Alliance For Public Transportation

A local multi-billion-dollar mass transit project is still on track despite efforts in the just-ended legislative session aimed at derailing it. Project Connect is moving forward with a slimmed-down initial plan to create a new light rail service connecting Central Austin with South Austin and East Riverside.

Project Connect survives TX legislative session and proceeding with caution, new guidance A local multi-billion-dollar mass transit project is still on track despite efforts in the just-ended legislative session aimed at derailing it. Project Connect

HOT OFF THE PRESSES -- Austin Transit Partnership releases its Staff Recommendation for the Light Rail Implementation Plan!

Austin Light Rail Implementation Plan - May 2023 The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) appreciates the tremendous amount of input we have received from Austinites as we work to expand and improve our public tra

Austin is turning heads across the US by "sending a clear message that a flood of new residents doesn’t have to be followed by a flood new asphalt."

Every Growing City Should Heed Austin’s New Parking Law One of America’s fastest-growing cities has eliminated parking minimums citywide, sending a clear message that a flood of new residents doesn’t have to be followed by a flood new asphal…

“You have to make people happy against their will,” he says. “Don’t try to find this consensus for everything, especially on things on mobility, because you will not convince everybody. All the projects we did faced opposition, but in the end, most of them were accepted because they were good projects.”

A Belgian Lesson in Taming the Automobile Known as one of the most car-oriented European capitals, Brussels has embarked on a mobility makeover that could be a model for US cities.

"Despite frequent assertions to the contrary, mass transportation is not a public good, and declaring it to be one does not justify dropping fares"

Transit Is Great — But It’s Not a Public Good When boosters of mass transportation invoke this economic term, they risk muddling the argument for why transit is worth subsidizing.

Thank you AURA for your critical analysis and recommendation for the intial phase of

Project Connect Working Group Recommends On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option – AURA Posted on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by AURA ATXProject Connect Working Group Recommends On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option The AURA Project Connect Working Group has diligently built an evaluation framework over the past few weeks to analyze all light rail options and the...

"They found that “losing all bus stops in a census tract leads to a 5.1 percentage point increase in the rate and a 4.5 percentage point increase in the rate,” according to the paper." https://governing.com/community/new-evidence-links-transit-cuts-with-poverty-and-unemployment

New Evidence Links Transit Cuts With Poverty and Unemployment When bus service was eliminated for five years in Clayton County, in the Atlanta metro area, residents endured substantial increases in poverty and unemployment rates.

ALERT & PLEASE SHARE: HB 3899 will be heard on Wed, April 5th. If passed, it would require further elections for any of the parts of that require a bond (such as light rail) even though Prop A set up the funding for the system passed overwhelmingly in 2020. It will create more risk (making it harder to get outside funding), increase delays, and cause costs to swell.

FRIENDS -- Please consider visiting the Texas Capitol on Wed (4/5) to "drop a card" at the committee that day to show opposition to the legislation in its current form. As we all know, Project Connect is critical to our community's future and we ask that you make your voices known about its benefits and help stop efforts to slow us down.

THE HEARING STARTS AT 8 AM in the Texas House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee --- in Room E2.014 of the Capital Extension.

SUPER HELPFUL tradeoffs explainer from Councilmember Chito Vela https://mailchi.mp/3bced0e17b2e/district-4-agenda-items-to-watch-9344717?e=16b8249aba

The Red Line Tour is back! Join Transit Forward & Los Verdes on April 15th for a brewery hop starting downtown and ending at Q2 Stadium. Some of the breweries will offer drink specials and the first 100 attendees will get a free collapsible water bottle provided by CapMetro.

Great recap of where we're going and where we've been in planning for

Austin to unveil updated Project Connect light rail scope options next week Austinites will soon get a preview of Project Connect light rail design considerations on the table at an open house March 21.

CapMetro esta buscando pasajeros de autobús que usen CapMetro 3 veces a la semana para brindar información sobre nuestros sistemas de pago de tarifas. Los participantes calificados recibirán viajes gratuitos ilimitados en CapMetro mientras participen en el programa piloto y una tarjeta de regalo de $50 al finalizar.

Piloto de tarifas de CapMetro CapMetro está buscando evaluadores públicos para probar una versión futura de nuestra aplicación CapMetro y nuestra tarjeta Amp. Se proporcionará más información sobre cómo acceder a las versiones de prueba de estos productos una vez que hayamos recibido su información.

"It’s important we strategically target dense residential and commercial areas to achieve the greatest early ridership, but we also need to be mindful of connectivity and equity,” she said via email. “For instance, if the line goes from UT to St. Edward’s in the first phase, there will need to be a connection to Crestview shortly after to better connect with the Red Line already in operation. Alternatively, if South of the river doesn’t get substantial rail in the first phase as I believe it should, we have to prioritize it in the next phase.” -- Councilmember Paige Ellis

Transit leaders preparing new Project Connect scenarios for March open house - Austin Monitor With a budget that no longer meets the vision approved by voters in 2020 for an ambitious mass transit system, leaders with the agency charged with carrying out the Project Connect plan say that work continues to decide what the…

"Backstory: I live in Riverside area and work downtown. My car threw a check engine light Monday and is not drivable at the moment. I've been taking lyft all week ($12-$15/each way) to the office and it's getting annoyingly expensive.

I've never taken the bus in Austin but spent the past 14 years in NYC/SF so I'm used to public transit. There's a bus stop 40 ft. from my front door and opted to take it today and give it a shot.

I'm impressed. There were plenty of available seats, everyone minded their business, payment was easy via app and I was a block from my office in 20 min.... all for $2.50. Plus we were able to dodge all morning traffic via the bus lane.

Even when my car is fixed this could be my preferred method of transit. So hats off to you Austin, it's a great option! Just wish I had tried it sooner."

r/Austin on Reddit: Tipping my hat to CapMetro Posted by u/reeeeyon8 - 591 votes and 107 comments

"Austin’s mobility projects 'closely aligned with USDOT’s strategic goals, involving a multimodal approach to improve safety, increase access to affordable transportation options, and to reconnect their community,' Farajian said. 'Our ultimate goal is to help Austin achieve or exceed the intended outcomes of these projects, and to enable them to deliver the benefits to their community faster, cheaper, and more equitably.'

US DOT and Austin, Texas, launch first-of-its-kind $22 billion transportation partnership It’s the first time the Transportation Department has entered an emerging projects agreement with a city to fast-track networks of related projects rather than using a piecemeal approach.

"In a “sobering” update to CapMetro board members Monday, a federal transit expert outlined next steps for Austin’s Project Connect mass transit program, as well as critical steps needed to ensure its success in delivering light rail and expanded bus transit in the future."

‘Generational decisions’ face Project Connect scope change, federal expert says This spring, Project Connect experts are set to unveil a new light rail system design scope, one that is expected to be a modified version of what voters approved more than two years ago.

“The shared use path will greatly improve safety and access to the area, especially since many people who visit Zilker Botanical Garden arrive on foot, by bicycle or via the bus.” said Cynthia Klemmer, Program Manager of Environmental Conservation at Austin Parks and Recreation.

Austin Public Works Begins Construction of Zilker Park Multimodal Access Improvements | AustinTexas.gov Home Services Programs Projects Media FAQ City of Austin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release Date: Feb. 21, 2023 Contact: Public Affairs Office, City of Austin Public Works        Email In 2024 Austin resident and visitors alike will be able to walk, bike or roll comfortably between MoPac and Zilker...

A quick update on how bond funds are being spent in Austin:

Austin voters approved $1.34B in mobility bond funds. Here’s what the city is doing with it Most of the funding from Austin's three most recent mobility bonds will be spent by the late 2020s.

Three cheers for the coming end of the Residential Parking Permit program in the district. Long live metered parking!

‘Parking district’ proposal may solve South Congress parking woes - Austin Monitor The dicey parking shuffle on South Congress is about to get a bit more predictable, thanks to the city’s Transportation Department. City Council’s Mobility Committee rang in 2023 with the welcome announcement that a new South Congress Parking & Transportation…

“while adding lanes can ease congestion initially, it can also encourage people to drive more. A few years after a highway is widened, research shows, traffic — and the greenhouse gas emissions that come along with it — often returns”

Widening Highways Doesn’t Fix Traffic. So Why Do We Keep Doing It? With billions of dollars available to improve transportation infrastructure, states have a chance to try new strategies for addressing congestion. But some habits are hard to break.

“You need people on the team who are able to take that step back and say, ‘I am a rider, what do I need?’” he says. “What are the things that are going to clearly demonstrate that somebody cares about the impacts this has on me as a human being in my daily life?’”

“You can’t know what a disruption it’s going to be if you take an SUV to get to work every day,” says Richardson.

“It makes me so furious when there’s a board of people making decisions about an agency and no one ever uses the system,” adds McCready.

No Rider Left Behind: How Cities Can Make Transit Shutdowns As Painless As Possible Rebuilding and repairing transit infrastructure is the future of transit in the U.S. How can agencies ensure mobility and equity?

"The community will be engaged, Austin Transit Partnership staff told their board(s) more than once at the tri-party meeting, which also makes sense; otherwise there would be reason for people to not buy in, get hacked off by the choices made, and start trying to undo the deal voters approved in 2020. That would suck! As the process is outlined by ATP (see chart above), it looks like the community will get to voice its choice about a range of alternatives now being developed, along with the criteria on which to evaluate them."

Austin at Large: We’re Deciding How to Decide Project Connect team, transit stakeholders to see where Austin’s willing to cut back

📢📢📢 South Central Waterfront Advisory Board is hosting a *special called* meeting to discuss redevelopment of the Statesman PUD & using TIRZ financing to make it happen:

>>> Austin City Hall | Wed (10/12) @ 6pm

Guadalupe St & Congress Ave, take note: “With[out] cars, people started to walk a lot more, to stroll around, and the sales on Sundays grew sevenfold…. “It was the best thing that could have happened for us. Sundays are now, by far, our busiest days.” https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/taking-back-saeo-paulos-streets-one-sunday-at-a-time Austin Transportation Department, City of Austin

Taking Back São Paulo’s Streets, One Sunday At A Time Banning cars on Sundays transformed this major avenue in São Paulo, Brazil, seven days a week. Now locals, originally wary, are asking for more.

Is that morning / evening commute getting harder? Movability can help you https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/tracking-tips-to-save-money-reduce-congestion-and-help-the-planet-austin-texas-commute-traffic

Tracking trips to save money, reduce congestion and help the planet Back-to-school also means back to crowded roadways and congestion. As thousands of parents, kids and school buses start making twice-daily commutes, one Central

One less reason to shop at Randalls 🤦🏻‍♂️

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/whispers/randalls-to-stop-selling-bus-passes/

Randalls to stop selling bus passes - Austin Monitor Beginning next month, Austin-area Randalls grocery stores will no longer sell Capital Metro bus passes. The transit authority relayed the change yesterday, with the assurance that Capital Metro outlets and some HEB locations will continue to sell transit passes to…

EXCITING NEWS! We can't wait to see expand beyond the tourist zone.

MetroBike program gears up for 10-year expansion project - Austin Monitor Cyclists can expect to see expanded bike-share infrastructure roll out in the next few years, as the team behind the city’s MetroBike program prepares to bring an updated interlocal agreement to City Council this summer. Since 2013, MetroBike (formerly B-cycle)…

ICYMI: Bike Austin, Walk Austin, and Vision Zero ATX merge to form Safe Streets Austin https://mailchi.mp/da35b29adfe5/bike-austin-walk-austin-and-vision-zero-atx-merge-to-create-safe-streets-austin?e=362e82a913

Bike Austin, Walk Austin, and Vision Zero ATX merge to create Safe Streets Austin Long time advocacy organizations and champions of safe streets, Bike Austin, Walk Austin, and Vision Zero ATX have joined forces to create Safe Streets Austin, a local, non-profit organization. Safe Streets Austin’s mission is to build a movement to transform Austin’s streets, bikeways, and tra...