REGULAR MEETING OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION TUESDAY JUNE 3, 2025, AT 5:00 PM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM 1101 AUSTIN CITY HALL, 301 W 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Urban Transportation Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register please call or email the staff liaison in advance at (512)-974-3593 or meredith.rusin@austintexas.gov no later than noon on Monday June 2, 2025, with the following information: name, item number(s) to speak on, telephone number, and email address. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Heather Buffo - (District 1) Vacant – (District 2) Arlin Alvarez-(District 3) Susan Somers, Chair-(District 4) Daniel Kavelman, Parliamentarian -(District 5) Kevin Chen- (District 6) Varun Prasad- (District 7) Justin Jacobson- (District 8) Spencer Schumacher, Vice Chair- (District 9) Joshua Sorin – (District 10) Deshon Brown- (Mayoral Appointee) AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Urban Transportation Commission REGULAR MEETING on May 6, 2025. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion regarding the Urban Transportation Commission Annual Report. Presenter: Susan Somers 3. Discussion regarding Vision Zero program updates. Presenter: Joel Meyer, Transportation and Public Works Department DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. Discussion and approval of a recommendation on the Director Rules for the Residential Permit Parking program. Facilitator: Susan Somers 5. Discussion and possible action regarding an appointment to the Joint Sustainability Committee (one vacancy). Facilitator: Susan Somers COMMITTEE UPDATES 6. Update from Commissioner Schumacher from the Downtown Commission regarding actions taken at the May 21, 2025, meeting. 7. Update from Commissioner Schumacher and Commissioner Kavelman from the Bicycle Advisory Council and the Pedestrian Advisory Council regarding actions taken at the joint May 5, 2025, meeting. 8. Update from Chair Somers from the City Council Mobility Committee regarding actions taken at the May 15, 2025, meeting. 9. Update from Chair Somers from the Community Advisory Committee for Austin Transit Partnership …
URBAN TRANSPORTATION MEETING MINUTES URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, May 6, 2025 The Urban Transportation Commission convened in a REGULAR meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Austin City Hall, Boards and Commissions Room 1101, Austin, Texas. Chair Somers called the Urban Transportation Commission Meeting to order at 5:04 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Susan Somers, Chair Heather Buffo Kevin Chen Justin Jacobson Daniel Kavelman Varun Prasad Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Spencer Schumacher, Vice Chair Deshon Brown PUBLIC COMMUNICATION None APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING on April 1, 2025. The minutes from the meeting of 4/1/2025 were approved on Commissioner Somers’ motion, Commissioner Jacobson’s second on a 7-0 vote; Commissioners Alvarez and Prasad absent. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discussion and approval of a possible recommendation on the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) updates from City of Austin and CapMetro. The Commission received a presentation from Warner Cook and Ana Villareal, City of Austin Planning Department, and Matthew Mejia, CapMetro. Chair Somers moved to approve a recommendation on the North Lamar Transit 1 DRAFT URBAN TRANSPORTATION MEETING MINUTES Center and South Congress Transit Center Vision Plans and Commissioner Kavelman seconded the motion. The motion was approved on an 8-0 vote; Commissioner Alvarez absent. 3. Discussion and approval of a Right of Way Vacation for 11632 Saint Thomas Drive. The Commission received a presentation from Christopher Bueckert, Transportation and Public Works. Chair Somers moved to approve the right of way vacation application for 11632 Saint Thomas Drive, and Vice Chair Schumacher seconded the motion. The motion was approved on an 8-0 vote; Commissioner Alvarez absent. 4. Discussion and approval of a Right of Way Vacation for 21 Julieanna Cove. Presenter: Christopher Bueckert, Transportation and Public Works Department The Commission received a presentation from Christopher Bueckert, Transportation and Public Works. Chair Somers moved to approve the right of way vacation application for 21 Julieanna Cove, and Commissioner Jacobson seconded the motion. The motion was approved on an 8-0 vote; Commissioner Alvarez absent. 5. Discussion and approval of a possible recommendation on the Director Rules for the Residential Permit Parking program. The Commission received a presentation from Joseph Al-Hajeri, Transportation and Public Works. Lewis Leff, Transportation and Public Works, was present to address questions. 6. Discussion and approval of a possible recommendation on the Directors Rules and one-year update on the Shared …
Vision Zero Program Updates Urban Transportation Commission June 3rd, 2025 1,185 Years of Potential Life Lost in 2025 2 Serious injury and fatality trends Year to Date through April So far in 2025 the combined number of serious injuries and fatalities is 17% lower than 2024 and 41% lower than the prior five-year average (2019-2023) Data extracted 05/16/2025 Year-to-date through April 3 Serious injury and fatality trends Year to Date through April Serious injuries and fatalities are down among motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and e- scooter riders, while those involving motorcyclists and “Other” are up -15% vs 2024 MOTOR VEHICLE MOTORCYCLE PEDESTRIAN BICYCLE E-SCOOTER OTHER up 70% vs 2024 -17% vs 2024 -92% vs 2024 -100% vs 2024 up 100% (n=1 in 2025) 20 40 0 60 80 100 120 140 4 4 Data extracted 05/16/2025 Prior 5 yr avg. (2019 - 2023) 2024 2025 Year-to-date through April Serious injury and fatality trends Year to Date through April Fatalities on City-owned roadways continue their downward trend, While fatalities on non-City roadways are up 73% vs 2024 COA Roadway Non-COA Roadway 14 12 8 9 12 12 10 11 10 7 5 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 5 Data extracted 05/16/2025 Year-to-date through April 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Program Updates Designing Safer Streets • 2018 Bond Vision Zero funding anticipated to be fully spent by end of 2025 • Accelerating 2020 Bond Vision Zero spending • Major intersection safety projects • • • Pedestrian crossings Street lighting Low-cost, systemic safety projects citywide • Where we’ve invested in safe infrastructure, we’ve seen positive results • • • 29% decrease in injuries and fatalities at major intersection safety project locations 70% decrease in left-turn crashes where left turn protection has been added 64% and 58% decrease in high-risk speeding on Barton Springs Rd. and Bluff Springs Rd. corridors, respectively • Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Implementation • 6 Major Intersections; dozens of low-cost, systemic treatments; 8-10 Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons; Citywide Lighting Plan 6 Program Updates Citywide Lighting Plan • Co-led by Vision Zero, Austin Energy and the Parks and Recreation Department • Funded through 2022 SS4A Grant • Plan elements will include • Citywide lighting inventory and gap analysis • Updated street and park lighting design guidelines • New pedestrian and trail lighting guidelines • Policy recommendations and code updates • Prioritization …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20540604-00X: Residential Parking Program Proposed Rule R161-25.10 WHEREAS, the Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program was created in 1997 to address overflow parking in neighborhoods adjacent to the University of Texas and has since expanded to over 52 zones citywide with more than 6,000 designated parking spaces; WHEREAS, the program requires resident engagement and significant community support, including 60–66.7% support from affected residents and evidence of 75% occupancy during a two-week survey to justify RPP implementation; WHEREAS, recent survey data gathered from over 750 participants and 5,500 responses indicate a significant level of dissatisfaction with the current RPP program, with 60–70% of comments being negative or critical, including concerns about fairness, program access for renters, and lack of enforcement; WHEREAS, the Director’s proposed rule changes include re-evaluation criteria, such as declaring a zone underutilized if fewer than 66% of eligible households purchase or renew permits annually, and improving procedural transparency around permit revocation and appeals; WHEREAS, the proposed Director Rules introduce more inclusive definitions of “resident” that acknowledge the realities of renters in multi-family units and propose new tools such as affordable permits, construction passes, and expanded access to day passes; WHEREAS, public feedback suggests a desire to shift the program’s stated goals away from guaranteeing residential convenience toward managing curb space as a public resource in a way that ensures safety, mobility, and fairness for all users of the public right-of-way; WHEREAS, equitable access to the public right-of-way is a key priority, and UTC believes the Director’s Rules should ensure that residents of larger multi-family properties are not excluded from visitor permit access or comparable benefits afforded to single-family homes; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends the Director’s Rules maintain the following provisions: ● Hybrid Parking Regulations; ● Definition of resident in Section V(5), which is inclusive of Multi-Family residents; ● Allowing multi-unit residential properties with seven or more units to be eligible for Day Passes under Section XII(F)(1) ● Creation of Construction Passes under Section XII(F)(2); and ● Residential Parking Program Re-evaluation Criteria, including that a zone may be underutilized if fewer than 66% of eligible households purchase or renew permits annually in Section XI(C)(1); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends the Director’s Rules are amended to remove provisions in Section I stating that the purpose of the Residential Parking Program is, in part, to make it …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation Number 20250603-004: Residential Parking Program Proposed Rule R161-25.10 WHEREAS, the Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program was created in 1997 to address overflow parking in neighborhoods adjacent to the University of Texas and has since expanded to over 52 zones citywide with more than 6,000 designated parking spaces; WHEREAS, the program requires resident engagement and significant community support, including 60–66.7% support from affected residents and evidence of 75% occupancy during a two-week survey to justify RPP implementation; WHEREAS, recent survey data gathered from over 750 participants and 5,500 responses indicate a significant level of dissatisfaction with the current RPP program, with 60–70% of comments being negative or critical, including concerns about fairness, program access for renters, and lack of enforcement; WHEREAS, the Director’s proposed rule changes include re-evaluation criteria, such as declaring a zone underutilized if fewer than 66% of eligible households purchase or renew permits annually, and improving procedural transparency around permit revocation and appeals; WHEREAS, the proposed Director Rules introduce more inclusive definitions of “resident” that acknowledge the realities of renters in multi-family units and propose new tools such as affordable permits, construction passes, and expanded access to day passes; and WHEREAS, public feedback suggests a desire to shift the program’s stated goals away from guaranteeing residential convenience toward managing curb space as a public resource in a way that ensures safety, mobility, and fairness for all users of the public right-of-way; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends the Director’s Rules maintain the following provisions: ● Hybrid Parking Regulations; ● Definition of resident in Section V(6), which is inclusive of Multi-Family residents; ● Allowing multi-unit residential properties with seven or more units to be eligible for Day Passes under Section XII(F)(1); ● Creation of Construction Passes under Section XII(F)(2); and ● Residential Parking Program Re-evaluation Criteria, including that a zone may be underutilized if fewer than 66% of eligible households purchase or renew permits annually in Section XI(C)(1); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UTC recommends the Director’s Rules are amended to remove provisions in Section I stating that the purpose of the Residential Parking Program is, in part, to make it “easier for residents to find an open parking spot” and replace it with language clarifying that the purpose should be to reduce strain on overparked curbs on neighborhood streets. This may include language from Section IV, which references …
