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For the new you in the new year, try a new commute!
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As everyone returns from the holidays, traffic does as well, so consider adding your commute to your New Year's resolutions! Your commute can affect your well-being for better or worse, so evaluate how it can be improved. Developing or breaking habits can take time and effort, but take small steps at first and find accountability with other people through the following ways.
Add a sustainable mode to your trips. Leave your car and opt to bike, walk and/or take public transit. This is a great time to take advantage of Austin's growing bikeway network and public transit system. By taking more active modes, you can knock out multiple resolutions at once!
Adjust your work time or location. If your employment situation allows it, change your work schedule so you can work from home, work a non-traditional schedule (such as 7 a.m.-4 p.m. instead of 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or compress your week to work fewer days with longer hours.
Pool your commute. Ride together with coworkers who live along the way to work, in a carpool, vanpool or bikepool.
- To find a shared commute via car, bicycle, walking or transit in the Austin area, sign up for myCommuteSolutions and find a trip match.
- For vanpool groups, Capital Metro’s MetroRideShare program offers a month-to-month lease option. To start or join a vanpool, register with Enterprise or call 512-477-7433 (RIDE).
Tweak your driving patterns. If you have to drive on your commute, you can make small adjustments such as leaving earlier, taking alternative routes or avoiding left turns when you can. Any steps, however little, can save lots of time and keep you safe.
Some options may be more feasible depending on the conditions and demands of your work and home life, so choose what suits your lifestyle best and ask your employer what options are available to you. To find more resources to improve and log your commutes in Central Texas, join Commute Solutions. Employers interested in providing their employees with mobility options can check out Movability Austin.
These changes promise benefits not only to you, but also for all of Austin. If everyone who currently drives alone during peak hours were to take a different mode just one day a week, Austin’s weekly traffic would see a 20 percent reduction in drive-alone trips. Take the road less traveled and that will make all the difference.
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Four public input sessions this month on a potential bond election
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This month, the Bond Election Advisory Task Force invites the public to provide additional feedback on a potential bond election at four listening sessions. The Task Force seeks to better understand what City infrastructure needs are most important to Austin residents and whether – and how much – the public would be willing to invest in those expenses.
City Council specifically directed City staff and the Task Force to focus on funding efforts to address flooding, affordable housing, mobility, parks, libraries and existing infrastructure. City departments identified more than $3 billion in needs during the next five years, but to serve as a starting point, City staff developed a $640 million bond package for the Task Force to consider. The Task Force previously collected feedback in November and December 2017 through various online tools. This round of public engagement offers another opportunity before the Task Force submits its recommendations to Council.
At the listening sessions, members of the public each will have three minutes to speak. The schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday, Jan. 9, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Little Walnut Creek Library, 835 W. Rundberg Ln.
- Thursday, Jan. 11, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Yarborough Library, 2200 Hancock Dr.
- Wednesday, Jan. 17, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, 1156 Hargrave St.
- Thursday, Jan. 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m., ACC South Campus, 1820 W. Stassney Ln.
The public may also comment at the Task Force meetings. More information about the Task Force can be found at AustinTexas.gov/2018Bond.
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Increased commuter services from Capital Metro now in effect
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Capital Metro has implemented improvements to its commuter services, MetroExpress and MetroRail. Service on MetroExpress routes has increased by 50 percent, with some routes making use of free access to MoPac's Express Lanes to bypass congestion and serve downtown Austin directly and other routes serving more trips and running bi-directionally throughout the day. MetroRail service has increased capacity to add three more trips in the morning and another three in the evening in an effort to provide better service and alleviate overcrowded trains. Read more about Capital Metro's service improvements.
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Check it out: MoPac Mobility Bridges spotlight in Federal Highway Administration publication on multimodal connectivity
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The MoPac Mobility Bridges, which opened in June 2017, shine in the latest issue of the Federal Highway Administration's Fostering Multimodal Connectivity newsletter. In "Providing Multimodal Transportation Options on Austin's Mopac Mobility Bridges," City of Austin officials Janae Spence, Urban Trails Program Manager from the Public Works Department, and Annick Beaudet, Assistant Director from the Austin Transportation Department, elaborate on the history and development of the project.
What began as a highway project evolved into a collaborative, context-sensitive and multimodal effort between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the City of Austin. Running two miles between Southwest Austin and downtown Austin alongside the MoPac Expressway, the mobility bridges allow separate lanes of travel for bicyclists and pedestrians and connect to Austin's urban trails network. To learn more about the bridges and the process in constructing them, read the full article on the FHWA's website.
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Be careful driving on Central Texas roads in the winter
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ATD invites Austin drivers to make commutes safer by being proactive and prepared when winter weather is forecast. Here are some tips you can use to help keep you, your family and friends safe while out and about in inclement seasonal weather:
- Drive safe. Take your time, increase your following distance and obey driving laws such as wearing a seatbelt, avoiding the use of handheld devices like cell phones, and driving sober.
- Plan your route ahead. Keep yourself and others safe by planning ahead before you venture out into bad weather.
- Know your car. Every vehicle handles differently; this is particularly true when driving on wet, icy or snowy roads.
- Stock your vehicle. Carry items in your car that you may need in case of an emergency, like jumper cables.
- Get your car serviced often and ensure it is in optimal condition.
For a complete list of tips to keep you safe in inclement winter weather, download our Central Texas Winter Driving Safety Tips.
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Coming up in this week's mobility calendar
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The Central Texas community will have an opportunity to hear directly from the Capital Metro CEO finalists at this public meeting. This will be a moderated forum, not an open mic event. To submit questions you would like to ask the candidates, email them to feedback@capmetro.org. Learn more details about the candidates here. If you cannot attend the event, it will be streamed on Facebook Live.
- Date: Monday, Jan. 8, 2018
- Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Location: AISD Performing Arts Center (1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.), Multipurpose Room
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Topics to be discussed include Phases 2 and 3 of the Country Club Creek Trail and Hyperloop Texas. Learn more about Tuesday's meeting and agenda.
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018
- Time: 5 p.m.
- Location: City Hall (301 W 2nd St), Board and Commission, Room 1101
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ATD is currently evaluating Romeria Drive, from Burnet Road to North Lamar Boulevard, and Denson Drive, from North Lamar Boulevard to Airport Boulevard, for mobility and safety improvements for all roadway users. Attend the community open house to learn more about the project and to weigh in on the proposed multimodal improvements.
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018
- Time: 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.
- Location: Reilly Elementary School (405 Denson Drive)
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Topics to be discussed include the 2016 Mobility Bond Local Mobility Annual Plan and the draft Austin Street Design Guide. Learn more about Thursday’s meeting and agenda.
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Location: City Hall (301 W 2nd St), Room 1027
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