May 23, 2024 Mobility Committee

[00:00:03]

BETTY,

[CALL TO ORDER]

ALL RIGHT.

WE HAVE ESTABLISHED QUORUM.

WELCOME TO THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE.

IT IS MAY 23RD, 2024.

IT IS 1:01 PM WE ARE HERE IN CITY HALL CHAMBERS, AND I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE VICE CHAIR CADRE WITH US.

WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER OF VELA WITH US, AND WE ALSO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON JOINING US REMOTELY.

TODAY, I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MAY IS BIKE MONTH.

SO WE HAVE AN AGENDA THAT IS SPECIFICALLY GEARED AROUND BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE, INTERSECTION SAFETY, OTHER SORTS OF PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON PRESENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STREETS, OUR URBAN TRAILS, AND OUR BIKE NETWORKS ARE SAFE FOR EVERYBODY.

I ALSO WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT IS PUBLIC WORKS WEEK.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES ARE SOME OF THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THIS CITY WHO WORK HARD EVERY DAY TO PROVIDE US WITH MUCH NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE.

YOU MAY SEE THEM OUT THIS SUMMER IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

WE KNOW THAT THESE FOLKS WORK DILIGENTLY EVERY SINGLE DAY.

THEY'RE OUT THERE WHEN IT'S 105 DEGREES.

THEY'RE OUT THERE WHEN IT'S 20 DEGREES, 15 DEGREES OUT IN THE HIGH HEAT, IN THE COLD WEATHER.

AND WE WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEIR WORK IS VERY PIVOTAL IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR ROADS AND OUR URBAN TRAIL NETWORKS ARE REALLY SAFE FOR EVERYBODY.

AND BECAUSE WE WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES WEEK, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

ALSO, TODAY IS THE AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY.

SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FOLKS, INCLUDING ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ROBERT GOOD, OUT AT A BIA TODAY, ACKNOWLEDGING THE GOOD WORK THAT OUR AIRPORT EMPLOYEES, OUR CONCESSION EMPLOYEES, DO EVERY DAY FOR AUSTIN AIRPORT.

SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE ACKNOWLEDGE THEM TODAY.

I DIRECT YOU TO THE A CM REPORT THAT IS POSTED IN BACKUP, THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THAT YOU WANNA PROVIDE TO A CM, GOOD, PLEASE DO THAT ON THE BACKEND.

GIVE 'EM A PHONE CALL, SEND AN EMAIL, MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, UH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE.

BUT THAT REPORT IS ALWAYS A REALLY GOOD WAY OF SOURCING THE WORK THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE DOING ALL THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, ALL THE MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE WORK IS HAPPENING IN, IN A GOOD WAY.

AND ON THAT

[Public Communication: General]

I BELIEVE WE ONLY HAVE ONE SPEAKER.

THAT'S RIGHT.

WE HAVE ADAM GREENFIELD WITH SAFE STREETS AUSTIN, WELCOME ADAM, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

UH, WONDERFUL.

CAN YOU PULL UP THE SLIDES? UH, UH, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS.

UM, ADAM GREENFIELD HERE WITH SAFE STREETS AUSTIN.

UM, I WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENT PLAN YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT THIS COUNCIL IS GONNA BE BRINGING THIS UP SOON IN RELATION TO, UM, COUNCIL'S DIRECTION FROM BACK IN FEBRUARY, ASKING FOR, UM, A RAPID RESPONSE TO OUR CLIMATE CHALLENGES.

UM, AND SAFETY EXHAUST HAS SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL.

THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HAS ADOPTED THAT PROPOSAL, AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU 'CAUSE WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

UH, SO, UM, JUST VERY QUICKLY, UH, SO OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS, WHETHER IT'S FLOODING, EXTREME HEAT, UH, POLAR FREEZES, UM, WE NEED TO DO THINGS VERY DIFFERENTLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

UH, AND WE REALLY NEED TO FRONT AND CENTER TRANSPORTATION WITH THAT.

IT'S OUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

UM, 37% COMES FROM TRANSPORTATION.

AND WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WHERE IS THAT IMPACT REALLY COMING FROM, A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT IS COMING FROM OUR ARTERIALS.

THAT'S HOW MOST PEOPLE ARE GETTING AROUND TOWN.

SO ARTERIALS TWO LANES OR MORE IN EACH DIRECTION.

UH, THIS IS, UM, UH, ON LAMAR.

SO WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE USE OUR ARTERIALS RIGHT NOW.

AND IN FACT, NOT ONLY ARE THESE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF OUR BIG SIGNIFICANT, UH, AMOUNT OF OUR CARBON EMISSIONS, BUT ACTUALLY THEY DON'T MOVE PEOPLE WELL BECAUSE THEY PRIORITIZE LOW OCCUPANCY VEHICLES.

THEY ARE DANGEROUS, THEY'RE UNPLEASANT.

UM, THEY ARE JUST SUBOPTIMAL FOR THIS CITY.

SO, UH, SAFE STREET'S.

AUSTIN'S PROPOSAL FOR THE EIP IS REALLY SURROUNDING OUR ARTERIALS.

AND THE PROPOSAL IS BEING CALLED CITY LEAP.

THE PLAN IS VERY SIMPLE.

CONVERT ONE OR MORE VEHICLE LANES ON EVERY CITY OF AUSTIN, OWNED ARTERIAL TO EITHER BUS LANES WITH SHARED USE PATHS OR PROTECTED BIKE LANES IN FIVE YEARS.

THAT'S WHAT THE NETWORK COULD LOOK LIKE.

SO BASICALLY WE TOOK ANY HIGH FREQUENCY BUS ROUTE, UM, AND GAVE BUS LANES TO THOSE UH, AREAS.

SO THOSE ARE THE BLUE LINES.

THE GREEN LINES ARE, UH, PROTECTED BIKE LANES.

SO GENERALLY IT WOULD BE TWO LANES, ONE IN EACH DIRECTION, FOUR BUSES, AND PERHAPS ONE LANE OR TWO LANES FOR PROTECTED BIKE LANES, DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT.

[00:05:01]

SO, TYPICAL TREATMENT, UH, THIS IS SOUTH FIRST TODAY.

THAT'S WHAT SOUTH FIRST COULD LOOK LIKE WITH BUS LANES AND SHARED USE PATHS ON THE FAR SIDE.

THIS IS EAST MLK, TODAY, EAST MLK WITH PROTECTED BIKE LANES, THREE ROW, THREE LANE ROAD CONFIGURATION.

WAIT, I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD DWELL ON THAT IMAGE SO MUCH A LITTLE LONGER.

UH, SOMETHING LIKE 130 MILES OF ROADWAYS WOULD COULD SEE THIS TREATMENT.

THESE ARE THE MILES THAT WE COULD SEE OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS.

UM, AND THE BENEFITS ARE RATHER PROFOUND.

UH, THIS IS A WAY TO BASICALLY START TREATING OUR BUS NETWORK LIKE A SUBWAY STRAIGHTAWAY.

UH, SHORTER TRAVEL TIMES FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING DRIVERS.

UM, A PROJECT THAT COULD PAY FOR ITSELF WITHIN MONTHS.

SO WHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, CONVERTED ONE LANE OVER THE LONGHORN DAM BRIDGE, UH, TO A SHARED USE PATH, THE PROJECT PAID FOR ITSELF WITHIN FOUR MONTHS THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE CRASH COST SAVINGS.

THANK YOU.

I THINKS WE HEARD A DING.

YEAH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

OKAY.

THANKS ADAM.

THANKS FOR YOUR WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY.

MM-HMM.

, THAT MOVES US TO OUR NEXT

[1. Approve the minutes of the Mobility Committee meeting of April 23, 2024.]

DO I HAVE A MOTION FROM VICE CHAIR CADRY? SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

ALL THAT IS UNANIMOUS FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE.

WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO

[5. Briefing regarding the Metrobike bikeshare system relating to community engagement, strategic planning and the interlocal agreement with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority.]

THIS IS THE ONLY ITEM WE'RE TAKING OUT OF ORDER TODAY.

WE HAVE A TIME CONSTRAINT WITH CAP METRO AND WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THEM TAKING THIS MOMENT TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE METRO BIKE SHARE SYSTEM RELATING TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH CAP METRO.

HELLO, UH, I'M NADIA BARRERA RAMIREZ.

I MANAGE CROSS-AGENCY PROGRAMS FOR TRANSIT AND MOBILITY AT CAP METRO.

AND I HAVE WITH ME JACOB BARRETT, TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CITY.

AND WE'RE HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU A UPDATE ON METRO BIKE.

SO THIS IS KIND OF A LONG AGENDA, BUT THERE'S A LOT GOING ON.

UH, WE ARE, THERE'S A LOT CHANGING WITH THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM AND JACOB'S GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME AGREEMENTS THAT WE HAVE PENDING.

WE HAVE A BIG SYSTEM TRANSITION COMING UP, AND WE'RE ALSO UNDERGOING A STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.

SO THE NAME OF METRO BIKE IS CHANGING.

I KNOW YOU GUYS JUST GOT USED TO SAYING METRO BIKE, BUT WE ARE NOW CA WE WILL BE STARTING JULY 1ST, CAT METRO BIKE SHARE.

AND THIS NAMING CONVENTION GOES WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER NAMING CONVENTIONS LIKE CAT METRO, RAPID CAT, METRO RAIL, CAT, METRO BUS.

AND SO THIS IS GOING IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR NEW E-BIKE AND STATION TRANSITION THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT LATER.

SURE.

THANK YOU NADIA.

SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT TWO UPCOMING ITEMS THAT COUNCIL WILL SEE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

THE FIRST IS THE TDOT ADVANCED FUNDING AGREEMENT FOR OUR TASSA GRANT.

SO Y'ALL WILL SEE THAT ON THE MAY 30TH AGENDA, WE'RE SEEKING APPROVAL TO ACCEPT AND NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE THE, UH, TASSA GRANT.

WE WERE AWARDED BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2023 FOR $11.2 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO EXPAND THE METRO BIKE SYSTEM.

UM, REALLY EXCITING.

UH, SO THAT ITEM AND THEN THE SECOND ITEM THAT YOU'LL SEE COMING IN SUMMER 2024, IS AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT AMENDMENT.

SO, UH, THIS NEW AMENDMENT WILL CLARIFY THE PROCESS FOR THE DISPOSAL AND RESALE OF OUR CURRENT LEGACY B CYCLE SYSTEM.

IT OUTLINES ADDITIONAL CAPITAL AND OPERATIONAL INVESTMENT FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS, WHICH INCORPORATES THE TASSA GRANT.

IT IDENTIFIES SOME RESPONSIBILITIES FOR STORAGE FACILITIES, FOR BIKES, UM, AND STATIONS.

AND THEN IT DETAILS THAT ROLLOVER FOR, UM, OUR CITY OF AUSTIN AND HOUSTON TILL ITS IN PASS BANK TO PROVIDE FREE, UM, AND REDUCED PRICE, METRO BIKE SERVICE FOR, UM, OR CAP METRO BIKE SHARE SERVICE, UH, FOR, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN AND HOUSTON TILLSON.

AND THEN ALSO ESTABLISHES REGULAR DATA SHARING BETWEEN, UH, CAP METRO AND THE CITY.

AND FOR THOSE THAT DON'T AREN'T AWARE, THE, THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE TODAY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN OWNS THE BIKES AND THE STATION.

SO THEY OWN ALL OF THE HARDWARE AND CAP METRO OPERATES AND MAINTAINS THE BIKE SHARE SYSTEM.

SO, UH, IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, OUR BOARD APPROVED A CONTRACT WITH PBSC URBAN SOLUTIONS TO, UM, TO RENEW THE BIKE SHARE SYSTEM.

AND SO STARTING ON JULY 1ST, METRO BIKE WILL BE SHUTTING DOWN.

SO WE WILL BE SYSTEMATICALLY REMOVING ALL 76 STATIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE

[00:10:01]

WE ANTICIPATE BY MID-JULY, WE WILL HAVE, UM, THE STATIONS DOWN AT UT FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL BE EXPANDING OUT FROM THERE.

AND WE'LL BE PUTTING IN ABOUT FOUR STATIONS A DAY WITH THE HOPE OF COMPLETING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM REPLACEMENT BY MID AUGUST.

SO IT'LL BE ABOUT A MONTH UNTIL THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN FOR MEMBERSHIPS, I KNOW, UM, WE HAVE, SO WE'VE STARTED THIS COMMUNICATION PROCESS, BUT STARTING MAY 31ST, WE WILL TEMPORARILY CEASE THE SALE OF MONTHLY AND ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS.

AND STARTING JUNE 29TH, WE WILL TEMPORARILY CEASE SALE OF ANY DAY PASSES.

SO FOR THOSE OF YOU LIKE ME WHO'S WHO ARE ANNUAL MEMBERS, YOU WILL GET PROMO CODES TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE YOUR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP.

AND EVERYONE WILL HAVE TO, STARTING IN JULY WILL HAVE TO DOWNLOAD A NEW APP CALLED THE CAT METRO BIKE SHARE APP, AND YOU'LL CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT AND, UM, THAT'LL HELP YOU USE THE SYSTEM.

SO WE HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING THIS TRANSITION PLAN TO OUR CUSTOMERS WITH A SERIES OF EMAILS ABOUT THE CLOSURE DATE AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MONTHLY PASSES.

I KNOW I RECEIVED ONE A COUPLE DAYS AGO THAT OUTLINED THE, THE DATES OF WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING.

WE HAVE A NEW WEBPAGE, IT'S CAT METRO.ORG/BIKESHARE.

WE'VE STARTED TO PUSH THINGS OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA STARTING, UM, EARLIER THIS MONTH.

WE'LL HAVE A FORMAL PRESS RELEASE IN JUNE, AND THEN OF COURSE, WE'LL BE POSTING NOTICES ON THE STATION THEMSELVES IN JUNE.

WE'LL ALSO INITIATE, UH, OUTDOOR ADVERTISING AND DIGITAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN STARTING IN AUGUST.

AND LAST WEEKEND WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT AT OUR STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN, OPEN HOUSE AND COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE, WHERE WE HAD ALMOST 70 PEOPLE THERE RIDING BIKES AND LEARNING ABOUT THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.

BUT WE ALSO TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY TO TELL OUR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE, THE TRANSITION IN SERVICE AND THE CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP, ET CETERA.

SO, JUST ONCE AGAIN, HERE'S AN OUTLINE.

SO STARTING MAY 31ST, WE'LL SEE SALES OF MONTHLY AND ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS.

JUNE 29TH, ALL DAY PASSES WILL CEASE.

AND THEN EARLY JULY, JULY ONE, WE'RE GONNA BE PICKING UP STATIONS AND, UM, STORING THEM.

AND THEN STARTING MID-JULY, WE HOPE TO BE, UM, TURNING ON THE SYSTEM AGAIN, STARTING AT UT.

AND THEN EVERYTHING SHOULD BE REPLACED BY MID-AUGUST.

SO THE, THE FINAL SUBJECT IS ABOUT OUR STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.

AND WE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO THE PUBLIC.

WE HAVE THESE GUIDELINES THAT WE'RE USING THAT ARE BEST PRACTICES, AND WE'VE ALSO CONDUCTED A DEMAND OR MARKET ANALYSIS THAT HELPS US LEARN WHERE WE EXPECT TO SEE THE MOST USERS FOR BIKE SHARE.

SO THIS STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN WILL GUIDE US THROUGH THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF SYSTEM GROWTH.

WE, TODAY WE HAVE ABOUT 76 STATIONS, WE HOPE OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS TO HAVE 300 STATIONS.

SO IT'S A HUGE GROWTH.

UM, WE HOPE TO, YOU KNOW, TODAY OUR, OUR SYSTEM IS MOSTLY FOCUSED IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT AND UT AND SOME IN EAST AUSTIN.

AND IT'S REALLY AROUND COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS CENTERS.

AND WE WANNA EXPAND THOSE TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND HAVE THAT FIRST AND LAST MILE TRANSIT CONNECTION SO THAT PEOPLE CAN USE THE BIKES TO GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO.

WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH A TP TO MAKE SURE THAT BIKE SHARE STATIONS ARE LOCATED AT THE PLANNED LIGHT RAIL STATIONS.

AND THEY, WE HAVE 10 STATIONS THAT WILL BE 10 BIKE SHARE STATIONS THAT WILL BE CO-LOCATED WITH THE NEW RAPID STATIONS.

SO WE'RE ANTICIPATING REALLY MAKING THAT TRANSIT BIKE SHARE CONNECTION SO THAT PEOPLE CAN USE THE BUSES AND TRAINS TO GET AROUND.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE ARE BEING REALLY CAREFUL THAT AS WE GROW, WE'RE DOING IT SUSTAINABLY.

SO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE MAY NEED TO DENSIFY IN SOME AREAS WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

UM, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP WITH THE, THE DEMAND AND GROWTH.

SO BACK IN 2021, WE HAD AN INITIAL STRATEGIC PLAN AND IT, AND IT OUTLINED A THREE PHASED GROWTH PLAN.

AND BECAUSE OF KIND OF COVID, WE DIDN'T GET TO DO AS MUCH, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS WE WANTED TO DO, IT DID ESTABLISH SOME BASIC, UH, TYPOLOGIES.

SO FOR THIS NEXT ROUND OF THE EXPANSION PLAN, FIRST OFF, WE, WE NOW HAVE THE, UH, BEFORE THERE WAS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED BIKE SHARE OF AUSTIN.

THEY'RE NOW PART OF CAP METRO.

SO WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE OPERATIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK.

SO THE, UM, THE PLAN WILL INCLUDE DIRECTION ABOUT HOW TO USE MORE EFFICIENTLY OPERATIONAL RESOURCES TO OPERATE THE SYSTEM.

WE'RE ALSO RENEWING A MARKET STUDY SO WE KNOW WHO'S USING IT AND WHEN AND WHERE.

AND WE HAVE A VERY MUCH MORE ROBUST, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PHASE.

AND JUST THE FIRST PHASE WAS IN MARCH AND APRIL, WE HAD OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE RESPOND TO OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY.

IT WAS ONLINE AND PEOPLE COULD, YOU KNOW, PICK WHERE THEY WANTED TO STATIONS TO GO.

AND WE USED THAT INFORMATION FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF OUTREACH.

BUT, YOU KNOW, OVERWHELMINGLY PEOPLE WANT TO USE THESE BIKES TO GET TO FUN PLACES IN AUSTIN TO EXPLORE AND ENJOY EVERYTHING THAT AUSTIN HAS TO OFFER.

SOME PEOPLE ARE USING IT TO GET TO AND FROM SCHOOL, AND OTHERS ARE USING IT, UM, AS A WAY TO CONNECT TO THEIR BUS OR A TRAIN OR CAR.

UM, BUT PEOPLE WANT MORE STATIONS.

THEY WANT MORE STATIONS AND PLACES THEY WANT TO GO.

THEY WANT MORE

[00:15:01]

THEY WANT, UM, MORE BETTER AVAILABILITY OF STATIONS.

AND WE REALLY THINK THAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL HELP US GET THERE SO THAT WE CAN GET BETTER USAGE OF THE BIKES.

UM, NU TOP TWO REASONS PEOPLE DON'T USE METRO BIKE IS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND, UM, IT WASN'T, THE BIKES WEREN'T NECESSARILY FEASIBLE FOR THE TYPES OF TRIPS THEY WANTED TO MAKE BY BICYCLE.

SO NOW WE'RE ON OUR SECOND PHASE OF, OF OUTREACH.

WE HAD, LIKE I MENTIONED, OUR OPEN HOUSE LAST SATURDAY, AND WE HOPE YOU GUYS CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, GO TO PUBLIC INPUT.COM/METRO BIKE TO ENGAGE IN OUR VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE.

AND THERE'S A QR CODE THERE.

AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE FEEDBACK ON WHAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR, OUR FIRST, UH, OUTREACH SESSION.

AND THIS IS MY FINAL SLIDE, AND JUST MAKING A PLUG FOR OUR CAT METRO TRANSIT PLAN 2035.

THE LAST TIME WE DID A TRANSIT PLAN WAS IN 2015, SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE EVERYONE AWARE THAT THE PLANNING PROCESSES IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW.

AND STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CAT METRO'S TRANSIT PLAN.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

AND I SHOULD MENTION THAT THE BIKE THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF THE DAAS IS THE NEW METRO BIKE THAT'S GONNA BE ROLLING OUT THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE? GREAT.

UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

UM, I, UH, MYSELF AND MY TEAM DID A, A TEAM BIKE RIDE LAST NIGHT, UM, WHICH IT IS VERY HOT.

UM, SO I WILL, I WILL NOT WEAR JEANS NEXT TIME I DO THAT.

UM, BUT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT MORE DOCKING STATIONS COMING UP THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

UH, I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR DISTRICT USE IT, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS IN AND AROUND WEST CAMPUS.

UH, BUT I KNOW THERE ISN'T, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL SOME PLACES WITHIN DISTRICT NINE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE STATIONS, YOU KNOW, I THINK NORTH OF UT UH, I THINK OF THE MUELLER NEIGHBORHOOD.

MUELLER NEIGHBORHOOD.

UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEAS BASED ON FEEDBACK AND DATA ON WHERE STATIONS WILL BE GOING SOON AND HOW LONG UNTIL WE SEE THEM ON THE GROUND, UH, IN THOSE AREAS? SURE.

SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED COMING, YOU KNOW, MID-AUGUST WILL BE JUST A REPLACEMENT OF THE SYSTEM.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AS JACOB SAID, WE HAVE THIS GRANT COMING AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO, I THINK AS SOON AS WE GET THE AGREEMENT SIGNED AND WE CAN MAKE AN ORDER.

IT'S A FOUR MONTH, UH, LEAD TIME TO WHEN WE CAN BUY MORE BIKES.

SO WE'RE ANTICIPATING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SPRING-ISH OF NEXT YEAR THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE OUR NEXT ROUND OF STATIONS GOING DOWN.

GREAT.

AND THE PLACES THAT YOU MENTIONED OF COURSE, ARE HIGH ON OUR RADAR AS WELL.

GREAT.

YEAH, I LIVE IN THE MUELLER MILLER NEIGHBORHOOD.

UM, I, I WAS TERRIFIED OF WHAT TO CALL IT.

UM, BUT I WOULD BE SO EXCITED IF WE COULD GET SOME METRO BAGS UP THERE.

THANK YOU.

SURE.

THANK YOU.

AND ON THAT NOTE, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO ASK ABOUT ARE THERE ANY, UM, ARE THERE ANY OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE FOR NON DOCKLESS BIKES? I KNOW THERE ARE SOME COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE THAT ACTUALLY CAN RENT A BIKE FOR LONGER THAN A DAY A WEEK.

YOU KNOW, YOU CHECK IT OUT, YOU PAY YOUR DAILY RENT, YOUR WEEKLY RENT ON THE BIKE, AND THEN YOU BRING IT BACK TO A TRAIN STOP, FOR INSTANCE.

ARE THERE ANY PLANS IN THE FUTURE TO TRY TO MOVE US INTO THAT AREA WHERE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, DISTRICT EIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF DOCKS, SO CAN PEOPLE TAKE THEM HOME AND BRING THEM BACK IN THE MORNING SO THEY CAN GET TO WORK AND REDOCK IT A FEW HOURS LATER, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT MORNING? HOW, HOW ARE PLANS PROGRESSING ON THAT? THAT'S A REALLY HARD QUESTION.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LEANED AWAY FROM DOCKLESS, UH, JUST IN GENERAL BECAUSE IT'S MORE, YOU KNOW, A DOCK BIKE IS MORE ORGANIZED AND IT HAS BETTER ANTI-THEFT MECHANISMS. UM, AND AS YOU, AS YOU SAY, O AN OVERNIGHT RENTAL ISN'T SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CON THE ORIGINAL CONCEPTION OF THE BIKE SHARE SYSTEM WAS FOR FIRST AND LAST MILE.

AND TO HELP PEOPLE GET, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT, THOSE LITTLE SHORT TRIPS AND ALSO FOR COMMUTERS AT THE TIME.

BUT, UM, I HOPE THAT WE HAVE MORE STATIONS IN DISTRICT EIGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL SEE THEM CLOSER TO NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE PEOPLE COULD, YOU KNOW, WAKE UP AND THEN WALK TO A STATION AND BE ABLE TO USE IT.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

I KNOW THAT I THINK ZILKER PARK IS PROBABLY THE FARTHEST SOUTHWEST THAT DISTRICT DATE HAS ANY SORT OF DOCKING AVAILABILITY, AND THAT IS JUST THE NORTHERN MOST PORTION OF THE DISTRICT.

UM, SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT CONVERSATION.

I KNOW THAT I SEE THE LINE BIKES FURTHER INTO THE DISTRICT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE USING THAT OPTION, BUT I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME CONCERNS WITH, UM, WHERE THOSE BIKES ARE LEFT AND HOW THEY'RE RETRIEVED AND CHARGED.

UM, SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO BE HELPFUL IN THIS CONVERSATION, I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO GET TO THAT DAILY WEEKLY RENTAL WHERE YOU HAVE TRUSTED RENTERS AND USERS THAT YOU KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY NEED TO BE PICKED UP IF REPAIRS ARE NEEDED, OR THAT THEY'RE COMING BACK TO THE OFFICE LOCATIONS CLOSEST TO THE DOCK IN THE MORNING.

I FEEL LIKE YOU WANNA SPEAK ON THAT ? SURE, ABSOLUTELY.

SO OUTSIDE OF THE METRO

[00:20:01]

MM-HMM, .

UM, SO WE DID APPLY FOR A CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANT.

UM, HOPEFULLY WE HEAR BACK ON THAT IN JULY.

UM, AND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT INVESTMENT IN THAT GRANT IS FOR MOBILITY HUBS.

AND I THINK THAT WOULD BRING ANOTHER OPTION.

UM, MAY NOT BE METRO BIKE, BUT IT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BRING A DIFFERENT SORT OF DECENTRALIZED SOLUTION, UM, TO THE FAR FLUNG, UH, YOU KNOW, AREAS OF DISTRICT EIGHT AND DISTRICT TWO.

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT NOT BE BEST SERVED BY A DOC SOLUTION.

AND THAT WOULD BE IN REGARD TO BICYCLES AS OPPOSED TO MOBILITY HUB, MEANING PARK AND RIDE, WHICH ARE ALSO REALLY GOOD OPTIONS.

YEAH, SO MOBILITY HUBS HAVE A VARIETY OF TYPOLOGIES.

SO YOU CAN HAVE A LARGE MOBILITY HUB THAT WOULD BE A PARK AND RIDE TYPE SOLUTION, OR YOU COULD HAVE EVEN A SMALL LITTLE MOBILITY HUB AT SAY A SHOPPING CENTER, UM, OR JUST CO-LOCATED AS NADIA SAID EARLIER, WITH A METRO RAPID STOP, UM, AND HAVE MULTIPLE MODES AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE, WHETHER IT BE BIKE OR CAR SHARE OR TRANSIT OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.

OKAY.

THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

AND I HAD HEARD JUST RECENTLY THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SPACE IN THE CENTRAL LIBRARY THAT MAY AT ONE POINT HAVE BEEN ENVISIONED FOR BIKE PARKING, BIKE HUB, BIKE REPAIR.

DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT? ARE YOU WILLING TO SHARE ANY OF THAT INFORMATION WITH US TODAY? WE ARE IN ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CENTRAL LIBRARY TO, UM, LOOK AT THAT SPACE AND REALLY REACTIVATE IT, UM, IN A WAY THAT WOULD MAKE IT MORE OF A MOBILITY HUB AND, UM, A BETTER WAY TO GET TO AND FROM THE CENTRAL LIBRARY MORE SUSTAINABLY.

THAT'D BE GREAT.

I KNOW MOST FOLKS I KNOW THAT ARE TRYING BICYCLING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, THEY'RE ALWAYS CURIOUS ABOUT, CAN I REPAIR A FLAT TIRE? CAN I, YOU KNOW, RENT A BIKE FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND USE IT FOR THE AFTERNOON AND THEN RETURN IT IN WAYS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DIFFERENT THAN WHAT OUR METRO BIKE PROGRAM DOES, BUT STILL IN, IN THE SAME VEIN.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

YOU ALL RIGHT.

COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY MORE QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU.

OKAY.

I THINK THAT DOES IT FOR THIS ITEM.

AND

[2. Update from the Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) regarding actions from the April 2, 2024, and May 7, 2024, meetings.]

DO WE HAVE OUR CHAIR? MS. SUMMERS HERE WITH US.

OH, YOU'RE TAKING THE BIKE.

OKAY.

WE'LL, WE'LL SEE YOU LATER.

WE'LL SEE YOU LATER.

.

WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT.

WE WELCOME CHAIR.

SUMMERS, ARE YOU HERE? I AM HERE.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU.

OKAY, GREAT.

I DON'T KNOW, I THINK I SEEMS LIKE MY VIDEO ISN'T WANTING OH, THERE I AM.

HELLO .

HI.

WE CAN SEE YOU NOW.

UM, GREAT, WELL I'LL, I'LL JUST HOP RIGHT IN.

SO, UM, I, UM, I BELIEVE I POSTED TO, UM, DISCUSS BOTH THE, UM, APRIL AND MAY UTC MEETINGS.

IS THAT CORRECT? BEFORE I PROCEED? I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE CHECK ON THAT.

YES.

SO YES, THOSE ARE WHAT WE ARE POSTED FOR.

UM, GREAT.

I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE, WE JUST WANNA STICK TO WHAT I'M POSTED FOR.

SO YES, WE, WE APPRECIATE THAT.

APPRECIATE WE'VE GOT ABOUT MAYBE 15 MINUTES OR SO FOR REPORT AND Q AND A ON THIS ITEM.

GREAT.

OKAY, I'LL HOP RIGHT IN.

SO, UM, WE HAD ESPECIALLY BUSY, UH, AND LONG UTC MEETINGS IN APRIL AND NOVEMBER OR APRIL AND MAY, I'M SKIPPING, I'M JUST TAKING THE YEAR IN FULL I GUESS IN APRIL AND MAY.

UM, AND SO I WILL, UH, RUN YOU THROUGH THOSE ITEMS. I DON'T HAVE A POWERPOINT PREPARED TODAY.

OF COURSE, ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PUBLISHED ON OUR COMMISSION SITE.

UM, SO, UM, WE'LL START WITH, UM, IN APRIL WE DID HAVE, UH, AN ETOD RECOMMENDATION.

AND, UM, I WANNA, UH, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY TAKEN ACTION ON THAT JUST, UH, VERY LAST WEEK, I BELIEVE, UM, AS A COUNCIL.

SO I DON'T WANNA BELABOR THAT TOO MUCH.

WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THE UTCS RECOMMENDATION IS DEFINITELY, UM, CONSIDERING THE TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE DENSITY THAT IS NECESSARY TO, UH, MAKE PROJECT CONNECT SU SUCCESSFUL.

AND SO I'LL JUST READ YOU THE BARE BE IT RESOLVED, BUT IT'S, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK COULD BE FRUITFUL EXPLORING WITH THE E TODD PHASE TWO.

I KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ACTIVELY MOVING INTO THAT, UM, IN THE NEXT YEAR TO IN CONTINUE TO ITERATE AND IMPROVE THE EO SEE WHAT WHAT

[00:25:01]

UM, AND IT SAYS, URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT CITY COUNCIL DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO DIRECT STAFF TO CONSIDER ADDITIONAL BASE ZONES FOR THE EO OVERLAY SUBJECT CONSIDERATION AND LIMITATIONS THAT STAFF HAS ALREADY USED IN SELECTING BASE ZONES AS OVERLAY CANDIDATES, BUT IN OMITTING THE RESTRICTION TO NON SINGLE FAMILY ZONES WITH THE GOAL OF ENABLING APPLICATION OF THE EAD OVERLAY TO AT LEAST 50% OF THE LAND AREA WITHIN ONE HALF MILE OF PHASE ONE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT AND PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.

SO THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, UM, A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE TOOK, UM, A LITTLE BIT BEYOND ABOUT WHAT STAFF HAD PROPOSED.

AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THAT I'M SURE IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO.

UM, WE ALSO HAD, UM, A RECOMMENDATION THAT, UM, I HELPED WRITE THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, WHICH IS, UH, AROUND LIVING STREETS AND PEDESTRIAN VIBRANCY.

SO TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW THIS RECOMMENDATION CAME TO FRUITION, UM, UTC WAS HEARING FROM, UM, CONSTITUENTS, UM, THAT, UM, SOMETIMES, UM, WHEN CITIZENS TRY TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT MAKE, UM, A IT MORE, A MORE OF A LIVING AND WALKABLE PLACE, PERHAPS THINGS LIKE A LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES, FLOWER BEDS, COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARDS, BENCHES, THESE ARE THINGS THAT CITIZENS ARE INSTALLING THEMSELVES MAYBE AT THE EDGE OF THEIR YARD OR SOMETHING.

AND SOME OF THESE HAVE SOME OBSTACLES IN CODE, UM, THAT PREVENT CITIZENS FROM DOING THESE OF THEIR OWN VOLITION TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY.

AND SO, UM, AS WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS, WE ALSO BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT IN SOME JURISDICTIONS, OTHER CITIES AROUND OUR COUNTRY, UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT OF EFFORT THAT, UM, CITIES MAKE TO FUND AND INSTALL, UM, THESE TYPES OF STREET FURNITURE.

AND, UM, JUST TO MAKE IT SORT OF A MORE WALKABLE PLACE.

AND THIS IS VERY IN LINE WITH CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE ABOUT MAKING COMMUNITIES MORE WELCOMING AND, UM, MAKING PEOPLE FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS AND BATTLING OUR LONELINESS EPI IN SOCIETY.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I PERSONALLY FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT.

SO YOU CAN READ THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT UM, BASICALLY IF YOU LOOK AT THE RE BE IT RESOLVED, IT SAYS, UM, LET'S LOOK AT WHAT BARRIERS WE'RE PLACING THAT, UM, PREVENT IN CITIZENS THAT INSTALL, YOU KNOW, THESE TYPES OF COMMUNITY BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WE DOING THAT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM DOING THIS ON THEIR OWN NOW? BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY WANNA CREATE OBSTACLES WHEN PEOPLE ARE DOING THAT VOLUNTARILY TO IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNITIES, UM, AND CONSIDER PASSING CODE AMENDMENTS THAT REMOVE THESE TYPES OF BARRIERS.

AND WE CHECKED WITH LIVING STREETS AS WELL, I SHOULD ADD.

AND WE THINK THAT THIS COULD SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAM.

I THINK THEY'RE, UM, PRETTY WELL ON BOARD WITH THIS AND EXCITED ABOUT IT.

WE'RE VERY EXCITED WITH ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS ON LIVING STREETS IN THE LAST YEAR.

SO THOSE ARE ALL EXCITING THINGS.

UM, AND SO THEN WE FURTHER RECOMMEND, RECOMMEND THAT WE CONSIDER CITY PROGRAMS, WHICH WILL ENCOURAGE THESE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE CITY ITSELF, POTENTIALLY DESIGNING AND INSTALLING THIS INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND, UM, WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT AUSTIN TRANS TPW AND, UM, WE CONTINUE THEIR EFFORTS TO COORDINATE SO THAT THE LIVING STREETS PROJECTS, UM, ARE, SO WE HAD HEARD FROM LIVING STREETS A COUPLE TIMES.

SO, UM, SO THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS THAT LIVING STREETS THAT HAVE BEEN EXISTING SUCCESSFUL, POPULAR, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE LIVING STREETS EVENTUALLY ARE SORT OF UPGRADED TO OUR MORE PERMANENT SHARED STREETS? BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S, I THINK THE STAFF HAS A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS WITH THAT, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PROCESS CONTINUES TO BE LOOKED AT.

AND THEN, UH, FINALLY THAT WE RECOMMENDED, UH, INITIATING CODE AMENDMENTS TO REMOVE THE PERMITTING REQUIREMENT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTIES AND MOVE THE A APPLICATION, UM, FROM THE AUSTIN BUILDING CONNECT PERMITTING PORTAL TO THE SMART MOBILITY PORTAL.

AND THIS IS JUST TO MAKE BLOCK PARTIES, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE IN LINE WITH THE OTHER LIVING STREETS AND HEALTHY STREETS AND, UH, MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR CITIZENS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.

OKAY, SO THAT'S THAT ONE.

UM, WE ALSO HAD, UM, A RECOMMENDATION AROUND THE AIRPORT.

UM, SO YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT THE AIRPORT COMMISSION, UM, PASSED THIS IN, UH, SAME, UH, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT'S THE SAME 'CAUSE WE MADE A FEW TWEAKS ON IT FOR THE UTC PURPOSES, BUT IT'S, UM, BASICALLY, UH, RECOMMENDING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION COORDINATE WITH A-P-D-A-F-D-E-M-S-T-P-W VISION ZERO AND TDOT TO PRO AND PROMOTE PEDESTRIAN BICYCLE DRIVER AND VEHICLE SAFETY IN AND AROUND A BIA, UM, AND, AND ALSO KEEPING AT LEAST ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION, INCLUDING AIRPORT ENTRANCES AND EXITS OPEN UNDER MOST CIRCUMSTANCES.

THIS IS IN CONSIDERATION OF SOME OF THE, UH, TRAFFIC VIOLENCE AND, UH, EMERGENCY UH, HANDLING THAT'S HAPPENED AT THE AIRPORT AND JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE THROUGH ALL MODES.

[00:30:01]

UM, SO THAT IS, OH, WE'LL DO ONE MORE.

I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE DONE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, BUT WE HAD A SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT.

WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THE TRANSPORTATION ASPECTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AND WE'LL, UM, DO THIS, UH, TRY TO DO THIS ONE VERY QUICKLY.

UM, SO WE, OUR BE IT RESOLVES ARE A LITTLE TECHNICAL MAYBE, BUT IT SAYS, UM, WE RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO CONSIDER AND INITIATE AMENDMENTS TO THE A SMP STREET NETWORK TABLE, UH, FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT.

UPON THE PUBLISHING OF THE PROJECT CONNECT NEPA EIS RECORD OF DECISION TO ENSURE THE STREET GRID AND LEVELS CREATE A TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT.

THERE'S SOME CONCERN THAT SOME OF THE STREETS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE A SMP STREET NETWORK, UM, OR DIFFERENT PLANS MAY HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF TRAFFIC OR LANES THAT MAY BE LESS COMPATIBLE WITH TRANSIT.

SO MAKING SURE WHENEVER WE GET OUR FINAL EIS FOR PROJECT CONNECT, THAT WE ARE THEN GOING BACK AND ALIGNING OUR PLANS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT AND A SMP SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THE STREET LEVELS THAT WE'RE PLANNING COORDINATE WITH THE SAFETY AND THE OPERATION OF LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT.

UM, AND OF COURSE, OUR BUSES TOO, NEEDLESS TO SAY.

UM, SO, UM, WE ALSO APPRECIATE, UM, THE INCREASED FAR LIMIT.

SO, UM, THERE WAS SOME CONCERN IN SOME EARLY DRAFTS OF SOUTH FENCE OR WATERFRONT THAT THE FAR THAT WAS NEAR, PERHAPS NEAR WHERE THE PROPOSED LIGHT RAIL STATION WAS LESSER.

UM, AND SO THAT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED AROUND WHERE WE THINK THE LIGHT RAIL STATION WILL BE.

WE RECOMMEND THAT CITY COUNCIL, UM, ALTER THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT COMBINING DISTRICT AND DENSITY BONUS REGULATIONS TO MAXIMIZE ACCESS TO THE WATERFRONT LIGHT RAIL STATION BY RECLASSIFYING OUR PARCELS TO LOCATED DIRECTLY ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE TO THE EAST OF CONGRESS TO SUBDISTRICT FOUR OR FIVE.

THIS IS BASICALLY FOCUSING OUR DENSITY AROUND OUR LIGHT RAIL STATION, SO THAT INCREASING ACCESS TO AMENITIES TO HOUSING, UM, IN A WALKABLE WAY FROM THE LIGHT RAIL.

UM, WE RECOMMEND THE BONUS PROGRAM STRUCTURE, UH, REFLECT A GREATER NEED FOR TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE BY WEIGHTING THOSE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS MORE HEAVILY.

UM, WE RECOMMEND THAT THE INTERNAL CIRCULATION ROUTES WITHIN THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT BE PRESERVED BY HAVING PUBLIC ACCESS ACCESS EASEMENTS TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO MOVE FREELY.

THIS WOULD BE SORT OF JUST AN UPGRADE OR ADDITIONAL PROTECTION OF PRESERVING THOSE INTERNAL CIRCULATION ROUTES.

AND, UM, THIS ONE WAS THE ONE THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE MOST PROBABLY INSPIRED THE MOST DEBATE WHETHER OR NOT THAT, UM, THE FEE AND LU FROM, UM, THE COLLECT IT FROM SOUTH CENTER WATERFRONT SHOULD BE RETAINED WITHIN SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN, OR IT SHOULD BE, UM, ABLE TO GO, UM, ANYWHERE WITHIN A HALF MILE OF A CAP METRO RAIL STOP OR A QUARTER MILE OF A CAP METRO HIGH FREQUENCY BUS STOP.

AND ULTIMATELY WE WERE, WE DID PASS AN AMENDMENT THAT SAID THAT, SO WE WERE MAKING THAT RECOMMENDATION, UM, WITH THE FEE AND LIE.

SO, UM, AND I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW IF YOU PASSED SOUTH CENTRAL, BUT NOW YOU HEARD WHAT WE DID.

UM, I WILL QUICKLY GO THROUGH OUR MAY.

UM, WE HEARD A REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION ABOUT PAP AND STITCH ONLY.

UM, RECOMMEND LISTENING TO THAT.

I LEARNED A LOT.

THAT WAS A LOT OF GREAT NEW INFO THERE.

UM, OUR BIG RECOMMENDATION, IT WAS ONE RECOMMENDATION IN MAY.

IT WAS AROUND, UM, UH, SHARED MOBILITY SOLUTIONS AND SCOOTERS DOCKLESS AS YOU ARE, I'M SURE WELL AWARE THAT THERE WERE, UM, ENHANCED REGULATIONS TO THE SHARED MOBILITY PROGRAM THAT WERE COMMUNICATED IN A EARLY MID-APRIL.

UM, THAT TOOK A LOT OF FOLKS BY SURPRISE.

SO, UM, OUR RECOMMENDATION THERE WAS THAT TPW AND CITY COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY TAKE ACTION TO BETTER ALIGN THE CITY'S SHARED MOBILITY POLICIES WITH THE CITY'S VALUES ON SAFETY, MOBILITY, EQUITY, AND TRANSPARENCY, UM, THAT WE RECOMMEND THAT TPW ENCOMPASS THE, UH, ENHANCED REGULATIONS FOR THE SHARED MOBILITY PROGRAM INTO CHANGES FOR THE DIRECTOR'S, RULES FOR DEPLOYMENT AND OPERATIONS OF SHARED SMALL VEHICLE MOBILITY SYSTEMS. AND WE RECOMMEND THAT THE UT THE RULEMAKING PROCESS FOR DOCKLESS VEHICLES PRIORITIZE ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT NOTIFICATION OF STAKEHOLDERS, BOARD AND COMMISSION REVIEW CITY COUNCIL FEEDBACK, AND BE EVALUATED ON WHETHER THE RULES WILL HELP THE CITY MEET THE A SMP SHARED MOBILITY GOALS, WHICH INDICATORS SHARED MOBILITY INDICATORS AND TARGETS, WHICH I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, INCREASING THE USES OF SHARED MOBILITY SOLUTION, INCREASING THE SHARE OF SHARED MOBILITY TRIPS, UM, THAT ORIGINATE OR END IN AREAS THAT ARE HOR HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AND UNDERSERVED, INCREASE THE COVERAGE OF SHARED MOBILITY SOLUTIONS AND INCREASE THE DENSITY OF SHARED MOBILITY VEHICLES.

SO I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT THE TENOR OF THIS RECOMMENDATION IS THAT MAKING SURE THAT THE RULES THAT WE'RE MAKING AROUND DOCKLESS MOBILITY ALIGN WITH ACTUALLY WHAT'S IN OUR PLAN FOR THE SHARED MOBILITY, UM, UH, AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN,

[00:35:01]

SO WHAT DO WE SAY WE WANTED TO DO WITH THESE THINGS AND WHETHER WE ACTUALLY DOING IN THE RULES THAT WE'RE, UM, ENFORCING, UM, THERE WERE SOME OTHER GREAT ITEMS. WE HAD APPROVED TWO RIGHT OF WAY VACATIONS.

I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THOSE.

THOSE WERE GOOD.

UM, WE ALSO HAD, AS I SAID, THE CAP AND STITCH AND WE HAD A REALLY, REALLY INTRIGUING PRESENTATION FROM CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES ABOUT THEIR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

I REALLY RECOMMEND YOU WATCH .

I DON'T USUALLY SAY THIS.

I REALLY RECOMMEND YOU WATCH THAT ITEM, AND I DEFINITELY STAND READY TO SPEAK TO ANY COUNCIL OFFICE THAT WANTS TO ABOUT THAT ITEM AND ABOUT, UM, JUST ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES WITH THE, UH, BOND SPENDING AND DISCUSS THAT WITH YOU AT YOUR, UM, AT YOUR CONVENIENCE.

SO THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT FOR YOU TODAY.

THANK YOU CHAIR SUMMERS.

WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK AND THE WORK OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT, THAT WORK ON, ON THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN, IN A VOLUNTEER CAPACITY.

WE KNOW IT'S A LOT OF WORK AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION TO THESE TOPICS.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAIR AT THIS MOMENT? NOT A QUESTION, JUST A COMMENT, I GUESS, AND MAYBE NOT EVEN FOR THE CHAIR.

IT'S JUST A, A THANK YOU CHAIR.

UH, JUST MORE OF A COMMENT.

UM, AND, AND I APPRECIATE THE, THE UPDATE FROM CHAIR SUMMERS.

UH, WE'VE HEARD, UH, AS AN OFFICE FROM FOLKS LOUD AND CLEAR, UH, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH TPW AND EXACTLY WHAT THE SIX MONTH REVIEW REVIEW WILL ENTAIL, UH, SO THAT WE HAVE MORE DATA TO WORK WITH, UH, IN THE FALL FOR POLICY DIRECTION FOR SCOOTERS.

UH, AND I UNDERSTAND THE RIGHT STAFF CAN BE HERE TODAY TO SPEAK TO THIS REVIEW IN MORE DETAIL, BUT IT'S LOOKING LIKE WE'RE ON TRACK TOWARDS A GOOD PROCESS'S ACCOUNTABLE, UH, TO MANY COMMUNITY CONCERNS.

SO JUST WANTED TO YEAH, AND IF I COULD RESPOND TO THAT TOO, OF COURSE, OUR DISCUSSION ON THE COMMISSION, WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE RULE CHANGES THAT WERE RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED WERE, UM, IMPLEMENTED FROM, YOU KNOW, UH, A DEFINITE CONCERN THAT SCOOTER INJURIES, UM, ARE REALLY, UM, HARMFUL AND, AND PERHAPS WIDESPREAD AND SEVERE.

UM, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, FOLKS FROM LOCAL HOSPITALS AND EMS MAY HAVE APPROACHED, UM, TPW DISCUSS THAT.

I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT EVERYONE ON UTC IS LASER FOCUSED ON SAFETY AS WELL.

UM, HOWEVER, UM, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A LOT OF DATA MM-HMM, ON HOW MANY ACCIDENTS ARE HAPPENING ON SCOOTERS, WHAT THE SEVERITY OF THOSE ARE, UM, WHAT THE CAUSE OF THOSE ARE.

SO IS IT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE DEPEND ON A SCOOTER SCOOTER LATE AT NIGHT AND THEY'RE INTOXICATED AND YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A, AN ACCIDENT OR WERE THEY HIT BY A CAR ON THEIR SCOOTER, LIKE IT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT DATA.

SO I THINK THAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT STRUCTURES AND TOOLS WE HAVE TO START GETTING AT THAT DATA, BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY, UH, AGREE THAT LIKE, I THINK THAT MANY OF US FEEL THAT SCOOTERS LIKE IMPROVED OUR LIVES, MADE US HAVE MORE SAFE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.

SO IT WOULD REALLY BE GOOD TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE FITTING INTO OUR, OUR PLANS AROUND SAFETY AND SHARED MOBILITY EQUITY THAT ARE ALL OUTLINED IN THE A SMP FOR ME THAT WHAT IT'S ALWAYS KIND OF GOES BACK TO THAT AS THAT A SMP, AND THAT WAS DEFINITELY WHAT OUR CONVERSATION AT UTC ALSO CENTERED AROUND.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

GREAT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT.

IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS, WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER

[3. Urban Trails and Sidewalk Program updates.]

OKAY.

I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

WELCOME YOU AFTERNOON.

CAN WE MAKE SURE THE MICROPHONE'S, YEAH.

OKAY.

THERE WE GO.

THERE WE GO.

HELLO, AND GOOD AFTERNOON.

I'M JUSTIN NORVILLE, UH, WITH THE SIDEWALKS AND URBAN TRAILS DIVISION OF THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

AND, UH, AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE A SUMMARY UPDATE ON, UH, SIDEWALKS AND URBAN TRAILS PROGRAMS. AND I'VE ALSO GOT LAURA DEERFIELD, UH, DIVISION MANAGER FROM ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT SEA HOME MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.

UM, SO TODAY'S, UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION BASICALLY, LET ME GO HERE, UH, COVERS THE PROGRESS AUSTIN'S MAKING AT SIDEWALK AND TRAIL NETWORK, UM, BUT WOULD LIKE TO START BY ACKNOWLEDGING, UM, THAT THAT WORK IS REALLY A RESULT OF GREAT PLANNING AND POLICY FRAMEWORK THAT HELPS ENVISION A COMPACT AND CONNECTED CITY, UM, WITH COMPLETE AND WELL-MAINTAINED PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE NETWORKS.

UH, SO WE'LL START WITH SIDEWALKS AND IT'S ALWAYS HELPFUL TO HAVE A LITTLE CONTEXT.

UH, SO HOW DO WE GET HERE? IT WAS A LOT OF STEPS, A LOT OF SIDEWALK STEPS AND A LOT OF PLANNING STEPS.

A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE THE 1991 ADOPTION OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, OR THE A DA, UH, TITLE TWO OF THAT LAW REQUIRES THAT, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AVOID DISCRIMINATION, UH, UH, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, WHEN PROVIDING PROGRAMS OR FACILITIES.

UM, SO WHERE THOSE

[00:40:01]

UM, A PLAN TO TRANSITION FROM THAT NONCOMPLIANCE TO COMPLIANCE, UH, MUST BE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED.

AND SO IN 2009 THEN, UM, WE, UH, HAD THE ADOPTION OF AUSTIN'S FIRST, UM, A DA TRANSITION PLAN FOR SIDEWALKS.

AND, UH, AND IT'S REALLY THIS PROACTIVE APPROACH THAT'S, UH, TO ADDRESSING THESE SIDEWALK ISSUES THAT'S HELPED AUSTIN AVOID, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CLASS SECTION 80 A LAWSUITS AND CONSENT DECREES THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED BY OVER 140 CITIES, INCLUDING PHILADELPHIA, OAKLAND, PORTLAND, NASHVILLE, LOS ANGELES, AND MANY OTHERS.

UM, OUR TRANSITION PLAN WAS THEN UPDATED IN, UH, 2016, AND AGAIN, MOST RECENTLY IN 2023, AND A BIG KUDOS TO, UH, TPW, DIRECTOR MENDOZA AND MULTIPLE CITY COUNCILS AS WELL, FOR FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THE FUNDING COMMITMENTS IN THOSE PLANS, UH, GRADUALLY INCREASING THE OPERATING FUNDING FOR SIDEWALK, UH, MAINTENANCE AND REHAB, INCLUDING ANOTHER $1 MILLION IN RECOMMENDED, UH, INCREASE THIS YEAR.

AND SO WHAT'S COOL IS WE'RE ALSO DOING IT EQUITABLY.

UM, AND THAT'S THANKS TO THE WORK OF, UH, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATES, CONSULTANTS, AND STAFF WHO DEVELOPED THE 2009 PLAN, UH, THAT THAT REALLY DEVELOPED A PRIORITIZATION MODEL, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN USING FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS.

UM, AND IT'S MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE AND ANALYSIS COMPLETED, UM, FOR THE 2023 PLAN.

UPDATE SHOWS THAT, UH, BOTH THE EXTENTS AND THE CONDITIONS OF SIDEWALKS ARE SLIGHTLY BETTER IN AREAS WITH HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS, UM, WHICH IS GREAT PROGRESS.

UM, AND, AND, AND BETTER THAN PAST HISTORICAL PRO UH, PRACTICES.

UM, THE PROBLEM IS WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO TO ACHIEVE A TRULY EQUITABLE, UH, TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

YOU KNOW, A SYSTEM WHERE SOMEONE WALKING OR ROLLING OR USING TRANSIT CAN SAFELY, UM, ACCESS ALL THE SAME DESTINATIONS THAT SOMEONE, UH, DRIVING CAN.

AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA ALSO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF MISSING SIDEWALKS AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF SIDEWALKS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED, UH, BUT WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AT A MUCH FASTER PACE THAN COMPARABLE CITIES.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, PORTLAND, UH, RECENTLY PUBLISHED A REPORT ON, UH, UH, HOW THEY'RE COMPLYING WITH THEIR SIDEWALK CONSENT DECREE.

AND LAST YEAR, THEY, LAST YEAR, UH, THEY WERE BUILT OR REPAIRED 18,000 LINEAR FEET OF SIDEWALKS BY COMPARISON IN AUSTIN.

UH, WE'RE BUILDING AND REPAIRING OVER 20,000 LINEAR FEET OF SIDEWALKS EVERY MONTH, AND THAT'S, UH, OVER ALMOST FOUR MILES OF NEWER REHAB SIDEWALKS EVERY SINGLE MONTH.

SO REALLY PROUD OF THAT.

UM, SO THE 2023 PLAN TAKES, UH, BOTH A PRAGMATIC AND CONTEXT SENSITIVE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING, UH, THE SIDEWALK GAPS IN THE OVER 1500 MILES OF PE UH, MISSING SIDEWALK IN THE PEDESTRIAN NETWORK.