Recommendation 20241001-005: Transit Enhancement Plan — original pdf

Recommendation

BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Urban Transportation Commission Recommendation 20241001-005: Transit Enhancement Plan WHEREAS, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan calls for transit ridership to increase by a factor of four by 2039; WHEREAS, in July 2024 weekday boardings on Cap Metro transit exceeded 81,000 but Phase 1 of Project Connect light rail will only provide 28,500 boardings, and the vast majority of public transit capacity in Austin over the next few decades will continue to be provided by Cap Metro buses which share public streets with other vehicles; WHEREAS, the City of Austin and Cap Metro have jointly developed a Transit Enhancement Infrastructure Report which recommends 37 street improvement projects which will result in greater transit availability, accessibility, speed, and reliability within the City of Austin and which are not included in Project Connect; WHEREAS, the need for such projects will continue to grow as transit usage grows in Austin; WHEREAS, funding for these projects is likely to come from a variety of sources, such as 2020 Mobility Bond funds, CapMetro interlocal agreement funds, and potential future grant and bond funding opportunities, including a possible 2026 City of Austin mobility bond; NOW, THEREFORE BE, IT RESOLVED that the Urban Transportation Commission recommends Austin City Council direct the City Manager and the Transportation and Public Works Department to develop, maintain, and continuously update a long-range Transit Enhancement Plan, including a prioritized list of projects to be carried out by the City of Austin which would improve transit availability, accessibility, speed, and reliability and meeting the city's goal of 16% of Austinites commuting by Transit in 2039. • The Plan would continue the groundwork laid out in the Transit  • • • • Enhancement Infrastructure Report; it should serve transit-supportive infrastructure in the same way the Sidewalks, Crossings and Shared Streets Plan does for pedestrian infrastructure or the Bicycle Plan does for bicycle infrastructure. The projects in the Plan may come from a variety of sources, including proposed service enhancements from Cap Metro, projects already identified in the City of Austin Transit Enhancement Infrastructure Report, requests from Austin Transit Partnership to facilitate construction of Austin Light Rail, Cap Metro projects for other components of Project Connect such as Metro Rapid lines and Pickup zones, and any other projects identified by City of Austin staff in collaboration with their partners at Cap Metro and Austin Transit Partnership. At a minimum, the Plan should include the 37 projects identified in the Transit Enhancement Infrastructure Report. To give an adequate picture of overall work, infrastructure projects required to implement Project Connect, such as recent road work done to support the new Metro Rapid lines on South Pleasant Valley Road, will need to be included. Due to the evolving nature of Project Connect Cap Metro's upcoming Transit Plan 2035, the Plan should be updated regularly to support ongoing work, with the possibility to add, remove, or re-prioritize projects. For any projects outside Project Connect, the Plan should rely on the methodology developed and used in the Transit Enhancement Infrastructure Report to determine the probable impact on transit performance. In creating the Plan, City of Austin Staff should conduct robust public engagement and include a report of their activities within the Plan. The Plan should report on the amount of funding required for various projects versus the impact on transit performance, allowing for a prioritization matrix, so that the community can appropriately plan for future bond cycles and make the best use of public funds. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we, the Urban Transportation Commission urges Austin City Council to adopt Transit Enhancement funding in all future transportation bond cycles and to put a comprehensive mobility bond before the voters no later than 2026. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we, the Urban Transportation Commission recommends the Bond Election Advisory Task Force evaluate opportunities to invest in Transit Enhancement projects and includes funding for transit in its final recommendation to the City Council.  Motioned by: Commissioner Brooks Seconded by: Commissioner Somers Date of Approval: 10/1/24 Record of the vote: 9-0 Attest: Natalie Leone