AUSTIN, Texas – As 2020 comes to a close, leaders of the Austin Transportation Department reflect on how the department efforts have made the City safer for all users, created more equitable mobility solutions, and delivered on Austin's goal for a sustainable, inclusive future that encompasses all modes of transportation.
"People will look back at the year 2020 decades from now and will note it as the year transportation in Austin fundamentally changed," said Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca. "This pandemic showed us what can happen when we manage our transportation demand and get people out of peak commutes. Austinites also voted for more safety, active transportation and transit investments affirming the goals of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan."
By the Numbers
• 511,000 lbs. of fresh produce and pantry staples delivered to those in need by the "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" program
• 11,434 signs installed or maintained throughout the City
• 1,019 traffic signals, 84 pedestrian hybrid beacons, 4 rectangular rapid flashing beacons, 560 school zone flashing beacons, associated communications infrastructure and intelligent transportation systems devices maintained
• 850+ miles of residential streets made safer with reduced speed limits to help achieve Austin’s Vision Zero goals
• 867 Customer Service Requests received reporting people parking in bike lanes. 380 Citations issued; 183 vehicles towed
• 785 Parking Pay Stations upgraded to Pay-By-Plate system
• 555 validated uses of FREE15ATX1 and FREE15ATX2 promo codes used for free short-term on-street parking
• 150 bicycles donated to people in need via Create a Commuter Program
• 122 traffic signals retimed to create 5% faster average commute
• 110 locations had a Leading Pedestrian Interval added to improve pedestrian safety
• 100% of traffic signal infrastructure now connected to Mobility Management Center via fiber and cell modem communications network
• 52% of arterial centerline miles restriped
• 45 Shop the Block Program permits issued
• 26 blocks of red bus lanes painted
• 30% average reduction in crashes at intersections with Vision Zero upgrades
• 15.4 miles of new and improved bikeways, including 7.8 miles of protected bikeways
• 11 Safe Routes to School crosswalks installed
"Despite a challenging year, we made great strides in delivering mobility solutions and infrastructure needs Austinites have shown us time and again they value," said Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar. "The team at ATD has adapted, innovated and made real progress toward our community's mobility goals."
Below are just a few of the efforts Austin Transportation staff and partners achieved in 2020.
Street Impact Fee:
Austin Transportation Department with the support of Austin City Council established a first-ever street impact fee (SIF) following a more than three-year public and stakeholder process. The SIF will generate capital funding for street improvements throughout the City and provide more predictable costs for developers.
Additionally, the fees will allow the City to expand roadway capacity faster and with less reliance on taxpayer-funded bond elections. Along with the Transportation Criteria Manual now under active public review, this tool will help development growth in the Austin area to pay its fair share of keeping up with the mobility needs of Austin.
MetroBike Expansion and Collaboration:
The Department, in collaboration with Capital Metro and Bike Share of Austin, created a new partnership to co-manage and expand the BCycle Austin system. Now known as MetroBike, the partnership improves community access to biking and transit in Austin through the CapMetro app and the purchase of 200 e-bikes.
Predictable and Accessible Parking:
The new pay-by-plate program and tiered pricing for on-street parking allows drivers to pay for longer stats and avoid penalties. Drivers are also able to receive up to two 15-minute parking sessions for free per day by using the FREE15ATX1 and FREE15ATX2 coupon codes in the Park ATX app. The Department also standardized parking time limits across the City to 10 hours.
To encourage downtown commuters to seek off-street parking options, parking rates changed to a tiered structure, where the price per hour increases the longer the stay. App users can add time to their parking duration through the app, so they don't have to stop what they are doing and add time at the pay station. Downtown employees looking for low-cost, long-term parking solutions can apply for affordable daily and monthly rates through the Affordable Parking Program.
Lavaca/Guadalupe Red Transit Priority Bus Lanes Project:
New dedicated bus lanes throughout Downtown and West Campus were installed by Austin Transportation The Transit Priority Lanes are painted red to indicate they are reserved for buses only, so Capital Metro's fleet can more efficiently move through the area and maintain reliable route times.
Additionally, those routes are aided by a contraflow lane south of Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard that helps buses more easily access West Campus and alleviate congestion at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Lavaca Street.
Shoal Creek Two-Way Cycle Facility:
After years of engaging with the community to make Shoal Creek Boulevard a more human-centric street, in collaboration with Public Works and many partners, the Austin Transportation Department successfully reconfigured Shoal Creek Boulevard. The design has brought community members out in droves to walk and bike the new corridor.
Congress Avenue Improvements:
As the pandemic prompted a sudden shift in how residents and businesses went about their daily lives, Austin Transportation brought forth innovative solutions to create a safe manner for people to reach their destinations, as well as an avenue for businesses to shift to a curbside pickup model. To support the Shop the Block initiative, high-traffic rights of way like Congress Avenue were repurposed to accommodate physically distanced outdoor seating, queuing and retail commerce.
The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative envisions a more human-centric, multi-functional complete street with a clear and attractive identity for what's often referred to as the "Main Street of Texas." As a result of the shift in user patterns, the department has been able to implement many of those changes to create a more vibrant use of the corridor by users of all modes of transportation. That included the creation of protected bicycle lanes from Riverside Drive to the Texas State Capitol.
Healthy Streets:
Following the City Council call for Healthy Streets, ATD initiated the program in areas outside the Downtown core. The program allows people to more comfortably use specialized low-traffic areas for activities like walking, wheelchair rolling, running, and bicycling with enough space to maintain physical distance.
The project temporarily repurposed streets in Central, East and South Austin, and the department is working on rolling out a future, permanent "Slow Streets" program based on feedback from the Healthy Streets initiative..
Vision Zero Viewer:
With a keen focus on safety, the Department launched the City's newest Vision Zero tool: the Vision Zero Viewer. This regularly updated data contextualization tool provides simple and clear visualizations of traffic crash data. A host of information is logged for each incident, including location, travel mode, demographics and time of day. The Viewer tracks crashes that result in fatalities and serious injury.
For the year 2020, data shows more traffic fatalities than in previously tracked years, but the number of crashes resulting in serious injuries is significantly reduced. This indicates speed is a greater factor in 2020 crashes. This information is continuously analyzed by traffic engineers to consider future mitigation efforts.
Faster Commutes Through Signal Retiming and Modernization:
Nearly 1,000 traffic signals were connected to the traffic brain of ATD, the MMC, after a years-long effort. The center is staffed seven days a week during the morning, mid-day, and evening periods, as well as during special events. The primary task of the MMC is to remotely change signal timing, dispatch technicians and disseminate information to the public and other partners. Those efforts have shaved minutes off average commute times in several parts of the City.
In collaboration with area partners, Austin Transportation Department leads our community’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries on Austin streets, the achievement of a 50/50 commute type split by 2039 as established in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, and actively seeks innovative solutions and piloting technology that can decrease the use of single-occupancy vehicles and improve safety through Austin Transportation Department's Smart Mobility Office. For details, please visit AustinTexas.gov/Transportation.
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