Nov 16, 2023 Mobility Committee

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:04]

IT IS 1:05 PM I WILL CALL TO ORDER THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL'S MOBILITY COMMITTEE MEETING.

WE ARE MEETING HERE IN CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL.

IT IS NOVEMBER 16TH.

WE HAVE ME THE CHAIR, PAIGE ELLIS.

WE HAVE VICE CHAIR CADRE PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.

TODAY.

WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA HARPER MADISON JOINING US.

UM, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS, FUENTES AND KELLY WITH US TODAY.

SO IT WILL JUST BE THE THREE OF US MOVING THROUGH THIS MEETING.

SO FAR, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS.

IS THAT STILL THE CASE? OKAY.

WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS AT THIS MOMENT.

SO I WILL

[1. Approve the minutes of the Special Called Mobility Committee meeting of October 27, 2023.]

MOTION MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? THAT'S YOU VICE CHAIR CADRE.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

ALL RIGHT.

THREE OF US.

PRESENT THE MEETING.

MINUTES PASS.

[2. Update from the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) regarding actions from the November 7, 2023, UTC meeting.]

THEY ACTUALLY CANCELED THEIR MEETING, UM, 'CAUSE IT WAS FALLING ON ELECTION DAY, SO WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE AN UPDATE 'CAUSE THERE IS NO INFORMATION FOR THEM TO SHARE.

BUT WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEIR VOLUNTEERING AND ABILITY TO WORK ON THESE GREAT ISSUES WITH THE CITY.

[3. Briefing on the development of the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Statewide Active Transportation Plan and public input opportunities.]

WE HAVE JAKE GUTTIN, K**T, I HOPE I PRONOUNCE THAT CORRECTLY OR GOT CLOSE.

UM, WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND GRATEFUL TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO FEATURE A REALLY IMPORTANT INITIATIVE THAT TXDOT IS WORKING ON.

THIS IS THE FIRST EVER COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

SO WE KNOW THAT AUSTINITES ARE EAGER TO HAVE MORE OPTIONS FOR WALKING, BIKING, STROLLING, AND ROLLING, AND HAVE OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTED INITIATIVES THAT, THAT SUPPORT THIS EFFORT, INCLUDING THE $460 MILLION MOBILITY BOND IN 2020 PROJECT CONNECT AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT TXDOT IS CURRENTLY GATHERING PUBLIC INPUT FOR THE PLAN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT IT.

GO AHEAD.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, MY NAME'S JAKE GU KUNZ WITH KIMLEY HORN.

I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF TDOT TODAY.

WE'RE THE CONSULTANT HELPING THE STATE WORK ON A STATEWIDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

UM, MOVING THROUGH THE SLIDES HERE SO I CAN GET TO GO FORWARD.

CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? IT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT HERE.

THANK YOU.

UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE STATEWIDE ACCESS TRANSPORTATION PLAN STARTED.

UM, WE HAVE BEEN VISITING A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS AROUND THE STATE, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE MAP.

UM, THIS WEEK WE ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO, UH, HOLD PUBLIC MEETING DOWN IN SOUTH AUSTIN AND HAD A, A GOOD TURNOUT OF FOLKS THAT CAME OUT FROM THAT.

UH, AND WE ALSO GOT TO TALK WITH, UH, NOT ONLY, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT A LOT OF OTHER REPRESENTATIVES FROM CITIES AROUND THE REGION, UH, IN THE TEXTILE AUSTIN DISTRICT, AS WELL AS BIKE ADVOCACY GROUPS, UH, AND, AND OTHER, UH, ADVOCATES FOR ACCESSIBILITY, UH, AND SOME SESSIONS ON TUESDAY.

SO WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS AND FROM OTHER, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING ON STAFF ON THE CITIES.

UH, AND SO WE ARE WRAPPING UP THE IN-PERSON OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THIS WEEK IN DALLAS TODAY, ACTUALLY.

UH, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, ALL OF THOSE SAME MATERIALS YOU WOULD GET AT THE IN-PERSON PUBLIC MEETINGS.

WE HAVE THOSE REPLICATED ONLINE.

UH, THERE'S A QR CODE ON THE SCREEN.

UH, YOU CAN ALSO FIND IT ON TEXT.DOT GOV UNDERNEATH STATEWIDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

UH, WE HAVE SOME GOOD ACTIVITIES THERE FOR, UH, INTERACTIVE MAPPING AND SURVEYS, UH, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS.

GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, THIS ONE'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE THAT HAS BEEN THOUGHT ABOUT QUITE A BIT.

UH, WHAT THE VISION FOR THIS PLAN IS.

SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND READ THIS OFF, UH, AND SO THAT FOLKS CAN HEAR WHAT THE, THE STATE'S VISION IS, WHICH IS THAT THIS TEXAS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN WILL BE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO ADVANCE WALKING, BIKING, AND ROLLING AS VIABLE OPTIONS TOWARD A SAFE, ACCESSIBLE, CONNECTED, AND FULLY INTEGRATED MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR ALL TEXANS.

THE PLAN WILL SUPPORT HEALTHY, HEALTHY, ECONOMICALLY VITAL AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES WITH INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE ACTIVE MOBILITY.

SO THIS IS OUR, OUR KIND OF OUR GUIDING, UH, VISION FOR THE REST OF THIS PROCESS.

AND IT'S WHAT'S GONNA INFLUENCE, UH, SOME OF THE DECISION MAKING AS WE GO FORWARD, UH, FOR A STATEWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR WALKING, BIKING, AND ROLLING AROUND TEXAS.

UM, AS, UH, MAYOR PROTO ELLIS MENTIONED, UH, THIS IS A FIRST TIME EFFORT.

THIS IS A, A BRAND NEW PLAN.

THERE'S NOT A, A PREDECESSOR TO THIS, UH, FOR THE STATE.

UM, AND REALLY A LOT OF THIS IS GOING TO HELP WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS.

UM, AS MENTIONED, UH, THIS IS GONNA INCLUDE, UH, NOT ONLY, UH, B BIKING, WALKING AND ROLLING, BUT ALSO SOME, UH, KIND OF HUMAN POWERED OR HUMAN ASSISTED TRANSPORTATION.

UH, AS WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF THE, UH, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES WHERE WE HAVE, UM, POWERED SCOOTERS AND POWERED E-BIKES, UM, THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TRYING TO LOOK AT AS PART OF THIS PROCESS AND HOW THAT FITS IN, UH, WITH ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.

UH, AND THEN A LOT OF THIS IS GOING TO HELP ESTABLISH, UH,

[00:05:01]

UM, THE GOAL OF THIS PLAN, UH, IS IT'S GOING TO BE LOOKING AT NOT ONLY, UH, THE STATE RIGHT OF WAY ON, ON SYSTEM FOR T STOP, BUT ALSO CONNECTIONS TO TRANSIT FACILITIES AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS LIKE AUSTIN.

UH, AND SO, UH, THE INTENT IS TO KIND OF LOOK AT WHERE THOSE HIGHEST NEED AREAS AND REALLY TRY TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE AS PART OF THE PLAN AND PARTNERING WITH LOCAL AGENCIES ON POTENTIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN THE FUTURE AFTER THIS PLAN IS DONE.

UH, AND THEN ALSO, UM, LOTS OF DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE METRICS ARE BEING DEVELOPED.

UH, A LOT OF THOSE ARE, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, CENTERED AROUND SAFETY, BUT ALSO, UH, BEING ABLE TO IMPLEMENT AND, UH, IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY.

UH, AND SO A LOT OF THAT'S GONNA BE MONITORED AFTER PLAN ADOPTION.

KEEP GOING FORWARD TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

I THINK I LOST IT HERE.

UM, WHERE WE'RE AT IN THIS PROCESS, THIS IS THE BEGINNING.

UH, IT'S GONNA BE GOING ON FOR THE NEXT YEAR APPROXIMATELY, AND FINISHING UP NEXT FALL.

UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE IN, IN THAT FIRST PHASE OF ENGAGEMENT AND KIND OF DATA GATHERING STAGE.

WE'LL START THE ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.

UM, BUT THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY, UH, WHAT, WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE AND WHAT THOSE HIGHEST PRIORITIES ARE, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

UH, AND THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITIES AGAIN, UH, NEXT SUMMER, UH, WHEN WE START BRINGING IN ROLLING OUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS PLAN.

UM, THINGS THAT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UH, AS MENTIONED, THIS IS A, A PLAN FOR A VISION WITH PRIORITIES AND POLICIES THROUGH 2050.

UH, SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE PROJECTED, UH, USING STATE DEMOGRAPHER INFORMATION IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER 12 MILLION PEOPLE IN TEXAS.

AND, UH, THE AUSTIN AREA AND DISTRICT IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROWTH OF THOSE, UM, BASED ON THOSE PROJECTIONS OF AROUND 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS AREA ALONE OF THE 12.

UM, AND SO HOW DO WE ACCOMMODATE FOR THAT ON AN INFRASTRUCTURE BASIS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WALK BACK, ENROLL, UM, AND, AND BE USABLE BY ALL PEOPLE.

UM, OTHER TRENDS THAT ARE BEING LOOKED AT ARE WHAT TECHNOLOGY THINGS ARE KIND OF IMPACTING THAT.

I MENTIONED THE E-BIKES AND SCOTERS.

HOW ARE WE GONNA, UH, INTERACT WITH THAT AS WELL AS, UH, SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS AND TECHNOLOGIES.

UH, WHAT THINGS CAN BE DONE AS PART OF THIS.

UM, AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TOO IS THIS IS A, IT'S A STATEWIDE PLAN, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT EACH JURISDICTION AND PART OF THE STATE IS DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICALLY, UH, AND SOCIOECONOMICALLY AND, UH, DEMOGRAPHICALLY.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE PLAN ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES AND ADDRESSES THAT DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED IN DIFFERENT AREAS, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO URBAN, RURAL, AND SUBURBAN TYPE SOLUTIONS.

UM, SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF THE, THE FUTURE TRENDS AND HOW WE MAKE THIS A, A, A FUTURE, UM, ADAPTABLE PLAN.

UM, OTHER THINGS THAT, UH, ARE DRIVING THIS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.

UM, SAFETY IS ONE OF THE TOP, TOP THINGS DRIVING THIS.

UH, THERE'S A DIS, UH, PROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF, UH, FATALITIES AND INJURIES ON, ON SYSTEM ROADS IN THE STATE RELATIVE TO THE LANE MILES.

UM, THE STATE HAS ABOUT ONE FOURTH OF ALL OF THE, THE, THE LANE MILES OF FACILITIES, UH, OR, OR IN, IN THE STATE, UH, BUT HAS ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE, THE FATALITIES.

SO, UH, THAT'S REALLY DRIVING A LOT OF THE, THE DECISIONS AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ADDRESSING, UH, SAFETY, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT, UH, IMPROVING, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES IN THE STATE.

UH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT TRYING TO GET MORE FOLKS TO WALK AND BIKE, UH, CAN IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR COMMUNITIES.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS PART OF THIS PROCESS AS WELL.

UH, AND REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A, A VIABLE, UH, TRAVEL OPTION IN THE STATE FOR FOLKS.

UM, THERE'S NOT GAPS IN THE SYSTEM THAT MAKES IT, UH, INFEASIBLE TO DO SO.

AND THEN, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, REALLY HELPING PEOPLE WITH THOSE LAST MILE CONNECTIONS TO TRANSIT FACILITIES AROUND THE STATE.

UM, WHO'S INFORMING THIS PLAN? UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS.

UH, AS MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT AGO, UH, WE ARE SPECIFICALLY REACHING OUT TO LOCAL NONPROFITS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS WITHIN EACH COMMUNITY.

WE DID GET TO MEET WITH THEM ON, ON TUESDAY THIS WEEK.

UM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, INCLUDING, UH, CITIES NEAR AUSTIN AND AUSTIN ITSELF, AS WELL AS, UH, CAMPO AND OTHER NPOS AROUND THE STATES, UH, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

UH, A COUPLE THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT HERE IS THERE ARE SOME CONCURRENT EFFORTS HAPPENING, UH, BY TXDOT.

UM, ONE OF THOSE IS THERE'S A, EVERY FIVE YEARS THE STATE HAS TO UPDATE ITS LONG RANGE PLAN FOR THE STATEWIDE THAT'S BEING DONE RIGHT NOW FOR 2050.

UH, THIS WILL BE WRAPPED UP INTO, UH, THERE'S ALSO A MULTIMODAL TRANSIT PLAN FOR THE STATE, FIRST TIME EVER FOR THAT AS WELL.

UH, AND SO THOSE EFFORTS ARE BEING COLLABORATED, UH, WITH THIS ONE FOR THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

UH, AND THEN LASTLY, TECH.

THAT ACTUALLY IS ALSO WORKING ON, UH, BIKE PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, UH, FOR EVERY ONE OF THE 25 DISTRICTS AROUND THE STATE.

UH, AND SO THEY'RE DOING THAT OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS, UH, AND HAVE DONE A COUPLE ALREADY, UH, IN THE VALLEY AND OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE, AND ARE ABOUT TO START THEIR NEXT WAVE OF DISTRICT SPECIFIC BICYCLE PLANES THAT WILL FOLLOW ALONG WITH SOME OF THESE THEMES.

THIS IS JUST A GRAPHIC.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ASKING THE COMMUNITY, UH, IS WHAT, WHAT IS MATTERING MOST TO THEM? UH, THIS WAS PRESENT ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE OPEN HOUSE AND IS ALSO ONLINE, BUT THERE'S AN ACTIVITY WHERE YOU CAN RANK YOUR PRIORITIES.

THIS IS GONNA HELP US A LOT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POLICY AND DIRECTION FOR 2050 IS WHAT, WHAT ARE THOSE MOST PRIORITY THINGS? IS IT, UH, THE CULTURE OF BEING ABLE TO WALK AND BIKE? IS IT THE ACCESSIBILITY COMPONENT? IS IT HAVING ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR

[00:10:01]

THIS IS GONNA HELP US BALANCE, UM, DECISION MAKING AND SETTING POLICY GOING FORWARD.

UH, SO FOR NOW, THIS IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO, TO GIVE SOME FEEDBACK TO US.

WE WANTED TO KIND OF COME TODAY AND HEAR FROM Y'ALL ON A COUPLE OF TARGETED QUESTIONS.

UM, SO THE THREE THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT WE'RE ALSO DOING WITH OUR ADVOCACY GROUPS AND, AND STAKEHOLDERS IS, UH, ARE THERE ANY SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS THAT WE SHOULD SHOWCASE AND REPEAT ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE THAT YOU'RE PROUD OF IN YOUR COMMUNITY? UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING AROUND, UH, AND TAKING PICTURES OF THESE PROJECTS TO INCLUDE AS, AS EXAMPLES FOR, FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES TO HELP THEM AS THEY'RE LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS.

UH, AND, UH, IS THERE ONE SPECIFIC ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK IMPROVEMENT THAT WOULD MAKE THE, MAKE ITS IMPACT IN AUSTIN? UH, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE LARGEST CHALLENGES THAT Y'ALL HAVE SEEN THAT PREVENTS IMPLEMENTATION IN YOUR COMMUNITY? SO THOSE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE.

AND THEN WE WILL, UH, WRAP UP HERE IN A SEC AND OPEN FOR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AS WELL.

THAT'S GREAT.

WE APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

DO WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE, FROM THE BODY? ANY QUESTIONS? YOU GOOD? ALL RIGHT.

AWESOME.

WELL, WE ARE, UM, I, I HAVE A COUPLE, SO, OKAY.

I WILL JUMP IN.

UM, AND I'M SORRY MY COMPUTER IS REBOOTING.

'CAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY THE MOMENT WHEN ALL COMPUTERS REBOOT IS LIKE RIGHT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING.

UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE VERY EXCITED THAT, UM, THAT TXDOT IS LOOKING AT STATEWIDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING FOR A WHILE.

UM, SO DO YOU SEE SOME OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, UM, HAPPENING MOSTLY ALONGSIDE HIGHWAYS AS PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CONNECT EAST WEST OR, OR ARE YOU SEEING SOME OF THE MORE LOCALIZED TX OWNED STREETS BEING A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION? FOR INSTANCE, CESAR CHAVEZ, CONGRESS, LAMAR, OUR RIGHT OF WAY THAT, THAT THE STATE ACTUALLY OWNS AND, AND THE CITY MAINTAINS THEM.

SO THERE'S ALWAYS THIS OPEN DIALOGUE AROUND THE NEEDS OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE USING THOSE STREETS.

DO YOU SEE IT BEING A BLEND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WHAT YOU WOULD TYPICALLY PICTURE AS A HIGHWAY OR MORE OF THE INTERNAL STREETS OR BRIDGES THAT TXDOT DOES HAVE OWNERSHIP OVER? UM, SO GREAT QUESTION.

UH, IT'S PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING'S ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S, IT'S A, A MIXTURE THEREOF.

I THINK AS MENTIONED IN THE SLIDES, WHAT, WHAT THE STATE'S REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS, UM, WHAT ARE THOSE AREAS OF HIGHEST NEED AND WHAT'S GONNA REALLY HELP ADVANCE THE POLICIES THAT COME OUTTA THIS PLAN AND THE OBJECTIVES.

UM, SO I'M SURE SOME OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE NOT ON THE TYPICAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM.

THEY'LL BE MORE ON THE FM STATE HIGHWAY ROADS OR THE ONES THAT KIND OF COME MORE TO THE LOCAL LEVEL THAT HAVE A LOT OF THOSE DUAL NAME DESIGNATION TYPES.

SO I THINK, UM, EVERYTHING REALLY IS ON THE TABLE, AND THAT'S WHAT, UH, TEXTILE ISS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE, THE HIGHEST AREA AND HIGHEST BENEFIT AREAS, HIGHEST NEED AND HIGHEST BENEFIT.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

I KNOW THAT SOME OF OUR, OUR, THE SMALLER SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES NEXT TO BIG CITIES ALWAYS SEE A LOT OF IMPACTS BECAUSE TXDOT MOSTLY MANAGES ALL OF, ALL OF THEIR RIGHT OF WAY.

UM, AND IT'S NOT UNTIL THE CITY BUILDS UP TO A CERTAIN POINT WHERE THEY TAKE OVER MAINTENANCE, UM, BUT THERE'S STILL OBVIOUSLY ISSUES.

UM, JUST TRYING TO NAVIGATE WHAT ARE THE STATEWIDE PLANS VERSUS THE LOCAL PLANS AND HOW DO, HOW DO PEOPLE HAVE ADVOCACY OVER THE SPACES THAT THEY'RE USING EVERY DAY? UM, IS THERE COLLABORATION HAPPENING WITH ANY OF THE, THE OTHER CITY ENTITIES ACROSS THE STATE WHO MAY HAVE THEIR OWN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANS? LIKE WE HAVE ATX WALK BIKE ROLL, AND WE'VE GOT OUR SIDEWALK MASTER PLAN, UM, THE BICYCLE ALL AGES AND ABILITY NETWORK AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

ARE THOSE PLANS BEING INCORPORATED INTO ANY OF THE FEEDBACK? YES.

YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

SO WE'VE ACTUALLY ALREADY DONE A SCREENING OF ALL COMMUNITIES WITH AT LEAST 25,000 PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE.

UM, THAT WAS KIND OF A, A THRESHOLD SET.

UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY 70 PLANS, UH, THAT ARE ON THE BOOKS, INCLUDING ATX, UH, WELL, IT'S NOT ADOPTED YET, BUT ATX WALK BY ROLL, UH, AS ONE OF THOSE.

SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, STATEWIDE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ANY ADOPTED PLANS FOR ANY COMMUNITY, 25,000 PEOPLE OR MORE.

SO THAT IS BEING, UH, INTEGRATED AS PART OF THIS PROCESS AND REVIEWED.

SO THERE'S 70 PLANS ACROSS CITIES YES.

IN THE STATE THAT HAVE ALREADY TRIED TO THINK ABOUT YES, THIS YEP, THERE'S 70.

IT'S AMAZING.

YEP.

UM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, IF NO ONE ELSE HAS ANY, WOULD BE ABOUT COLLABORATION WITH OUR TRANSIT AUTHORITIES, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT CAP METRO OR DART OR VIA OR ANY OF THE OTHER ENTITIES.

UM, ARE THEY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN THE NEEDS OF ADA ACCESSIBILITY AND JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, BE A PARTNER AND A VOICE IN, IN THIS PROCESS? YES.

SO THERE'S, UM, THERE'S DEFINITELY, UH, THAT SEPARATE PLAN I WAS MENTIONING A MINUTE AGO.

THE, THE STATEWIDE, UH, MULTIMODAL TRANSIT PLAN IS TAKING THE LEAD ON THE TRANSIT FACILITIES COMPONENT ITSELF, BUT THEY'RE TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

THAT'S THE, UH, AS MENTIONED, IT'S, IT'S ALL TXDOT, UH, OWNED RIGHT OF WAYS, BUT ALSO GETTING TO THE TRANSIT STOPS WITHIN COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE ARE TRANSIT, UH, FUNCTIONING.

SO, UH, THERE'S COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH, UM, C METRO AND OTHER AGENCIES YES.

IN THIS PROCESS.

THAT'S REALLY GREAT TO HEAR.

AND I KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN MY

[00:15:01]

WE HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCULATOR, BUT WE ALSO HAVE OAK HILL PARKWAY CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN HAVING LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS ABOUT HOW TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND NOT HAVING TO GO BACK AND REDO SIMILAR WORK IN THE FUTURE.

AND SO I KNOW THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING ON THIS.

AND THE PUBLIC COMMENTS OPEN TILL NOVEMBER 30TH, CORRECT? YEAH, THAT WAS THE, THE LAST SLIDE, UM, WE DO HAVE IS, YEAH, IT'S OPEN TILL NOVEMBER 30TH, UH, ONLINE.

UH, AND AGAIN, THOSE ACTIVITIES YOU'LL SEE ONLINE ARE MIRRORED FROM WHAT THE IN-PERSON OPPORTUNITIES HAD.

SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE A LESSER QUALITY, UH, TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT FROM THAT.

IT'LL BE THE SAME.

SO, PERFECT.

AND WE'VE GOT THE QR CODE, AND THERE'S ALSO MAIL OR EMAIL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE LISTED ON THAT LAST SLIDE.

DID YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS? COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, OF COURSE.

YOU, UH, MADE ME HAVE QUESTIONS.

, PLEASE GO AHEAD.

SO FIRST OF ALL, KUDOS TO HOW WELL YOU DID ON THE NAME.

UM, I WOULD'VE ACTUALLY BUTCHERED IT.

UM, SO YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HIGHEST NEED, UM, WHICH I'M, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY WERE THE CONSIDERATIONS AROUND HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHAT THE AREAS OF HIGHEST NEED ARE? SO, UM, GREAT QUESTION.

WE HAVEN'T DEFINED EXACTLY WHAT THAT IS YET.

THAT'S WHAT THE PRIORITIES THAT I MENTIONED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR FEEDBACK FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON, UH, THAT'S HELPING INFLUENCE, UH, HOW WE WOULD WAIT OUT AND SORT PROJECTS, UH, AND SEE WHAT THE, UM, WHAT AREAS ARE HAVE THE HIGHEST NEED.

A LOT OF THAT'S ALSO GONNA BE BASED ON, UH, INFORMATION AROUND DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, PLACES THAT HAVE, UH, NO ACCESS TO CARS OR HAVE, UH, LOWER, UH, MEDIAN INCOMES, THINGS LIKE THAT.

THERE'S SOME THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED, UM, TO ALIGN WITH OTHER FEDERAL INITIATIVES, UH, LIKE A JUSTICE 40, UH, TYPE THING.

SO THERE'S, THERE'S GONNA BE CONSIDERATIONS AROUND THAT AS WELL, FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT.

THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND THAT, UM, GIVES ME TWO MORE SORT OF, UH, FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.

ONE, PRELIMINARILY, ARE YOU SEEING ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT'S, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OFFERING YOU SOME INSIGHT INTO THE TEA LEAVES? WHAT PEOPLE'S CONCERNS GENERALLY ARE AROUND THAT HIGHEST NEED? UM, YEAH.

SO THE, THE GENERAL THEME SO FAR HAS BEEN THAT SAFETY HAS BEEN REALLY COMING OUT AS THE TOP THING, UH, FROM HEARING, HEARING.

IT'S NOT OVER YET, RIGHT? WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS ON THE FRONT END.

BUT, UH, GENERAL THEMES WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO STAKEHOLDER GROUPS IS THAT SAFETY IS A LOT OF FOCUSING.

THIS ALL KIND OF COMES BACK TO HOW DO WE GET AROUND SAFELY? MM-HMM, .

UM, THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD QUITE A BIT ABOUT ARE, UH, CONNECTIVITY.

YOU CAN'T REALLY USE IT IF IT STOPS SOMEWHERE.

UH, IT JUST DIES OFF AT A CERTAIN POINT.

UH, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, CULTURALLY, UM, THAT THE, IS IT CULTURALLY SOMETHING THAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND, AND CHAMPIONS AND NOT LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY, UH, THAN, THAN USING A CAR? SO THAT'S SOMETHING, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BIG THEMES WE'RE PICKING UP ON RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T WANNA OPEN A CAN OF WORMS, UH, THIS MORNING, THIS AFTERNOON, RATHER, BUT I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE, UM, SOME CLARIFICATION AROUND WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY CULTURALLY.

I THINK WE ALL PROBABLY HAVE, UM, OUR OWN IDEAS ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS.

EXACTLY.

YES.

UM, SO MOVING FORWARD, MY HOPE IS THAT THERE'S SOME REAL CLEAR, UM, UH, EXPLANATION ABOUT WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THAT.

YEAH.

I'LL CLARIFY THAT A LITTLE BIT.

UH, WHEN I SAY CULTURALLY, I MEAN, UM, THE CULTURE OF WALKING AND BIKING AND HOW IS THAT ACCEPTED AS A FORM OF TRANSPORTATION? UH, I MEAN, THE ASSUMPTION THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU MEANT.

YES.

BUT I MEANT, AS WE REALLY DIG INTO THAT, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE SOME, YOU KNOW, SUBCATEGORIES OH, YES.

AND FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS, UM, WHICH ALSO LEADS ME TO, TO WONDER.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THERE ARE, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FM ROADWAYS, YOU KNOW, SO, AND, AND THAT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT MY FM 9 69, FOR EXAMPLE, AND DISTRICT ONE.

UM, THERE WILL BE LOTS OF CONSIDERATIONS, YOU KNOW, AND INCLUDING, UM, CONSIDERATIONS AROUND POTENTIAL ANNEXATION FOR AREAS LIKE, LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, AUSTIN COLONY, WHICH IS NOT A PART OF AUSTIN YET, BUT IT'S SO DIRECTLY ADJACENT AND THERE'S GONNA BE SO MUCH FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.

JUST SORT OF THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MUCH CONSIDERATION IS GOING INTO EITHER PRIORITIZING BASED ON FUTURE NEED OR LIKE FUTURE PROOFING SOME OF THESE POTENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS FROM THAT STATEWIDE PERSPECTIVE.

I KNOW I'M THINKING HYPERLOCAL, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT THAT MEANS FOR, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW MOVING FORWARD.

UM, SO JUST CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS THERE? YEAH, AND I THINK, UH, AS, AS MENTIONED, UH, HIGHEST NEEDS STILL BEING DEFINED.

SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT FEEDBACK POINT AND SOMETHING WE CAN CONSIDER OF HOW DO WE FUTURE THINK OF NEED, NOT JUST NOW, BUT IN THE FUTURE.

I THINK THAT'S GOOD COMMENT.

RIGHT.

AWESOME.

I APPRECIATE IT.

AND THEN LASTLY, UM, YEAH, MY EYES, THE CARTOON EYES WITH THE 70 PLANS.

UM, I'M CURIOUS IS ARE THERE RATHER PARTICULAR CITIES THAT COMPARATIVELY WERE SIMILAR TO IN TERMS OF OUR CONCERNS AND, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY POPULATION SIZE, ECONOMY, ET CETERA,

[00:20:01]

I WOULD SAY THAT AUSTIN'S SPECIAL AND UNIQUE IN ITS OWN WAY.

THERE'S A LOT OF, LIKE, IT'S NOT GONNA BE EXACTLY LIKE ANOTHER CITY, UM, POPULATION WISE.

UM, SAN ANTONIO AND FORT WORTH ARE KIND OF RIGHT IN THAT SAME CATEGORY.

HOUSTON'S A LITTLE BIT LARGER.

UH, DALLAS IS ALSO SIMILAR, BUT IT'S GOT A LOT KIND OF FURTHER OUT WITH THE, THE OTHER CITIES AROUND IT.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT SIZE.

UH, AND SO I THINK, UM, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT COME TO MIND OF KIND OF SOME, SOME SIMILAR THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE VERY BEGINNING POINT, UH, AS, AS CITIES.

AWESOME.

AND THEN LASTLY, IT'S MORE OF A STATEMENT THAN IT IS A QUESTION.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT THERE'S SO MUCH EMPHASIS BEING PLACED ON LIKE, SUPER BOLD EMPHASIS PLACED ON WALKABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.

I THINK THOSE ARE CONCERNS AND CONSIDERATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MORE WE DIVE INTO IT, THE MORE SUB-BULLETS WE HAVE, THE MORE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY OFFERING FULL COVERAGE FOR PEOPLE'S CONSIDERATIONS.

SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT COMES UP IT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

YES, THANK YOU.

MM-HMM, , I'VE GOT TWO OR THREE OTHER QUESTIONS AND I'M, I'M WATCHING THE SCREEN FOR COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, SO JUST FEEL FREE TO, TO JUMP IN OR WAVE YOUR HAND IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA JUMP IN ON.

UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE.

THOSE ARE THE CENSUS TRACKS, RIGHT? THOSE ARE HISTORICALLY UNDER INVESTED CENSUS TRACKS, CORRECT? CORRECT.

YEAH.

SO THOSE ARE ONES THAT WOULD JUST BE OF HEIGHTENED PRIORITY, UM, FOR, YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S DATA SETS FROM THE CENSUS AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE CAN RELY UPON FOR HELPING US DETERMINE HIGHER NEED, UH, AREAS BASED ON THE CENSUS INFORMATION.

YES.

OKAY.

YEAH, I KNOW WE LOOKED AT THOSE WHEN WE HAD THE, UH, CAP ANDIT CONVERSATION AND JUST TRYING TO, TO LOOK AT WHAT WE THINK, UH, FEDERAL FUNDING MIGHT BE BETTER LEVERAGED, UM, THROUGH OUR, THROUGH OUR APPLICATIONS.

UM, SO COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE THIS MIGHT PUT US IN A, AN ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION FOR FEDERAL FUNDING AND, AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES? IS THAT PART OF WHY THE STATE IS WANTING TO DO THIS, IS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS MORE GEARED TOWARD RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES AND VISION ZERO PROGRAMMING? YEAH, I THINK, UM, PARTIALLY I THINK, I THINK WHAT THIS PLAN IS REALLY GONNA BE MORE ABOUT IS REALLY TRYING TO GET, UH, A UNIFIED VISION AROUND THE STATE OF WHAT, WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE TO HELP IN EVALUATING FUTURE PROJECTS.

SO I THINK WHAT'S, UM, AS WITH ANY GOOD, UH, VISION OR PLAN DOCUMENT, UM, HOPEFULLY THE NEXT STEPS ARE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS WITH SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION, LIKE PROJECTS THAT WOULD COME AFTER THIS ONE.

AND SO THIS WOULD KIND OF SET THE TONE FOR HOW THOSE WOULD BE EVALUATED AND DETERMINED, WHICH WOULD LIKELY ALIGN WITH OTHER FEDERAL POLICIES AND GOALS.

YES.

OKAY.

FANTASTIC.

AND MY LAST QUESTION IS GOING TO BE THAT WE'VE HAD OUR ATX WALK BIKE ROLE PROGRAM, UM, CURRENTLY, UH, BEING UPDATED TO INCORPORATE THE COMMENTS OF SOME OF THE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT THAT'S HAPPENED ALONG THE WAY.

UM, BUT WE ARE NOT SET TO APPROVE THAT PLAN UNTIL NOVEMBER 30TH, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE EXACT DAY, UH, THAT THE COMMENT PERIOD CLOSES.

IS THAT SOMETHING YOU FORESEE BEING AN ISSUE? OR MAYBE STAFF COULD JUST NOD THAT, UM, YES, IF COUNSEL APPROVES THIS, WE'LL GET IT SUBMITTED.

A-S-A-P-I DON'T SEE THAT BEING A PROBLEM FOR US.

WE'RE STILL IN THAT FIRST PHASE, SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE TIME TO, TO DIGEST THAT IF IT, IF IT GOES THROUGH ON THE 30TH.

OKAY.

AND DID I SEE A THUMBS UP FROM DIRECTOR MENDOZA? THANK YOU.

I WILL NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD, WE HAVE THE THUMBS UP FROM THE DIRECTOR.

UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR JOINING WITH US.

I THINK THAT DOES IT FOR OUR QUESTIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC.

GREAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

MM-HMM.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS GOING

[4. Austin Energy E-Ride Rebate Program update.]

, WELCOME.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

LEMME CHECK MY NOTES.

LET ME GIVE YOU A, A BRIEF INTRO.

UM, WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE OUR PUBLICLY OWNED UTILITY HERE IN AUSTIN.

I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON HERE LOCALLY.

WE APPRECIATE THAT THE, THE, THE RATE PAYERS, THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN AUSTIN ENERGY PROGRAMMING HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD IN THE WORK THAT AUSTIN ENERGY DOES.

AND SO WE KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT OUR VALUES IN SUSTAINABILITY, MOBILITY, AND AFFORDABILITY.

SO WE'RE HAPPY THAT THE E-BIKE REBATE PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HAS BEEN AN EXAMPLE OF THIS PARTNERSHIP.

UM, WE'VE INCREASED THE REBATES RECENTLY JUST OVER THE PAST YEAR, UM, COUPLED WITH SOME REALLY GREAT SALES THAT SOME OF OUR LOCAL BIKE SHOPS HAVE HAD OVER THE YEARS.

WE'VE BEEN VERY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE MIGHT BE, UH, BUYING E-BIKES AND, AND HOW THE REBATE PROGRAM IS GOING.

ABSOLUTELY.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO, AS MENTIONED, MY NAME'S CAMERON FREEBERG.

I GET TO THE DISTINCT HONOR OF MANAGING THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TEAM AT AUSTIN ENERGY.

AND TODAY I'LL BE GOING OVER OUR E-BIKE OR EIDE PROGRAM, UH, AND SOME OF THE JUST IMPORTANCE OF E-BIKES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, UH, I, I FIRST WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS A LOT OF GOALS AROUND ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION IN GENERAL.

AND WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THAT, THEY THINK OF THE INDIVIDUAL CAR OWNED BY THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON PARKED IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL GARAGE.

[00:25:01]

WE RECOGNIZE THAT THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM THE ELECTRIC BUS DOWN TO THE ELECTRIC BIKE, AND THEN INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE OWNERSHIP IN BETWEEN THERE.

SO WE DO HAVE, UH, WHAT WE CALL OUR ELECTRIC RIDE PROGRAM THAT OFFERS REBATES, INCENTIVES TO, YOU KNOW, QUALIFYING E-BIKE SCOOTERS, MOPEDS MOTORCYCLES, OR TWO OR THREE WHEEL ELECTRIC, UH, VEHICLES.

SO WE HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT TIERS OF THAT.

UM, AND THIS YEAR, AS WAS MENTIONED, AT JANUARY 1ST, 2023, UH, CITY COUNCIL ALLOWED US TO DOUBLE THAT REBATE, UH, ACTUALLY FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND YOU'LL SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT IN JUST A MOMENT.

BUT, UH, OUR INCENTIVES ARE UP TO $600 FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL EIDE VEHICLE.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE A NEW CARVE OUT NOW, UM, WITH, FOR OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CUSTOMERS.

THAT INCENTIVE IS ACTUALLY UP TO $1,300, UH, PER INDIVIDUAL BIKE PURCHASE.

UH, WE DO SUPPORT FLEETS MAKING THIS TRANSITION AS WELL, WHERE WE OFFER $800 FOR THEM TO INCORPORATE E-BIKES OR, UH, E MOBILITY SOLUTIONS INTO THEIR FLEETS.

AND THEN, AS MENTIONED, THERE'S A VERY ROBUST LOCAL DEALERSHIP NETWORK THAT'S SUPPLYING THESE NOW.

SO WE HAVE 32 PARTICIPATING DEALERSHIPS, UH, THAT WE, UH, WORK WITHIN THIS REBATE PROGRAM.

WHEN WE STARTED THIS, I THINK WE HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF ONE, UM, POSSIBLY TWO, SO THAT, THAT HAS GROWN QUITE A BIT OVER THE LAST SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS TO REALLY INCLUDE THAT.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE PARTNERSHIP WHEN WE DID DOUBLE THAT REBATE.

THAT WAS ALSO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, UH, TO ALSO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR, TO ALLOW US TO DO THAT FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM.

UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, REBATES AND INCENTIVES FOR, FOR E-BIKES SPECIFICALLY.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE LARGER, UM, CLASSIFICATION OF WHAT WE CALL E RIDES.

IT GOES BACK ALL THE WAY UNTIL TWO, BACK TO 2007 WHEN WE PARTNERED WITH THE CLEAN CITIES PROGRAM LOCALLY TO, UH, TO IMPLEMENT THIS.

AND WE, I BELIEVE WE TOOK IT OVER IN 2013.

AND THAT GROWTH HAS BEEN PRETTY STEADY EVER SINCE.

EXCEPT FOR, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT LAST, UH, THE LAST BAR THERE, WE HAD A VERY SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN 2023.

AND I ALSO WANT TO GIVE THE CAVEAT THAT THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL OF THE ANNUAL DATA OF 2023, YET WE, UH, WITH THE VOLUME OF THESE, WE TYPICALLY RUN ON LIKE A 60 TO 90 DAY LAG OF WHEN AN APPLICATION MAY COME IN, UM, JUST 'CAUSE VOLUME AND, YOU KNOW, AS SMALL OPERATION STAFF.

BUT, UM, SO THAT NUMBER'S GONNA BE MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT 34 64 BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

UH, JUST 'CAUSE THE VOL.

WE WILL HAVE HIGH SPIKES OF VOLUME AT CERTAIN TIMES AND NEVER REALLY LOW ONES, BUT JUST, UH, A CONSISTENT STREAM OF THOSE REBATES.

SO WE'RE GONNA BE, UM, MORE THAN DOUBLE THAN WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR, JUST FROM THAT ALL FROM THE INCREASE IN THE INCENTIVE AND JUST ALSO THE AMOUNT OF NEW VEHICLES AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET, THE AMOUNT OF LOCAL DEALERS THAT PROVIDE THESE.

AND THEN SOME OF THE GOOD SALES THAT GO ON WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL.

THAT NUMBER IS CONTINUE TO GO UP AND UP.

SO, UM, AND THIS WAS INITIALLY STARTED IN 2023 AND MEANT TO GO THROUGH 2023.

WE ARE STILL GONNA KEEP THIS GOING, UH, THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR AS WELL.

AND YOU KNOW, IT'S AS LONG AS WE CAN KEEP THIS ALIVE, BUT VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM AND VERY HIGH UPDATE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

I ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO OUTSIDE OF JUST INDIVIDUAL E-BIKE OWNERSHIP.

SO THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND WE WANNA GET IT OUT THERE.

BUT, UH, ALSO ACCESS TO SHARED RESOURCES IS OF HIGH IMPORTANCE TO US AS WELL.

UM, OUTREACH EDUCATION AND, UH, ACCESS ARE, IS ONE OF THE KEY TENETS OF HOW WE VIEW ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

UH, SO WE WANNA CREATE THAT FUTURE MOBILITY THAT IS EQUITABLE AND AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

SO, UH, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE CONDUCTED HUNDREDS OF E-BIKE ACCESS AND SAFETY TRAININGS FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC, UH, TO PROMOTE SHARED ACCESS OPTIONS AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND AS PART OF THAT, AND THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WE DO THAT.

UM, ONE, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S A COMMUNITY BUILDING'S A BIG PART OF IT.

SO WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, METRO BIKE, WHICH, UH, HOUSED OUT OF CAPITAL METRO BIKE, TEXAS, AS WELL AS THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO REALLY, UH, PUSH FORWARD, DO SAFETY TRAININGS, INSTRUCTIONS ON PROGRAMS LIKE NOT JUST HOW TO USE THINGS LIKE METRO BIKE BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE AND OF HOW TO ACCESS AND ACTUALLY UTILIZE THINGS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT A, HAVE NEVER BEEN AN EVAC PROBABLY BEFORE, OR B PROBABLY HAVEN'T BEEN A BICYCLE IN A VERY LONG TIME.

SO FINDING ACCESS TO LIKE SAFETY, UH, FREE HELMETS, UM, AND THEN, UH, HOW YOU ACTUALLY ACCESS THESE RESOURCES.

THE COMMUNITY'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

SO AS PART OF THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE EITHER CALL TRAININGS OR THE, EVEN SOME OF THE ADVENTURE TOURS WE DO IS LIKE DESTINATIONS WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE THESE RESOURCES, UH, AND ACTUALLY USE THINGS, THINGS THAT ARE BUILT OUT LIKE THE BIKE SYSTEM WITHIN AUSTIN AND HOW THAT'S CONTINUING TO GROW AND HOW YOU COMPARE E-BIKES WITH THAT TO GET AROUND THE COMMUNITIES OF, OF IMPORTANCE AS WELL.

SOME OF THE CANDID FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'VE GOTTEN, THAT OTHERS HAVE GOTTEN IN THIS, WHEN YOU SEE THESE NEW RESOURCES GO INTO COMMUNITY IS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE FOR ME, THEY'RE FOR THE NEXT PEOPLE THAT MOVED HERE.

AND THAT IS VERY REAL FEEDBACK WE GET.

SO WE WANNA ENSURE

[00:30:01]

SO WE, WE DO A LOT OF, UH, SO I WANNA JUST HIGHLIGHT THE AMOUNT OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION WE DO ON THIS, AS WELL AS MADE A KIND OF A DIGITAL PIECE FOR WHERE WE DO HAVE DIGITAL SAFETY TRAININGS, UH, GENERAL USE, AS WELL AS, UM, SPECIFIC TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY OF HOW THEY CAN ACCESS THESE RESOURCES.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

I, THAT WAS IT.

SO, ALRIGHT.

WE APPRECIATE THAT QUESTIONS.

I DO HAVE A FEW, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE NOT TO, UH, JUMP IN FRONT OF COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE IF HE'S GOT, UH, VICE CHAIR, CADRE, IF HE'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS.

LOOKS LIKE MAYBE NOT.

UM, SO YEAH, I, I MEAN I, I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY A QUESTION THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE AND NOT JUST AS IT PERTAINS TO E-BIKES, UM, BUT ALSO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN GENERAL.

OH, THERE HE IS.

I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE FLOOR.

THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE IT.

UM, UH, ACCESS TO CHARGING STATIONS.

MM-HMM.

, UM, UM, JUST SORT OF SOME GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS AROUND WHAT CONSIDERATIONS ARE BEING MADE AROUND ACCESS.

I REALLY, REALLY AM, UH, UH, APPRECIATIVE OF THE FACT THAT YOU SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED HAKA.

'CAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF MY, I HAD LISTED, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE RESOURCES, UH, LIKE HAKA OR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS IN, UM, THE WORKFORCE, UH, SPHERE AND, UM, HOUSING AUTHORITY, UH, TYPE ORGANIZATIONS.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT UP, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S PROBABLY ALREADY ON YOUR LIST OF CONSIDERATIONS.

BUT JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, FROM AN EQUITY BASED PERSPECTIVE, JUST THINKING AROUND SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, UH, SOME OF OUR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AROUND USING THE, OUR CITY ASSETS, UM, TO, TO MAKE EQUITY A A, A TOP CONCERN.

A A ABSOLUTELY.

AND I'LL TRY NOT TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION FOR 45 MINUTES 'CAUSE I COULD TALK ABOUT IT FOREVER.

UM, I THINK, I THINK OUR CHAIR WILL NOT LET YOU GO 4,500 LONG .

I, I DON'T THINK CTM WILL LET US HERE THAT LONG UH, NO, THAT, THAT, THAT IS THE MOST I IMPORTANCE AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAIN AREAS, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT CHARGING IN GENERAL OVERALL MM-HMM.

AND THEN KIND OF MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT E-BIKES IS YEAH, WE'VE SEEN THAT NETWORK.

YOU KNOW, OUR NETWORK OF 1600 PORTS KIND OF GROW OUT.

AND ONE OF THE MOST RECENT THINGS THAT WE DID, UM, IS WE DID A, WE'VE APPLIED FOR FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S COME DOWN FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

THAT INCLUDES, I MEAN, IT'S ALL INCLUDE, IT'S JUST ALL EV CHARGING IS WHAT OUR DEPARTMENT APPLIED FOR.

AND, UM, THE, AND WE HEARD JUSTICE 40 TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, AND SO I LOVE THE DIRECTION THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITH PRIORITIZATION OF THAT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO PUT IN OUR APPLICATION PRIORITIZING JUSTICE 40 AREAS, BUT ALSO WHAT WE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA LOOK AT IS USING CITY RESOURCES.

SO WE PRIORITIZE WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO UTILIZE CITY FACILITIES, COUNTY FACILITIES AND ALREADY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ONES.

SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MINIMIZE THINGS LIKE LAND ACQUISITION COSTS OR, UH, STUFF LIKE THAT OR HAVE SORT OF SOME CONTROL OVER, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY'LL BE GOING AND, AND ALL OF THAT.

SO THERE'S A HIGH PRIORITIZATION OVER, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, UH, ESPECIALLY ONES THAT FALL WITHIN THE JUSTICE 40, UH, REGION BECAUSE WE SEE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT A MYSTERY THAT THE OVERLAP WITH JUSTICE 40 MAPPING TYPICALLY IS A OVERLAP OF WHERE SOME RESOURCES DON'T LIE AS WELL.

MM-HMM.

.

AND SO WE PRIORITIZE EV CHARGING WITHIN THAT AND THEN REALLY LOOK AT THE VENN DIAGRAM OF WHERE THESE COMMUNITIES ARE LAID OUT, ALSO WHERE CITY PROPERTIES ALREADY EXIST WITHIN THEM.

AND THAT THAT'D BE THE IDEAL SOLUTION OF HOW WE UTILIZE THIS FUNDING WHEN IT COMES IN.

WE STILL HAVE NO WORD YET FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL AND THAT WOULD BE OUR PATH FORWARD FOR THAT ONE WITHIN E-BIKES AND, AND KINDA THESE SHARED MOBILITY OPTIONS.

UH, THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN TO WORK PRETTY CLOSELY WITH CAPITAL METRO, UM, ON, YOU KNOW, FOR CHARGING E-BIKE, THERE'S, THERE CAN BE SOME SIMPLE SOLUTIONS, WELL, AS THE BATTERIES COME OFF AND THEY CAN ACTUALLY BE CHARGED INSIDE ON JUST 110 VOLT OUTLET, BUT FOR SHARED RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN ENERGY WORKS WITH THEM TO KIND OF POWER THOSE KIOSK AS WELL.

SO THE SHARED RESOURCES WILL BE, YOU KNOW, POWERED ACTUALLY IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH LIKE AN ACTUAL KIOSK.

AND, UM, I HAVEN'T SEEN THEIR FULL BUILD OUT YET FOR WHAT METRO BANK'S GONNA DO ON THE ELECTRIC SIDE.

UM, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTION POINTS TOO, ESPECIALLY WITH HAKA AND OTHERS, SO.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE THAT AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALREADY ADDRESSED, UM, TWO OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAD ABOUT ANCILLARY CONSIDERATIONS.

ONE WAS HELMETS.

UM, THE OTHER ONE THOUGH I REALLY LIKE THE SLIDE HAS THE, UM, THE TRAILER, UH, FOR THE KIDDOS.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY SUBSIDIES OR CONSIDERATIONS AROUND HOW TO MAKE IT, I MEAN, I, I KNOW ACCESSIBILITY IS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF OUR PRIMARY CONCERNS, BUT BEING ABLE TO BRING AT LEAST ONE KIDDO, IF NOT MORE, DO WE HAVE SOME CONSIDERATIONS, UM, AROUND THOSE TRAILER ACCESSORIES? YEAH, WE, NOT, NOT WITHIN THE REBATE PROGRAM YET, BUT THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY LOOK TO, YOU KNOW, INCLUDE BECAUSE WE KNOW NOT EVERY OPTION FOR EVERYONE, RIGHT? SO EVERYTHING FROM LIKE TRAILER ACCESSORIES, CARGO BIKES IS ANOTHER ONE.

MM-HMM.

, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE COULD BE SOME INTEREST THERE IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ACTUALLY UTILIZING IT TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, RUNS TO THE GROCERY STORE AND ACTUALLY CARRY GOODS.

UM MM-HMM.

.

AND, AND SO THAT MARKET'S AT LEAST

[00:35:01]

NOW THERE USED TO BE NONE OF THAT.

AND THEN VERY FEW OPTIONS.

SO AS THOSE CONTINUE TO GROW, YEAH, WE WILL, WE'RE GONNA LOOK TO SEE HOW WE CAN INCLUDE THOSE, UM, MORE WITHIN OUR REBATE PROGRAMS TOO.

SO.

AWESOME.

UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE SEEING, I MEAN, IT WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING TO SEE THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PEOPLE ACCESSING THE PROGRAM AND, UM, ACCESSING THIS EQUIPMENT.

YOU KNOW, WE, THE D ONE OFFICE, OUR TEAM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE AD ONE TEAM, FAMILY MEMBER WHO, YOU KNOW, IS A PART OF THE, UM, NEW TO THE E-BIKE TEAM.

MM-HMM.

.

UM, AND I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT EXPAND.

ONE QUESTION I DO HAVE, YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW MANY NEW VEHICLES ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE.

I'M CURIOUS AROUND, UM, ARE THESE THE SAME MANUFACTURERS JUST PUTTING OUT MORE PRODUCT OR DO WE HAVE MORE MANUFACTURERS, MORE MORE MANUFACTURERS AS WELL? FOR, I MEAN, AND I'LL GO BACK TO WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS.

THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE COMPANIES LIKE PEDAGO AND A FEW, I'M TRYING TO NOT JUST SINGLE 'EM OUT, BUT THERE ARE A FEW OTHERS NOW.

YOU'LL HAVE EVERYONE LIKE, UM, EVEN THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS LIKE, YOU KNOW, HUFFY TREK, UH, CANADA, ALL THESE MAJOR BIKE MANUFACTURERS ARE, YOU KNOW, KINDA LIKE THE EV SIDE.

EVERY MAJOR AUTO MANUFACTURERS BRINGING THAT IN THEIR PORTFOLIO.

NOW YOU'RE HAVING EVERY, PRETTY MUCH EVERY BIKE MANUFACTURER BRINGING ELECTRIC BIKES WITHIN THEIR PORTFOLIO AS WELL.

SO, UH, YOU HAVE SOME THAT SPECIALIZE IN THAT, AND THEN YOU ALSO HAVE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS THAT ARE MAKING THAT A PART OF THEIRS AS WELL.

THAT'S AWESOME.

MY LAST TWO QUESTIONS ALONG THOSE LINES IS, ARE ANY OF THOSE LOCAL, ARE THERE ANY JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE? AND ON THE RETAIL SIDE? UH, YES.