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City Council approves dockless bike share pilot, B-Cycle expansion
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City Council approved an Austin Transportation Department proposal Thursday to initiate a dockless bike share pilot informed by a public process while accelerating expansion of the City’s current station-based system. The initiative will test the value of a blended system of station-based and dockless bike share service, which is expected to offer the benefit of a predictable, station-based service with the extended reach of a well-managed dockless option. Dockless bike share is different from the City’s current bike share system, Austin B-Cycle, in that the bicycles do not have to be parked and locked in a “dock” or station.
The City has been contacted by several companies interested in providing dockless bike share services in Austin. The pilot will start following a public engagement process that will include a community-wide survey and a forum that will bring national experts and peer city leaders familiar with both types of bike share systems to share their experiences and facilitate a dialogue about how bike share of all kinds can best serve mobility needs in Austin. The pilot demonstrates that Austin seeks to engage the industry in a thoughtful and deliberative process that achieves the purported benefits of dockless bike share while assuring the safety and integrity of our community.
The B-Cycle expansion involves dedicating $200,000 in City funds to accelerate an ongoing station expansion by leveraging existing grant funding awarded to the City. The Austin B-Cycle system consists of 430 bikes and 54 stations owned by the City and operated by Bike Share of Austin under a contract with the City.
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Share your input on recommended 2016 Mobility Bond-funded Anderson Mill Road improvements
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As part of the 2016 Mobility Bond, the City of Austin is ready to share recommendations for safety and mobility improvements on Anderson Mill Road between Spicewood Parkway and US 183. The community is invited to view these recommendations and share feedback at an open house on Saturday, Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Hope Presbyterian Church’s Activities and Education Center (11559 Spicewood Parkway, Austin 78750).
City staff used input collected from the community in early 2017, along with technical assessments, to develop draft recommendations to improve mobility, safety and connectivity for all roadway users. After the community provides feedback on the recommendations at the Feb. 10 open house, staff will finalize the Preliminary Engineering Report in March 2018, and the design phase of the project will begin. Cost estimates and the roadway design will be further refined during this phase.
The 2016 Mobility Bond, approved by voters in November 2016, includes funding for preliminary engineering, design and construction of improvements on Anderson Mill Road. Check AustinTexas.gov/AndersonMill and AustinTexas.gov/2016Bond for the latest project updates.
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City begins constructing safety improvements at Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street
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The City of Austin began construction this morning on 2016 Mobility Bond-funded safety and mobility improvements at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street.
The purpose of the improvements is to reduce crashes at the intersection by addressing conflict points, enhancing bicycle and pedestrian visibility and safety, and reducing dangerous movements. Improvements include construction of center medians on Congress Avenue near the intersection to reduce unsafe left turns; redesign of access driveways and construction of a shared-use path to reduce conflicts between people walking or biking and people driving; installation of new high-visibility crosswalks; and more.
Construction activities are anticipated to ramp up in the coming weeks with a goal of completing the project in summer 2018. People traveling through the work zone area should use caution and anticipate changing traffic patterns during construction.
This project is the third intersection to begin construction as part of the Intersection Safety/Vision Zero program funded by the 2016 Mobility Bond. The 2016 Mobility Bond dedicates $15 million to fatality reduction strategies for projects listed on the Top Crash Location Intersection Priorities Improvement List.
Click here to view the project fact sheet for more information about Congress/Oltorf. For more information about the Transportation Safety Improvement Program, and to view other intersection improvement projects, click here.
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City of Austin and Movability Austin to present at CommuteCon
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This Wednesday, ATD Environmental Program Coordinator Cari Buetow will be a presenter at CommuteCon, a free online conference for those in the commuter management and transportation demand management (TDM) fields. The conference, which will take place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. CST, will bring together mobility professionals working for smart and sustainable commuting solutions.
TDM is a technical term for a simple concept – managing the demand of the transportation system to increase system efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, enhance quality of life and more! In her presentation, Cari will highlight a City TDM pilot called Smart Commute, which helped City employees commute sustainably by incentivizing them to take transit, bike, walk, carpool, vanpool or telework rather than drive alone to and from work.
Alix Scarborough with Movability Austin – Austin's transportation management association and a City partner – will also present during the conference. Learn more about CommuteCon or register for the online conference.
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Austin hosts first national Municipal Special Events Summit
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On Jan. 25-26, the City of Austin welcomed representatives from about 40 cities at the inaugural Municipal Special Events Summit. The first of its kind, the conference brought officials from across the U.S. to share policies, processes and best practices related to municipal special events. Attendees engaged in fruitful discussion, sharing knowledge on their respective special event policies and practices, including event management, public safety, budget and fees, outreach and engagement and interdepartmental planning. From these exchanges, participants came away with deeper understanding for how different municipalities plan and manage special events.
“We’re excited to have had the City of Austin kick-start this much-needed network between municipalities to exchange their expertise in the field of special events," said Frances Hargrove, Special Events Manager. "We look forward to continue learning from one another in future years.”
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Coming up in this week's mobility calendar
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Open Houses for 2016 Mobility Bond Substandard Street Projects
As part of the voter-approved 2016 Mobility Bond, preliminary engineering processes have been launched on FM 1626 and Johnny Morris Road to address substandard street elements such as missing sidewalks, drainage issues, insufficient pavement widths and more. The processes include community engagement, data collection and analysis of existing conditions, and will result in a preliminary engineering report for each roadway with recommendations to enhance safety and mobility. People who live, work, play or commute along the roadways are invited to join City staff and consultants at public open houses to share feedback and learn more about the projects.
Johnny Morris Road (Loyola Lane to FM 969)
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
- Time: 4:30-7:30 p.m.
- Location: Manchaca United Methodist Church (1011 FM 1626, Manchaca, TX 78652)
- Can't attend the meeting in person? Take the online survey at AustinTexas.gov/FM1626.
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Manor Road, from E. Dean Keeton Street to I-35 and Clyde Littlefield Drive, from I-35 to Robert Dedman Drive, are being evaluated for improvements to enhance the safety and mobility of everyone who uses these streets. Funding has been identified from the 2016 Mobility Bond Bikeways Local Mobility Program for improvements along these streets. These proposed improvements have been coordinated with The University of Texas at Austin and would be installed with their partnership.
ATD wants to hear from the community about how they use the street. Please join ATD at a community meeting where staff will be on hand to explain the project, listen and address any concerns. You can find event information on Facebook as well.
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
- Time: 6-7 p.m. (Drop in anytime!)
- Location: Carver Branch Public Library (1161 Angelina St., Austin, TX, 78702)
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The City and Capital Metro's Smart Mobility Roadmap and the City's development of a potential 2018 Bond will both be discussed. Learn more information about the Pedestrian Advisory Council and today's meeting, including the agenda.
- Date: Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 (Today!)
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Location: Austin City Hall, Room 1027 (301 W. Second St., Austin, Texas, 78701)
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