Downtown Transportation Management Association Being Formed
Austin community leaders have formed a new association to help alleviate traffic downtown.
The Downtown Austin Transportation Management Association was created to find ways to encourage the more than 90,000 people working in the city core to use fewer cars to commute. 

More info:  http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2011/04/29/group-formed-to-help-alleviate.html

MOPAC Improvement Project

Mopac Managed Lanes Project
APT signed onto the concept of not only adding a ‘managed lane’ onto MoPac, but ensuring that buses and vanpools could ride in that lane without being charged a toll.  If you think you might use that lane or if you would like to learn more information first hand, please make time to attend the next community meeting May 26th; at Gullett Elementary School.

Read more at  www.mopacexpress.com

We encourage you to vote.  There are many items on the ballot that are important to how our region  plans for growth.  If you are a City of Austin resident, there is a very important item on the ballot worthy of your consideration.  Many transit-oriented and sustainability organizations are supporting this proposition.  Prop 1 or the $90 Million Bond Package includes sidewalks; transit planning and roadway reconstruction.  The City of Austin has produced a good summary video.

This link is a video that explains the variety of projects in the bond package:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecb-3Q_oWqw&feature=player_embedded

This link lays out where the early voting locations are.  Early voting ends next Friday and is the easiest way to vote.
http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/20101102/early.asp

Take on Traffic

As many of you may already be aware, the State of Texas only recently designated an actual “Rail Division” within the Texas Department of Transportation.  In order to help Texas rail projects align themselves for federal funding opportunities, TXDOT has been working to lay out a “Texas Rail Plan.”  If you believe that commuter rail can be a viable part of our future in Central Texas (we sure do), please register your views with TXDOT.

Provide your input

City of Austin

Austin’s Future
Is in YOUR Hands!

You Gave Us The Pieces…
Come Help Us Put Them Together

Over 5,000 Austinites told us they wanted to see a more diverse population, a more diverse mix of housing types, more and better ways of getting around the city, and local business growth. We used that input to craft a vision statement for Austin’s future. Now, we want to know what you think of that vision.  We are facing the startling reality that Austin is expected to double in population over the next 30 years. You’ll have a hands-on opportunity to identify how we should grow and what transportation infrastructure we’ll need. It’s your chance to interact directly with your fellow Austinites as we chart a course for Austin’s future. It’s up to YOU to make it happen!

Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan and the Strategic Mobility Plan invite you to participate in one of four upcoming forums.
3:30 -9 pm   Tuesday, April 27
Austin Community College Eastview Campus
3401 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78702
Interactive game sessions are available at these times:
3:30pm(RSVP)
6:30pm(RSVP)
Snacks and dinner provided

7:45 am -1:30 pm Wednesday, April 28
St. David’s Episcopal Church
304 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701
Interactive game sessions are available at these times:
7:45am(RSVP)
11:30am(RSVP)
Breakfast and lunch provided
 
6:-8:30 pm Wednesday, April 28
Anderson High School
8403 Mesa Drive, Austin, TX 78759
Dinner provided
(RSVP)
 
9-11:30 am Saturday, May 1
Fulmore Middle School
201 East Mary, Austin, TX 78704
Breakfast provided
(RSVP)
 

Austin Strategic Mobility Plan
505 Barton Springs Road
Austin, Texas 78704

RVSP: ashley@estilopr.com

On Saturday, March 27, Capital Metro will dedicate the Capital MetroRail Red Line and celebrate the start of passenger service. The dedication of Capital MetroRail will be a sweet moment in our organization’s history, and we cordially invite you to attend the festivities at either the Downtown Station.

Community leaders will accompany a group of students who have been involved in Capital Metro’s rail safety education efforts on a MetroRail “Safety Train” demonstration ride from Leander to Downtown Station. A coffee and hot chocolate reception and some remarks will take place in Leander before the Safety Train, and another reception, music, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at Downtown Station after the train arrives. We hope you can make it!

Ready to Roll

Become an APT Volunteer!

Volunteer Alert!

As you know, the Leander to Austin or the “Red Line” will be running starting next Monday.
We expect a lot of enthusiasm from riders and even onlookers on this historic day for Austin.
In order to grow our transit system – we need to support groups like the Alliance for Public Transportation who will have volunteers at the downtown and MLK Stations all week.

Can you help us by handing out pro-transit literature and asking people to complete a short questionnaire?

Our goal is to reach people who are seeing the value of having multi-modal transportation options by letting them know of APT’s mission.

Our strongest needs are here:

Monday the 27th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at both the Downtown Station and the MLK Station. Many people will be getting off at the MLK Station as there will be CapMetro shuttles going back and forth to the UT campus.

We still have a few slots available for the morning shifts at the downtown station. Those shifts start at 7:00 a.m. and go until 9 a.m.

Please Let Dave Foster know of your interest by e-mailing him at dfoster@cleanwater.org and which of the two stations you prefer to volunteer at. You will be there along with several other APT representatives so don’t worry about being alone out there.

Help us recruit more transit-friendly supporters!

CAR2GO

Friday, February 26, 2010, 9:52am CST

LIVESTRONG joins Austin Smart Car pilot program

Austin Business Journal

LIVESTRONG this week became the second U.S. employer to join a nationwide Smart Car pilot program called car2go.

Last November, the City of Austin signed up to be the first to test the carbon emissions reduction program, acquiring 200 electric Smart Cars that its 13,000 employees can use in or outside of work. Now staff with cyclist Lance Armstrong’s foundation can also borrow the mini vehicles.

Read more…

[via Austin Business Journal]

City of Austin

Mayor considering urban rail bond package

by STEVE ALBERTS / KVUE News

Posted on February 10, 2010 at 5:15 PM

Updated Wednesday, Feb 10 at 6:25 PM

******

The City of Austin is proposing an urban rail line in downtown.

“We have to do something,” said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. “What we have to do is everything. We need better roads, bike and trail facilities and better mass transit; and I personally think rail is the best option for mass transit.”

The bond package that the mayor’s office is considering proposing to the city council and the community would be in the range of $400 million. Roughly half of the bond package would be devoted to urban rail, and the other half would be devoted to roads and other transportation infrastructure. The cost of this bond proposal to the average Austin household would be just over $3 per month, or about $40 per year.

Read more…

[via KVUE]

Austin Strategic Mobility Plan

AUSTIN, Texas – The City of Austin today launched a new online survey
asking citizens about their transportation priorities to help guide how
future transportation dollars will be spent. The survey mirrors the
workshop exercises conducted at the six Austin Mobility Forums across
the city this week. 

The new survey can be found at
http://www.austinstrategicmobility.com/get-involved/survey/. Results
from the survey will be shared with the City Council as it considers
future mobility projects.

“We were fortunate to have hundreds of citizens participate in the
mobility forums. We would like to expand the opportunity for citizens to
comment with this new online survey,” said Rob Spillar, director of the
Austin Transportation Department. 

The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan will guide Austin’s near- and
long-term transportation investments for roads, bicycle and pedestrian
needs, transit and potential urban rail. The survey is designed to
capture citizens’ values to help shape that plan and identify the
transportation tools that should be part of Austin’s future mobility
system.

Austin’s traffic congestion challenges will only get worse with the
region’s rapid growth, said Spillar. More than 1,200 needed
transportation projects have been identified by citizens, technical
experts, city staff and other government agencies since last fall. The
City’s Strategic Mobility Plan is working to address traffic congestion
in the short-term and meet mobility needs over the long-term.

# # #

Karla Taylor Villalon

Public Information Manager

Austin Transportation Department

512.974.7246