Apr 07, 2026 Urban Transportation

[00:00:03]

IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE HAVE QUORUM HERE.

IF I CAN SEE MY VIRTUAL ATTENDEES, UM, ON CAMERA, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE QUORUM.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

IT IS TUESDAY, APRIL 7TH, 2026 AT 5:06 PM WE'RE HERE IN CITY HALL ROOM 1, 1 0 1 AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS FOR THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AUSTIN URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

I'M GONNA START BY, UM, CALLING ROLE.

I'M CHAIR SUMMERS.

I'M HERE.

UH, VICE CHAIR SCHUMACHER HERE.

UH, COMMISSIONER COL KAMAN HERE.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER BROWN.

DID YOU SAY SOMETHING? COMMISSIONER BROWN.

WE DIDN'T HEAR THAT.

IF SO, I CAN SEE YOUR MOUTH MOVING.

.

ALRIGHT.

I'M HERE.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER BUFFET HERE.

COMMISSIONER CHEN.

NOT PRESENT.

I THINK.

COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ HERE.

COMMISSIONER JACOBSON.

UH, COMMISSIONER PRASAD.

COMMISSIONER SORIN.

OKAY.

WE DO HAVE QUORUM WITH SIX.

UM, WITH ATTENTION TO THAT, UH, IF WE DO LOSE ONE PERSON, UM, WE LOSE QUORUM.

THOSE WHO ARE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE, UM, EMAILED OUR STAFF LIAISON TO, UM, CONFIRM THAT, UH, IN WRITING.

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]

AND I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER TODAY.

IS THAT CORRECT? UH, NATALIE? THAT'S CORRECT.

AND THAT'S SCOTT JOHNSON.

SCOTT JOHNSON, YES.

YES.

WE'LL CALL YOU UP NOW.

THANK YOU.

GIVING COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS SCOTT JOHNSON.

I APPEARED BEFORE Y'ALL APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO TO TALK ON THE SAME SUBJECT, WHICH IS DISTRACTED DRIVING.

DISTRACTED DRIVING.

THERE'S, THERE'S AN ORDINANCE THAT HOPEFULLY ALL OF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T, THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2014.

THE ENFORCEMENT WAS OUTSTANDING THROUGH THE 20 TEENS.

IT, IT DID DROP OFF BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND SINCE IS TRYING TO GET BACK TO SOME LEVEL WHERE PEOPLE WOULD NOT WANNA DO IT BECAUSE THE, OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THEM TO GET A CITATION.

THIS PROGRAM, THE FINES CAN BE UPWARDS OF $500, BUT THEY COULD START AT $200.

AND THERE IS A DIVERSION PROGRAM THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER BY THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND THAT'S STILL IN PLACE.

I HAD CONTACT WITH HER RECENTLY.

WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT APRIL IS NATIONAL DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH.

THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE CONNECTS VERY WELL WITH VISION ZERO IN THAT AT THIS TIME, IN TERMS OF CRASHES AND AND INJURIES.

IT'S THE, IT'S THE, UH, TYPE OF VIOLATION THAT'S CAUSING THE MOST OF THOSE.

SO WE NEED TO BE AWARE THAT IT'S NOT SOLELY HOLDING A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE ORDINANCE COVERS.

BUT WE KNOW WE CAN BE DISTRACTED IN OTHER WAYS.

SO THIS IS IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT.

WHAT YOU SEE UP THERE NOW IS, I HAD AN IDEA IN 20 15, 20 16 TO WORK WITH TRAVIS COUNTY'S OFFICE THAT WHERE YOU GO TO RENEW YOUR, YOUR LICENSE PLATE AND REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE AND PUT A COUPLE OF THESE UP IN A CORRECT GLASS SO PEOPLE CAN SEE THEM AND KNOW THAT.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

IF YOU SPEND SOME MONEY TO GET HEADPHONES OR USE BLUETOOTH, THEN YOU CAN AVOID IT.

YOU CAN STILL TALK AND YOU DON'T NEED TO HOLD YOUR PHONE.

SO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND I HOPE THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT ARE LISTENING WILL TAKE THIS TO, TO HEART BECAUSE IT'S EXTREMELY VALUABLE.

WHAT I WANNA SAY ALSO IS THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE CURRENT ORDINANCE BETTER, AND THAT'S HELPFUL WHEN, WHEN WE DO SOMETHING WITH RELATIONSHIP TO, TO NEWSLETTERS.

AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO NOW IS GET IT OUT THROUGH DIFFERENT COUNCIL, UH, OFFICES AND ALSO THROUGH DEPARTMENTS THAT CAN SHARE THIS.

IT'S CURRENTLY IN THE UTILITY NEWSLETTER, THE ONE THAT AUSTIN WATER, AUSTIN ENERGY, A RR USE.

WHAT I'VE ALSO DONE IS, UH, WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, WORKING WITH THEIR DIGITAL MESSAGING SIGNS AS WELL AS TX DOTS.

TXDOT WAS VERY GOOD TO US AND STILL IS WHERE THEY'LL POST THESE TYPE OF THINGS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T NORMALLY, UH, WORK WITH MUNICIPALITIES

[00:05:01]

SO RIGHT NOW, WORKING WITH TRANS PATIENT PUBLIC WORKS, THERE'S FINDING OPPORTUNITIES THIS MONTH AND BEYOND TO PUT UP SIGNS THAT SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TALK, TEXT CRASH DRIVE NOW TALK OR TEXT LATER.

SO WE'VE GOT SOME OPPORTUNITIES AT THE AIRPORT WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO INTO THE CELL PHONE AREA, AND I HOPE YOU ALL WILL TAKE IT UPON YOURSELVES TO EDUCATE ANYONE AROUND YOU AND ANYONE THAT YOU'RE DRIVING WITH ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR YOUR CONTINUED ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, UM, NEVER LETTING, UH, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THIS CONSTANTLY RAISED TO OUR ATTENTION.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT TODAY, AND I'LL CHECK MY EMAIL THAT YOU SENT ME.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

UM, THOSE ARE CIRCULATED IN THE BACKUP AND, UH, OUR PACKET.

SO IF YOU, UM, HAVE A MOMENT TO LOOK THROUGH THAT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DRAFT MEETING.

MINUTES.

SECOND, ANY DISCUSSION AMENDMENTS? CORRECTIONS? ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA CALL FOR A VOTE ON THAT.

ALL THOSE APPROVED.

UM, RAISE YOUR HAND OR SAY, AYE.

GREAT.

THAT IS UNANIMOUS OF THOSE PRESENT.

UM, I DO SEE, IS THAT COMMISSIONER SOREN ON, OR IS THAT, OR IS THAT COMMISSIONER? THAT'S COMMISSIONER JACOBSON.

JACOBSON.

OKAY.

UM, HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS CAMERA ON, BUT THEN THERE'S ONE MORE.

IS THAT COMMISSIONER PSAD? THAT'S COMMISSIONER PSAD.

I'M SORRY.

I'M OBVIOUSLY HAVING TROUBLE SEEING FROM THE DISTANCE, I THINK.

UM, SO I DO HAVE YOUR VOTE.

UH, WE, YOUR HAIR PRESENT, BUT COMMISSIONER JACOBSON, UM, WON'T BE ACCOUNTED UNTIL HE CAN HAVE HIS CAMERA ON.

OKAY, GREAT.

WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BUFFER HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO, UH, THAT DOES PASS UNANIMOUSLY.

NATALIE, EVERYBODY EXCEPT COMMISSIONER JACOBSON, THAT WAS PRESENT DID VOTE IN FAVOR OF THAT.

OKAY.

THAT DOES TAKE US TO ITEM OUR

[2. Project Connect Update, including the Federal Transit Administration record of decision for Austin Light Rail Phase 1. Presentation by Jocelyn Vokes, Austin Transit Partnership.]

UM, OUR PRESENTATION, UH, LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE DIFFERENT FOLKS UP.

I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.

GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

I'M JENNIFER PINE WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.

HI, I'M LINDSAY WOOD WITH A TP.

UM, SO WE HAVE A FEW SLIDES TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL.

AND, UH, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, BUT I'LL STILL JUST GIVE SOME BASIC INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS IT.

UH, BUT WE ARE, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE FIRST PHASE OF AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, UH, AND HAVE BEEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.

WE'VE IDENTIFIED THIS ABOUT 10 MILE, UH, FIRST PHASE AND HAVE BEEN ADVANCING THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.

AND WE'VE COMPLETED A COUPLE OF BIG MILESTONES, UM, RECENTLY THAT WE'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AND ALSO PROVIDE A, A SENSE FOR WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT.

UM, THESE ARE SIMULATIONS OR VISUALIZATIONS REALLY JUST TO, UH, GIVE US A CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT.

UM, THE PROJECT, UH, RUNS FROM, UM, UT ON GUADALUPE DOWN TO DOWNTOWN, THEN OVER THIRD STREET TO TRINITY OVER LADY BIRD LAKE ON A NEW BRIDGE, AND THEN BRANCHES DOWN EAST RIVERSIDE AND ALSO DOWN SOUTH CONGRESS.

SO ONE OF THE VISUALIZATIONS HERE IS OF THE DRAG, UM, AND WHERE WE EXPECT THE HIGHEST RIDERSHIP STATION TO BE.

UM, AS PART OF THE PROJECT, WE WOULD BE RETHINKING THE DRAG TO, UM, MAKE IT INTO A MUCH MORE TRANSIT AND PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED SEGMENT.

UM, AND SO THAT'S WHAT IS NOTED IN THAT VISUALIZATION.

UM, TO THE RIGHT OF THAT, ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE LIGHT RAIL PROJECT IS ALONG EAST RIVERSIDE, WHERE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, UH, RELATIVE TO SOME OF THE OTHER PARTS OF THE CORRIDOR.

UH, AND WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED THERE IS A GREENWAY CONCEPT, WHICH ESSENTIALLY REARRANGES THE DIFFERENT, UH, COMPONENTS OF THE STREET.

SO LIGHT RAIL WOULD BE RUNNING DOWN THE CENTER AS IT WOULD BE, UH, IN THE STREET.

UH, MOST PARTS OF THE PROJECT AND THE BIKE WAY AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES AND SIDEWALKS WOULD BE RUNNING ALONGSIDE IT IN THE CENTER RUNNING, UH, WITH TRAVEL LANES FOR CARS ON EACH SIDE.

UM, SO THIS, THE, THE REASON

[00:10:01]

UH, SOME OF THE OTHER VISUALIZATIONS HERE, ONE IS THE NEW BRIDGE OVER LADY BIRD LAKE, WHICH WE THINK WILL END UP BEING A REALLY, UH, IMPORTANT AND PROMINENT NEW VISUAL FEATURE.

UM, AND THE VIEW ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS LOOKING TOWARDS DOWNTOWN FROM PLEASANT VALLEY AND EAST RIVERSIDE, AND JUST GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THE GREENWAY LOOKS LIKE IN THAT CONCEPT AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT'S GONNA BE A KEY POINT FOR MULTIMODAL TRANSFERS WITH THE BUS SYSTEM.

SO HERE'S OUR TIMELINE.

UM, WE ARE REALLY MOVING INTO A NEW STEP HERE FROM PLANNING, UM, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STAGES, UM, AND INTO MORE, UH, DETAILED ENGINEERING AND PRE-CONSTRUCTION PLANNING.

UM, SO I'LL TALK ABOUT A FEW OF THOSE THINGS IN IN MORE DETAIL.

UM, OUR RECENT BIG MILESTONES IN THE FEDERAL PROCESS, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE ARE PURSUING, UH, FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING FOR PART OF THE CAPITAL COST OF THIS PROJECT AND TO, TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, UM, IT'S A NUMBER OF GATES AND REQUIREMENTS THAT WE NEED TO STEP THROUGH OVER A COURSE OF SEVERAL YEARS.

SO A FEW, UH, BIG, UH, MILESTONES WE REACHED WITHIN THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO.

ONE IS TO RECEIVE A RATING, UM, ON THE PROJECT FROM THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.

UM, AND THAT IS AN EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT AGAINST, UH, CRITERIA THAT IS SET FORTH IN STATUTE AND, AND BY THE FTA, UH, SINCE, UH, THE GRANT PROGRAM THAT WE'RE PURSUING FUNDS FOR IS COMPETITIVE AND IT'S NATIONAL.

UH, THIS IS A WAY THAT THE FTA, UH, ASSESSES PROJECTS AGAINST EACH OTHER.

SO THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL PROJECT RECEIVED A MEDIAN HIGH RATING, WHICH IS AMONG THE HIGHEST RATINGS THAT WERE PROVIDED IN THIS CYCLE, AND REALLY ANY CYCLE, UM, WHICH INDICATES THAT THIS PROJECT IS STRONGLY COMPETITIVE FOR THOSE FUNDS.

UH, ANOTHER BIG MILESTONE WAS COMPLETING NEPA, UM, THAT WE COMPLETED THAT IN TWO YEARS, WHICH MAY SOUND LIKE A LONG TIME TO SOME, BUT REALLY IN THE WORLD OF NEPA IT'S PRETTY FAST.

AND, UM, AND REALLY, UH, IT'S THE FIRST TIME SINCE THAT REQUIREMENT WAS PUT INTO PLACE THAT A COMPLEX, UM, EIS UM, ACHIEVED THAT GETTING DONE WITHIN TWO YEARS.

UM, SO NOW WE ARE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PROJECT.

UM, WE'VE BEEN BRINGING ON SOME ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY PARTNERS, UM, AND I'M GONNA TURN OVER TO LINDSAY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.

YES, SO COMPLETING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AND RECEIVING OUR RECORD OF DECISION ALLOWED US TO MOVE INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF WORK.

AND WE, YOU KNOW, IN JANUARY COMPLETED THE, THE NEPA UH, DOCUMENTATION.

AND IN FEBRUARY WE WERE READY TO AWARD OUR FIRST DESIGN BUILD CONTRACT.

AFTER CONCLUDING A ROUGHLY YEAR LONG SOLICITATION PROCESS, WE WILL HAVE THREE MAJOR CONTRACTS TO DELIVER AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL.

THAT FIRST ONE WAS AWARDED IN FEBRUARY TO AUSTIN RAIL CONSTRUCTORS, WHICH IS A JOINT VENTURE THAT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REALLY ALL ELEMENTS OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, EXCLUDING THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY.

SO IT WILL BE THE FULL STREETSCAPE RECONSTRUCTION, THE RAIL GUIDEWAY AND SYSTEMS, THE STATIONS, UTILITIES AND, AND ALL OTHER ELEMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY.

WE ARE ON TRACK TO AWARD THAT SECOND CONTRACT FOR THAT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY AT OUR NEXT, UH, BOARD MEETING THIS MONTH HERE ON THE 15TH.

AND THE THIRD CONTRACT WILL BE FOR THE LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES OR THE TRAINS THEMSELVES.

AND WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT EVALUATION PROCESS RIGHT NOW AND EXPECT TO AWARD THAT CONTRACT THIS SUMMER.

UM, MENTIONED THAT THESE DESIGN BUILD CONTRACTS ARE, ARE PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD.

AND REALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE ARE BRINGING ON THE CONTRACTOR VERY EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS, NOT ONLY ENGAGING THEM IN DESIGN, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING THE DESIGN.

AND WHAT THAT WILL DO IS HELP US ALIGN HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE BUILT, UH, WHAT IT WILL COST, HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE, AND HAVING ALL OF THOSE THINGS BEING INTEGRATED INTO THE DESIGN AS IT DEVELOPS.

WE ARE BREAKING THAT WORK INTO KEY BUCKETS AND WE ARE EMBEDDING, UH, BOARD AUTHORIZATIONS AT EACH KEY MILESTONE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN HOW WE'RE MOVING THE WORK FORWARD.

SO WHILE SAY THIS FIRST CONTRACT THAT WE AWARDED, WHILE IT WILL ULTIMATELY

[00:15:01]

AND WE ARE ALSO STARTING FIELD WORK ACTUALLY YESTERDAY.

UM, SOME EARLY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS, THINGS LIKE SURVEYS, UM, UTILITY LOCATIONS, SOIL BORINGS, AND DOING THAT EARLY PLANNING TO BE READY FOR CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN NEXT YEAR IN 2027, WE ARE ALSO ENGAGING OUR CONTRACTOR IN PLANNING FOR WHAT THAT PHASING AND SEQUENCING AND SCHEDULE FOR CONSTRUCTION WILL LOOK LIKE.

AND THEN NEXT YEAR AFTER, WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD LATER THIS YEAR, AUTHORIZE THAT NEXT PHASE OF WORK TO GET US THROUGH NEXT YEAR AND FINISHING THE FINAL DESIGN AND OBTAINING ALL OF THE FINAL PERMITS NEEDED TO MOVE INTO CONSTRUCTION.

AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO OUR BOARD FOR AUTHORIZATION OF EACH MAJOR CONSTRUCTION WORK PACKAGE.

UH, SO PART OF THAT PLANNING, I, I MENTIONED THE PLANNING FOR HOW WE WILL PHASE AND SEQUENCE THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION WORK.

THIS IS A QUESTION WE GET VERY, VERY OFTEN OF OUR, OUR STAKEHOLDERS ALONG THE ALIGNMENT ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHEN WILL I BE IMPACTED BY CONSTRUCTION? HOW CAN I PLAN FOR WHEN, UH, YOU KNOW, SAY UTILITIES ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED OR STREETSCAPE WORK IS GOING TO OCCUR? AND WE NEEDED OUR CONTRACTOR ON BOARD IN ORDER TO START TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T BUILD THE WHOLE 10 MILES ALL AT ONCE ALL AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE WHOLE DURATION OF CONSTRUCTION.

WE KIND OF BREAK THINGS INTO PIECES AND PHASES, AND THAT'S ONE OF OUR KEY OBJECTIVES THIS SUMMER, IS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE EARLY INDICATIONS OF WHERE WE WILL BUILD, HOW LONG EACH PIECE OF THAT WILL TAKE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE, UH, THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND, AND BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THOSE PLANS.

UH, WE ALSO NEED THAT INFORMATION TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR OTHER PARTNERS IN THE REGION BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE ARE OUR ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL MAJOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS HAPPENING IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

AND WE LOOK FORWARD THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM TO NOW START TO HAVE THOSE MORE DETAILED SCHEDULES TO BE ABLE TO COORDINATE WITH TDO AND THE CITY AND CME AND CAT METRO AND OTHERS SO THAT WE CAN ALL PLAN OUR CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS TOGETHER, COORDINATE OUR VARIOUS, YOU KNOW, DETOURS AND, AND ROUTE ALIGNMENTS AND ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAN KEEP MOVING THROUGH THIS CONSTRUCTION.

AND JEN, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT MAYBE SOME OF THE OTHER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO GET READY FOR CONSTRUCTION? SURE.

I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SUPPORTING BUSINESSES IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE THAT'S VERY ACTIVE FOR US RIGHT NOW.

UH, AND WE'LL BE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.

THAT'S A KEY CONCERN THAT WE'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, WHEN OUT AND ABOUT IS, UM, THE POTENTIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION TO DISRUPT BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY SMALLER BUSINESSES OR LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT MAYBE ARE NEAR TO END DEAR, YOU KNOW, TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THEY ARE IN.

UH, SO WHAT, RIGHT NOW WE ARE ENGAGED IN A NEEDS ASSESSMENT, UM, TO OUTREACH TO BUSINESSES AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT SUPPORT THEM TO THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES, UM, WE COULD PUT IN PLACE.

UM, WE'VE HELD A COUPLE OF FOCUS GROUPS THAT I THOUGHT WERE VERY PRODUCTIVE, UM, IN GENERATING IDEAS AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN REALLY TAILOR ANY PROGRAM TO WHAT'S GOING TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN AUSTIN.

UM, WE ARE CONTINUING THAT WORK FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO BEFORE WE COMPLETE A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND OUTLINE, UM, SOME POTENTIAL PROGRAM ELEMENTS.

SO THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING THIS YEAR.

UM, THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM IS ANOTHER, UM, ITEM THAT WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN, UH, THIS YEAR.

UH, A TP HIRED, UH, AN INDIVIDUAL TO MANAGE THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM.

AND SO WE ARE VERY ACTIVELY, UH, PUTTING PROCESSES IN PLACE TO INTEGRATE, UH, PUBLIC ART WITH THE DESIGN MANAGEMENT PROCESS, UH, AND ALSO THINK ABOUT, UM, KIND OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AS FAR AS ENGAGING WITH ARTISTS, UM, AND HOW THAT WILL HAPPEN, UM, AND HOW WE GO ABOUT IT.

UM, AND SO WE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND TALK MORE ABOUT EITHER OF THOSE PROGRAMS AS THEY CONTINUE TO EVOLVE.

THAT'S, THOSE ARE THE SLIDES THAT WE BROUGHT, BUT OF COURSE, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR, UH, OR HEAR COMMENTS.

THANKS SO MUCH.

THERE WAS A, A LOT, UH, IN THAT PRESENTATION VERY QUICKLY, SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS

[00:20:01]

I'LL LOOK AROUND THE ROOM.

I'M GONNA CALL IN VICE CHAIR SCHUMACHER.

I HAVE A LOT, SO WE'LL START WITH TWO AND THEN , GIVE IT UP TO OTHER PEOPLE.

UM, SO ON THE, UM, DESIGN TIMELINES, UM, I'D BE CURIOUS TO KNOW, I THINK FOR, FOR OUR BODY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE MOST INTERESTED IN IS THE CHANGES TO OUR STREET NETWORK, RIGHT? MM-HMM .

UM, SO I'M, I'M CURIOUS AT WHAT MILESTONE DO YOU THINK THE DECISIONS THAT STILL ARE OUTSTANDING IN TERMS OF WHAT THE STREET DESIGN WILL LOOK LIKE? I'M THINKING OF SOUTH CONGRESS, I'M THINKING OF SOME LINGERING ELEMENTS ON RIVERSIDE.

UM, WHAT, WHERE DO YOU THINK THOSE DECISIONS WILL BE MADE? IS THAT AT THE END OF FINAL DESIGN OR MAYBE LIKE A 60% DESIGN THRESHOLD, SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YEAH, SO IN GENERAL, FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE ALIGNMENT, THE STREET CONFIGURATION HAS BEEN SAID AT THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN PHASE AND IS REFLECTED IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.

AS YOU NOTED, THERE'S A FEW AREAS THAT HAVE HAD CONTINUING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ON, UM, YOU KNOW, INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO REFINE AND, AND TRY TO MAKE BETTER.

UM, SOUTH CONGRESS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT, WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN CONTINUING FOCUS GROUP CONVERSATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS, BOTH, UM, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND SCHOOLS, AND THE MANY DIFFERENT, UH, TYPES OF USES THAT OCCUR IN THAT CORRIDOR.

AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THOSE OVER THE LAST, OH, SINCE SIX MONTHS.

APRIL, YEAH, ALMOST A YEAR.

WOW.

MM-HMM .

UM, SO OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND WE WILL, WE ARE TAKING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND AREAS OF INPUT FROM COMMUNITY TO INFORM THE DRAFT DESIGN PERMITTING SUBMITTAL THAT WE WILL, UH, HAVE LATER THIS YEAR THAT I MENTIONED IN THAT TIMELINE EARLIER.

SO WE TRY TO HAVE AS MUCH OF, YOU KNOW, THOSE SORT OF SYSTEM DEFINITION TYPES OF ELEMENTS IN THIS PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING PHASE.

NOT, YOU KNOW, AT 90, A HUNDRED PERCENT DESIGN.

SO THAT'S A THIS YEAR THING.

UM, THINK ARE THERE ANY OTHER MAJOR, DID YOU HAVE, YOU SAID RIVERSIDE? I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ON RIVERSIDE THEN.

MAYBE I'M INCORRECT.

I THOUGHT THERE WAS STILL A COUPLE THINGS TO BE DECIDED ON RIVERSIDE, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT IT'LL STICK TO WHATEVER'S IN THE EIS YEAH, NO, NO.

MAJOR GOTCHA.

STREET CONFIGURATION CHANGES AND VISION TO BEYOND THAT.

GREAT.

UM, AND THEN THE, THE SECOND QUESTION I HAD ON THE TIMELINE WAS, UM, ADVANCING RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION ACTIVITIES IS IN PRE-CONSTRUCTION ONE B, NOT ONE A.

MM-HMM .

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT TENDS TO BE WHERE I, I SEE A LOT OF, UH, UH, MAJOR TRANSIT INVESTMENTS GET TRIPPED UP IS RIGHT AWAY.

ACQUISITION CAN TAKE A WHILE.

IS THERE A REASON WHY WE CAN'T START THOSE ACTIVITIES A LITTLE EARLIER? Y YES, AND WE ARE STARTING SOME ACTIVITIES EARLIER, BUT THE REASON WE CAN'T START THEM ALL IS BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE DESIGN ADVANCING.

SO IN AREAS WHERE WE SAY DON'T NEED TO TAKE A FULL PARCEL, WE NEED SOME SMALL SLIVER OF LAND.

UH, WE WORK WITH OUR DESIGNERS THROUGH THIS EARLY DESIGN PROCESS TO TRY TO MINIMIZE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

AND WE'RE STILL IN THAT OPTIMIZATION PHASE OF CAN WE ELIMINATE ANY OF THESE? CAN WE LESSEN IT? AND WE WANT THAT PROCESS TO PLAY OUT BEFORE WE START ACQUIRING SO THAT WE KNOW WE ARE ONLY ACQUIRING WHAT WE ABSOLUTELY NEED.

THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO THAT, YOU KNOW, SAY WE'RE MAYBE SOME OF OUR, LIKE OUR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY OR, UH, TRACTION POWER SUBSTATIONS AND WE KNOW THOSE FOOTPRINTS EARLIER ON AND WE DO ACTUALLY BEGIN THOSE ACQUISITION ACTIVITIES IN THIS FIRST PHASE.

AND, AND THOSE ARE BEGINNING TO OCCUR NOW.

OKAY, THANKS.

THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

COMMISSIONERS, OTHERS WITH QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER FERNANDEZ? YEAH.

UM, VICE CHAIR SCHUMACHER KIND OF STOLE MINE, BUT IT'S, IT'S OKAY.

IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

UM, I, I WAS, I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT RIGHT AWAY AS WELL, JUST IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HAVE Y'ALL ALREADY DONE ANY ASSESSMENTS? I GUESS IT, AS YOU SAID, IT DEPENDS ON DESIGN, BUT IN TERMS OF WHICH PARTIES YOU'LL HAVE TO OBTAIN RIGHT AWAY FROM AND HOW YOU BUILD THAT INTO THE TIMELINE AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

YES.

AND BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY DESIGNS, THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN IDENTIFIED IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.

UM, AND WE'RE PART OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY THAT WE'VE DONE ON THE WORK TO DATE.

I'M LOOKING ALSO TO OUR COMMISSIONERS ONLINE.

DOES ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE TEAM? LOOKS LIKE NO, WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR Y'ALL COMING OUT.

OH, YOU HAVE MORE? YOU HAVE MORE, SINCE EVERYONE ELSE IS QUIET.

GO AHEAD.

SORRY.

WHILE YOU GUYS ARE HERE, I, I DO WANNA, UM, PICK YOUR BRAINS ON SOME, YOU KNOW, FINER DESIGN DETAILS THAT I THINK WILL PROBABLY BE DECIDED IN THE NEXT, UM, YEAR OR TWO.

UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A REALLY FUN TIME 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING IN LIGHT RAIL, A LOT NEW, A LOT OF NEW LIGHT RAIL SYSTEMS GOING UP ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.

SO THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS TO LEARN FROM.

UM, SO ONE IS, UH, UM, SO TORONTO

[00:25:01]

UM, 'CAUSE THEY ONLY HAD, UH, SIGNAL PRIORITIZATION, NOT PREEMPTION.

SO I, I'M CURIOUS.

I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY HEARD MUCH, OBVIOUSLY, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME PLACES, I THINK ON RIVERSIDE WHERE THERE'S A CROSSING ARM, RIGHT? SO THAT'LL BE GREAT.

UM, BUT A, A LOT OF THE PLACES WHERE WE'RE HAVING A STREET ALIGNMENT, WHAT CONVERSATIONS, WHAT ARE CONVERSATIONS LOOKING LIKE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN? AND ARE WE GONNA HAVE TRUE SIGNAL PREEMPTION OR JUST KIND OF THE PRIORITIZATION WE ALREADY HAVE WITH BUSES? SO THE, WE HAVE PARTNERED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY IN PLANNING FOR THE, UH, TRAFFIC SIGNAL INTEGRATION WITH LIGHT RAIL.

AND THE LEVEL OF PRIORITY IS GOING TO BE DESIGNED TO, UH, BASICALLY ADVANCE A TRAIN FROM STATION TO STATION WITHOUT BEING STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS.

SO THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE WON'T EVER BE A RED LIGHT BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE TO STOP AT THE STATIONS AND YOU CAN TIME THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS TO KIND OF HAVE THE RED LIGHT WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE STOPPING ANYWAY.

BUT THEN IN THOSE INTERIM BLOCKS IN BETWEEN STATIONS, THE, THE DESIRE IS FOR THE TRAIN TO ADVANCE THROUGH WITHOUT STOPPING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS.

THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO THAT WHERE WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY HEAVY ARTERIALS THAT ARE CRITICAL, SAY EAST WEST MOVEMENTS THROUGH DOWNTOWN, FOR EXAMPLE.

YOU KNOW, MAYBE MLK AND FIELD ARE, ARE GOOD EXAMPLES OF THAT.

SO THERE'S OCCASIONAL EXCEPTIONS, BUT IN GENERAL, THE CITY HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER IN PRIORITIZING THAT LIGHT RAIL ADVANCES WITHOUT BEING STOPPED BY TRAFFIC LIGHTS.

AND THEN, UM, THE SECOND THING I HAD, AND SOMEONE BROUGHT THIS UP AND I, I WAS LOOKING AT THE ES AND I COULDN'T THINK, I, I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR OR NOT IT WAS IN THERE, BUT YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY LIGHT RAIL SYSTEMS DON'T HAVE, UH, ANY TYPE OF FAIR GATES, BUT A LOT OF LIGHT RAIL SYSTEMS ARE ADDING THEM.

LA JUST ADDED THEM.

UM, SAN FRANCISCO JUST HAD A STUDY THAT, UH, IT REDUCED THEIR MAINTENANCE COSTS BY LIKE 78% BY HAVING FAIR GATES IN THERE.

ARE FAIR GATES SOMETHING YOU GUYS ARE CONSIDERING AT ANY STATIONS? WE ARE NOT.

IT, IT IS AN OPEN SYSTEM THAT IS FULLY INTEGRATED INTO THE URBAN REALM AROUND IT AND REALLY DESIRING FOR IT TO FIT INTO THAT FABRIC AND NOT FEEL LIKE A CLOSED OFF SYSTEM.

WE WANT THE ACCESS, UM, AND EASE OF USE TO, TO BE MAXIMIZED.

UM, WE CERTAINLY WILL NEED TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FAIR CONTROL, BUT WE ARE NOT LOOKING AT SAY, FENCING, GATING OR, UM, CLOSING OFF THE SYSTEM IN ANY WAY.

WAS THAT THAT YOU FINISHED YOUR QUESTIONS? OKAY, GREAT.

ANYONE ELSE? I'LL LOOK AROUND ONE MORE TIME.

I, I DEFINITELY THINK THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLLOW UP, MAYBE ESPECIALLY ABOUT SOME OF THESE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT YOU POINTED TO ON THE LAST SLIDE.

SO WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE.

I KNOW THAT THINGS I COMMENTED TO Y'ALL, OR AT LEAST, AT LEAST, UH, TO HEATHER, THAT LIKE, I FEEL LIKE IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE'RE LIKE GOING TO, LIKE, EVERYONE'S LIKE, WHAT'S HAPPENING? NOTHING'S HAPPENING.

AND THEN SUDDENLY IT'S LIKE EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE ALL THE TIME.

SO I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF AND VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THIS COMING UP.

SO REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL COMING OUT TODAY.

THANK Y'ALL.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE.

THAT DOES TAKE US THROUGH ITEM TWO AND NOW WE'RE

[3. Movability Commuter Survey update. Presentation by Kathleen Lu, Movability.]

OH, OKAY.

GREAT.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

UM, HI EVERYONE.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.

I'M KATHLEEN.

I'M FROM MOVABILITY, WHICH IS THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.

SO WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY TO HELP ITS TDM POLICIES, UM, TO REDUCE CONGESTION WITHIN THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION.

EVERY YEAR WE DO A COMMUTER SURVEY, AND THIS IS TO TRACK THE PROGRESS OF THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.

UM, TO HAVE THAT 50 50 MODE SPLIT BY 2039, WHICH I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH.

UH, THAT MEANS THAT BY 2039 50% PERCENT OF PEOPLE WILL BE DRIVING ALONE TO WORK OR SCHOOL, AND THE OTHER 50% WILL USE AN ACTIVE OR SHARED MODE.

UM, SO FOR THIS YEAR'S 2025 COMMUTER SURVEY, WE WERE ONCE AGAIN SUPPORTED BY ETC

[00:30:01]

HOWEVER, THIS YEAR WE SURVEYED SIX COUNTIES, UM, WHICH WAS AN ADDITIONAL THREE COUNTIES FROM 2024, UM, AT THE 95% CONFIDENCE LEVEL.

AND WE REACHED A TOTAL OF 1,874 RESIDENTS ACROSS THE SIX COUNTY REGION.

AND 45% WORK FROM HOME SOME OF THE TIME.

AND 91% OF RES OF THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS WERE EITHER CURRENTLY EMPLOYED FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME.

SO OUR NUMBERS LOOK, UH, A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE ARE, UH, SERVING ACROSS THE SIX COUNTY REGION, WHICH YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE DRIVE ALONE RATE IS 71%, BUT TO MAKE THE YEAR TO YEAR COMPARISON FAIR FROM 2024 TO 2025, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THE THREE COUNTY REGION, WHICH IS TRAVIS HAYES AND WILLIAMSON.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS THAT 50 50 MODE SPLIT WITH THE 68% DRIVE ALONE RATE.

SO THE NUMBERS ARE, UM, THAT CARPOOLING AND RIDESHARE HAVE INCREASED BY A LOT.

IMPROVING CARPOOLING PROGRAMS WAS A BIG GOAL FOR US AT MOVABILITY LAST YEAR, WHERE WE HAD A LOT OF CARPOOL CHALLENGES AND INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CARPOOL.

UM, HOWEVER, THERE HAS BEEN A REDUCTION IN TELEWORK, WHICH MAKES SENSE GIVEN THE RECENT RTOS AND ALSO A REDUCTION IN BIKING FROM LAST YEAR.

UM, SO ONCE AGAIN, WE CANNOT REDUCE CONGESTION THROUGH, UH, TELEWORK ALONE BECAUSE ALL OF THESE MAKE UP ARE ACTIVE IN SHARED MODE USAGE.

SO I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT FIVE KEY FINDINGS.

NUMBER ONE IS THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO INVEST IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY BECAUSE IT HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST TRANSIT RIDERSHIP BEHIND TRAVIS COUNTY, DESPITE HAVING FEWER, UH, TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND ONE OF OUR STATISTICAL, UM, SOUND FINDINGS WAS THAT PEOPLE IN TRAVIS COUNTY TENDED TO HAVE TO TAKE MORE TRANSIT BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS THERE.

SO THIS WOULD MAKE, UM, PEOPLE'S COMMUTES EASIER FOR THOSE LIVING IN GEORGETOWN, ROUND ROCK, TAYLOR AND CEDAR PARK.

THE SECOND FINDING IS THAT WHEN EMPLOYERS SUBSIDIZE ACTIVE AND SHARED MODES, MORE PEOPLE USE THEM.

SO 68% OF THOSE SURVEYED AGREED THAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD PROVIDE SOME KIND OF SUBSIDY FOR ACTIVE AND SHARED MODE USAGE.

HOWEVER, ONLY 8% OF RESPONDENTS WERE ABLE TO GET THAT KIND OF SUBSIDY.

BUT THOSE PEOPLE THAT DID GET THOSE TYPES OF SUBSIDIES WERE 19% MORE LIKELY TO TAKE ACTIVE AND SHARED MODES.

INVERSELY, WE FOUND THAT PEOPLE WITHOUT FREE PARKING AND WITHOUT PARKING REIMBURSEMENT HAD HIGH RATES OF ACTIVE AND SHARED MODES.

SO IF YOU CAN'T BRING A CAR FOR FREE, THEN YOU'RE MOST LIKELY NOT GONNA BRING IT.

THE THIRD FINDING ALONE IS SOMETHING I HINTED AT EARLIER IS THAT TELEWORK ALONE IS NOT THE ANSWER.

UM, IT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO ESSENTIAL WORKERS.

THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE OF RTO AND UM, A POPULARITY OF HYBRID WORK SCHEDULES, UM, SEEMS TO BE THE TREND.

AND WE FOUND THAT THE AVERAGE COMMUTE DISTANCE IS 11.59 MILES ONE WAY, MAKING THE TOTAL ROUND TRIP AROUND 23 MILES.

SO WE SHOULD STILL FOCUS ON REDUCING BMT OVERALL.

THE FOURTH FINDING IS THAT HISPANIC PARTICIPATION IN REPRESENTATION IN BIKING HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2024.

UM, SO IT'S MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF THEIR SHARE OF THE POPULATION HOVERING AROUND 30%.

UM, BUT CONVERSELY, ASIAN AND BLACK POPULATIONS, UM, DID NOT HAVE REPRESENTATIVE SHARES OF BIKING.

AND THEN LASTLY, UM, JUST LOOKING AT THOSE WHO TENDED TO USE ACTIVE INSURED MODES, WE FOUND THAT PEOPLE WITH VERY HIGH HOUSEHOLD INCOMES HAD A HIGH ACTIVE AND SHARED MODE USAGE.

AND THEN SIMILARLY, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INCOME SCALE, INDIVIDUALS WITH VERY LOW HOUSEHOLD INCOMES HAD THE SECOND HIGHEST, UM, ACTIVE AND SHARED MODE USAGE RATE.

UM, SIMILARLY, PEOPLE WHO WERE VERY EDUCATED WITH A GRADUATE DEGREE OR HIGHER HAD HAD HIGH USAGE RATES OF ACTIVE INSURED MODES.

AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THE LEAST LIKELY TO USE ACTIVE INSURED MODES WERE PEOPLE IN THEIR CHILD REARING YEARS, AGES 25 TO 44, WHICH MAKES SENSE GIVEN THE COMPLEXITIES OF DROP OFF DAYCARE AND CHILDCARE RESPONSIBILITIES.

AND THOSE WERE ALL MY, UH, FINDINGS FOR THIS YEAR.

UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT MORE, YOU CAN READ IT, YOU CAN READ THE FULL REPORT@MOVEABILITYTEXAS.ORG

[00:35:03]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

UM, DEFINITELY THIS IS JUST A COMMENT, BUT IT DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE TO ME, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRANSITION BETWEEN, UM, 2019 TO 2039, WHICH IS OUR LONG RANGE GOAL, UM, WE'RE LIKE, WHAT A THIRD ISH OF THE WAY IN THERE AND WE'VE REALLY NOT, I, IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE NOT PROGRESSING AT PACE THAT WE WOULD WANT TO BE TO GET THERE.

UM, I REALIZE THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT MAJOR CHANGES THAT ARE GONNA HAPPEN.

WE JUST HEARD ABOUT THE LIGHT AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL, SO WE DO KNOW THAT THINGS ARE GONNA CHANGE, BUT UM, DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE WE NEED TO BE HAVING A SENSE OF URGENCY AROUND THESE GOALS, IN MY OPINION.

I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE KEY FINDINGS HERE WITH NUMBER FIVE WHERE YOU HAD THE PEOPLE WITH HIGH INCOMES MM-HMM .

AND THE PEOPLE WITH, UH, LOW INCOMES HAVING HIGHER RIDERSHIP.

I WONDER TOO, LIKE OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE'S, UM, ABILITY TO USE ACTIVE MODES DEPENDS A LOT ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THEM.

SO IF YOU'RE NEAR AN ALL AGES ABILITY BIKE FACILITY, IF YOU ARE NEAR TRANSIT LINES, AND SO LIKE IT START, OCCUR, OCCURS TO ME LIKE THIS IDEA OF MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING THAT WE HAVE IN AUSTIN WHERE PEOPLE WITH REALLY HIGH INCOMES MAYBE LIVE CLOSE INTO THE CITY OR MAYBE YOU SPECIFICALLY NOTE THE TRAIN RIDERSHIP.

MAYBE THEY LIVE NEAR, YOU KNOW, THE RED LINE STATION IN LEANDER, A LAKELINE.

OR THEN PEOPLE WITH LOWER INCOMES LIVE IN MORE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE AREAS.

IT MAY BE THAT LIKE THE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE, THE MIDDLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY DISLIKING USING TRANSIT, BUT IT MAY BE TIED TO THE LOCATION WHERE THEY CAN LIVE OR AFFORD TO LIVE.

MAYBE THEY'RE NOT REALLY FINDING THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO THEM, OR MAYBE IT'S LIKE THEY CAN'T FIND ACCESSIBLE HOUSING THAT FEELS ACCESSIBLE TO THEM TO RAISE A FAMILY CLOSER IN OR NEAR THESE, THIS INFRASTRUCTURE.

UM, DID YOU LIKE ASSOCIATE THAT WITH LIKE PEOPLE'S, UM, ADDRESS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN TERMS OF LIKE THEIR ACCESSIBILITY TO TRANS AS WELL AS THEIR INCOME? YEAH.

UM, I LOOKED AT WHERE PEOPLE, UM, ADDRESSES WERE IN TERMS OF THEIR SURVEY RESPONSES AND I DID FIND THAT A GOOD CHUNK OF THE HIGHER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS LIVED IN, UM, SUBURBAN AREAS SUCH AS ROUND ROCK AND CEDAR PARK AND BUTTA.

AND THE SAME COULD BE SAID FOR THE VERY LOW INCOME THOUGH THAT WAS A MIX BETWEEN LIVING IN THE CITY CENTER VERSUS BEING IN THE MORE, UM, DISTANT AREAS.

SO, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW IN OUR FUTURE YEAR COMMUTER SURVEY, JUST EXAMINING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HIGH, LET'S SAY LIKE HIGH FREQUENCY TRANSIT AND WHERE PEOPLE ARE AND IF THEY TAKE, UM, IF THEY TAKE THE BUS OR IF THEY TAKE THE TRAIN TO WORK.

UM, BUT YEAH, THAT IS A GREAT POINT THAT YOU BROUGHT UP THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND TO PROVIDE THAT KIND OF RESOURCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

I WILL SAY ALSO THAT TRAVIS COUNTY'S, UH, DRIVE ALONE RATE IS 58%.

SO WE ARE STILL, WE ARE DEFINITELY MAKING PROGRESS.

IT'S JUST THAT WHEN YOU ZOOM OUT AND LOOK AT THE THREE COUNTY AND THE SIX COUNTY, IT'S, IT DILUTES, UM, A LITTLE BIT.

UM, BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS.

THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.

I, I WOULD SAY, YEAH, I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO LOOK AT A LITTLE BIT LIKE SORT OF CROSS TAB THAT INCOME AND THE ADDRESS, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A POLICY QUESTION THERE OF LIKE, DO YOU BRING MORE TRANSIT OUT TO THE SUBURBS? I THINK THAT THERE'S, AS YOU NOTED WITH THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY, I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY A PLACE FOR THAT.

I THINK THERE'S ALSO A WAY IN WHICH THE BUILT STRUCTURE OF THE SUBURBS CAN BE HARD TO SERVE WITH TRANSIT SOMETIMES.

SO IF GIVING PEOPLE BETTER HOUSING CHOICES AND MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHOICES AND ROBUST DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING IN THE CENTER CITY WHERE THERE ALREADY IS THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN GET THERE WITH A POLICY.

SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK MIGHT BE FRUITFUL FOR Y'ALL TO EXPLORE IN A FUTURE ITERATION.

BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING MY QUESTION.

UM, I WILL LOOK AROUND THE ROOM.

OTHER QUESTIONS? VICE CHAIR CHUMA SCHUMACHER.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, I SAW THIS, UH, PRESENTATION AT THE, UH, THE MOVABILITY AWARDS TOO.

IT WAS, UH, GRAHAM, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING, UH, HERE 'CAUSE I I THINK YOU GUYS DO A, A REALLY GOOD JOB OF FILLING IN THE BLANKS THAT THE A CS DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL ABOUT TRYING TO GET TO THAT 2039 ANGLE.

I WANNA BREAK DOWN THE, THE BIKE NUMBERS 'CAUSE THAT'S OBVIOUSLY VERY CONCERNING, UM, FOR US, UM, IT'S A THREE COUNTY MEASUREMENT.

SO WAS WAS IT KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD ALL THREE COUNTIES WERE HAVING THIS? OR WAS, WAS THERE MAYBE LIKE WILLIAMSON WAS REALLY BAD OR WAS IT REALLY BAD HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY? UM, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT LIKE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS? OH, SORRY, REGARDS TO, OH, THANKS FOR ASKING ME THE QU UH, YEAH, NO, SORRY, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, 40%

[00:40:01]

BIKE COMMUTERS.

UM, YEAH, I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY AGAIN HAD THE HIGHEST RATE OF BIKING, UM, FOR THE EXACT NUMBERS I WOULD HAVE TO DIG INTO THE REPORT AGAIN.

BUT, UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I I DON'T, THERE'S, I DON'T HAVE A CONCRETE REASON BEHIND WHY THE NUMBERS ARE DIFFERENT FROM 2024 TO 2025, UM, BUT THERE IS A NOTABLE DECREASE.

AND, UM, AGAIN, I WILL SAY THAT TRAVIS COUNTY DOES HAVE THE MOST MILEAGE OF, YOU KNOW, SHARED BIKE PATHS AND BIKE LANES IN GENERAL COMPARED TO THE OTHER COUNTIES.

AND IT'S, THAT'S THE REASON WHY ITS BIKE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN, UM, YEAH, BUT ALSO, UM, I THINK ANOTHER SUBTLETY TO POINT OUT IS THAT A BIKE TRIP, UM, WAS COUNTED AS A BIKE TRIP IF THAT WAS THE PRIMARY MODE.

SO FOR INSTANCE, IF SOMEONE WAS BA BIKING AND WALKING TO WORK, THAT WOULD BE COUNTED AS A BIKE TRIP.

BUT IF THEY WERE TAKING A BIKE AND DOING TRANSIT, THEN THAT WOULD BE COUNTED AS A TRANSIT TRIP BECAUSE THE BIKE SUPPLIES THE LAST MILE CONNECTION.

SO, UM, THERE ARE ALSO IN THE FULL REPORT, UH, THERE ARE STATS ON MULTIMODAL TRIPS.

THAT'S WHAT WE COUNT THOSE LIKE BIKE AND TRANSIT TRIPS AS, BUT IN THE TOTAL NUMBERS THAT WOULD BE COUNTED AS A TRANSIT TRIP.

VERY INTERESTING.

I NEED TO DIG INTO THE REPORT, .

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER JACOBSON.

UM, YES, SO JUST TO KIND OF RECAP FOR MYSELF, THE, THE STUDY IS PRIMARILY LOOKING AT, UM, FOLKS, UH, TRANSIT, UH, VIS-A-VIS GOING TO WORK, CORRECT? THAT'S JUST KIND OF WHAT IT'S TR CAPTURING ALL THE TRIPS THERE? YES, IT'S TO WORK OR SCHOOL.

OKAY.

AND THEN FOR THE, FOR THAT NUMBER, THAT'S THE, THE POSTGRADUATE, UM, RIDERSHIP RATES ARE DIFFERENT, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.

DO YOU TRACK PEOPLE'S EMPLOYMENT OR YOU JUST FINDING OUT LIKE WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO OR IS THAT KIND OF IN THE, IN THE SURVEY AS WELL? UH, DO YOU MEAN LIKE THEIR SPECIFIC PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT? YES.

SO IF IT'S LIKE A LOT OF POST-GRAD FOLKS ARE USING MASS TRANSIT, WOULD THAT BE LIKE, OH, ARE, ARE A LOT OF THEM WORKING AT UT OR ARE THEY WORKING AT ST ED'S OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? UM, NO, WE DON'T ASK WHERE THEIR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT IS.

THE MOST SPECIFIC WE GET TO IS EITHER THEY'RE WORKING OR THEY'RE IN SCHOOL.

OKAY.

WONDERFUL.

OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

UM, SEEING NONE, I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THANKS FOR COMING OUT AND JOINING US TODAY.

WE'LL DEFINITELY BE INTERESTED IN HEARING UPDATES IN THE FUTURE YEARS, I WOULD SAY.

EXCELLENT.

OKAY, THAT DOES TAKE US TO OUR, UH,

[4. Citywide Lighting Plan update. Presentation by Joel Meyer, Transportation Officer, Austin Transportation and Public Works.]

OUR PRESENTATION TODAY IS BY JOEL MEYER, UH, TRANSPORTATION OFFICER FOR AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.

UH, JOEL MEYER, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICER OVER THE VISION ZERO PROGRAM.

UM, I'M ALSO JOINED HERE BY ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES FROM AUSTIN ENERGY IN CASE THERE'S, UH, QUESTIONS AT, AT THE END.

UM, SO YEAH, FIRST STARTING OUT, WHY ARE WE DEVELOPING A CITYWIDE LIGHTING PLAN? SO, YOU KNOW, FROM THE VISION ZERO PERSPECTIVE, LIGHTING IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE COUNTERMEASURES THAT WE CAN DEPLOY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ROADWAY, FATALITY, AND SERIOUS INJURY.

UM, WE KNOW IT'S A RELATIVELY LOW COST AND HIGH IMPACT COUNTERMEASURE, AND SO THE MORE WE CAN IMPROVE LIGHTING AT INTERSECTIONS, AT PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS ALONG SEGMENTS, UH, THE, THE LOWER THOSE RISKS WILL BE OVERALL.

UM, BUT BEYOND TRAFFIC SAFETY, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER AREAS, UH, POLICY AREAS THAT, THAT WE THINK AS CITYWIDE LIGHTING PLAN CAN HELP ADVANCE.

UH, SO UNDERSTANDING WHAT ROLE LIGHTING CAN PLAY IN REDUCING CRIME OR IMPROVING SENSE PEOPLE'S SENSE OF PERSONAL SAFETY, UM, IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND UTILITY OF OUR TRAILS AND PARK SYSTEM.

UM, SO, SO ALL THIS, ALL THESE INVESTMENTS WE'VE MADE IN OUR TRAILS OVER THE, OVER THE PAST DECADES, UM, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN USE THEM AT NIGHT TO, TO GET HOME, TO GET TO WORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, ALSO JUST IMPROVING THE OVERALL NIGHTTIME QUALITY OF LIFE AND URBAN CHARACTER TRYING TO PROTECT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CHARACTER OF, OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN AUSTIN, OUR CULTURAL DISTRICTS, OUR HISTORIC DISTRICTS, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A CONTEXT SENSITIVE WAY OF DOING THAT.

AND THEN I THINK VERY IMPORTANTLY FOR AUSTIN ESPECIALLY, IS BEING ABLE TO PROTECT OUR SENSITIVE SPECIES AND REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION.

UM, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE THE BATS, WE HAVE, UM, A LOT OF INTEREST IN PROMOTING DARK SKIES, SO, UM, I THINK THERE'S A BIG OPPORTUNITY THERE AS WELL.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF ALL THESE DIFFERENT, UH, INTERESTS, UH, WE'VE REALLY COME TOGETHER AS ACROSS

[00:45:01]

UM, AND FUNDING IS COMING FROM A SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY GRANT THAT AUSTIN RECEIVED A FEW YEARS AGO.

UM, SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF PARTNER ACROSS DEPARTMENTS ON THIS, UH, INITIATIVE.

I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE ONGOING WORK THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING AROUND LIGHTING, UM, AND THE, THE WAYS IN WHICH THIS PLAN CAN HELP SUPPLEMENT THOSE.

UM, ONE PROJECT I REALLY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS THE WEST CAMPUS LIGHTING PROJECT, UM, FROM A FEW YEARS AGO.

THIS WAS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN, UH, TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHERE WE, WE REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, GOT STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER IN THE WEST CAMPUS NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT CRIME AND TRAFFIC SAFETY AND REALLY, UH, DID A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THOSE NEIGHBORS TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THEIR NEEDS.