Special Meeting of the Urban Transportation Commission August 5, 2020 Meeting to be held with physical distancing modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (August 4, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 7, 2020 Urban Transportation Commission meeting, residents must call or email the board liaison at (512) 974 2358 or emily.smith@austintexas.gov no later than noon on August 6 and provide the following information: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral regarding the item, and a telephone number or email address. Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak. Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. Late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. Handouts or other information may be emailed to emily.smith@austintexas.gov by noon on August 4, 2020. This information will be provided to Commission members in advance of the meeting. If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting at ATXN.tv URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AUGUST 5, 2020 – 1:00 PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING MEETING AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: JULY 10, 2020 MEETING A. Project Connect transit plan funding and governance – Discussion and Possible Action Cosponsors: Commissioners Somers and Runas B. Active transportation and safety infrastructure funding – Discussion and Possible Action Cosponsors: Commissioners Champion and Alvarado 3. STAFF AND COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Downtown Commission D. Pedestrian Advisory Council B. Joint Sustainability Commission E. City Council Mobility Committee C. Bicycle Advisory Council F. Project Connect Advisory Network 4. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Note: These topics will NOT be discussed by the commission as part of this agenda A. Austin Community Climate Plan update (Staff; TBD) ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20200805-02A: Project Connect funding and governance WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s rapid population growth has strained our transportation system; and WHEREAS, the City has allocated relatively few dedicated pathways for transit that allow citizens to choose a congestion-free transportation option; and WHEREAS, our current climate crisis calls for us to make changes to the way we live and plan our cities, and our pattern of continued sprawl and road construction is neither safe nor sustainable; and WHEREAS, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Capital Metro Transit Authority was experiencing sustained increases in ridership at a time when most transit systems in the country were losing ridership; and WHEREAS; the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more crucial that we fund and build resilient infrastructure throughout our city, which is accessible and equitable for all; and WHEREAS, Capital Metro has been engaged in the current Project Connect long range transit system plan, gathering extensive public input, since October 2016; and WHEREAS, on April 11, 2019, Austin City Council unanimously adopted the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP), which calls for Austin to make a watershed change in mode share, that is, to reach a goal of 50% of Austinites commuting by walking, biking, transit, or any other non-drive-alone mode by 2039, from today’s current 24% of Austinites using non-drive-alone modes; and WHEREAS, the ASMP also established that the policy of the City is to proactively assess displacement impacts of transportation project; and WHEREAS, the Capital Metro Board of Directors unanimously adopted the Project Connect System Plan that includes the Locally Preferred Alternatives for the Orange, Blue, Gold, Green, and MetroRapid Lines on June 10, 2020; and WHEREAS, it is proposed that the Locally Preferred Alternatives will be funded by a tax rollback election (TRE), to be held in November 2020, which will provide sustained funding for the Project Connect System Plan over many years; and WHEREAS; a proposed interlocal agreement (ILA) between the City of Austin and Capital Metro Transit Authority will create the Austin Transit Partnership, a board of governors to oversee the TRE spending, and an additional Community Advisory Committee to engage the community and advise on all aspects of Project Connect, and WHEREAS, throughout the Project Connect planning process the Orange Line corridor has been consistently described by Capital Metro as the necessary spine of our transit system, and currently is the location of …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20200805-02B: Safe Mobility Bond WHEREAS, The City of Austin has committed to a 50/50 mode share split by 2039, as per the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, WHEREAS, the City’s sidewalk plan identifies over 2,500 miles of absent sidewalks across the city, and estimates that the 580 miles of missing sidewalk considered high or very high priority will cost $308 million to construct, WHEREAS, the City’s 2014 Bicycle Master Plan calls for full implementation by 2025, and estimates that the remaining unbuilt portions of the planned network will cost $170 million for both on-street bike lanes and Tier 1 urban trails identified in the Urban Trails Master Plan, WHEREAS, The City’s Vision Zero Plan and Safe Route to School Program will require additional funding to continue implementation after funding from the 2016 Mobility Bond is depleted, WHEREAS, the 2016 Mobility Bond funds could be completely depleted by 2022, potentially ending the momentum and capacity built up while that funding has been deployed to construct sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure and general road safety infrastructure, WHEREAS, funding from the Project Connect Transit Bond will be essential to meeting the city of Austin’s transportation, equity and climate goals, but the funding may be limited transit construction and nearby streetscape improvements, WHEREAS, a safe and convenient active transportation network is essential to the success of Project Connect by enabling users to access transit without a vehicle, and would multiply the effectiveness of the Project Connect Bond, WHEREAS, Austin has a strong history of approving multiple bond packages, including the approval of 7 separate bonds in the 2018 election, and there is no evidence that adding the Safety Mobility Bond will negatively affect the approval of the Project Connect Bond, WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in people walking, biking and other active modes for both transportation and recreation, overflowing the capacity of much of the active transportation network and creating unsafe conditions in some areas, WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the need for the “Healthy Streets” program to promote social distancing, which has achieved improvements in crucial areas that could be made permanent with the Safe Mobility Bond funding, WHEREAS, ongoing protests against police brutality and economic inequality have shined a spotlight on the systemic injustice of our transportation system and infrastructure, which has been used to subjugate minority populations through inequitable enforcement …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20200805-02A: Project Connect funding and governance WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s rapid population growth has strained our transportation system; and WHEREAS, the City has allocated relatively few dedicated pathways for transit that allow citizens to choose a congestion-free transportation option; and WHEREAS, our current climate crisis calls for us to make changes to the way we live and plan our cities, and our pattern of continued sprawl and road construction is neither safe nor sustainable; and WHEREAS, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Capital Metro Transit Authority was experiencing sustained increases in ridership at a time when most transit systems in the country were losing ridership; and WHEREAS; the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more crucial that we fund and build resilient infrastructure throughout our city, which is accessible and equitable for all; and WHEREAS, Capital Metro has been engaged in the current Project Connect long range transit system plan, gathering extensive public input, since October 2016; and WHEREAS, on April 11, 2019, Austin City Council unanimously adopted the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP), which calls for Austin to make a watershed change in mode share, that is, to reach a goal of 50% of Austinites commuting by walking, biking, transit, or any other non-drive-alone mode by 2039, from today’s current 24% of Austinites using non-drive-alone modes; and WHEREAS, WHEREAS, the ASMP also established that the policy of the City is to proactively assess displacement impacts of transportation project; and WHEREAS, the Capital Metro Board of Directors unanimously adopted the Project Connect System Plan that includes the Locally Preferred Alternatives for the Orange, Blue, Gold, Green, and MetroRapid Lines on June 10, 2020; and WHEREAS, it is proposed that the Locally Preferred Alternatives will be funded by a tax rollback election (TRE), to be held in November 2020, which will provided sustained funding for the Project Connect System Plan over many years; and WHEREAS; a proposed interlocal agreement (ILA) between the City of Austin and Capital Metro Transit Authority will create the Austin Transit Partnership, a board of governors to oversee the TRE spending, and an additional Community Advisory Committee to engage the community and advise on all aspects of Project Connect, and WHEREAS, throughout the Project Connect planning process the Orange Line corridor has been consistently described by Capital Metro as the necessary spine of our transit system, and currently is the location …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20200805-02B: Safe Mobility Bond WHEREAS, The City of Austin has committed to a 50/50 mode share split by 2039, as per the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, WHEREAS, the City’s sidewalk plan identifies over 2,500 miles of absent sidewalks across the city, and estimates that the 580 miles of missing sidewalk considered high or very high priority will cost $308 million to construct, WHEREAS, the City’s 2014 Bicycle Master Plan calls for full implementation by 2025, and estimates that the remaining unbuilt portions of the planned network will cost $170 million for both on-street bike lanes and Tier 1 urban trails identified in the Urban Trails Master Plan, WHEREAS, The City’s Vision Zero Plan and Safe Route to School Program will require additional funding to continue implementation after funding from the 2016 Mobility Bond is depleted, WHEREAS, the 2016 Mobility Bond funds could be completely depleted by 2022, potentially ending the momentum and capacity built up since that funding has been deployed to construct sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure and general road safety infrastructure, WHEREAS, funding from the Project Connect Transit Bond will be essential to meeting the city of Austin’s transportation, equity and climate goals, but the funding may be limited transit construction and nearby streetscape improvements, WHEREAS, a safe and convenient active transportation network is essential to the success of Project Connect by enabling users to access transit without a vehicle, and would multiply the effectiveness of the Project Connect Bond, WHEREAS, Austin has a strong history of approving multiple bond packages, including the approval of 7 separate bonds in the 2018 election, and there is no evidence that adding the Safety Mobility Bond will negatively affect the approval of the Project Connect Bond, WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in people walking, biking and other active modes for both transportation and recreation, overflowing the capacity of much of the active transportation network and creating unsafe conditions in some areas, WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the need for the “Healthy Streets” program to promote social distancing, which has achieved improvements in crucial areas that could be made permanent with the Safe Mobility Bond funding, WHEREAS, ongoing protests against police brutality and economic inequality have shined a spotlight on the systemic injustice of our transportation system and infrastructure, which has been used to subjugate minority populations through inequitable enforcement …
Urban Transportation Commission (UTC) Meeting Minutes Special Called Meeting 5 August 2020 The Urban Transportation Commission convened in a meeting on August 5, 2020 via videoconference. Commission Members in Attendance: Daniel Alvarado Kelly Davis Samuel Franco Commission Members Absent: Mario Champion – Chair Daniel Hennessey – Vice Chair Alex Reyna Allie Runas Susan Somers Athena Leyton Cynthia Weatherby Michael Wilfley CALL TO ORDER Hennessey called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: JULY 10, 2020 REGULAR MEETING The July 10, 2020 minutes were approved on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Champion, Weatherby and Wilfley absent and Commissioner Davis not yet present. 2. NEW BUSINESS A. Project Connect transit plan funding and governance – Discussion and Possible Action Commissioner Somers proposed draft recommendation language which, after debate and amendment, read as follows: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: The Urban Transportation Commission urges Austin City Council to: • Adopt at least a 8.75% tax rollback election for the November ballot, which will serve to fund the Project Connect Locally Preferred Alternatives and $300 million for anti-displacement efforts such as land acquisition or transit-oriented affordable housing along the transit corridors; • Adopt clear language in the Contract with the Voters requiring the Republic Square to North Lamar Transit Center segment as part of the initial rail line(s); • Exclude any funding for roadway expansion. • Ensure there is broad community input on anti-displacement funding allocation and development of strategies to mitigate any potential negative effects of this project on existing communities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The Urban Transportation Commission urges Austin City Council and Capital Metro Transit Authority to: • Ensure the Austin Transit Partnership board has diverse representation and deep knowledge of the Austin transit rider experience by: o Require at least five years of experience for the professional members of the board o Expand the board with two community members to be chosen by a Community Advisory Committee o Require that the two community based board members collectively have the following expertise or experience: rides transit; interacts with and understands the needs of transit dependent individuals and families (including those experiencing disabilities); displacement mitigation; experience with labor and worker rights; and experience serving on advisory groups such as the City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission, Capital Metro Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee, or Capital Metro Access Advisory Committee o Require the board to vote on recommendations made by …
