING THE TRENDS OVER TIME WITH ON SYSTEM ROADWAYS, HOW THAT'S PLAYED OUT SINCE 2015 VERSUS THE TREND LINE FOR OFF SYSTEM CITY OF AUSTIN.
A COUPLE OF OTHER UNIQUE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS, BUT REALLY THE TRENDS ARE, ARE PRETTY CLEAR THAT WE'VE SEEN THIS INCREASE ON THESE HIGHER, FASTER ROADWAYS AND WE'VE SEEN RELATIVELY FLAT A LITTLE BIT OF A DECLINING TREND OVER TIME.
ON THE OFF SYSTEM ROADS LAST YEAR WAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE WE'VE SEEN IN RECENT YEARS.
UH, THREE OUTTA FOUR OF THE FATAL FATAL CRASHES HAPPENING ON SYSTEM, WHEREAS, UH, THIS YEAR, 65%, ACTUALLY THE LATEST NUMBER I SAW THROUGH APRIL WAS BACK UP TO 70%.
SO IT'S USUALLY TWO OUT OF THREE.
AND LAST YEAR WAS THREE OUT OF FOUR FATAL CRASHES OVERALL HAPPENING STATE ON ROADS.
SO JUST CAN TAKE AWAYS FROM THE DATA BEFORE WE TAKE A PAUSE.
UM, REALLY WE'RE ABOUT FLAT RELATIVE TO LAST YEAR THROUGH MARCH.
FATAL CRASHES ARE UP AND SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES ARE DOWN.
SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES ARE TYPICALLY A HIGHER NUMBER.
SO OVERALL FLAT TOTAL REPORTED CRASHES CITYWIDE DOWN ABOUT 6% HIGHLIGHTED THOSE EARLY MORNING AND EVENING HOURS AS TYPICALLY PROBLEMATIC IN IN HAVING THE MAJORITY OF OUR FATAL CRASHES.
54% OF THE FATAL CRASHES IN JUST A THIRD OF THE DATE PERIOD AND JUST MENTIONING THAT GOES UP TO 70%.
THE ACCOUNT FOR THE PEDESTRIANS WINDOW PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES OCCURRED IN THE LAST KEY POINTS.
JUST THE ON SYSTEM FATALITIES CONTINUE TO BE AT LEAST 65 PERCENT'S CLOSER TO 70, 75% AT THIS POINT, ALL TRAFFIC RELATED FATALITIES IN AUSTIN.
SO I'LL PAUSE THERE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
I DON'T KNOW IF OR ANYTHING I GUESS THAT'S SUGGEST, UH, JUST RAISING YOUR VOICE IF YOU GOT SOMETHING YOU TO ANSWER.
WELL, I'LL, OH, YOU'VE, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THOSE, THOSE STATS ARE SOBERING AND, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH YOUR PARTNERS AT TECH DOT, UM, ON THIS AND THERE'S VARIOUS EFFORTS AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL FOR SAFETY.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A, A CRITICAL PARTNERSHIP HERE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ON SYSTEM AND OFF SYSTEM, I'M STATING THE OBVIOUS.
SO, UM, OF COURSE THAT DOESN'T EXCUSE US FOR THE, LIKE OUR OWN ROADS, BUT IT'S, IT'S, THAT'S REALLY, UM, REALLY, REALLY MARKED.
SO YES, YEAH, WE, WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH
[00:30:01]
OF THOSE ROADWAYS IN COORDINATION WITH THEM.UM, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THE NUMBERS OVERALL, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, ANYBODY DYING ON THE ROADWAYS, ANYBODY SERIOUSLY INJURED, DOESN'T MATTER, YOU KNOW, WHO OWNS THE ROADWAY ON PAPER? WE WANNA TRY TO REDUCE THOSE OVERALL AND I THINK, UH, WE'RE THANKFUL THAT WE'VE GOT THE SIMILAR ALIGNMENT ON THE POLICY GOALS OF ZERO DEATHS.
UH, STATE OF TEXAS ADOPTED THEIRS A COUPLE, THREE YEARS AFTER WE DID, BUT THANKFULLY WE'RE ALIGNED ON THE POLICY GOAL AND NOW WE'VE GOT A NATIONAL ROADWAY STRATEGY WITH THE U S D O T AS WELL AND ZERO DEATH GOAL.
SO FROM THE POLICY PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE ALL ALIGNED ON THE OVERALL GOAL.
HOPEFULLY THAT STARTS TO LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES OVERALL, RIGHT? KEEP US MOVING.
IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS JUMP IN AT ANY POINT, LEMME KNOW.
UH, SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE DO.
WE'VE GOT QUITE A BIT UNDERWAY.
UH, THE MAP ON THE RIGHT IS FROM, UM, A PUBLIC WEBPAGE THAT SHOWS US SHOWS WHERE THE WORK IS BEING DONE, WHERE THERE'S PROJECTS THAT ARE EITHER PLANNED IN PROGRESS, IS THE BLUE OR COMPLETED AS THE ORANGE, AND THAT'S ACROSS MULTIPLE BOND PROGRAMS. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT, OUR VISION ZERO WORK FROM 2016 BONDS, 2018 BONDS AND 2020.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN, UH, VERY ACTIVE AND PROACTIVE IN TRYING TO LEVERAGE THOSE BOND DOLLARS FOR FEDERAL FUNDS THAT COME THROUGH.
AND YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS SAY HS I P, THAT'S THE HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, FEDERAL FUNDS THAT FLOW THROUGH THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT ALLOW FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AT HIGH OPPORTUNITY AREAS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE OUR COMMUNITY BOND DOLLARS TO, TO PITCH IN THE LOCAL MATCH FOR THOSE.
AND I THINK WE'VE GOT OVER $5 MILLION THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT LATER ABOUT, UM, SOME UPCOMING WORK WITH THE SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS THAT WERE NEW AS OF LAST YEAR THAT WE WERE AWARDED AND WORKING TOWARDS A GREAT AGREEMENT ON THAT.
SO THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE WORK THAT WILL BE HAPPENING.
UH, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING ON INTERSECTIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE AND, AND THANKFULLY WE'VE BEEN MAKING GREAT PROGRESS AND SCALING UP THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
SO A LOT OF WORK ONGOING AND A LOT OF WORK IN DESIGN AS WELL, UH, MENTIONED THAT IT'S NOT JUST INTERSECTION SAFETY THAT WE LOOK AT, THERE'S A VARIETY OF TYPES OF WORK THAT WE DO.
SYSTEMIC SAFETY IS NOT JUST LOOKING AT HISTORIC CRASHES, BUT LOOKING AT TREATMENTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED AT LOCATIONS WHERE WE KNOW THOSE CONDITIONS MIGHT LEAD TO THESE SEVERE CRASHES.
SO CURVES ARE ONE AREA WHERE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S, UH, BEEN A HISTORY OF CRASHES AT SOME LOCATIONS AND WE DID A CITYWIDE SCAN TO SEE WHERE THESE OTHER HIGH OPPORTUNITY CURVE LOCATIONS MIGHT BE TO TRY TO ADDRESS WITH, WITH SOME SIGNS AND MARKINGS AS YOU CAN SEE, ADDITIONAL, UM, RAISE PAPER MARKERS, THE RPMS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND THAT GUIDE YOU WHEN YOU'RE GOING AROUND THE CURVE.
AND SO TRYING TO, UH, DO THAT AT 40 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
WE'VE COMPLETED THE MAJORITY OF 'EM AND AWAITING SOME SIGN INSTALLATIONS FOR THE LAST FEW, BUT THAT'S A SYSTEMIC SAFETY PROJECT THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE DONE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS.
UH, ACCESS MANAGEMENT IS ANOTHER THING, ANOTHER AREA THAT WE'VE WORKED ON, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO REDUCE THOSE CONFLICTS THAT HAPPEN AND, AND THAT TYPE OF SITUATION YOU SEE ON THE LEFT IMAGE THERE IS, IS VERY COMMON THROUGHOUT CITIES LIKE AUSTIN THAT DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT THE SEVENTIES, EIGHTIES, NINETIES, WHERE WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SHOPPING CENTERS, A LOT OF BIG PARKING LOTS THAT FEED INTO MULTI-LINE ARTERIALS.
AND SO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE COULD REDUCE THOSE CONFLICTS, GOING FROM A A DOZEN CONFLICT POINTS DOWN TO TWO OR THREE, IT'S REALLY GONNA MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE OVER TIME.
SO WORKING TOWARDS SOME GUIDELINES THERE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT AS WELL AS SOME, UH, PROACTIVE PROJECTS WHERE WE KNOW THOSE CONDITIONS EXIST.
UH, JUST MENTIONING TO A COUPLE OTHERS WORKING WITH OUR SIGNALS GROUP, BRIAN CRAIG AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC TO WORK WITH ON SOME LEFT TURN GUIDELINES WHERE WE WANT TO PROTECT THOSE LEFT TURNS AT LIGHTS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THESE OPPOSITE DIRECTION CRASHES OR, OR LEFT TURN ACROSS PATH CRASHES THAT HAPPEN AT SIGNALS WHERE YOU'VE GOT, UH, EITHER A GREEN BALL OR A FLASHING YELLOW ARROW.
SOMETIMES THAT'S ENOUGH TO MOVE UP TO THE FLASHING YOUR ARROW, AND SOMETIMES WE NEED TO JUST PROTECT THOSE BASED ON THE CONDITIONS.
SO WORKING PROACTIVELY ON DOING PROTECTIVE LEFT TURNS AT DOZENS OF LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT TOWN.
AND I'LL JUST MENTION TO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PROGRAMS, ANOTHER PROGRAM PUTTING IN PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AT DOZENS OF LOCATIONS, MULTIPLE STREETS.
ANOTHER ONE YOU CAN FIND ON THE WEBSITE AS FAR AS WHAT'S IN CONSTRUCTION AND WHAT'S BEEN COMPLETED AND WHAT'S IN DESIGN.
AND UPCOMING LIGHTING IS ANOTHER AREA OF FOCUS.
UH, I MENTIONED ALL THE DATE, THE, THE DARK CONDITION CRASHES, THE 8:00 PM TO 4:00 AM TIME OF DAY.
YOU CAN SEE THE SAFETY BENEFITS THAT FROM A NATIONAL STANDARD IS, IS REALLY DRAMATIC IF YOU CAN HAVE BETTER LIGHTING SO PEOPLE CAN SEE AND BE SEEN ON THE ROADWAYS.
UH, WE'VE GOT FOUR OF THOSE HCI PROJECTS FOCUSED ON LIGHTING, HOPING TO GET THOSE THROUGH THE PERMITTING AND AND CONSTRUCTION PHASES OVER THE NEXT EIGHT MONTHS OR SO.
AND THEN CORRIDORS AND INTERSECTION LIGHTING THAT'S UNDERWAY.
WE'VE GOT CONSULTANT WORKING ON SPECIFIC HIGH OPPORTUNITY LOCATIONS, PARTICULARLY THOSE 2016 BOND LOCATIONS.
AND THEN, UH, WITH THAT NEW GRANT, WE'VE GOT A CITYWIDE LIGHTING STUDY THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING KICKING OFF IN THE NEXT YEAR.
SO EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR LIGHTING IF IT'S STARTING TO GET SOME PROJECTS ACTUALLY ON THE GROUND OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.
[00:35:02]
AND WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN IF, IF WE'RE NOT TRACKING OUR PROGRESS AND EVALUATING THE IMPACTS OF THOSE INVESTMENTS? YOU KNOW, ARE WE, ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT THOSE LOCATIONS WHERE WE'RE SPENDING THE MONEY? AND THANKFULLY THE EARLY ANALYSIS THAT WE'VE DONE IS SHOWING THAT WE ARE SEEING SERIOUS REDUCTIONS, UH, INTERSECTION SAFETY PROJECTS SHOWING A 30% REDUCTION OVERALL CRASHES AND, AND 31% REDUCTION IN THE SERIOUS INJURY OR FATAL CRASHES, LEFT TURNS AT SIGNALIZE INTERSECTIONS.I MENTIONED THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING NOW, BUT THAT'S BUILDING ON SOME PRIOR KIND OF INITIAL CONVERSATIONS, INITIAL TREATMENTS THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, HUGE REDUCTION, 60 PLUS PERCENT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF THOSE TYPES OF CRASHES THAT WE CAN ADDRESS PRETTY QUICKLY.
HIGH BENEFIT COSTS WHEN YOU CAN CONSIDER SIGNAL TIMING CHANGES.
AND THEN, UH, A LAST ONE I'LL MENTION, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THOSE SIGNS THAT SHOW YOU HOW FAST YOU'RE GOING ON CERTAIN ROADS.
UH, WE WORKED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, THE CLASS DID A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF THE LOCATIONS THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY ADDED THESE AHEAD OF SOME OF OUR PROBLEMATIC INTERSECTIONS AND WE'VE SEEN 30 PLUS PERCENT CRASH REDUCTIONS AND A REDUCTION IN SEVERE CRASHES OF THOSE LOCATIONS AS WELL.
SO THERE'S SOMETHING THERE ABOUT NOTIFYING DRIVERS OF JUST HOW FAST THEY'RE GOING AND GETTING THEM BACK INTO PAYING ATTENTION FULLY TO THE ROADWAY AHEAD OF THESE INTERSECTIONS THAT'S STARTING TO SHOW A REAL DIFFERENCE IN CRASH OUTCOMES.
I WANNA MENTION ANOTHER PROJECT IN COORDINATION WITH OUR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION GROUP.
UH, IF Y'ALL HAVE BEEN OVER LONGHORN DAM, PLEASANT VALLEY, UH, BRIDGE THERE, YOU'VE SEEN THE THE DIFFERENCE OF THE ROADWAY CONFIGURATION THERE.
AND THIS IS REALLY ONE OF OUR MOST CRITICAL KIND OF TOOLS IN OUR TOOL BELT TO BE ABLE TO READJUST SOME OF THAT ROADWAY TO, TO BETTER OUTCOMES, BOTH FOR MOBILITY AND SAFETY PURPOSES.
GOING IN INTO THAT PROJECT, UH, WE HAD THIS ON OUR HIGH INJURY ROADWAYS AND COMING OUT OF IT WE'VE SEEN AN 82% REDUCTION IN INJURY TO FATAL CRASHES ON AN ANNUALIZED BASIS BY CHANGING THE ROADWAY CONFIGURATION, ADDING SOME PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ISLANDS, ADDING SOME, UH, PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS, MAKING THAT SHARED USE PATH A LITTLE BIT WIDER AND MORE COMFORTABLE OVER THE BRIDGE.
UH, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN INJURY AND FATAL CRASHES.
40 PLUS PERCENT REDUCTION IN TOTAL CRASHES ON AN ANNUALIZED BASIS.
UH, SAME THING FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES AND 68% REDUCTION IN THE TOP TWO CRASH TYPES TIED TO REAR ENDS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO FIX WITH SOME OF THOSE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THESE NEW TURN BAYS INTO THE CREEK FIELDS.
THERE'S NEW TURN BAYS INTO CANTERBURY STREET THAT'S REALLY MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE ON THIS ROADWAY.
AND UH, IF YOU'VE BEEN DOWN THERE, IF YOU'VE SEEN THE IMAGES, IT'S JUST AN INCREDIBLE, UH, TRANSFORMATION OF THE SPACE ITSELF.
THAT USED TO BE A VERY CONSTRAINED AREA FOR PEOPLE WALKING AND BIKING AROUND THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL.
BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT DIFFERENCE ON A DAILY BASIS, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
SO I'LL JUST MENTION THAT BEFORE I WRAP UP.
YOU KNOW, WE DO PAY ATTENTION TO THE POLICY AND PROCEDURES ASPECTS, MENTION THE ACCESS MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES.
WE'RE PUTTING IT IN PLACE, UH, SIGNAL, LEFT TURN GUIDELINES, INTERSECTION CONTROL EVALUATION, LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT SOME MORE ROUNDABOUTS THAT ARE REALLY EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING SEVERE CRASHES AT INTERSECTIONS.
AND THEN JUST MENTIONING FROM THE ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE HAD A MEMO BACK TO COUNSEL IN DECEMBER AND A LOT OF TALK ABOUT ENFORCEMENT LATELY AND, AND TRYING TO SHOW THAT YOU CAN NARROW THAT FOCUS TO THE CRITICAL SAFETY BEHAVIORS OF DRIVERS THAT ARE CAUSING THESE SEVERE CRASHES.
STARTING TO THINK ABOUT ALTERNATIVES TO ENFORCEMENT AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR STATE LAW CHANGES OR WHAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO LOCALLY.
AND THEN JUST THINKING MORE HOLISTICALLY ABOUT THE COSTS TO THE COMMUNITY OF TRAFFIC CRASHES, WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT DATA NUMBERS IN THERE FROM A A DOLLAR'S PERSPECTIVE, FROM FIRE DEPARTMENT, FROM EMS, HOW MUCH IT COSTS THEM TO RESPOND TO ALL THESE CRASHES WHERE WE COULD BE PROACTIVE AND MAKE REAL SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE DESIGN OF THE ROADWAY, HOW WE OPERATE IT, AND SAVE SOME OF THOSE PUBLIC SAFETY DOLLARS AND RESOURCES FOR MAYBE HIGHER NEEDS.
QUESTIONS ON, UM, SO AS I RECALL, WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED RIGHT, IT RECOMMENDED, UH, CIVILIAN IZATION OF NON-MOVING OFFENSES AS THAT WAS CURRENTLY ALLOWED FOR STATE LAW.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY MOVEMENT, MOVEMENT ON DOING THAT? AND THEN ALSO IN THAT, HAS THERE BEEN AN EVALUATION OF WHETHER THAT NEEDS TO BE CITY EMPLOYEES OR WHETHER THAT COULD BE DONE ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS IS SIMILAR TO THE ACCESSIBLE PARKING ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM? YEAH, I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE RESOLUTION WAS TO EXPLORE WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S POSSIBLE FOR THE NON-MOVING VIOLATIONS.
THERE'S STILL, UM, I THINK WITHIN THE, THE STATE CODE TRANSPORTATION CODE, THERE'S STILL SOME AREAS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE BY A PEACE OFFICER AS DEFINED BY THE CODE.
BUT FOR THE ONES THAT WE KNOW THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO SOME TRUCKING ENFORCEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'VE GOT MOBILITY OFFICERS IN OUR DEPARTMENT, OUR TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT THAT ARE DOING SOME OF THAT WORK ALREADY AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT LIKE SPECIAL EVENTS.
WHAT OTHER THINGS CAN WE DO WITH, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZING WHAT ABDS SAYING AND LACK OF RESOURCES, WHAT ELSE COULD WE TAKE ON AND TRY TO START TO MOVE OVER THAT AREN'T MOVING VIOLATIONS FOR THAT WORK.
SO I THINK WE'RE, YOU KNOW, STILL EXPLORING THAT STUFF, BUT I THINK WE'VE TAKEN ON WHAT WE KNOW I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN DO WITHOUT STATE LAW CHANGES, STILL LOOKING AT THE OTHER PIECES THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO.
AND THE PARTS YOU'RE CONFIDENT THAT STATE LAW ALLOWS A NON PIECE OFFICER TO DO
[00:40:01]
ARE ALL NON-MOVING TRAFFICS, RIGHT? SAY, SAY THE PERSPECTIVE ALL THAT'S THE, WHAT YOU'RE CONFIDENT IN STATE LAW ALLOWS YOU TO DO IS ALL NON-MOVING TRAFFIC? I'M NOT CONFIDENT ON THAT.WE'VE GOT CLARIFICATION OF THAT.
I THINK THERE ARE STILL SOME NON-MOVING VIOLATIONS THAT PEACE OFFICERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
SO FOR NON-MOVING, UM, ACTIVITIES, LET'S SAY, SO LIKE SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTING TRAFFIC THAT'S, IT'S NOT A VIOLATION, BUT THAT'S A PEACE OFFICER THAT HAS TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, BARRICADES AND MAYBE SOME OTHER PARTS THAT AREN'T DIRECTING TRAFFIC ACTIVELY THAT WE COULD DO INSTEAD OF A POLICE OFFICER.
THAT'S WHAT WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO LOOK FOR.
SO SEPARATE OUT WHAT OTHER THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY C LAW OR DEFINED BY STATE LAW VERSUS, AND THEN MY FOLLOW UP TO THAT WOULD BE, THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY BEFORE THE MERGER OF AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, HAS ANY OF THAT ENFORCEMENT PIECE FROM INSIDE, WHAT WAS AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THAT REORGANIZATION? ARE THE THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW TO MODERNIZE THAT OR HAS THAT BEEN STRAIGHT CARRIED ACROSS? WHEN YOU SAY MODERNIZE, UM, EXPAND IS PROBABLY A BETTER WORD THAN MODERNIZE.
YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE RIGHT NOW STILL IN THE PROCESS OF MERGING THE TWO DEPARTMENTS.
IT'S GONNA TAKE, UM, A GOOD LITTLE WHILE TO DO THAT JUST BASED ON THE SIZE.
I THINK WE'RE UP TO A THOUSAND FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES NOW AND SO, UM, I HAVE NOT SEEN OR HEARD ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA CHANGE WHAT THOSE MOBILITY OFFICERS ARE DOING WITH PARKING ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.
BUT, UM, THAT IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY WITH MORE RESOURCES, HOW WE START TO SHIFT THOSE RESOURCES TOWARDS HIGH PRIORITY NEEDS.
I THINK IT'S ALWAYS ON THE TABLE, JUST NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE AS FAR AS I'M AWARE OF ANYTHING CHANGING
SO, UH, I THINK THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE BEFORE I WRAP UP HERE.
THE, JUST WANNA MENTION THE GREAT NEWS THAT WE DID RECEIVE EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UH, HOPEFULLY Y'ALL SAW THE HEADLINES AND THE, AND THE GREAT CELEBRATION THAT HAPPENED WHEN WE WERE AWARDED 22.8 MILLION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF MILLION OF LOCAL FUNDS THROUGH THOSE COMMUNITY BONDS.
SO AGAIN, THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT'S BEEN VITAL TO, TO LEVERAGING AND GETTING MORE FEDERAL FUNDING.
UH, WE'VE GOT A STRONG FOCUS WITHIN THAT GRANT, UH, FROM THE US DOT'S PERSPECTIVE OF REDUCING THIS FATALITY, SERIOUS INJURIES WITH PROVEN SAFETY COUNTER MANAGERS.
UM, AND THEY WANNA HAVE THIS EQUITABLE LENS TO IT AND THEY WANT US TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THAT WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF THE GRANT AGREEMENT.
WE ARE STILL IN CONVERSATION WITH FH W A TRYING TO HAVE A KICKOFF MEETING WORKING TOWARDS A GRANT AGREEMENT.
AND SO, UM, THAT FIVE YEAR PERIOD HAS NOT STARTED YET, BUT WE'RE GONNA REFINE A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT OUR APPLICATION HAD, WHAT THEY'RE HOPING TO SEE, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT AND THEN START TO KICK THAT OFF HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, BE ABLE TO START, UM, GETTING SOME OF THOSE CONTRACTS AND SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS OUT THE DOOR SO YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF WHAT THOSE PROJECTS MIGHT BE IN THAT LAST BOARD THERE.
SO REALLY, UM, HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THESE POLICY GOALS? EXCUSE ME.
WE GOTTA STEP UP AND SCALE UP THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
WE KNOW WHAT CAN BE EFFECTIVE BASED ON THE EVALUATIONS THAT WE'VE DONE.
WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM POLICY MAKERS, CITY LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY REALLY SHOULD BE A PART OF THAT ADVOCATING AND PUSHING FOR THIS CHANGE.
WE NEED SAFER ROADWAY DESIGNS WITH THE GEOMETRIC CHANGES LIKE LONGHORN DAM AND THAT PLEASANT VALLEY PROJECT THAT CAN REALLY MAKE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES, UH, LIGHTING FOR ALL MODES, AND THAT'S NOT JUST STREET LIGHTING BUT UH, TRAIL LIGHTING AND PEDESTRIAN SCALE LIGHTING AND THEN THAT NARROWLY FOCUSED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT I THINK IS A KEY PART THAT WE'VE SEEN FROM A LOT OF OTHER SUCCESSFUL KIND OF EUROPEAN SOUTH AMERICAN CITIES THAT HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROJECT OF PROGRESS OVER TIME.
THEY WRAP AROUND THE ENFORCEMENT WITH THE DESIGNS, CHANGES THAT THEY'RE DOING.
UH, IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT CONNECT'S GONNA BE CRITICAL WITH MASS TRANSIT BEING A, A VIABLE OPTION FOR A LOT MORE PEOPLE.
COLLABORATION WITH TEXTILE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
AND THEN SOME OF THESE STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATIVE CHANGES, YOU KNOW, THAT MEMO LAID OUT A FEW OPTIONS ON THE TABLE.
WE'VE GOT OPTIONS LOCALLY THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO EXPLORE.
AND THEN STATEWIDE OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE'VE SEEN SOME PROGRESS.
I THINK THIS SESSION, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THE THE SPEED LIMIT SETTING METHODOLOGY AND, AND UH, LEVELS OF SPEED THAT IS ALLOWED HAS ACTUALLY PASSED BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE.
SO AS SOON AS THAT IS SIGNED AND IN EFFECT, UH, WILL ACTUALLY HAVE THE OPTION TO GO DOWN TO 20 MILES PER HOUR ON SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS.
SO SOME SUCCESS THERE AT THE STATEWIDE LEVEL AND THEN CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON LAND USE FOR SOME PROSECUTION AND SOME, A VARIETY OF POLICY DECISIONS, UM, EVEN ON THE TABLE NOW IN THE PARKING.
OTHER THINGS THAT COULD REALLY HAVE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR ABILITY AND SAFETY.
I'LL GIVE YOU JUST SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE PROGRESS AT BARTON SPRINGS AND SOUTH FIRST.
ONE OF OUR LAST MAJOR SAFETY INTERSECTION PROJECTS FOR 2016 BOND.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO TRANSFORM FROM A NARROW SIDEWALK WITH, UH, A PAINTED BIKE LANE TO SHARE USE PATH ALONG THAT SECTION OF ROADWAY WITH PROTECTED INTERSECTION DESIGN AROUND THE EDGES THERE.
HOPEFULLY THAT PROJECT WRAPS UP THIS SUMMER AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT AND GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
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CAN WE GET, THERE WE GO.UM, UH, BIG WIN ON LONGHORN DAM.
I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU ON THAT.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THE PROTECTED LEFT TURNS BEING A PRIORITY, OR AT LEAST LIKE ONE OF THE TOOLS IN YOUR TOOLKIT.
I WANTED TO SEE IF NO LEFT TURN IS ALSO IN THERE.
I'M THINKING ABOUT THE DRAG SPECIFICALLY AND UM, JUST THE REDUCTION IN IN, YOU KNOW, CONFLICTS BETWEEN CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS WHEN YOU HAVE NO LEFT TURNS SITUATION LIKE THAT.
IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL THINK ABOUT FOR PLACES LIKE CONGRESS AVE OR ANY OTHER PLACE? IT IT'S CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS OF, OF WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, WE COULD ACCOMMODATE THOSE LEFT TURNS WITH THAT, THAT NEED BY FOLKS TO GET TO THOSE DIRECTIONS WHERE WE'RE ALSO SEEING A VERY HIGH PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY.
I THINK THE DRAG MAKES A LOT OF SENSE BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT, THE TYPE OF WEST CAMPUS RESIDENTIAL USE, THE, THE FLOW OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF CARS GOING INTO CAMPUS ON A REGULAR BASIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE THERE.
AND SO, YEAH, WHEN LOOKING AT SOMETHING LIKE SOUTH CONGRESS, UM, IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT ARE THOSE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOLKS TO ACCESS THEIR HOMES, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS THAT MAKE SENSE? AND, AND, AND YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY IT'S A SYSTEMIC SAFETY I THINK CONCEPT.
AND THEN PARTIALLY IS THERE ANY HISTORY OF, OF ALTERCATIONS OR CRASHES? AND THAT'S AN AREA WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON AS WELL IS JUST LOOKING AT NEAR MISS DATA, UH, THROUGH SOME VIDEO ANALYTICS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.
SO WE'RE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER ON THE DATA SIDE TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT WHERE MAYBE A A NO LEFT TURN OR NO RIGHT TURN MIGHT MAKE SENSE.
UM, BUT YEAH, AS OF NOW I, I THINK THE DRAG IS, I THINK THE ONLY AREA I'M, I'M SUPER FAMILIAR WITH.
IT'S GOT THAT LEFT TURN, UM, PROHIBITION.
AND YOU MENTIONED BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
I DIDN'T, I WAS WONDERING, I KNOW THERE WAS LIKE A VERY WELL PUBLICIZED CRASH THAT OCCURRED.
UM, I, I CAN'T, I FORGET THE NAME OF THE INTERSECTION.
UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF INJURIES FROM THAT ONE AND I WAS WONDERING, ARE Y'ALL GONNA WAIT UNTIL WE UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES TO THE BRIDGE? I KNOW THERE'S A POTENTIAL LANE REDUCTION ON BARTON SPRINGS ROAD THROUGH ZILKER.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU'RE SUPPORTING THE LANE REDUCTION OR IF YOU'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN BEFORE YOU THINK OF CHANGES TO THAT ROAD.
YEAH, THE, THE CRASH YOU'RE REFERRING TO HAPPENED APRIL LAST YEAR.
IT WAS AT BARTON SPRINGS AND STEARING AND THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF ATTENTION THAT WAS A, A, A TRAGIC CRASH.
I THINK 11 PEOPLE INVOLVED, I THINK 10 SERIOUS INJURIES IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, STANDING ON THE SIDEWALK AND, AND JUST TRYING TO ORDER SOME ICE CREAM.
AND SO, UH, THE SPEED THAT WE SAW ON THAT ROADWAY LED US ACTUALLY IN DECEMBER.
WE MADE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES THERE.
SO IT WENT FROM 35 DOWN TO 30 ALONG THAT SECTION OF GARDEN SPRINGS, I THINK ALL THE WAY OVER TO CONGRESS.
WE'VE ACTUALLY PUT UP SOME DYNAMIC SPEED DISPLAY DEVICES ALONG THAT STRETCH OF ROAD AND WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED SOME ACCESS MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS ALONG SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS.
UM, SERVING WAS NOT IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE OF THE, THE VOLUMES OF ACTIVITY OF THE APARTMENTS AND CONDO ACCESS, UM, WAS REALLY GONNA BE PROBLEMATIC THERE.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT MAKE U-TURNS TO GET BACK TO AZ MORTON.
AND SO, UM, WE, WE HAVE DONE SOME OF THOSE INTERIM TREATMENTS AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, CONSTANTLY IN CONVERSATION WITH THE LOCAL PARK PLANNING PROCESS.
UM, THERE'S ALSO THE BRIDGE CONVERSATION AND, AND DESIGN.
THERE'S THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM OFFICE WORKING ON SOUTH LAMAR AND WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, CONTINUAL CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT COULD BE DONE ALONG THAT STRETCH OF ROAD AND HOPING TO, YOU KNOW, COME TO SOME DECISIONS AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE WITH ANY FURTHER ACTION.
ARE YOU GONNA MAKE AN OPINION ON THE LANE REDUCTION DO YOU THINK? I WILL NOT MAKE AN OPINION RIGHT NOW, BUT UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, IN THE FUTURE.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
UM, HAS REDUCING THE SPEED ON THAT ROAD ACTUALLY AFFECTED PEOPLE'S SPEEDING? SO WHAT WE TYPICALLY SEE WITH A, UH, A SPEED REDUCTION IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT ADHERE TO THE SPEED LIMITS DO COME DOWN.
AND SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SEE SPEED LIMITS, WE'VE DONE, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF SPEED LIMIT PACKAGES THROUGH COUNCIL.
THE ROADS THAT WE'VE EVALUATED WHERE ARE MORE LIKE ARTERIALS LIKE BARNEY SPRINGS OPERATES, WE SEE THE, THE SPEED REDUCTION FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT 85TH PERCENTILE IS THE TECHNICAL TERM FOR IT.
85% OF PEOPLE'S TRAVELING AROUND THIS SPEED WE SEE THAT COME DOWN TO, TO THREE MILES PER HOUR ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I HAVEN'T SEEN, I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE THE FULL EVALUATION ON THE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES JUST YET CUZ IT'S SO RECENT.
BUT THAT'S TYPICALLY WHAT WE SEE WITH SPEED LIMIT CHANGES.
AND THEN THE DYNAMIC SPEED DISPLAY DEVICES GIVE US SOME, SOME MEDIA DATA AS WELL TO WORK WITH.
SO WE'LL BE ANALYZING SOME OF THAT AND SEEING IF FURTHER CHANGES ARE NEEDED IN THE FUTURE.
BUT THE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE 85TH PERCENTILE.
MOSTLY IT'S ABOUT THE 95TH, IT'S ABOUT THAT 5% OF DRIVERS THAT CHOOSE TO GO WELL IN EXCESS OF THE SPEED.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THROUGH THE, THE WORK THAT WE DO IS THAT EGREGIOUS SPEEDING THAT REALLY IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO PRESERVATION OF HUMAN LIFE OR, OR INDUCING THOSE SERIOUS CENTURIES.
[00:50:05]
DANIEL GALMAN JUST HAVE YOU, UH, HELLO.THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION LOUIS.
UH, GREAT WORK AND YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME.
ONE IS I KNOW THAT, UM, JUST LIKE CAMERAS AND AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT ARE PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW AT LEAST LIKE AT LIKE INTERSECTIONS AND ANYTHING, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT COMES CLOSE TO SOME SORT OF, UM, TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT OR TRAFFIC SAFETY ENFORCEMENT, UM, THAT INVOLVES LESS INTERACTION OR LESS TIME BETWEEN POLICE AND LIKE, UM, VIOLATORS OF TRAFFIC LAW? YEAH, REALLY WHAT WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, IN MOST OTHER PLACES THAT ARE, ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS, THEY DO HAVE SOME SORT OF AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER THAT'S RED LIGHT RUNNING ENFORCEMENT OR SPEED ENFORCEMENT THROUGH, UH, AUTOMATIC TICKETING BASED ON THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER INSIDE.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM MOST PLACES.
I THINK THE CLOSEST WE CAN COME RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY THOSE DYNAMIC SPEED DISPLAY DEVICES THAT ARE SHOWING YOUR SPEED.
IT'S NOT ENFORCEMENT, IT'S NOT GONNA SEND A TICKET OR A WARNING, IT'S NOT AN INTERACTION BETWEEN PEACE OFFICERS AND PEOPLE AND VEHICLES, BUT IT'S THAT REMINDER OF THE SPEED THAT'S HAPPENING ITSELF AND THAT SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE AT SOME LEVEL, AT SOME OF THE MAJOR INTERSECTIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS.
SO THAT'S ABOUT AS CLOSE AS WE'VE COME, UH, WITH THAT STATE LAW.
THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING ASPECTS WITHIN THE STATE LAW AS FAR AS MUNICIPALITIES NOT BEING ABLE TO DO AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT BEING SPECIFIC LANGUAGE WITHIN THE LAW, BUT, UH, THERE ARE OTHER JURISDICTIONS BESIDES JUST MUNICIPALITIES.
SO IT'S KIND OF AN INTERESTING, I THINK, CONVERSATION TO HAVE WHETHER OR NOT THERE'D BE SOME OTHER INTERESTS FROM MONO AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT FROM A DIFFERENT JURISDICTION.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY TAKING A LOOK AT.
I THINK THAT WOULD NEED SOME REALLY POLICY LEADERSHIP ON TO REALLY MOVE FORWARD IN LIEU OF ANY STATE LAW CHANGES.
UM, AND SO LIKE HAS THAT BEEN A PRIORITY FOR ANY OF LIKE THE DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES LIKE ACROSS TEXAS TO LIKE, I GUESS THIS, THIS IS PROBABLY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THIS CONVERSATION, BUT LIKE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THAT STATE LAW? YEAH, I MEAN I I'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF VISION ZERO CITIES IN TEXAS THAT THERE'S INTEREST IN THAT.
I THINK, UM, I THINK EVERYONE RECOGNIZES THAT THE, THE VIABILITY OF THAT AT THE STATE LEVEL IS, IS PRETTY LOW AT THE MOMENT.
UM, BUT I, I KEEP WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT SOME COALITION COMING TOGETHER PROBABLY TAKES SOME, SOME REAL STRONG COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AROUND THAT, BUT SOME COALITION TO COME TOGETHER AND AND ADVOCATE FOR THAT MIGHT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE OF, OF WHETHER OR NOT IT GETS A SERIOUS CONVERSATION AT THE STATE LEVEL.
UM, AND I'LL JUST MENTION TOO, DANIEL, TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, UH, A LOT OF, A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN UP FRONT OTHER PLACES IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON IN-PERSON ENFORCEMENT WHEN YOU DESIGN YOUR ROADWAYS TO MITIGATE FOR THAT HIGHER END SPEED.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS AND, AND THAT'S THE DIFFICULT PART OF THE CONVERSATION HERE LOCALLY IS HOW FAR CAN WE GO WITH THE DESIGNS KNOWING THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SOME IMPACT TO, TO PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE BEHIND THE WHEEL.
THAT IMPACT FOR SOMEBODY SITTING COMFORTABLY IN THE CAR, UH, WILL BE LESS OF AN IMPACT THAN THE BENEFIT THAT WE'LL GET FOR EVERYBODY AND PEOPLE IN THE CARS, PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE CARS.
IF WE CAN DESIGN OUR ROADWAYS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONDUCIVE TO PEOPLE GETTING AROUND SAFE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, AND THEN ONE MORE QUESTION AND THAT IS ON, UM, TEXT DOT OWNED RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, I'VE NOTICED THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S GONNA BE A PROJECT ON LIKE CERTAIN PARTS OF LIKE THINKING LIKE SOUTH LAMAR, SOUTH CONGRESS AND LIKE MAYBE NORTH LAMAR NORTH OF 180 3 THAT I BELIEVE ARE UNDER MANAGEMENT BY THE CITY, BUT LIKE OWNED BY TECH DOT.
HOW DOES SORT OF THE COST BREAKDOWN HAPPEN TO IMPROVEMENTS OF THOSE ROWS? ARE WE RECEIVING ANY SORT OF STATE MONEY TO DO THESE LIKE, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS FOR SAFETY OR IS IT ALL JUST COMING FROM CITY COFFERS? I I DON'T KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF EVERY PROJECT, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHICH EXACT ONES YOU'RE MENTIONING, I THINK WHAT YOU'VE REFERENCED IS MOSTLY, UM, EITHER VISION ZERO INTERSECTION SAFETY PROJECTS OR SOME OF OUR CORRIDOR PROGRAM OFFICE WORK.
AND SO MAJORITY OF THOSE FUNDS FOR THOSE TWO PARTICULAR BUCKETS ARE COMING FROM COMMUNITY SUPPORT BONDS.
SO LOCAL DOLLARS IF YOU WILL, WE'VE TRIED TO AGAIN, LEVERAGE THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
SAFE STREETS ROSE FOR ALL TO BE ABLE TO AT LEAST GET SOME OF THAT FEDERAL FUNDING TO OFFSET THE LOCAL DOLLARS.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL BASED ON WHAT YOU LAID OUT, I THINK MAJORITY IS LOCAL FUNDING AND THEN TECHS, YOU KNOW, HELPING TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK AND ALLOWING US TO DO THOSE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THERE IS A PARTNERSHIP THERE, BUT AS FAR AS FUNDING, IT'S MAJORITY LOCAL FUNDS UNDERSTANDING.
[00:55:01]
WHAT IS THE TIME COURSE OF DYNAMICS STEAM DISPLAYS EFFECTIVENESS? I IMAGINE EVERYBODY NOTICES THEM WHEN YOU FIRST PUT THEM IN, WHAT HAPPENS? YEAH, USUALLY YOU SEE THE, THE STRONGEST REDUCTION, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE, UM, INSTALLED AND COLLECTING DATA FOR ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THEY'RE ACTUALLY SHOWING THE SPEEDS.AND YOU'LL SEE THE BIGGEST REDUCTION AFTER THAT FIRST WEEK WHERE IT TURNS ON AND THEN IT COMES BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE AVERAGE SPEED THAT'S HAPPENING, IT'S ABOUT THE EGREGIOUS SPEED.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE SEEING THAT REDUCTION AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S PLAYING OUT IN THE DATA THAT THE UT STUDENTS FOUND.
IT'S REDUCING THE CRASHES FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY AS WELL.
IS THAT, UH, REDUCTION OF REGIS SPEEDING LAST OVER TIME? IT, IT SEEMS TO BE LASTING.
WE, WE INSTALLED THE FIRST BATCH OF I THINK 14 DEVICES, UH, JANUARY OF 22.
AND SO WE, WE'VE SEEN THAT OVER A 14 MONTH PERIOD AND CONTINUE TO KIND OF PERSIST OVER TIME AS FAR AS REDUCING, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE OUTCOME IS THE CRASH REDUCTION OF INJURIES AREA.
UM, AND WE'VE SEEN SOME REDUCTION ON THAT HIGH END SPEED, WELL, CONSIDERABLE BETWEEN, UH, SPEED TABLES AND LENGTHS AS TO THEIR EFFECTIVENESS.
YEAH, AND LET ME CLARIFY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
IS 14 SPECIFIC LOCATIONS NEAR ARTERIAL INTERSECTIONS, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BASED PROGRAM FOR THOSE DSDS WHEN COMPARING TRAFFIC COMBINING DEVICES VERSUS, UH, DISPLAY DEVICES.
SO THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BASED ON THE TYPE OF ROADWAY, THE TYPE OF VOLUMES, THE TYPE OF SPEEDS, THE TYPE OF NUMBER OF WIDTHS, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
JUST PREVIOUS, PREVIOUS DISCUSSION TEXT ARE ACTUALLY, THE REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION DOES HAVE SAFETY GOALS.
IT'S REQUIRED TO HAVE A PROGRAM TO MEET THEM SAFE FUNDING.
AND LATELY THERE'S BEEN CONSIDERABLE CONCERN ABOUT THOSE PROGRAMS AS OF RIGHTS CRASH.
SO IT MAY NEED MORE CAMPO FUNNELED MONEY OR TWO TEXT, PRIMARILY TWO TEXT DOT OR CRASH REDUCTION OR THE THINGS WE CALL CRASH REDUCTION.
NOT AS AN OPEN QUESTION, IT'S MORE NORMALLY THERE MENTION THAT SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT BE OF BENEFIT.
ARE THERE OTHER, I HAVE SOMETHING TOO.
AND LET ME ACTUALLY TELL YOU RUBEN, TOO, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WHERE THE MIC IS LOCATED.
I CAN HEAR YOU, BUT I THINK IF YOU, WHENEVER YOU'RE SPEAKING, YOU MAY WANNA LEAN A LITTLE BIT MORE FORWARD TOWARD THE MIC.
IT MIGHT IMPROVE THE AUDIO A BIT.
IT'S NOT, IT'S YOU'RE AUDIBLE, BUT IT MIGHT HELP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, MY QUESTION FOR, UH, FOR LEWIS WAS, UH, RELATING TO FUNDING.
I MEAN, AS YOU SHOWED US, UM, ON THE MAP, A LOT OF, WE'VE BEEN REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE BOND FUNDING FROM 20 16 20 18 IN 2020, UM,
AND, UM, THEY, UM, AND, AND TO THIS FUNDING A LOT OF THESE AMAZING PROJECTS.
AND SO, UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION THERE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THINKING FORWARD, I MEAN THERE'S BEEN ACTUALLY SOME CHATTER ABOUT WHETHER FUTURE BONDING MIGHT BE COMING SOON AGAIN, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK, UM, HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH FUNDING IS LEFT IN THOSE POTS FOR VISION ZERO? AND, UM, HOW SOON DO WE NEED TO SORT OF RE-UP YOUR COFFERS? CUZ SOMETIMES THAT'S SOMETHING THAT U T C, UM, TAKES SOME INTEREST IN.
UH, IS, IS TRANSPORTATION BONDS.
YEAH, I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND THE INTEREST AND MAKING SURE WE'VE GOT THE MONEY TO SPEND TO DO THESE SAFETY PROJECTS.
UH, I'LL TELL YOU, 2016 WAS A 15 MILLION AMOUNT, UH, 2018 WE'RE USING 11 MILLION PROVISION, ZERO SAFETY PROJECTS.
2020, WE GOT ABOUT 32 MILLION FOR MAJOR SAFETY PROJECTS.
AND THEN I, AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE GOT 5 MILLION OF THE H SIP FUNDS, FEDERAL FUNDS CAME IN BY LEVERAGING THOSE DOLLARS.
AND THEN THE 23, APPROXIMATELY 23 MILLION.
SO THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE JUST GOT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS ALMOST LIKE A WHOLE BOND IN ITSELF.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE.
UH, I THINK WE EXPECT TO SPEND THE, THE REMAINDER OF THE 2016 BONDS, UH, THIS YEAR AND THEN 2018 WOULD BE, UH, FULLY SPENT NEXT YEAR.
AND SO WE'LL BE WORKING TOWARDS THAT 2020 TIMELINE AFTER THAT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WE'VE GONE AFTER THE SAFE STREETS AND ROSE FOR FEDERAL GRAND.
WE'LL, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE PUTTING IN ANOTHER APPLICATION THIS YEAR FOR SOME PEDESTRIAN FOCUS ACTIVITIES.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT LEVERAGING THOSE DOLLARS MEANS WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT MORE ON THE COMMUNITY BOND SCHEDULE.
BUT, UH, BUT I THINK WE'VE SHOWN OVER TIME, I THINK OUR TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORK STAFF HAS SHOWN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SCALE UP PROGRAMS LIKE THIS AND THE
[01:00:01]
BIKEWAYS PROGRAMS AND, UH, SIGNALS PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SCALE UP TO THIS LEVEL, YOU'VE GOT STAFF, YOU'VE GOT CONTRACTORS, YOU'VE GOT ALL THESE THINGS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, AND YOU'RE MEETING THESE SPIN PLAN GOALS.YOU KNOW, IF ALL OF THAT FALLS OFF A CLIFF IN, IN 2026, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME PROBLEMS AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO MUCH AFTER THAT.
SO I THINK THERE'S A DESIRE TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE'RE HEADED, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, COGNIZANT OBVIOUSLY OF, OF THE IMPACT, FINANCIAL IMPACT THAT BONDS HAVE TO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT BEING ABLE TO LEVERAGE 'EM FOR FEDERAL FUNDS WHEN, WHEN FEDERAL FUNDS ARE REALLY FLOWING HEAVILY RIGHT NOW FOR SAFETY IS, IS REALLY A BENEFIT FOR US.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN USE AS MUCH OF THAT AS POSSIBLE BEFORE WE COME BACK TO VOTERS FOR OUR NEEDS.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? AS USUAL, I FIND YOUR PRESENTATION SOMEWHAT DEPRESSING, BUT MOTIVATED.
OH, DANIEL, DANNY, LAST AND WHAT OPTIONS ARE THERE FOR MORE PERMANENT PRE PREDICTABLE FUNDING SOURCES? YEAH, REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS, SOME OF THE WORK WE DO JUST DEPENDS ON SOME OPERATIONAL BUDGETS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE STAFF.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A GOOD BIT ABOUT MAINTENANCE AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO OUT AND PUT A LOT OF NEW THINGS OUT IN THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN THEM.
AND THAT'S A DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE THAN, THAN CAPITAL FUNDS.
SO FROM THE, FROM THE, YOU KNOW, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW PROJECTS, THAT'S REALLY A CAPITAL SOURCE.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THOSE COMMUNITY BONDS HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY USED AND, AND WILL CONTINUE TO USE AND LEVERAGING THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS.
BUT THERE WILL BE NEEDS, UH, OVER TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT THERE.
SO AS FAR AS PERMANENT OR PREDICTABLE, I THINK THIS IS KIND OF THE, THE WAY THAT WE'VE TYPICALLY DONE IT AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING WELL FOR NOW.
AND I THINK THAT'D BE A GOOD QUESTION TO REVISIT IN A, IN A COUPLE OF YEARS IF THINGS CHANGE ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL OR, OR LOCAL LEVEL.
IF THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON.
THE NEXT ITEM OR THE LAST ITEM IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON A PROJECT CONNECT RECOMMENDATION.
WE HAVE ANOTHER, ANOTHER INTERESTING PRESENTATION DISCUSSION,
[4. Discussion and possible action on Combined Transportation, Emergency and Communications Center Presenter: Robert Turner, CTECC General Manager]
POSSIBLE ACTION ON A COMBINED ON THE COMBINED TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY AND COMMUNICATION CENTER.I HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT THE CAL METRO CONTROL CENTER, FASCINATED AND WHAT THE CITY CENTER IS ABOUT.
UM, CAN YOU ALL SEE THE NO, YOU PROBABLY CAN'T.
I'M GONNA GIVE THIS ONE MORE SHOT.
HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN STILL HEAR ME IN THE MEETING.
THAT WOULD'VE BEEN DISASTROUS.
I'M GONNA, FOLKS GIVE US ONE SECOND.
I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN'T FIX THIS.
CAN EVERYONE SEE THE PRESENTATION? I JUST NEED YES.
ALL RIGHT, ROBERT, I'LL HANDLE OVER TO YOU, SIR.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSION MEMBERS, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER AS WELL AS HELPING IMPROVE RELIABILITY TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
I WORK FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON.
IT'S THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE COMBINED TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY AND COMMUNICATION CENTER.
TODAY WHAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IS JUST A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEATAC, SORRY, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SAY.
COMBINED TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY AND COMMUNICATION CENTER ALL THE TIME.
UM, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DO THERE AT, UH, CTECH.
AND THEN I'M ALSO GONNA SPEND A FEW MINUTES TALKING ABOUT OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR
[01:05:01]
CTECH 2.0 AND SPECIFICALLY THE TRANSPORTATION, THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE THERE.SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
OKAY, SO THIS IS, UM, THIS IS WHO WE ARE TODAY.
IT'S A PARTNERSHIP, OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT GONNA READ THE SLIDES TO YOU.
SO WE'VE BEEN IN EXISTENCE, WE'VE GOT A BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY COMING UP, UM, A YEAR FROM NOW IN APRIL OF 2024.
ALL OF THE AGENCIES WILL HAVE HAD MOVED IN.
UM, WELL BEEN OPERATING AT CTECH FOR 20 YEARS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY NEXT YEAR.
AND, UM, I THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I JUST WANNA REALLY STRESS ABOUT THE FACILITY.
SO OBVIOUSLY BY AGREEMENT THE CITY IS THE MANAGING PARTNER, BUT REALLY THIS IS ALL ABOUT LOCATION AND COLLABORATION, WHICH REALLY IMPROVES OUTCOMES FOR THE RESIDENTS.
AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M OBVIOUSLY WE'VE GOT A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY CALL HANDLING, UM, COMPONENT THERE, BUT THE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PIECE IS ALSO VERY SIGNIFICANT.
A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THAT PARTNERSHIP WORKS WITH PUBLIC SAFETY HAPPENED A WHILE BACK WHEN I WAS GIVING A TOUR FOR A CHIEF OF STAFF FOR A STATE, A UH, STATE SENATOR.
AND WE WERE OUT ON THE OPERATIONS FLOOR AND I WAS EXPLAINING HOW ALL THE THINGS WORKED.
AND WHILE WE WERE CHATTING WITH THE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT FOLKS FROM TECH STOP, UH, THE EMS SUPERVISOR CAME OVER AND SAID, HEY, WE'VE GOT A CRASH.
IT WAS VERY 180 3 IN DUVAL AND CAN YOU PUT A CAMERA ON IT? SO THE TECHSTAR OPERATOR PUTS THE CAMERA ON IT AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WE'VE GOT A COUPLE CARS, ONE'S ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY AND ONE'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROADWAY.
AND THEN A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER, EMS SUPERVISOR COMES BACK OVER AND SAYS, HEY, WE'VE GOT A UNIT ON THE SCENE.
WE'VE GOT A PERSON TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE, THE CAR THEY RAN OFF THE ROAD INTO THE CENTER TRO MEDIA AND STARTING THE FIRE, WE'RE GONNA BE SHUTTING DOWN THE ROADWAY.
AND SO A COUPLE THINGS ABOUT THIS WERE REALLY THE, THE COLLABORATION PIECE.
ONE IS JUST WE WERE SHARING THAT INFORMATION AND I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, UNTIL WE REALLY ESTABLISHED THAT HADN'T HAPPENED BEFORE.
BUT THE MORE IMPORTANT THING IS WE COULD NOW TELL THE TRAVELING PUBLIC ROAD ROAD CLOSE AHEAD, LOOK AT ALTERNATE ROUTES.
WE CAN START MESSAGING TO THEM THROUGH THE DYNAMIC MESSAGE SIGNS, THROUGH THE LANE CLOSURE SIGNS, HERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PROBLEM AHEAD, START MAKING OTHER PLANS.
AND THAT HAPPENS PRETTY MUCH ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
I THINK THAT'S THE THING, THE VALUE THAT I SEE, UM, HAVING BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FACILITY FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS NOW THAT WE REALLY GOT, YOU KNOW, THE COLLABORATION BECAUSE WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME FACILITY.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT WELL THERE ISN'T A PUBLIC SAFETY PRESENCE ON EVERY SINGLE THING OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OR EVERY SINGLE THING ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
TRANSPORTATION WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN IT COMES TO ROADWAY INCIDENTS.
SO, AND, AND YOU KNOW, I CAN GO ON AND ON ON, UM, WE'LL DO ABOUT, JUST TO GIVE YOU A A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE, IT'LL BE ABOUT 1.5 MILLION EMERGENCY CALLS THAT COME THROUGH CTECH IN, UH, CALENDAR 23.
UM, WE, THE THING THAT'S REALLY BEEN NICE IS WE'VE ADDED, SINCE I FIRST CAME, WE'VE ADDED AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO THE FACILITY.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TECH STOCK CAMERAS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION CAMERAS.
AND ESPECIALLY IN PLANNED EVENTS, IT REALLY MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW ARE WE GETTING PEOPLE TO AN EVENT FROM AN EVENT? HOW ARE WE IMPACTING THE TRAVEL FOR FOLKS THAT AREN'T GOING TO THE EVENT? UH, AND SO REALLY ADDING AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION IS REALLY, UM, BEEN GREAT.
SO AGAIN, HERE'S KIND OF SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE, BUT I THINK TO ME, THE THING THAT'S SO IMPORTANT IS THAT WE'VE RECOGNIZED OVER THE PAST YEARS THE, UH, APPROACH OF MANAGING OUR TRANSPORTATION ASSETS AS ONE SYSTEM IS REALLY WHAT MAKES THE BEST SENSE FOR ALL OF OUR TRAVELERS.
SO WHEN I SAY ONE SYSTEM, I MEAN RAIL, I MEAN A COMMUTER RAIL PROJECT, CONNECT BUS ROADWAY, UM, TOLL ROADS, WE REALLY REALIZE THAT IF YOU'RE GOING FROM PULLING A TO POINT B, YOU HAVE ALL THESE OPTIONS TO GET THERE, YOU'RE GONNA CHOOSE AN OPTION THAT'S GONNA BE THE MOST RELIABLE ONE TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
AND YOU'RE GONNA USE THE ONE THAT'S PROBABLY SECONDARILY TAKES THEM LESS AMOUNT OF TIME.
SO WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE, YOU'RE PROBABLY ON A CITY ROADWAY.
YOU MIGHT GET TO AN ARTERIAL, IT'S EITHER CITY OR STATE MAINTAINED.
YOU MIGHT GET ON A STATE MAINTAINED ROADWAY OR MAYBE YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE, GET ON A CITY MAINTAINED ROADWAY, GET ON AN ARTERIAL, THEN YOU STOP AT A TRANSIT, UM, YOU KNOW, STOP AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA GET ON A TRANSIT.
BUT MY POINT IN ALL THAT IS YOU'RE TRAVELING FROM POINT A TO POINT WHERE USING A VARIETY OF MODES OF VARIETY OF TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AND IF WE'RE GOING TO, AND, AND WE'VE ALL LEARNED AS MUCH AS WE WOULD LOVE TO BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF THE, THE CONGESTION THAT'S HAPPENING, AND THAT APPLIES TO IMPACTS TO ALL TRANSIT, UH, MODES, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO BE A LITTLE
[01:10:01]
BIT SMARTER ABOUT HOW WE DO THIS.AND SO I THINK THIS IS, TO ME, THE BEST PART ABOUT CTECH 2.0 IS WE'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO BE ABLE TO BRING IN OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS, CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, SMALL CITIES, BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH, THAT WE CAN BRING IN AND START LOOKING AT THIS ONE SYSTEM APPROACH.
AND, AND THE OTHER THING IS WE CAN BE GATHERING DATA FROM ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT SOURCES.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND, UM, A TRANSPORTATION, A TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WALKED AWAY WITH IS THERE IS SO MUCH DATA NOW OUT THERE BESIDES CAMERAS.
WE'VE GOT PRO DATA THAT HELPS US LOOK AT SPEEDS.
WE'VE GOT INFORMATION FROM CONNECTED VEHICLES, INFORMATION FROM SIGNALS, ALL THIS DATA THAT'S OUT THERE.
AND WE, WE NEED AN OPPOR, WE NEED A FACILITY AND A TEAM THAT CAN START USING THAT DATA TO MORE EFFECTIVELY MANAGE OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK AS ONE SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE UH, AREA.
AND SO I OBVIOUSLY, I CAN GET ON A SOAPBOX, YOU CAN TELL I'M A LITTLE BIT EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A HUGE STEP FORWARD FOR TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT, UM, FOR THE REGION.
THE OTHER ONE I WANNA MENTION THAT I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT IS RESILIENCY.
SO TODAY SEATECH ITSELF IS A HIGHLY RESILIENT FACILITY.
WE'VE GOT BACKUP GENERATIONS IN THE LAST US SIX WITH SIX DAYS OF FUEL.
WE'VE GOT ONSITE WATER SUPPLY, WE'VE GOT HIGH RESILIENCY OF THE FACILITY, CONNECTIVITY, IT, ET CETERA.
BUT WHAT WE DON'T HAVE IS ANOTHER FACILITY THAT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT ONE THAT ALLOWS US TO HAVE BASICALLY A SEAMLESS OPERATION.
SO IF ONE FACILITY FOR SOME REASON HAS AN UNEXPECTED OUTAGE, THE SECOND FACILITY CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND PROVIDE THOSE CRITICAL SERVICES.
WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING AT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, NINE ONE ONE CALL HANDLING OR TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT.
WE NOW HAVE A SECOND LIFE FACILITY THAT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO DECISION MAKERS IN, IN ALL KINDS OF SITUATIONS.
SO I REALLY, I'M, AGAIN, TO ME THAT IS THE PROBABLY THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT THING ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, BRINGING ALL THESE OTHER AGENCIES IN.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT ON THIS SLIDE.
AND IF Y'ALL HAVE QUESTIONS, I'LL PAUSE AT THE END.
WE JUST GO, THIS SHOULD BE THE LAST SLIDE HERE.
SO IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY, UM, SO THE CTECH HAS A GOVERNING BOARD AND I COULD SPEND, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER 45 MINUTES TELLING YOU ABOUT HOW DECISIONS GET MADE.
BUT EACH PARTNER HAS ONE REPRESENTATIVE ON THAT GOVERNING BOARD.
AND SO THEY TOOK ACTION A YEAR AGO TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A SECOND OPERATIONAL FACILITY.
UM, EARLIER THIS YEAR THEY, UH, SELECTED UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DEVELOP A CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND.
AND THEN FINALLY WE'VE GOT A LETTER THAT'S BEING SENT OUT TO OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
UM, YOU LET HIM KNOW, HEY, WE'RE GETTING READY TO GET STARTED ON THIS.
WE'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
AGAIN, NO COMMITMENTS, BUT HERE'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, HERE'S HOW THIS MIGHT WORK, ET CETERA.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE GETTING STARTED ON RIGHT NOW IS THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS.
SO THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS REALLY IS GONNA COVER TWO THINGS.
ONE IS IT'S GONNA REALLY BRING THOSE ORGANIZATIONS IN THAT ARE INTERESTED IN TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT AND LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THIS CUZ IT'S A TOTALLY NEW THING WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT, OKAY, HOW DO WE ALIGN AND MANAGE, YOU KNOW, COMMUTER RAIL AT THE SAME TIME AS WE'RE MANAGING MOTOR AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, WORK TOGETHER EFFECTIVELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE TRAVELING PUBLIC.
SO THAT'S ONE PART OF THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS.
AND THEN THE SECOND THING IS REALLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TWO FACILITIES.
HOW ARE WE GONNA WORK TOGETHER? AND THAT MAY SOUND LIKE, OKAY, ALL RIGHT, HOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME OF YOU MAY SAY, OKAY, YOU JUST DIVIDED IN HALF.
WELL THAT IS INITIALLY POTENTIALLY A NICE IDEA.
HOWEVER, FOR SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT OPERATIONAL DOESN'T WORK BECAUSE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS A TOTAL OF NINE PEOPLE ON DUTY.
DO WE REALLY WANNA SPLIT THAT OPERATION INTO TWO, TWO SEPARATE, UH, LOCATIONS? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT.
BUT MY POINT OF THAT IS WE'VE GOT CTECH ONE AND CTECH TWO AND HOW WE'RE ALL GONNA WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY IN MAKING REALLY GOOD USE OF THE OPERATIONAL BENEFITS THAT WE HAVE BY BEING IN THE SAME PLACE AND AT THE SAME TIME DOING IT IN A COST EFFECTIVE WAY.
SO, UM, AND THEY, AND THE, UH, CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS THEN WILL LEAD TO WHAT KIND OF SPACE DO WE NEED? ARE THERE CERTAIN FUNCTIONS, MAYBE TRAINING GETS ALL WRITTEN IN THE FACILITY AND WE'LL REPURPOSE SOME TRAINING SPACE OF EXISTING, BUT ALL THOSE THINGS WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE AGENCIES THEMSELVES.
SO, UM, THAT IS A WHOLE LOT IN A REALLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, THEY HAPPY TO PAUSE AND TAKE ANYBODY'S QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, UH, WHILE WE'RE UP TO SPENCER.
UM, SO VERY QUESTION, A FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
THIS IS ENTIRELY JUST BASED OFF OF YOUR TITLE SLIDE.
[01:15:01]
YEAH.UM, THE OTHER ONES ARE USING IT FOR DAMAGE SURVEYS AND ALSO JUST HOW THIS PARTICULAR, UM, WATER RETENTION POND DO I NEED TO COME IN AND, AND GO IN AND DO ANY KIND OF, UM, MAINTENANCE ON IT.
BECAUSE THEN WE HAVE GOTTEN A LOT TALLER, A LOT QUICKER HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF RAIN.
SO THEY CAN USE THOSE, THAT EQUIPMENT TO MORE EFFECTIVELY SCAN THOSE AREAS TO DETERMINE MAINTENANCE NEEDS, UM, AND PERFORMANCE.
AND THEN AGAIN, IN TIMES OF FLOODING, IT ALSO HELPS THEM GET DATA ABOUT ANY KIND OF FLOOD DAMAGE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE, UH, WATER UTILITY.
IN THE FLOODS THAT WE HAD LAST, LAST YEAR, IT WAS AUGUST, I THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR, UM, THEY WERE ACTUALLY USING THE DRONES TO FLY THEIR PIPELINE ROUTES TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY DAMAGES BECAUSE A LOT OF THE WASTEWATER FOLLOWS, UM, WATERSHEDS.
AND SO THEY WERE AB ACTUALLY ABLE TO FLY THOSE ROUTES TO SEE WHO WE NEED TO SEND SOMEBODY DOWN TO GO CHECK IT OUT.
SO, UM, TEXTILE IS ONE OF YOUR PARTNERS.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH TECHO? CAUSE THEY'RE EVALUATING ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY MM-HMM.
HAVE YOU GUYS IN THIS 2.0 PLAN THOUGHT ABOUT THE NEED? I MEAN, THE FAA IS GONNA ROLL OUT PILOTS IN 2025, SO THE NEED, YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST FIVE YEARS DOWN THE LINE TO INCORPORATE ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY INTO OUR OPERATIONS.
SO AS PART OF THE CONCEPT OPERATION, CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS EFFORT THAT UT IS LEADING, UM, MY HOPE IS THANKS TO BE PART OF THAT DISCUSSION THAT THEY BRING THAT POINT UP BECAUSE WHAT WE, THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS, IF WE SAY, OH, WE LIKE THE WAY WE'RE DOING STUFF TODAY, LET'S JUST BUILD WHAT WE HAVE TODAY, BILLY.
AND, AND THAT WOULD BE TO ME JUST THE UH, UH, DISAPPOINTING OUTCOME.
I COULD PROBABLY USE THE STRONG WORD, BUT I WON'T.
UM, AND, AND SO WE WANT, AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IS, IS REALLY CHALLENGING EVERYBODY TO SAY, WHAT ARE YOU BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO OPERATE IN FIVE YEARS? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRENDS THAT YOU SEE THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AS WE LOOK AT THIS NEW FACILITY AND THE WAY YOU MIGHT BE OPERATING? SO I I OBVIOUSLY, I DON'T SPEAK FOR TECH SIDE.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT TO CHALLENGE THEIR GROUP TO THINK ABOUT THOSE KINDS OF THINGS AS WE GO THROUGH THE CONCEPT OPERATIONS.
HEY, ANYBODY YOU CAN CHALLENGE THEM MIGHT BE GOOD.
CAUSE, AND THE FEELING NOW IS THEY KIND OF WANT ALL THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS TO GO TO DFW CAUSE THERE'S SOME STUFF OUT THERE.
SO ANYBODY WE CAN TRY TO BRING BACK TO AUSTIN WOULD BE NICE.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START.
OTHER QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? OKAY.
I'M NOT SEEING HIM, SO, ALL RIGHT.
AND, AND I NEGLECTED TO MENTION AT THE BEGINNING, I MEAN, HORRIBLE.
JIM DALE, WHO IS SITTING BEHIND ME HERE, HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER AND A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO A LOT OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE NOW.
AND WE SEE THAT HE HAVING A KEY ROLE AS THIS EFFORT THAT CAME FORWARD, BOTH JUST IN TERMS OF HIS THOUGHTFULNESS AND THE WAY HE THINKS ABOUT THINGS, BUT ALSO JUST THE GREAT RELATIONSHIPS HE HAS WITH THE AREA TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATIONS.
SO MY APOLOGIES FOR, ARE THERE TOUR EVER AVAILABLE, UM, BUSINESS CARDS SO CHRISTOPHER CAN GET YOU MIND CONTACT INFORMATION.
UM, AND THEN WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK SOMETHING OUT.
SO IF THE, IF THE COMMISSION OR MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO COME, I'D BE HAPPY TO ARRANGE SOMETHING.
WEEKENDS, AFTER HOURS, WEEKDAY, WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO.
JUST UM, I JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO SCHEDULE, BUT NOT A PROBLEM.
[5. Discussion and possible action on a Project Connect Recommendation Facilitator: Susan Somers, UTC Chair]
NOW WE'RE ONTO OUR LAST ITEM NUMBER FIVE, DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION ON A PROJECT CONNECT RECOMMENDATION.AND THERE HAS BEEN A, SUSAN'S HAD A SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING ON A DRAFT WORKING GROUP,
UM, SO I'D, UM, THIS WAS PROVIDED TO YOU, IT'S IN THE CHAT, UM, A LINK TO THE GOOGLE DOC AND MAYBE WE CAN SHARE THAT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO, SO BASICALLY FIRST OFF
[01:20:01]
I'D TO INITIATE DISCUSSION, I'D LIKE TO MOVE, UM, UH, APPROVAL OF THE, UM, AND, AND WE CAN SEE IF I HAVE A SECONDWILL THERE BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO AMEND UPON? WELL, WELL LET ME, LET ME, SO WE HAVE, WE NEED A MOTION IN A SECOND, RIGHT? AND SO THEN I WANNA, I WANNA PREFACE IT AND TALK, TALK PEOPLE THROUGH IT AND THEN, UM, AS, AS A, UM, MOVER
UM, AND WE'LL GET THAT UP SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT.
SO, UM, THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A WORKING GROUP OF A COUPLE PEOPLE.
UM, IT REALLY ENDED UP BEING MOSTLY ME AND RUBEN KIND OF GOING BACK AND FORTH AND DOING SOME THINGS.
SO, UM, THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS.
UM, THE COMMENT PERIOD CLOSES TODAY AND THEN, UM, THEY GO INTO A PERIOD OF ANALYZING THE INFORMATION AND DATA AND THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP DOES, AND THEY WILL COME BACK, UM, I THINK IN JUNE WITH ANOTHER, UH, WITH A RECOMMENDATION FOR, UM, THE STRATEGY.
SO, UM, WE, WE SEE HERE THAT UM, I MEAN THE WHEREAS'S ARE ALWAYS GOOD, BUT THEY'RE NOT REALLY THE CRUX OF WHAT WE NEED TO GET TO.
UM, SO BASICALLY, UM, AND I WAS DOING THIS, UM, WHEN WE REALIZED IT WAS BASICALLY ME AND RUBEN DISCUSSING, CAN WE SCROLL DOWN A BIT TO THE, UM, I'LL READ IT OUT, BUT I GUESS MAYBE I SHOULD START FROM THE TOP.
SO BASICALLY, UM, WE START OFF, I'M SORRY YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T HAVE TO THOUGH YOU JUST, JUST FOR CLARITY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL PRESSURE TO READ IT OUT LOUD IF YOU DON'T WANNA YEAH.
OKAY, WELL WE CAN UM, OH, I'M SORRY.
CAN WE JUST GO UP TO THE START OF THE BE IT RESOLVES.
UM, SO WE, WHAT I, THE WAY I STRUCTURED THIS AMENDMENT OR THIS RECOMMENDATION WAS NOT KNOWING WHERE THIS BODY WOULD SIT.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S TWO BE IT RESOLVED.
THE FIRST ONE RECOMMENDS NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND, UM, BECAUSE OF THE HIGHER FORECAST RIDERSHIP, BECAUSE IT COULD, FOLLOWING PHASES, COULD EXTEND SERVICE FROM NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER TO HIGHER RIDERSHIP AREA WITH GREAT EQUITY IMPACT.
UM, THIS IS TALKING ABOUT OF COURSE SERVING RUNDBERG AND NORTH LAMAR AREAS, UM, WITH LIGHT RAIL IN FUTURE PHASES.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S A SECOND RE RESOLVED THAT SAYS WE ALSO RECOMMEND THE 38TH TO OLTORF TO YELLOW JACKET AS IT'S THE SECOND HIGHEST RIDERSHIP OPTION HAS THE ADVANTAGES OF SURFACE RUNNING OPTIONS, WHICH WAS TALKED ABOUT IN THE, UM, THE WHEREAS IS WHERE WE SAY THAT LIKE GIVEN SOME OF THE COST CHALLENGES WE'VE FACED, MAYBE IT'S TIME TO LOOK AT SURFACE RUNNING, WHICH IS A GREAT OPTION.
EVEN, EVEN IT'S NOT NECESSARILY EVEN A COMPROMISE.
IF IT'S DONE RIGHT, IT CAN BE DONE REALLY, REALLY WELL, WHICH IS THAT WHAT THE, BE IT THE WHEREAS'S ARE, UM, INTRODUCING AND IT SAYS IT WOULD HAVE HIGH FREQUENCY ON THE MAIN SPINE.
SO ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS WITH THE 38TH TO OLTORF TO YELLOW JACKET, IT GOES UP TO 38TH, UM, IN THE NORTH, BUT THEN THERE WOULD BE TWO LEGS.
ONE WOULD GO DOWN SOUTH CONGRESS TO OLTORF, THE OTHER WOULD GO, UM, DOWN A RIVERSIDE TO YELLOW JACKET.
AND THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE HIGHER FREQUENCY ON THE SPINE BECAUSE YOU'RE COMING FROM THE TWO LEGS OF THE SOUTH LEGS.
UM, AND IT BUILDS THE DESIRED LEGS TO SOUTH CONGRESS AND AVOIDS RIGHT OF WAY NOT CONTROLLED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT'S DISCUSSING THAT THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER OPTION, ALTHOUGH THE HIGHEST RIDERSHIP OPTION IS THE ONLY OPTION THAT HAS THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY AT THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AREA.
AND THAT WHAT THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY MEAN IS THAT, THAT THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE, UM, TO, TO TRANSIT THERE, THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE WORK COOPERATION WITH TECH DOT, UM, WHICH IS PROMISING, BUT A LOT OF, UM, VARIOUS STATE GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES ARE COMPLEX FOR AUSTIN RIGHT NOW.
SO KEEPING THAT IN MIND, SO THE WAY THAT I DID THIS WITH UM, IN CONSULTATION WITH RUBEN WAS THAT AS WE HAD DISCUSSION OF LIKE JUST PUTTING FORWARD ONE, I THINK IF THIS BODY WAS IN THE POSITION THAT WE COULD ALL AGREE ON ONE OR VOTE IN ONE IT, I DO THINK THAT WOULD BE POWERFUL, BUT, UM, I WASN'T SURE.
AND WHAT I WAS HEARING FROM A LOT OF, UM, COLLEAGUES AND PEOPLE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WAS THAT THESE WERE SORT OF THE TOP TWO THAT PEOPLE WERE CONSIDERING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND SO, UM, AND OF COURSE THERE MIGHT BE SOME PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW THAT DON'T LIKE EITHER OF THESE.
I GUESS I, YOU KNOW, SO, UM, WHAT I WAS
[01:25:01]
THINKING WAS, LET'S START WITH THE WORDING HERE FOR BOTH OF THEM AND THEN IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO TRY AN AMENDMENT TO ELIMINATE ONE, BE IT RESOLVED, THEN WE SEE WHERE WE END UP IF, IFI, I'M COMFORTABLE DOING BOTH OF THESE.
UM, IF, UH, IF PEOPLE ARE UNDECIDED.
SO, UM, THAT'S KIND OF, I WOULD BE FINE PASSING IT WITH BOTH.
I'M, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF WAITING TO SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ON THE, ON THE BODY HERE AND THEN ARE FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED DOWN HERE, UM, WHERE IT SAYS BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT WE RECOMMEND ATTP SEEK, UM, COST SAVING OR EXTERNAL FUNDING MEASURES THAT MIGHT ENABLE THE BEST PARTS OF THE TWO RECOMMENDED OPTIONS PLANS TO INFLUENCE ONE ANOTHER.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF NORTH ELMAR PLEASANT VALLEY IS CHOSEN BUILDING THE Y SEGMENT FOR A LEG TO SOUTH CONGRESS OR FOR THE 28TH OR THAT SHOULD BE 38TH.
WE NEED ALLIE, I'M HERE WITH US 38TH TO ALTER OUR YELLOW JACKET OPTION IS CHOSEN EXTENDING THE LINE NORTH LAMAR AS FAR PAST 38TH STREET AS POSSIBLE, IDEALLY TO CRESTVIEW STATION.
THAT'S, UM, AND THERE'S ONE MORE I THINK BE IT FOR THE RESOLVED.
I THINK JUST ONE MORE IN THIS DRAFT RECOMMENDATION AND THAT OH TWO MORE.
AND UM, THAT ONE WAS ABOUT RELEASING THE FORECAST NUMBER OF BUS TRANSFERS AT EACH PROPOSED LIGHT RAIL STATION, UM, AND DISCUSSING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN, UM, THE LIGHT RAIL AND TRANSFERS TO THE BUSES.
UM, AND OUR WHEREAS IS TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOW, UM, WE'LL I STILL HAVE A LOT OF BUS RIDERSHIP IN THE CITY, ALTHOUGH THE FOCUS, A LOT OF THE FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS DISCUSSING LIGHT RAIL CUZ THAT'S WHAT IN FRONT OF US.
AND THEN ALSO THAT WE DIRECT, UM, THE CITY AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS TO CREATE A PROJECT CONNECT ORDINANCE 2.0.
AND SO SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE BODY FOR A WHILE, WE REMEMBER BACK IN THE FALL, UM, THE, UH, AUSTIN A T D CAME TO US DISCUSSING THE PROJECT CONNECT ORDINANCE, WHICH SORT OF CRYSTALLIZED VARIOUS WAYS THAT, UM, THE COMMUNITY WAS GOING.
THE, THE ENTITIES WERE GONNA WORK TOGETHER TO, UM, AND UM, COOPERATE TO REALIZE THE VISION OF PROJECT CONNECT THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING WHAT A LIGHT RAIL MAINTENANCE FACILITY MEANS IN THE ZONING CODE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, THIS IDEA WOULD BE THAT NOW THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT SURFACE LEVEL TREATMENTS AND OUR, THE UTC RECOMMENDATION HERE POTENTIALLY IS GOING TO RECOMMEND SURFACE LEVEL OPTIONS FOR, UM, LIGHT RAIL THAT, UM, WE MAY NEED ADDITIONAL RULES PASSED THAT WILL REALLY, UM, GO AHEAD AND LAY THE ROUTE FOR THE HIGH, UM, REALLY HIGH PERFORMING SURFACE LIGHT RAIL.
SO THAT HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FEWEST INTERACTIONS POSSIBLE.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I, THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT LIMITED TO THIS, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS, UM, IT SAYS ITEMS, UM, THAT THAT STAFF SHOULD BRING THIS ORDINANCE TO CITY COUNCIL WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE SELECTION OF THE PREFERRED LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION OPTION.
ITEMS TO BE COVERED IN THIS ORDINANCE COULD INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BARKING GARAGE ENTRIES AND EXITS AND CURB CUTS.
SO THAT'S LIKE KNOWING THAT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF STILL CONSTRUCTION THAT COULD HAPPEN ON THE LINE AND, UH, GARAGES AND TRYING TO MINIMIZE FUTURE, FUTURE, UH, EGRESS ONTO THOSE STREET AND INTERSECTION CLOSURES, UM, THAT'S RELATED TO ESPECIALLY THE LIGHT RAIL STATIONS DOWNTOWN.
EVENTUALLY AT FULL CAPACITY, AT FULL BUILD, WE WILL, AS WE LEARNED LAST MONTH, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO CLOSE A FEW INTERSECTIONS, STREET SPACE RELOCATION ON GUADALUPE AND LAVACA, UM, POTENTIALLY HAVING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TWO-WAY LAVACA IF THE TRAINS ARE RUNNING ON GUADALUPE STREET, DIRECTIONALITY CHANGES, SIGNAL TIMING AND PEDESTRIANIZATION OF STREETS.
SO, UM, THAT IS, UM, AND THAT'S JUST, UM, KIND OF MY OWN LITTLE INNOVATION THAT I'VE BEEN PUSHING THERE
SO, UM, THAT'S SPLIT IN THERE.
SO I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M AWARE THAT ONE COMMISSIONER HAD EMAILED ME, UM, EARLIER TODAY WITH SOME, UM, ADDITIONAL IDEAS FOR, UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION AND, UM, THAT INDIVIDUAL HAS CERTAINLY I HOPE WILL OFFER, UM, UH, UM, AMENDMENT OPTION IF THEY FEEL THAT THEY ALIGN WITH THIS WHAT WE HAVE HERE.
UM, I ALSO THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY DIG IN A BIT TO SEE IF WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH RECOMMENDING THE TWO UH, SURFACE OPTIONS IF PEOPLE ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
IF PEOPLE WOULD REALLY TRY, WANNA TRY FOR ONE AND BEFORE YOU MAKE A, A MOTION TO THAT, CUZ WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT STAFFED LIKE CITY COUNCIL IS FOR A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
SO IT MIGHT BE BEFORE YOU, UH, AGGRESSIVELY MAKE MOTIONS IN THAT DIRECTION.
IT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR US TO SORT OF TALK IT OUT A BIT HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE TWO OPTIONS, UM,
[01:30:01]
SEE WHAT, SEE WHERE WE GET THERE.AS FAR AS LIKE THE TWO IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS I'D INVITE, I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE US TO DISCUSS THAT FIRST, KIND OF SEE WHERE THE ROOM STANDS AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT IF UH, UM, IF IT SEEMS CLEAR WE HAVE, UH, ROOM FOR MOTION, MAYBE SOMEBODY COULD MAKE THAT.
AND THEN ONCE WE'VE MAYBE WRAPPED THAT UP, THEN IT WOULD BE IDEAL TO THEN TAKE THE OTHER I THINK, WHICH WILL PROBABLY I THINK BE VERY FRIENDLY AMENDMENTS, UM, FROM THE, UM, FROM, I GUESS I SHOULD REVEAL WHO IT IS, BUT THEY WILL REVEAL THEMSELVES.
UM, I THINK THAT THOSE WILL BE EASY, UH, ADDS TO THIS.
UM, THE DIFFICULT PART MIGHT BE TALKING ABOUT THE TWO WHICH, WHICH IF ANY OPTIONS TO RECOMMEND OFFICIALLY.
I WILL SHUT UP NOW AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN DISCUSS THAT A BIT.
SO I CAN HOLD OFF ON THE AMENDMENTS FOR A MINUTE IF YOU WANNA DISCUSS THE OTHER STUFF.
I, I DO THINK SOME OF THEM MAY ADDRESS SOME PEOPLE'S CONCERNS, BUT I, I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE THAT WE SPECIFICALLY RECOMMEND THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER TO PLEASANT VALLEY AND I THINK OUR WHEREAS IS KINDA GET AT WHY THAT SHOULD BE, IT'S THE OPTION THAT BETTER CONNECTS WITH OUR EXISTING BUS SYSTEM AND IT DEFINITELY ADDRESSES EQUITY IN THE BEST WAY OF ALL THE PLANS IN MY OPINION.
SO I THINK IF THAT'S WHAT OUR WHEREAS IS ARE GOING TO BE IT, IT'S ALMOST KIND OF AWKWARD THAT BOTH OF THEM THERE WHERE WE'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS ONE CLEARLY ADDRESSES WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT THIS ONE'S ALSO OKAY.
IF IF, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, I MIGHT SUGGEST THAT WE SAY IF IT CANNOT BE ADOPTED, THEN WE DO THE, AND SUSAN RIVEN, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL BOTH FOR DOING THIS.
I WILL SAY MY FAVORITE IS 38TH, THE OLD TORF AND YELLOW JACKET.
SO IF, IF THERE IS AN AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THAT, THEN I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS OF COURSE DOESN'T STOP YOU FROM DOING ANYTHING.
I JUST, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A FRIENDLY DISCUSSION.
SO YEAH, DIANA, I APPRE I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT AND THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF DISCUSSION THAT I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD HAVE.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING
UM, ANYONE, ANYONE ELSE? JUST SOMETHING NEUTRAL.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? SOMETHING KIND OF NEUTRAL TO POINT OUT.
I, I THINK WHAT ATP REALLY WANTS IS NOT WHICH OF THE FIVE ALTERNATIVES, IT'S THE BEST, BUT WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE, THOSE ALTERNATIVES ARE THE BEST? AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO INCLUDE REASONS WHY WE INCLUDE THAT EACH ALTERNATIVE, WHICH WE'VE SUSAN AND I HAVE TRIED TO DO, BUT ANYBODY CAN SEE HOW TO IMPROVE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE ENCOURAGED AND I DO LIKE THE WAY YOU ALL MENTIONED THE, THE SURFACE BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I, TO ME, TO ME SURFACE IS IMPORTANT AND TO ME THE, THE 38TH, THE OLD TURF TO YELLOW JACKET IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT GETS THE, WHAT I CONSIDER THE HEART OF IT WITH EASY BUILDOUT BECAUSE PRICES ARE ONLY GONNA GO UP, RIGHT? I HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS IF THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO ANY OF THESE FIVE REALLY WITHIN THE PRICE IF THEY DON'T DO IT RIGHT THIS SECOND.
AND SO HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO DO ALL THE REST OF THE BUILD OUT? IT'S JUST GONNA GET MORE EXPENSIVE.
UM, I'VE BECOME LIKE PRETTY AGNOSTIC BETWEEN THOSE TWO, UH, CHOICES ESPECIALLY, UM, THE INNER LINING OF THE 38TH TO YELLOW JACKET TO OLTORF OPTION IS VERY ATTRACTIVE TO ME BECAUSE IT LENDS ITSELF TO, UM, HIGHER FREQUENCY.
BUT I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF EXTENDING FURTHER NORTH BECAUSE THOSE ARE HIGHER RIDERSHIP STATIONS.
SO I APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE, WHERE YOU MENTION, UH, FINDING WAYS TO SEE IF WE CAN JUST MERGE, UH, SOME OF THE BEST PARTS.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO JUST PUT THAT ON THE TABLE AND ENTER INTO THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT I DO NOT, I DO NOT WANT TO SUPPORT, UM, SOMETHING THAT ELIMINATES ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS.
UM, IF WE'RE GONNA DO BOTH, I THINK I MAY SUGGEST THAT NOT MAKING A MOTION, BUT JUST A SUGGESTION THAT WE, UM, ALSO ADD TO THE, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED ON NORTH TRANSIT CENTER, THAT IT CONNECTS WELL WITH THE EXISTING BUFF SYSTEM AND THE RED LINE AND THAT, UH, IT THE HIGHEST RIDERSHIP PER DOLLAR SPENT OF THOSE.
CAUSE I THINK THOSE ARE TWO FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE IMPORTANT IN THE CALCULUS.
ATP MAKES HIGHEST PROJECTED RIDERSHIP.
YEAH, I, I I THINK THAT WE CAN UM, I LIKE THAT.
[01:35:01]
I THINK WE WANNA, UM, FORMALIZE THAT IN A MOMENT, SPENCER, BUT UM, I THINK THAT WE COULD JUST TWEAK THE LANGUAGE THERE IN A WAY THAT IS IS OKAY FOR FOLKS PROBABLY.UM, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE TWO OPTIONS? UM, LET ME POINT OUT ONE THING.
ALL OF THE OPTIONS UNFORTUNATELY REQUIRE TECH DOT'S APPROVAL BECAUSE THERE'S A BRIDGE THAT CROSSES I 35 ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE AND SO FAR TECHO IS BEING WONDERFULLY COOPERATIVE AND HAVE PROPOSED A SPECIAL TYPE OF INTERSECTION TO GO ON THAT BRIDGE, WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE TRAINS TO PASS THROUGH VIRTUALLY NEVER STOPPING.
UH, BUT IT'S A, IF FOR SOME REASON EITHER THE GOVERNOR OR TECH DOT WANTED TO MESS WITH PROJECT CONNECT, THAT'S ALWAYS THERE.
SO I'M GONNA LATER OFFER AN AMENDMENT TO DROP THAT PAUSE FROM THE REASONS BEHIND THE, UH, 30 DAYS TO
HEARING THE DISCUSSION, I DON'T WANNA, SOME PEOPLE STILL MAY WANNA PIPE UP.
I PERSONALLY WOULD BE HESITANT TO MODIFY THE, THE FIRST THREE BE IT RESOLVES
UM, BUT I THINK IF, UM, I WOULD BE REALLY HESITANT TO SUPPORT AMENDMENTS THAT WOULD MODIFY THAT, UM, HEARING THE DISCUSSION.
BUT UM, IS THERE ANYONE THAT WANTS TO SORT OF CHIME IN ON THAT VERY QUICKLY EL THAT HAS NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY? OKAY.
I THINK WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE.
I THINK THEN, UM, AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME STEER THE SHIP HERE A BIT GUYS.
UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD THEN MOVE TO ANY, UM, ADDITIONAL, UM, BE IT RESOLVED FROM, UM, THAT, THAT COMMISSIONERS MAY WANNA OFFER, UH, OTHER AMENDMENTS LANGUAGE TWEAKS.
UM, WE ARE PRETTY INFORMAL HERE.
A LOT OF TIMES WE DO NOT DO, WE DO SOME LANGUAGE TWEAKS WITHOUT DOING A MOTION, BUT SOMETIMES SOMETHING SHOULD BE MOTIONED, UM, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING.
SO, UM, WE SHOULD JUST BE ATTENTIVE TO THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE SOMETIMES THINGS ARE MORE CONTROVERSIAL THAN WE THINK WHEN WE START CHANGING SOME LANGUAGE AROUND.
UM, SO, UM, MAYBE, I GUESS LET'S JUST, UH, SO MAYBE WE COULD TALK ABOUT THOSE SLIGHT TEXT TWEAKS THAT PEOPLE WERE BRINGING UP.
UM, FIRST CLEAR THOSE OUT AND THEN IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIVE AMENDMENTS, DO THOSE LAST, UM, COULD YOU CALL UP THE, UH, UH, DOCUMENT AGAIN, CHRISTOPHER? SURE.
SO YOU SAID YOU DO NOT WANT TO AMEND THE FIRST THREE CLAUSES? I DIDN'T SAY THAT.
I SAID LET'S DISCUSS WHAT THE LANGUAGE CHANGES ARE AND WE MAY NEED TO, SOMETIMES WE'RE SUPER INFORMAL.
IT'S LIKE WE'RE CORRECTING 28 TO 38.
LIKE WE DON'T DO, WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A MOTION AND VOTE, BUT SOMETIMES IT, LIKE LANGUAGE TWEAKS GET SUBSTANTIVE A LOT FASTER THAN YOU THINK.
SO I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR IN THOSE CASES REALLY BEING ATTENTIVE AND UM, TAKING MOTIONS AND VOTES FOR LANGUAGE TWEAKS.
SO, UM, I THINK THERE WERE SOME PROPOSED LANGUAGE TWEAKS TO BOTH OF THE FIRST TWO BE IT RESOLVED.
SO COULD THOSE, UM, THOSE OF YOU, UM, COULD WE KIND OF TALK THOSE THROUGH AND THEN I I I WILL JUST KIND OF
I'M REALLY BACK IN NORTH CAROLINA RIGHT NOW.
UM,
SO THE FIRST ONE WAS, UM, NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.
UM, AND I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT NOT JUST THE HIGHER FORECAST RIDERSHIP, BUT LIKE HER CAPTA SOME, CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME WITH THAT? WAS THAT SPENCER THAT SAID THAT? YEAH, SO I, I SUGGESTED WE HAD TWO THINGS IN THERE AND I, I THINK THEY COULD BE ADDED IF WE WANTED TO.
ON LINE THREE BETWEEN THE OPTIONS AND, AND THE FIRST TWO WORDS THERE, I THINK WE COULD ADD, UH, HAS THE LOW, WELL THIS GUESS THIS LOWS OR HIGHEST? WELL, AT FIRST I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS THAT IT CONNECTS WELL WITH EXISTING, UH, BUS ROUTES AND THE RED LINE.
[01:40:02]
OKAY.AND THEN A SECOND ONE I WOULD OFFER WOULD BE, AND I, I I WOULD THINK THIS ONE'S PROBABLY A LITTLE LESS NECESSARY, UM, THAT IT HAS THE, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ITS HIGHEST OR LOWEST COST PER PROJECTED RIDER.
LOWEST COST PER PROJECTED RIDE.
WOULD THAT BE A FAIR WAY TO PHRASE THAT? YEAH, CAN WE, LET'S TYPE THAT IN.
SO, UM, CHRISTOPHER, SO AFTER OPTIONS IT WOULD BE, CAN YOU, CAN YOU EDIT THIS? I HOPE YOU CAN
SO I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE BETWEEN THE ON LINE THREE, BETWEEN OPTIONS AND, AND, UM, I WOULD DO FOR OPTION IS CONNECTS WELL WITH EXISTING BUS ROUTES AND THE RED LINE CAPITAL.
AND THEN COMMA AFTER RED LINE.
AS HAS THE LOWEST COST PER PROJECTED RIDER, OR I GUESS IT SHOULD BE FORECASTED RIDER BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE USED BEFORE.
LOWEST COST PER FORECASTED RIDER.
FORECAST TEST PRETTY SURE SPELL THAT WRONG, BUT IT'LL BE FINE.
AND THEN A AFTER WRITER AND THEN, AND WELL ACTUALLY I DON'T KNOW HOW THE COMMISSION FEELS ON OXFORD, SO I'M IN OKAY.
SO THEN AN AND A MOTION ON THAT NOW.
YEAH, I THINK YOU WOULD ACTUALLY TAKE OUT THE, AND AFTER RED LINE AS WELL WHERE IT SAYS, UM, THAT COULD JUST BE ANOTHER COMMA THERE.
YEAH, THAT'S THE LOWEST REPORT SCHOLAR.
I FEEL LIKE THAT'S PRETTY JUST FACTUAL STUFF, BUT, UM, IF PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THAT'S WRONG, WE CAN CERTAINLY MOVE THAT, BUT I THINK I'M FINE WITH THAT.
AND THEN WE HAD THE SECOND PIECE, I THINK THE COMMENT WAS FROM RUBEN REGARDING AVOIDS RIGHT OF WAY NOT CONTROLLED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I, OKAY, SO I'M GONNA SAY HERE, I THINK YOU AND I CAN COME TO AGREEMENT.
I THINK THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT IT, THAT NORTH THE FIRST I'M GONNA TELL YOU I LOVE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.
I AM VERY, I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT MAKING A SINGULAR RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE.
IT IS VERY SCARY TO ME AND IT'S A HUGE RISK ISSUE AND I DON'T KNOW QUITE HOW TO COPE WITH IT MENTALLY,
LIKE, I, IT'S EXTREMELY MENTALLY TAXING FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT
AND, UM, SO I'D LIKE TO STILL SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
LIKE, I DON'T WANNA, I, I PERSONALLY FEEL A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE DELETING THAT, BUT I MIGHT BE OUT OF SYNC WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.
UM, SO, UM, MAYBE WE CAN JUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DISCUSSION ON THAT.
I SEE A HAND UP FROM, UM, UH, WAYNE.
YEAH, I JUST, I HAVE TO JUMP OFF HERE IN A FEW MINUTES AND SO I JUST WANT TO KIND OF CHIME IN REALLY QUICK.
UH, I, I SUPPORT HAVING BOTH OF THEM LEFT IN THERE.
UM, I KNOW THAT MAYBE THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO GET AT JUST NOW, UH, BECAUSE I, I FEEL THE SAME WAY.
IT'S LIKE HARD TO HAVE SUCH A HUGE DECISION AND JUST LIKE LEAVE ONE.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LEAVE IT OPEN IN CASE WE NEEDED TO HAVE A MOTION AND, UH, A VOTE BEFORE I STEPPED OFF.
I DUNNO HOW MUCH LONGER WE WILL BE IN ON THIS, UM, OR IF YOU'RE TRYING TO DO AT THIS MEETING OR, OR WHAT, BUT YEAH.
[01:45:01]
WHERE ARE WE AT CORMA? SO WE'VE GOT ME, WAYNE, RUBEN, AND SPENCER, DIANA, UH, DANIEL, UM, CURTIS IS SEVEN.IS THERE ANYONE THAT, OH, ATHENA'S HERE.
SO WE HAVE EIGHT, UM, THAT WOULD BE HERE SO WE CAN LOSE ONE, I BELIEVE.
AM I COUNTING CORRECTLY, CHRISTOPHER? YEP.
WE CAN LOSE ONE, CANNOT LOSE ANOTHER
WE'D LIKE TO HAVE YOU HERE FOR THAT.
SO, UM, UH, I CAN, I CAN MAYBE PUSH IT FIVE MORE MINUTES BEFORE I HAVE, BEFORE I HAVE TO SPIT, BUT I ALSO DON'T WANNA HOLD UP THE, UM, GOING OVER THE, THE VERBIAGE OF THESE, UH, YOU KNOW, OKAY, HERE'S MY POSSIBLE TEXT AMENDMENT THAT I THINK I COULD GET BEHIND ON THE SECOND ONE.
LET'S TRY TO GET THIS DONE FOR WAYNE IF WE CAN, OR IF WE CAN'T, WAYNE.
BUT I APPRECIATE YOU CHIMING IN BECAUSE, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE WITH THE BULK OF US HERE.
UM, SO MAYBE, UH, AND MAYBE TO A GREATER EXTENT, AVOIDS RIGHT OF WAY NOT CONTROLLED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
RUBEN, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? IF THE, IF THE GOVERNOR OR TEXTA WANTS TO MAKE A PROBLEM, THEY'VE GOT SOMETHING REGARDLESS.
SO I, BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE A YEAH, I, I JUST POINT THAT OUT.
THEY, THEY NEED VERY, IF THEY'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING, THEY DON'T NEED MUCH OF AN EXCUSE, THEN THEY'VE GOT A PERMANENT ONE.
SO, AND I THINK JUDGING BASED ON OUR PERCEPTION OF THE POLITICAL DANGERS OF ANY ALTERNATIVES IS NOT SOMETHING I, I DON'T THINK WE'RE, ANY OF US, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHO WHISPERS IN OUR EARS, BUT, UH, MAYBE SOMEBODY HAS DIRECT FEET FROM THE MAYOR, BUT, UM, I JUST DON'T THINK WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION TO JUDGE THE POLITICAL RISKS.
YEAH, I WILL TELL YOU THE FREQUENCY THING IS, IS ON MY MIND TOO, BUT, UM, YEAH, LET ME SAY SOME, UH, AND BY THE WAY, I'M, THE POSITION I'M IN IS, I WOULDN'T MIND A SECOND ALTERNATIVE IF, IF, IF POSSIBLY WITH AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE.
IF THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE CANNOT BE BILLED, THEN THIS IS ALSO OKAY.
THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO I'D ACCEPT.
SO, BUT ANYWAY, LET ME TALK ABOUT THE HIGH FREQUENCY ON THE MAIN SPINE, UM, THAT'S ALREADY BUILT INTO THE RIDERSHIP ESTIMATES, SO I HEAR YOU.
YEAH, I, I'M, I'M TRYING TO RESPECT PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY PREFER THIS OPTION AS THEIR FIRST CHOICE.
I PREFER THIS OPTION AND CRYSTALLIZE WHY THOSE REASONS WHY THEY, WHAT REASONS THEY WOULD HAVE FOR THAT.
MAYBE WE SAY THE TRUNK, THE, THE ONE THING THAT REALLY SWAYED ME IS IF THIS IS BUILT, THEN WE HAVE A TRUNK THAT CAN BE ADDED ONTO WITHOUT SERIOUS, WITHOUT IMPEDING RIDERSHIP ON THE TRUNK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN BUILT.
AND, UM, JUST ON THIS ONE AS WELL, I UNDERSTAND THAT LIKE THE INCREASED FREQUENCY IS ALREADY BUILT INTO THE STOPS MODEL, BUT I THINK THAT THE FREQUENCY IS, IS ITSELF LIKE A PUBLIC, LIKE A GOOD, LIKE A BENEFIT REGARDLESS OF ITS IMPACT ON RIDERSHIP? UM, THAT'S, THAT'S MY OPINION THERE.
WOULD YOU STILL FAVOR, UH, INCREASED FREQUENCY, REDUCED RIDERSHIP? I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD.
I THINK IT'S, IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
WELL, I HEAR THAT YOU'RE MAKING A CASE, BUT I DON'T THINK I'M, I'M GONNA TELL YOU, I DON'T THINK THIS, THIS ROOM HAS, UM, SPACE TO, TO DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO AND PASS THIS, THIS MOTION, THIS RECOMMENDATION.
SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE TEXT OF THE SECOND BE IT RESOLVED.
SORRY TO BE SO CANDID, BUT I, I THINK THAT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
SO, UM, I THINK IF WE TRY TO DO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOW TALKING AROUND THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA NOT PASS THIS, SO I, THAT WOULD BE, I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE BAD.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, YOU CAN MOVE IT IF YOU WANT, BUT I THINK THAT YOU'RE GONNA LOSE PEOPLE.
[01:50:01]
AND WE CAN'T REALLY AFFORD THAT.SO, UM, WITH THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY, SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO FOCUS BACK ON THE TEXT.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THERE ARE TWO PIECES THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, WHICH IS THE, AND TO A GREATER EXTENT, AVOIDS RIGHT WAY NOT CONTROLLED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I THINK THAT I WOULD BE A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH TOTALLY REMOVING THAT PHRASE BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT WOULD LOSE SOMETHING ABOUT WHY THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT 30 EIGHTS TO OLD TOF TO YELLOW JACKET ACTUALLY DO SUPPORT IT.
SO, UM, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH IT AND TO A GREATER EXTENT IF WE WANNA ADD THAT IN, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WOULD LOSE PEOPLE THERE.
I KIND OF DOUBT THAT WE WOULD, BUT, UM, IF THAT MAKES RUBEN AND SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE, UM, AND I ACTUALLY KIND OF AM NORTHMORE TRANSIT CENTER MYSELF, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I'M JUST TRYING TO GET TO A PLACE WE CAN ALL AGREE WITH.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT MAYBE THAT WOULD WORK THERE FOR THAT WORDING.
AND THEN, UM, DIANA HAS SORT OF SUGGESTED SOMETHING ABOUT THE FREQUENCY, UM, ON THE MAIN SPINE MAY BE ALTERING OR ADDING TO THAT.
UM, AND I, SHE MAY WANNA SAY THAT, BUT, UM, LET ME, LET ME ASK, DOES ANYONE UNCOMFORTABLE IF WE SAY N TO A GREATER EXTENT, AVOIDS RIGHT OR RIGHT OF WAY NOT CONTROLLED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN? I'M, I'M, I'M FINE WITH THAT.
I'M NOT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT
I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND JUMP OFF, BUT, UM, I TRUST YOU GUYS TO STEER THIS S**T.
UM, I WOULD, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, RIDERSHIP IS KEY AND CRITICAL IN ALL OF THIS, AND I WOULD SUPPORT THE SECOND OPTION JUST BECAUSE IT HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST RIDERSHIP.
SO I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THE 38TH AL AUTHOR OPTION AS IT HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST RIDERSHIP PERIOD THAT'S IN THERE.
I, I'M TRYING TO DO JUSTICE AGAIN TO SOME OF THE MANY MO SEVERAL REASONS WHY PEOPLE SUPPORT THIS.
SO I THINK THAT, UM, YOU, I, I JUST, YEAH, I JUST THINK IT'S PROJECTED RIDERSHIP, RIGHT? SO IT'S THE SECOND HIGHEST PROJECTED RIDERSHIP, BUT ONE NEVER KNOWS WHAT WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN REALITY.
SO I WOULDN'T WANT TO SAY, AND IT HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST RIDERSHIP, RIGHT? THERE'S NO NEED TO SAY THAT
WELL ALL, WE CAN ADD A PROJECTED IN FRONT IN FRONT OF THAT IF WE WANNA MAKE THAT SYMMETRICAL TO THE FIRST ONE.
CAN I MAKE THAT? LET'S DO THAT.
THAT'S, I THINK WE USED FORECASTED FORECAST.
FORECASTED LET, YEAH, THAT'S NICE.
UM, ARE YOU SAYING IT HAS DIFFERENT ADVANTAGES THAN THE FIRST ONE ON, UH, THE SURFACE RUNNING OPTIONS, OR IS THAT TRUE FOR BOTH THE FIRST THEY HAVE WHATEVER ADVANTAGES A SURFACE RUNNER, OR DO BOTH OF THEM HAVE THE SAME ADVANTAGES? I WOULD CHARACTERIZE THAT AS MY OWN IN FELICITY WHEN I WAS COMPOSING THIS.
I'M, I WOULD BE FINE ACTUALLY DELETING IT.
I, I, THE TWO OPTIONS ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SURFACE RUNNING OPTIONS, IN MY OPINION.
SO WE COULD EITHER ADD IT TO THE FIRST ONE OR DELETE IT FROM BOTH.
I'M FINE WITH THAT, BUT I'M FINE WITH MAKING IT SYMMETRICAL.
YEAH, I I THINK DELETING IT FROM THE SECOND ONE TO MAKING IT SYMMETRICAL WITH THE FIRST ONE WOULD MAKE SENSE.
I'M SORRY, UH, I LOST YOU OFF.
ONE MOMENT THAT WE'RE DELETING THE FIRST SURFACE HERE, OR THE WHOLE, THAT WHOLE SECTION HAS THE ADVANTAGES OF SURFACE RUNNING OPTIONS COULD BE DELETED.
I THOUGHT THE, OKAY, NEVERMIND.
YEAH, ACTUALLY THAT MAKES SENSE.
DIANA, DID YOU WANNA, THERE'S STILL A PIECE THERE THAT YOU MAY WANNA, UM, COMMUNICATE TO US, OR IS THIS FINE WITH YOU? NO, NO, THIS IS, THIS IS FINE.
THERE'S, I MEAN, THAT'S THE REASON I, I LIKE IT BEST, BUT IT DOESN'T NEED TO SAY THAT HERE.
I WOULD, I THINK WE'RE GETTING THERE.
I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE US TO LOOK AT THE THIRD, BE IT RESOLVED.
JUST READ THAT OVER ONE MORE TIME AND MAKE SURE THERE'S NOTHING THAT I MISSED THERE, BUT I FEEL, UM, IN TERMS OF MERGING THESE IDEAS, I'M ACTUALLY HAPPY AS IT AS IT IS.
[01:55:02]
YEAH, A THUMBS UP FROM SPENCER.SO, YEAH, I, I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE ATP'S INTENT THAT THEY WANT FIND OUT.
ALL WE REGARD IS MOST IMPORTANT.
AND SO IF THERE'S ROOM TO EVER EXPAND ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVES, THEY WANNA KNOW WHICH DIRECTION THIS KIND OF SAYS IT.
SO I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY OKAY WITH THE FIRST THREE, BE IT RESOLVES, WHICH ARE THE REALLY COMPLICATED PART.
UM, SPENCER, DO YOU WANNA SHARE YOUR, UH, YOUR ADDITIONAL, I THINK THAT THAT MOST WILL SEE THAT AS COMPLIMENTARY IF YOU WANNA MOVE THAT.
DO YOU WANT ME TO PUT IT IN THE CHAT? IS THAT THE BEST WAY FOR US TO VIEW IT? I THINK YEAH, PUT IT IN THE CHAT AND THEN MAYBE, UH, CHRISTOPHER CAN CALL IT UP.
THAT'S TOO LARGE FOR ME TO PUT IT IN THE CHAT.
OH, YOU MEAN JUST SHARE THE DOC? YEAH, ACTUALLY I CAN DO THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE IT IN GOOGLE DOC FORUM, LIKE SHARE SHAREABLE LINK OR SOMETHING? YEAH, LET ME DO THAT REAL QUICK.
JUST WHILE HE'S WORKING ON THAT.
ON FRIDAY, UM, ATP RELEASED A LOT MORE DOCUMENTATION, UH, IN THE FORM OF A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PAGE IN SECTION, INCLUDING A WHOLE SEVERAL PAGES ON THE RIDERSHIP FORECASTS.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAW THOSE? THIS WAS, DID YOU SEE IT? YEAH.
GO, GO AHEAD AND PULL THIS UP.
SO I'LL EXPLAIN THE AMENDMENTS REALLY QUICK.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS RIGHT, I, I, WELL, I DO THINK NORFOLK MARK TRANSIT CENTER TO UH, UM, SOME PLEASANT VALLEY IS THE BEST ALIGNMENT.
I ALSO AM EXTREMELY SYMPATHETIC TO THE FACT THAT, THAT ALL THAT WOULD LEAVE, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS AND OBVIOUSLY OTHER PARTS THAT ARE BEING LEFT OUT IS WITH METRO RAPID SERVICE, WHICH THEY ALREADY HAVE.
UH, AND AT THE BEGINNING, ATP HAD SAID THAT WHEN WE'RE SAYING METRO RAPID FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE EXPANSION ROUTES, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN IT'LL BE WHAT EXISTING, UM, METRO RAPID LOOKS LIKE.
THERE COULD BE ENHANCEMENTS, BUT THEN I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THEY'VE HANDED IT OFF TO CAT METRO TO DO THE, UH, UH, METRO RAPID ROUTES.
I THINK WE SAW WITH PLEASANT VALLEY, WITH EXPO LINE, WITH GOLDLINE, THEY'RE NOT REALLY CONSIDERING ANY ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENT BEYOND THAT.
THEY'RE GONNA BE ELECTRIC BUSES, UH, WHICH I THINK IS NOT REALLY IN THE SPIRIT OF WHAT THE 2020 VOTE IS IF SOMEONE IS JUST LEFT WITH AN EXISTING METRO RAPID SERVICE THAT IS NOW ENTIRELY ELECTRIFIED.
UM, AND I THINK THERE ARE REALLY GOOD EXAMPLES OF PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, LA BEING ONE OF THEM, SALT LAKE BEING ANOTHER, WHERE YOU CAN HAVE HOUSTON, WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A V R T ROUTE THAT IS READY TO CONVERT THE LIGHT RAIL AND TO, I THINK, UM, SOMEONE SAID EARLIER, RIGHT, THE PROBLEM ALONG SOUTH CONGRESS IS IT'S ONLY GONNA GET MORE EXPENSIVE FOR US TO BUILD OUT THERE.
I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GO AHEAD, ACQUIRE THE RIGHT OF WAY, DO THE PLANNING THAT'S NECESSARY TO DO THAT IN CREATING BUS PRIORITY LANES, AND THEN CREATING THE PLATFORMS. UH, SO THAT AT LEAST THE REAL ESTATE PURCHASES AND THE RIGHT OF WAY, ACQUISITIONS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE AND 30% OF THE PLANNING AT LEAST, IS DONE SO THAT WHENEVER WE HAVE THE EXTRA FUNDING OR CONTINGENCY FUNDS ARE WITHDRAWN, WE CAN QUICKLY TRANSITION THOSE CORRIDORS TO LIGHT RAIL.
UM, AND I THINK ALSO, I MEAN, THE AVERAGE COST FOR CENTER RUNNING B R T IN THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MILLION TO FINISH OUT THE REST OF RIGHT, I'M FOCUSING ON THE SOUTH BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY NO WAY TEXDOT WILL ALLOW US TO DO THIS ON NORFOLK, OUR TRANSIT CENTER, BUT TO FINISH OUT THE REST OF SOUTH CONGRESS AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME TEXT OUT RIGHT AWAY THERE AND GET TO THE END OF WHERE THE ORANGE LIGHT IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
WE'RE TALKING LIKE A TOTAL OF SEVEN MILES.
AND THESE PROJECTS GENERALLY GET ABOUT 10 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING PER MILE.
UH, SO I, I WOULD REALLY LIKE ATP TO CONSIDER THAT AND CONSIDER IT IN CONJUNCTION WITH CAT METRO, NOT JUST HANDING IT OFF TO CAP METRO, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, I THINK ANY CORRIDOR THAT WAS PROMISED LIGHT RAIL THAT IS NOW NOT GETTING LIGHT RAIL, AT LEAST IN THIS INITIAL OFFERING, SHOULD BE GETTING SOMETHING MORE THAN WHAT IS THE CURRENT 8 0 3 AND 8 0 1.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT AMENDMENT DOES.
UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? I LOVE THAT.
[02:00:01]
UM, THE SECOND ONE, I'LL SAY THIS ONE KIND OF CAME AWAY FROM, I'M ON THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL AND THIS CAME OUT OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH ATP, UM, LAST TIME.UH, IN THE PAST, ATP HAS BEEN REALLY, REALLY GOOD ABOUT WORKING ON, UH, ENSURING THAT WE'RE BUILDING MULTIMODAL INVESTMENTS, BUILDING BIKE LANES, EXPANDING SIDEWALKS AS WE GO ALONG WITH PROJECTS.
THEY DID A REALLY GREAT JOB ON THE PLEASANT VALLEY LINE.
THEY WERE DOING A GREAT JOB ON THE DRAG STATION DESIGN.
UM, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK BEING PROACTIVE IN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'VE KIND OF SENSED A CHANGE IN THE WIND THERE WHERE THEY'RE NO LONGER, THERE'S SOME NEW PLANNING FOLKS AND I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S STILL THEIR PRIORITY.
UM, AND I THINK, AND I KNOW THESE WERE JUST DRAWINGS, BUT I THINK A LOT OF THE BICYCLE COMMUNITY WAS REALLY SPOOKED BY THE RENDERINGS THEY PUT OUT, WHICH SHOWED THEM TAKING AWAY ONE OF THE BEST BIKE LANES IN THE CITY ON THIRD STREET AND HAVING SHARED BUS AND BIKE LANES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, HAVE LED TO THE DEPTHS OF MANY CYCLISTS IN THE PAST IN AUSTIN.
SO WHAT THIS SAYS IS, ALL RIGHT, AS SOON AS WE'RE DONE, UM, AND WE'VE SELECTED THE PREFERRED LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION OPTION, LET'S LOOK AT THE WHOLE NETWORK AND SCOPE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO CONNECT BIKES, HOW WE'RE GOING TO CONNECT SIDEWALKS, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CREATE OTHER TRANSIT CONNECTIONS.
BECAUSE AT P HAS TAKEN THE STANCE OF DOING THE STATION BY STATION, WHICH I THINK MAKES SENSE, BUT THE PROBLEM WITH THAT SCOPING IS IT DOESN'T ALLOW US TO CREATE THAT NETWORK.
WE WERE PROMISED ALONG WITH THE LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT THAT WE WOULD ALSO HAVE THESE MULTIMODAL INVESTMENTS.
AND THE LAST PART OF THAT IS THAT RIGHT IN THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS, WE VERY SPECIFICALLY LAID OUT THAT ATP WAS GOING TO WORK TOWARDS NOT JUST LIGHT RAIL, NOT JUST BUSES, BUT ALSO TOWARDS A MULTIMODAL NETWORK THAT IMPROVES, UH, PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST ACC ACCESS.
SO THIS SAYS THEY SHOULD ABSOLUTELY PRIORITIZE WHEN THERE'S RIGHT AWAY CONSTRAINTS, PEDESTRIAN CYCLISTS, MULTI MOBIL MOBILITY USERS, AND OTHER TRANSIT OPTIONS BEFORE THEY PRESERVE PRIVATE AUTO TRAFFIC.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT ONE? OKAY.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
IT JUST SAYS, IF ANY PART OF THIS WILL REQUIRE, UH, RIGHT AWAY ACQUISITION FROM TECH TECHO, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS IF WE DON'T GET THAT RIGHT AWAY FROM TECHO.
AND IF THAT RIGHT, IF THAT PLAN IS, YOU KNOW, THE TRAIN LINE DOESN'T HAPPEN, THEN I THINK WE SHOULD KNOW THAT.
RIGHT? I THINK WE NEED TO BE HONEST WITH EVERYONE ABOUT THE RISKS OF WORKING WITH THE STATE ON A PROJECT THIS BIG IS ANOTHER HAND AT THE END THERE.
IS THAT ACCIDENTAL OR I WAS JUST PLANNING FOR US TO KIND OF INSERT THIS BEFORE THE LAST BE FURTHER RESULT, BUT YEAH, THAT CAN BE TAKEN OUT.
SO YOU HAVE MADE A MOTION, I THINK, AND EXPLAIN YOUR, YOUR AMENDMENTS VERY WELL.
I THINK YOU ACTUALLY NEED A SECOND.
DOES ANYONE WANNA SECOND? OKAY.
UM, ANY, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THESE AMENDMENTS, POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS? I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUESTION AND IT'S GONNA GO TO THAT FIRST, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, UM, ABOUT THE BUS RAPID TRANSIT.
UM, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT'S JUST EVALUATE OPTIONS.
IT'S JUST PLEASE EXPLORE THIS IDEA.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON WHY YOU SPECIFIED MEDIAN BUS LANES AND LIGHT RAIL SALE PLATFORMS BECAUSE, UM, ACROSS, UM, MOST OF AUSTIN, EVERYWHERE THAT THEY'VE HAD, UM, DEDICATED BUS LANES, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE PUT IT ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
RIGHT? AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE, LIKE THE LEAST EXPENSIVE AND LEAST DISRUPTIVE WAY TO LIKE, SORT OF RETROFIT A STREET WITH A BUS LANE RATHER THAN HAVING TO JUST BUILD LIKE A VERY EXPENSIVE WITH A LOT OF CONCRETE, UM, B R T STATION IN THE MEDIAN AREN'T MEDIAN ONES LIKE SAFER? YEAH, I MEAN THEY ARE BETTER, BUT, UM, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW PER COST, I'M NOT SURE THAT IT'S JUST, JUST EXPLAIN TO ME SORT OF YOUR REASONING I GUESS.
THE IDEAS FOR THESE TO BE RAIL READY, RIGHT? THESE ARE, ARE NOT JUST REALLY GOOD TRANSIT INVESTMENTS.
THESE ARE PROMISES TO CORRIDORS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, MADE A PROMISE THAT AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE FUNDING TO CONVERT THESE TO LIGHT RAIL, WE WILL.
SO IF WE GO AHEAD AND CREATE CENTER RUNNING BUS LANES, WE'VE DONE THE WORK OF GETTING THAT RIGHT OF WAY, THAT RIGHT OF WAY CAN BE RETROFITTED INTO LIGHT RAIL WHENEVER THE FUNDING EXISTS.
IF WE'VE DONE THE WORK OF CREATING, CREATING STATIONS IN THE MEDIAN, RIGHT? THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO CREATE NEW STATIONS WHEN FUNDING BECOMES AVAILABLE FOR LIGHT RAIL.
SO THAT'S THE IDEA AND RIGHT THAT FIRST PART, RIGHT, LIKE THE, THE FIRST FIRST LINE JUST SAYS CONSIDER WAYS TO MAKE IT BETTER.
BUT THEN THE SECOND ONE IS SAYING, WHAT'S IDEAL? THIS IS
[02:05:01]
WHAT WOULD BE IDEAL, RIGHT? IF WE DO THIS, WE ARE PROVIDING A SERVICE THAT IS THE NEXT BEST THING TO LIGHT RAIL TO PLACES THAT WE PROMISE LIGHT RAIL.UM, SO THAT'S THE DREAM AND RIGHT, UH, RIGHT, LIKE I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THERE'S NO WAY TEXT OUT WILL LET US DO THAT ON NORFOLK MARKET.
WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, ON SOUTH CONGRESS, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY AN OPTION FROM PLEASANT VALLEY TO OR WHEREVER THE SOUTHEAST TERMINUS IS TO THE AIRPORT.
UH, ANYBODY WANTS TO SEE WHAT MODERN B R T LOOKS LIKE? LOOK, LOOKING FOR VIDEOS OF THE SILVER LINE IN HOUSTON, WHICH RUNS DOWN THE MEDIAN AND EFFECTIVELY IS PROTECTED FROM CAR CROSSINGS.
THE, THE PROBLEM WITH SOMETHING THAT RUNS ON THE SIDES IS ANYTIME THERE'S AN INTERSECTION WITH THE STREET YOU'VE GOTTA PROVIDE, YOU CAN'T JUST BLOCK OFF THE STREET BECAUSE THEN IT'S A DEAD END.
OR IF IT'S CENTER RUNNING, YOU CAN RUN THE B R T DOWN THE CENTER.
DON'T ALLOW US FEET TO CROSS, BUT PEOPLE CAN STILL TURN RIGHT OR LEFT.
IF YOU WANNA SEE A QUICK BUILD VERSION OF THIS THAT IS EVENTUALLY INTENDED TO BE SWITCHED TO LIGHT RAIL, UH, LOOK AT THE ALBUQUERQUE RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM, THEIR B R T SYSTEM THAT RUNS RIGHT DOWN THROUGH CENTRAL AVENUE, ROUTE 66.
IT'S A GREAT SYSTEM, RIGHT? AND THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE A STEP DOWN FROM HOUSTON IF THE FUNDING'S NOT THERE, RIGHT? THE WAY THEY CREATE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE CARS AND CREATED THAT CENTER RUNNING HERE.
ALSO, LOOK, LOOK AT THE LOS ANGELES.
YOU USED TO BE CALLED THE ORANGE LINE, RIGHT? IT IS NOW THE G LINE, I THINK.
I UNDERSTAND THE REASONING AND THAT'S SO FUNNY.
I'M ACTUALLY FROM ALBUQUERQUE AND I, I DID SEE THAT WHOLE THING GET BUILT.
UM, MY PARENTS, UNFORTUNATELY THE LAND USE IS NOT THERE TO MAKE IT BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT COULD BE, BUT, UM, YEAH.
I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THIS WITH THE LANGUAGE HERE.
MEDIAN, THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION.
ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENTS? I'M WONDERING IF WE MIGHT BE READY TO MOVE TOWARD A VOTE.
I THINK MAYBE LET'S CALL THE VOTE THERE.
SO, ALL IN FAVOR OF ADDING THESE AMENDMENTS? UM, MAYBE BEFORE THE FINAL.
I ACTUALLY LIKE THAT LEAVING THE END IN THERE AND PUTTING IT BEFORE THE FINAL ONE.
UM, CUZ I ACTUALLY THINK IT LEADS REALLY WELL INTO THE FINAL, UH, BE IT RESOLVED FROM MINE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? CAN I JUST COUNT REAL QUICKLY? UH, DIANA, YOU THERE? YES.
SORRY, I'M TRYING TO COME OFF.
SO THAT, THAT, UH, THOSE AMENDMENTS ARE PASSING, THAT AMENDMENT IS PASSING UNANIMOUSLY.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A FURTHER, UM, MOTION FOR AMENDMENT TO THE RECOMMENDATION? UH, I MOVE TO AMEND.
UM, SO I THINK THAT, UM, I REALLY THINK THAT SPECIFICALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE FEELING IN THE ROOM, BUT I THINK GOING TO THE AIRPORT IS A BIG WASTE OF MONEY AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE, UH, I HAVE A, WHEREAS WRITTEN UP THAT WOULD JUST LIKE, IT'S A, IT'S NOT A RESOLVED, IT'S A, WHEREAS JUST LIKE POINTING OUT SOME THINGS ABOUT IT, UM, I'M GONNA READ IT REALLY QUICKLY.
I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO JUST PUT AN OPINION THAT AIRPORT IS NOT IMPORTANT TO THIS BODY.
UM, SO MY AMENDMENT SAYS, WHEREAS MOST RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN FLY INFREQUENTLY EXTENDING THE ROUTE TO THE AIRPORT LIMITS, THE FIRST PHASES REACH INTO HIGH RIDERSHIP COMMUNITIES AND THE AIRPORT IS ALREADY SERVED BY THE HIGH FREQUENCY BUS ROUTE 20.
LET ME SEE IF I CAN COPY IT AND PASTE IT INTO THE CHECKS.
IT'S SHORT AND I'M SORRY, I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE BECAUSE, BECAUSE I THINK EVERY WORLD-CLASS CITY HAS A RAILWAY LINE, RIGHT? SO, SO I I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE NOW HAVE ENOUGH.
YEAH, WELL WE WANNA BE, I, WELL, REGARDLESS, I'M NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A SECOND YET.
SO HE PRESENTED HIS AMENDMENT.
SO IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT.
SO WE CAN DISCUSS, I MEAN DAN HAS ALREADY CONTRIBUTED THAT DISCUSSION.
I THINK, UH, THE SITUATION IS THAT IF ANY, IF WE LOSE ANYBODY HERE, WE'RE NOT DOING ANY AMENDMENTS
IF IF WE LOSE ANYBODY ELSE, THE MEETING IS ESSENTIALLY OVER, THAT'S NOT A, A PLEA.
SO WE'VE GOT, I'M, I'M CONFUSING QUO AND MAJORITY MAYBE.
SO WE'VE GOT ME, DEAN, ANNA, DANIEL, RUBEN, SPENCER, CURTIS.
[02:10:01]
WE CAN LOSE YOU DIANA AND ADD THIS FOR THE AMENDMENT.THAT ACTUALLY MAKES ME FEEL BETTER, RIGHT? BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO STIFLE ANYTHING, BUT I, YEAH.
NOW IF YOU WON'T VOTE, IF YOU WON'T VOTE YES ON THE BASE, I MEAN WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE WE'RE JUST LAYING IT ON ALL OUR CONVERSATIONS.
BUT I BUT I'M STILL HERE, RIGHT? I'M NOT, I WON'T LEAVE.
WELL, IF WE LOSE YOU ON THE BASE, WOULD, WOULD THIS CONDITION YOUR SUPPORT OF THE WHOLE THING, I THINK IS THE QUESTION.
SO, UM, MAYBE WE CAN PASS THIS, THIS WHEREAS INTO THE THING, BUT WOULD THAT CAUSE US TO LOSE YOU ON THE OVERALL RECOMMENDATION, I THINK IS THE QUESTION.
BUT WE COULD STILL LOSE YOU, BUT I DON'T REALLY WANNA LOSE YOU.
BUT ANYWAY, THOUGHT FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THE THIS PROPOSED WHEREAS, WELL, I I WOULD ALMOST SAY THE SAME THING BECAUSE I THINK THAT ANY AIRPORT RAIL OUGHT TO BE UNDER THE AIRPORT'S EXPANSION PLAN AND NOT COME IN, NOT BE DONE FROM OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT.
UM, PHOENIX IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN, UH, TRAIN THAT SERVES THE AIRPORT.
IT DOES CONNECT TO THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM TO VALLEY ANDRO, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY RUN BY THE AIRPORT.
I ALSO WANNA KEEP US ON TRACK OF TOM.
IT IS 7:15 PM NOT TO RUSH ANYONE.
SO I WILL SAY THE, I I HAVE TWO CONCERNS.
OH, CAN I TALK OVER COURTESY AND GO AHEAD.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I MEAN I SUPPORT WHAT DANIEL SAID.
I, I LOVE THE CONCEPT OF RAIL TO THE AIRPORT.
I DON'T THINK THAT AUSTIN IS LAID OUT FOR THAT.
I, I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS GOING AGAINST US AND I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE HIGH RIDERSHIP LIKE WE MIGHT PREDICT IT COULD BE.
UM, SO THE TWO THINGS I WAS GONNA SAY IS I, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THE FIRST PART RIGHT UP TO, UH, LIMITS, THE FIRST PHASES REACH IN THE HIGH RIDERSHIP COMMUNITIES.
BUT I WORRY ABOUT THAT SECOND PART IN THE AIRPORT IS ALREADY SERVED BY HIGH FREQUENCY BUS ROUTE.
JUST BECAUSE I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE SERVICE TO THE AIRPORT, NOT JUST FOR TOURISM AND FOR PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSIT DEPENDENT WHO WORK AT THE AIRPORT.
UM, AND I THINK OUR CURRENT SERVICE IS WHOLLY INADEQUATE.
SO IF WE WERE, I WOULD MAYBE SUGGEST THAT WE DELETE THAT PART.
I, BUT I ALSO THINK GIVEN HOW IMPORTANT THIS DECISION ABOUT PROJECT CONNECT IS, I WOULD BE HESITANT TO SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT WILL LEAD TO A NO ON THE FINAL VOTE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ASSESSED QUITE IF WE'RE THERE SPENCER, UM, AND WE'RE LAYING ALL OUR CARDS ON THE TABLE.
WE'RE NOT PLAYING IT LIKE CITY COUNCIL HERE.
BUT UM, I WOULD SAY, I WOULD JUST REMIND US TOO THAT THIS IS A, WHEREAS IT'S NOT A BE IT RESOLVED, SO IT'S SO TALKING, IT'S REALLY A WHEREAS AS TO WHY WE HAVE SELECTED THE TOP TWO THAT WE HAVE SELECTED.
VER LIKE, JUST LIKE THE REASONS LIKE WHY WE LIKE SURFACE RUNNING AND WE LIKE SAVING MONEY, LIKE ALL THE OTHER REASONS.
WE LIKE THE OTHER TWO, TOP TWO.
UM, AND LESS OF A SAYING, YOU KNOW, A A A A RESOLVING, YOU KNOW, THAT LIKE REALLY DON'T DO THIS.
IT'S, IT'S JUST SORT OF LIKE PART OF THE WALLPAPER.
IT'S JUST KIND OF WHAT YOUR WHEREAS IS ARE DUE.
THEY'RE JUST KIND OF ESTABLISHING YOUR ENVIRONMENT HERE.
SO I THINK IN THAT CONTEXT, I'M PRETTY COMFORTABLE WITH IT.
UM, I WOULDN'T WANNA SUPPORT IT PERSONALLY IF IT CAUSED US LIKE SPENCER TO CAUSED US TO NOT PASS THE, THE MAIN RECOMMENDATION.
UM, SO, UM, I DUNNO IF WE WANNA, I WILL NOT PASS, LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.
I WON'T VOTE FOR THE AMENDMENT, BUT I WON'T.
UH, BUT I I, THE BODY OF IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS LITTLE WHEREAS, SO OKAY.
YEAH, LET'S JUST CALL A VOTE HERE.
UM, THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADDING THIS, UH, THIS WHEREAS PLEASE LET US KNOW AND THOSE OPPOSED, WE'VE GOT I THINK ONE TE HANNAH, YES, THERE'S NO HANDS BUT THAT, THERE'S AN OPPOSITION SILENCE THERE.
SO THAT WE, WE HAVE ADDED THAT, WHEREAS WE MAY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE EXACTLY TO INSERT THAT AND THEN THAT TAKES US WELL BACK TO THE BASE OR IF ANYONE ELSE HAS AN AMENDMENT TO OFFER.
UM, SORT OF, THIS IS JUST A DISCUSSION POINT.
UM, I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING OUT CAUSE I'M NOT SURE IF, OH, WE SHOULD EVEN GO THERE.
[02:15:01]
ANY OF THE LAND USE AROUND THIS OR IS THAT JUST SORT OF OUT OF OUR PURVIEW AS A TRANSPORTATION BODY? UM, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO CHIME IN HERE.I THINK THAT MIGHT BE STRANG A BIT TOO FAR.
I'D RECOMMEND CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
WE, WE REMAIN FOCUSED ON PROJECT CONNECT.
I THINK LAND USE MIGHT BE LEANING MORE TOWARDS, I THINK IF NOT PLANNING COMMISSION.
UM, IT IS JUST OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW, I THINK.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION THOUGH, RIGHT? I SAY NAH, I'M NOT SAYING FUTURE CHAIR AND STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN SPECIFICALLY RELATES LAND USE TO TRANSPORTATION.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I LOVE THE WAY YOU GUYS THINK.
UM, UM, BUT YOU WANT TO GO HOME? NO
UM, RESPECT WE HAVE OTHER COLLEAGUES IN THE, IN THE CITY THAT, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME THE SAME AS YOU ALL.
WE SHOULDN'T OVERLAP WITH ANY OTHER PEOPLE.
AND I, YEAH, I DO THINK THIS IS ABOUT LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION.
I MEAN MAYBE, MAYBE, AND MAYBE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY HERE, DANIEL, IS LIKE, WE COULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIGHT RE UM, YOU KNOW, THE LAND USE ON THIS ONE SEGMENT IS REALLY GOOD AND THE LAND ROOS ON THE OTHER SEGMENTS IS NOT AS GOOD.
I, I AM SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THAT.
THAT, AND I THINK IF WE HAD MORE TIME WE COULD GET THERE, BUT I'M NOT SURE, JUST MY PERSONAL TAKE IS THAT LIKE, THAT WOULD BE RELEVANT IN TERMS OF A JUSTIFICATION FOR WHY WE'VE CHOSE CERTAIN OPTIONS, BUT I'M NOT SURE, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WANNA TAKE THAT TIME CUZ I THINK IT MIGHT BE TIME CONSUMING.
AND I ALSO SEE THE OTHER REASON WHY I WAS HESITANT IS THAT I FEEL LIKE A DISCUSSION ON LANDYS SURROUNDING TRANSIT COULD SPIRAL VERY QUICKLY INTO A MUCH, MUCH TOO BROAD, LIKE WAY TOO BROAD OF A CONVERSATION.
SO I'M GONNA LEAVE IT ALONE AND I'M NOT GONNA OFFER ANY AMENDMENTS ON THIS.
UM, AND I WOULD JUST, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I THINK THIS BODY SHOULD CONTINUE TO REALLY WATCH THE EAD PROCESS AND LIKE THAT IS KIND OF THE PLACE, THE INTERSECTION WHERE I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY SUPER RELEVANT FOR US TO WEIGH IN FURTHER AND I THINK EVEN MORE THAN WE'VE DONE AND MORE, MAYBE MORE VOCALLY THAN WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
SO I WOULD DEFINITELY BE WANTING TO WATCH FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO WEIGH IN ON THE CONTINUING EAD PROCESS FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
SO, AND WE ARE GONNA GET, UM, AN UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
SO MAYBE I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE A BETTER AVENUE FOR US TO WEIGH IN ON.
UM, OKAY, SO IF THERE ARE THERE ANY OTHER FURTHER, UH, AMENDMENTS OR DISCUSSION? THAT'S ONE THING DANIEL, FEEL FREE TO SAY NO ON THIS AND I WILL NOT PICK IT HARSHLY.
WOULD YOU ENTERTAIN AN AMENDMENT TO STRIKE AND THE AIRPORT IS ALREADY SERVED BY A HIGH FREQUENCY BUS ROUTE 20? UM, I, I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT, IT DOES COME EVERY 15 MINUTES AND I THINK THAT THAT COUNTS AS A HIGH QUALITY TRANSIT IN TERMS OF WHATEVER DEFINITION WE WANT TO THROW AROUND.
UM, CONSIDERING THAT LIKE SO DOES THE 10 AND THE SEVEN AND ALL THOSE THAT WE LIKE REALLY SAY ARE VERY GOOD BUS ROUTES, WELL SO DOES THE 20 IN IT, IN IT.
THE, THE IDEA OF THE BLUE LINE WAS BUILT OFF OF THE 20 THERE.
AND SO I THINK TO ME IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT STAYS IN.
UM, OKAY, SO OTHER DISCUSSION OR AMENDMENTS.
OKAY, I THINK WE SHOULD CALL THE VOTE ON THIS ONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE RECOMMENDATION.
DIANA, CAN YOU JUST GIVE US A VOICE VOTE YES PLEASE.
THAT PASSES, UH, UNANIMOUSLY WITH EVERYONE PRESENT.
UM, I WILL UPLOAD THAT TO, UH, PROJECT CONNECT INPUT SITE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
I THINK I CAN STILL DO THAT THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
IF NOT, I'LL JUST EMAIL PEOPLE.
BUT, UM, ANYWAY, UM, I'LL HAND IT BACK TO RUBEN CUZ HE'S REALLY RUNNING THE MEETING.
WELL, LET'S, WE WENT THROUGH OUR AGENDA, UM, AND MOVED MOTION TO ADJOURN.
WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT UPDATES, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT UPDATES.
[BRIEFINGS]
MY HEARING BRIEFINGS.AND I ACTUALLY HAVE THE REPORT FOR CINDY WEATHERBY.
[02:20:01]
WE NEED TO ADD THIS TO OUR AGENDA.WELL, WE'LL GET THAT TO THAT, BUT WE WILL NEED TO UPDATE SOME OF THESE, UH, APPOINTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO OTHER GROUPS.
SO HERE IS THE EMAIL FROM UM HMM.
UM, SO CINDY WEATHERBY WROTE, THIS IS HER REPORT FROM THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
SHE SAID THIS WAS SENT YESTERDAY.
SHE SAID I WAS NOTIFIED TODAY WAS MY LAST DAY AS A COMMISSIONER.
UM, I'VE PREPARED A BRIEF REPORT TO THE UTC ON DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
IN SUMMARY, THE APRIL 19TH, 2023 MEETING WAS CANCELED BECAUSE OF A LACK OF QUORUM.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS FOR IT AND AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC AGENDA INFORMATION ONLINE THAT COULD BE OF INTEREST TO THE UTC MEMBERS.
EACH OF THESE POWERPOINTS ARE FAIRLY SELF-EXPLANATORY AND WELL DONE.
UM, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE PRESENTATION OFFERING PRODUCT PROJECT STATUS DESCRIPTIONS.
I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR, UH, DOWNTOWN THE DAA, UH, DOWNTOWN PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE.
THE D A A PLAN UPDATE PRESENTATION, LOR RAINEY TRAILHEAD PRESENTATION EACH ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S DOWNTOWN COMMISSION WEBSITE FOR THE APRIL 19TH, 2023 MEETING.
SO THAT IS, UH, COMMISSIONER WEATHER BE'S REPORT, UH, APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
UM, WE WILL BE WORKING NEXT TIME ON APPOINTING, UM, A NEW DOWNTOWN COMMISSIONER APPOINTEE.
SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THOSE ISSUES, YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE POWERPOINTS AND MAYBE GET ON 'EM THAT NEXT TIME.
AND I'LL LET RUBEN GO THROUGH THE BRIEFINGS.
WELL THE NEXT ONE UP WOULD BE JOIN SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION, WHICH IS DIANA WHEELER.
SO WHEN THE J S C MET, WE HAD OUR PRESENTATION, UM, ON PROJECT CONNECT WHERE THEY PRESENTED THE FIVE AND THERE WAS A WORKING GROUP FORMED, BUT OUR WORKING GROUP DIDN'T QUITE GET TO, TO WHERE WE GOT TONIGHT.
SO OUR WORKING GROUP IS STILL WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, FIGURING OUT WHICH ONE THE JSC LIKES THE MOST.
BUT WE ALSO HAD A PRESENTATION FROM THE CITY OF TEMP BAY ARIZONA AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY SAID IS, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG.
YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH BUILDING LIGHT RAIL BECAUSE WHAT THEY FOUND IS IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
IT'S LIKE RIDERSHIP IS THROUGH THE ROOF UNEXPECTEDLY.
SO THAT WAS FROM THE GSE MEETING.
UM, BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMISSION.
SO AT THE LAST BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, WE PASSED, UH, TWO RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, ONE WAS AN AFFIRMATION OF THE COUNTER, UM, UH, WHAT'S THAT CALLED WHEN PEOPLE SIGN THINGS.
I CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME PETITION, THE COUNTER PETITION ON THE BARTON SKYWAY PROJECT.
UM, KIND OF COMMENDING THE COMMUNITY FOR STICKING UP FOR BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE THERE.
AND, UH, ASKING THE CITY TO CONTINUE ON AS A, USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE FOR HOW PEOPLE DO SUPPORT, UH, INVESTMENTS IN BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE EVEN IN MORE SUBURBAN PLACES.
UH, AND THEN WE ALSO, UH, DID A RECOMMENDATION ON THE MOAN TRAIL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING PHASE.
UH, AND WE ALSO GOT OUR UPDATE FROM ATP ON PROJECT CONNECT.
UH, PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL.
AND WELL, UM, WE HAVE NOT MET BETWEEN OUR LAST MEETING AND NOW, UM, BECAUSE, UH, NORMALLY THEY'RE THE DAY BEFORE, BUT WE WILL BE MEETING, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL WILL BE MEETING, UM, IN A JOINT BACKPACK MEETING ON THE 16TH.
SO I'LL HAVE MORE TO SAY AT THE NEXT MEETING.
UH, SUSAN CITY COUNCIL MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
I DID, I MISS THAT BECAUSE IT'S ON MY CALENDAR FOR THIS MONTH.
SO I'M, I'M, UM, WELL BUT, UH, WE'LL MEET ON MAY 11TH, UM, TO DISCUSS THE, UH, BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE PROJECT AS WELL AND, AND DISCUSSING HOW THAT INCORPORATES INTO THE, UH, ZUKA PARK, UH, VISION PLAN.
UM, IN ADDITION TO, UH, THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WHICH YOU ALL ARE RECEIVING AN UPDATE ON.
UH, SO THOSE WILL BE THE TWO MAIN ITEMS AND I THINK I WILL REPORT ON OUR WORK TO THEM THEN AS WELL HAVE THAT ON MY CALENDAR, UM, GOING FORWARD.
OH, AND I, I GUESS I, GO AHEAD.
SO, UM, THE CITY, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, I'M THIS BODY AS APPOINTEE TO THAT GROUP.
OUR OUR APRIL MEETING WAS JUST A REALLY DEEP DIVE INTO THE PROJECT CONNECT LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS WITH ALL OF THEIR STAFF.
UM, THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING A SPECIAL CALL ON THURSDAY TO TAKE A VOTE ON, UM, ON RECOMMENDATIONS
[02:25:01]
TO THIS, UH, FOR THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION.I WILL NOT BE THERE CUZ MY DAUGHTER HAS AN ORCHESTRA CONCERT UNFORTUNATELY.
BUT I HAVE, I'VE HAD MY OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A LOT OF THINGS TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
SO IT IS OKAY THEY WILL DO WELL UM, WITH THE C A C ON THURSDAY.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
NOW CAN I MAKE THE MOTION TO RETURN? NO, WE'VE GOT FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.UM, THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ON THE JUNE MEETING.
AS YOU KNOW, JUNE AND JULY IT'S A LITTLE SLOW JUST BECAUSE IT'S VACATION TIMES YOU ALL ARE OUT.
ONE QUICK NOTE, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE OUT, PLEASE DO SEND ME EMAIL.
I DON'T WANNA KNOW ALL YOUR BUSINESS BUT THERE ARE ONLY EIGHT OF US, UM, INCLUDING UH, COMMISSIONER SMITH.
UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE'VE LOST CYNTHIA AND WE STILL NEED TO FILL POSITIONS FOR DISTRICT TWO AND UH, WE HAVE A LITTLE HICCUP WITH DISTRICT ONE SO WE'LL HAVE TO FILL THAT ROLE AS WELL.
UM, SO JUST LET ME KNOW CAUSE IF ONE OR TWO OF YOU ARE OUT, WELL THREE OF YOU I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE CORN.
JUST LET KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING OUT TOWN.
UM, THE ONLY ITEM THAT WE HAVE SO FAR ON OUR END IS AN UPDATE OR RATHER GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE DIVIDE WAY DEPARTMENT.
SO OUR DIVIDED WAY DIVISION CAUSE THEY'RE NOT DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND THAT'LL BE FOR OUR JUNE, UH, NEW EVENING JUNE 6TH MEETING.
UM, EVERY ONE OF THESE PRESENTATIONS, UM, INSTITUATION AND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT YEP.
SO IF YOU FEEL LIKE FILLING THE AGENDA, EVERYONE THAT GOOD, JUST FINE.
CHRISTOPHER, I WOULD BE GREAT TO UNDERSTAND TOO MORE ABOUT WHEN IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO HAVE E TODD COME BACK THROUGH.
I THINK I THINK WE COULD DO MORE WITH THAT AND, AND LIKE DANIEL SAID, I THINK THERE'S SOME MOVEMENT THAT'S GONNA BE UPCOMING WITH THAT.
SO MAYBE CHECKING IN WITH THE PEOPLE WORKING ON ET O AND KIND OF THINKING ABOUT WHEN IS A GOOD TIME FOR US TO HEAR MORE.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CHANGES TO THE BODY, A LOT OF TRANS, YOU KNOW, TRANSITIONS IN AND OUT.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO HEAR FROM THEM AGAIN AND UM, HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MIGHT BE, UM, ON ANYTHING THAT'S, THAT'S RELEVANT.
SO I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT TOO, UM, AS WELL.
AND THEN ALSO I DO THINK WE SHOULD LOOK AT OUR APPOINTMENTS.
SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, UM, BACK AND PACK ARE SORT OF JUST FILLED WITH PEOPLE THAT, I MEAN ANYWAY WE MAY NEED JUST LIKE LOOK AT THAT AND JUST DOUBLE CHECK SOME OF THOSE.
BUT DOWNTOWN COMMISSION BEING THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE THAT WE PROBABLY DO NEED TO FILL.
IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, LET ME KNOW.
CAN I BRING ONE THING UP? YEP.
UM, SO BEING ON THE B BAC FOR A WHILE, ONE THING I LOVED THIS BODY FOR DOING WAS THE BIKE LANE BLOCKAGE, UH, PROGRAM.
UH, I EVEN WENT TO THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE AND TESTIFIED FOR IT, UM, WAY BACK IN THE DAY, UH, WHEN IT WAS LIKE A YEAR AGO.
ANYWAYS,
UM, SO SOMETHING I'VE BOUNCED OFF SOME PEOPLE AND I WOULD LOVE TO BRING TO THIS BODY IN THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEM IS CREATING A PROGRAM THAT MIRRORS THE ACCESSIBLE PARKING PROGRAM BUT FOR BIKE LANE ENFORCEMENT.
UM, AT LEAST ON MY READ AND A COUPLE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S READ ON STATE LAW, IT DOESN'T EXPLICITLY SAY YOU CAN DO IT, BUT IT DOESN'T EXPLICITLY SAY YOU CAN'T DO IT.
UM, AND I THINK IT'D BE IMPORTANT TO BRING UP NOW RATHER THAN LATER BECAUSE IT IS LIKELY SOMETHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOME SORT OF VAL BUDGET ALLOCATION.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO NOW WHAT THE COUNCIL'S STARTING TO THINK ABOUT BUDGET ALLOCATION RATHER THAN LATER.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE WOULD SUPPORT TALKING ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT'S ONE THING I'D LIKE TO BRING UP AS A RECOMMENDATION.
YOU MIGHT NEED TO STAFF US ON THAT IF WE DO IT, BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING FOR LIKE A LOWER IMPACT MONTH, LIKE OVER THE SUMMER WHEN WE'RE USUALLY LIGHTER.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT TIME TO, TO BRING THAT BACK UP.
UM, BUT YOU MAY NEED TO DO
UM, WHICH MARIO DID WHEN WE DID THE BIKE BOUNTY.
I JUST HOPE YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU GET FAMOUS THE WAY YOU AND MOVE THINK IS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE WELL, IT DOESN'T SEEM WE CAN'T DO IT
YOU KNOW, I'M JUST I LOVE THAT'S RECORDED TOO.
ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS PEOPLE WANNA FLAG? SORRY, CAN I LIKE ONE MORE? IN THE LAST MEETING, I THINK SOMEONE BROUGHT UP A BRIEFING ABOUT, UM, UH, LIKE KIND OF AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE MERGER OF TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAD CONVERSATIONS IN THE LAST MONTH ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT NOW'S THE RIGHT TIME TO DO IT, BUT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT.
[02:30:01]
ARE STILL IN FLUX, BUT I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO BRING IN A DRAFT, UM, OR CHART ONCE WE GET THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE FINALIZED.UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL FIND OUT AND GET BACK TO YOU GUYS ON THAT.
IT'S REALLY SOME GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
I THINK RUBEN WANTS TO GIVE HIM CAN I CAN MOVE ADJOURNED.