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(David Hale Smith/CC)
Even with COVID-19 keeping hundreds of people at home for the bulk of 2020, traffic deaths reached the highest point they had seen since 2015 and official sources are citing speeding as a major cause.
<p>News outlets started reporting high traffic fatality numbers in early 2020, before the pandemic even started. The year concluded with 94 traffic deaths, according to the Austin Police Department. Austin hasn't seen the death toll reach that high since it hit 102 in 2015.</p><p>Even though Austin drivers were largely off the roads—a 25-80% decrease throughout the year—the death count rose despite traffic experts expecting a decline. </p><p>What caused the deaths?</p><p>Many reports, like <a href="https://www.kut.org/austin/2021-01-08/despite-fewer-drivers-more-people-died-on-austin-roads-in-2020-than-in-the-past-five-years" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KUT</a>, blame the increased death toll on increased speeding in the pandemic era. They reported that a person hit at 40 mph is five times more likely to be killed than someone hit at 24 mph and the roads are certainly less congested than they have been in years past. Austin Transportation Department reported that speeding is the primary contributor in 25% of accidents resulting in death.</p><p>Other reports show that police officers feel they are spread thin: the <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2020/11/13/austin-traffic-deaths-climb-despite-pandemic-keeping-drivers-home/114938316/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Austin American-Statesman</a> reported that APD priorities have shifted, pulling officers looking for drunk drivers off of highways. During an eventful year, protests gripped the police department's gaze, especially from May to July.</p><p>What is the city planning to do?</p><p>The city rolled out plans to <a href="https://austonia.com/speed-limit-changes" target="_blank">decrease speed limits</a> and add speed mitigation treatments, like speed bumps, around Austin where necessary. The change is part of ATD's Vision Zero program, which hopes to reach zero traffic deaths by 2025.</p>The changes, which were finalized before the end of the year, reduced speed limits downtown from 30 to 25 mph and reduced residential streets under a certain width to 25 mph. A complete map of speed changes can be <a href="https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Compare/index.html?appid=510ea1343a0d46ceb316dd5a08133042" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">viewed here</a>.<p><span></span><br/></p>
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Popular
(Revel)
Revel, the electric moped ridesharing service, announced it will be leaving Austin on Dec. 18.
"This decision was made after careful consideration, and it was not an easy one," the Brooklyn-based company wrote in a statement posted on its website.
<p>Revel launched in Austin last November with 1,000 vehicles. Its fleet has since decreased to 465 mopeds, according to the Austin Transportation Department. </p>
<p>The company will continue to operate in New York City, Washington DC, Miami and the Bay Area. </p>
<p>The pandemic has derailed demand. With many downtown office employees working from home and the tourism industry struggling, micromobility companies' customer bases have evaporated. </p>
<p>Since March 1, ATD has recorded 910,632 total micromobility trips. In comparison, over the same time period last year, there were nearly five times the number of trips—4.5 million—made in Austin. </p>
<p>Revel is not the only micromobility company—those offering electric scooters, bikes and mopeds—to ride out of town. Lyft and Spin paused their scooter operations in Austin earlier this year amid the pandemic. </p>
<p>"We have made the decision to pause our operations, as of today, in (some) cities due to significant demand drop off as communities combat the fast-spreading virus," Spin's cofounders wrote in a March 23 statement.</p>
<p>Currently, only three scooter companies are operating in Austin—Bird, Lime and Wheels—with a combined fleet to 9,850 vehicles. </p><p>As recently as March 2019, the city had 10 micromobility operators with nearly 18,000 vehicles between them. </p>
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Teslas, trains and automobiles: 5 things to know about Austin’s major transit projects
01 December 2020
(Emma Freer/Austonia)
This year has proven to be a critical one for transit investment in Austin. Despite the pandemic, the metro welcomed its latest corporate resident, Tesla; received billions of dollars in state funding to expand I-35; and watched as city voters overwhelmingly approved Project Connect, which will transform the local transit system.
<p>The Austin Chamber hosted a virtual regional mobility program on Monday to discuss the impact of these projects, with a special focus on job creation. Here are five big takeaways from the event: </p>
<p><span></span></p>
1. Austin's workforce lured the Tesla Gigafactory.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b26378856a5d6af94850c92db7e4e42d"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5w46XttA_Yw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>When Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-coming-to-austin" target="_self">announced in July</a> that his electric car company would build its next Gigafactory in Austin, local taxing districts had already promised significant tax breaks to sweeten the deal.</p><p>But Rohan Patel, senior global director for public policy and business development, said Austin's most alluring asset was its people.</p><p>"One of the major reasons we chose this site is because of the availability of talent among all levels," Patel said during the Chamber event.</p><p>Since July, Tesla has begun construction on the Southeast Travis County site of its forthcoming factory, set to open this spring, and posted more than 100 local jobs.</p><p>"We're just raring to go," Patel said.</p><p>Aside from construction work, Tesla promises to create 5,000 new jobs by the time its factory is fully built. To support those positions, the company is working closely with Del Valle ISD and Austin Community College to build workforce pipelines.</p><p>"Even during this really difficult time for the country and the globe, the welcome and the, overwhelming really, reception that we've gotten in Central Texas and Travis County is just fantastic," Patel said.</p>2. Signs point to the federal government investing in Project Connect.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY3NTg0Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjQxMDIxNn0.GzbMuN8x78zN7h6DPNx23r-N7gyLjnVo4ZlzWxpoQes/img.jpg?width=980" id="50db8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d89f92ce5ec10d431fe0ab2393a67bbc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />With decisive victory, next steps are to appoint Project Connect oversight board and secure federal funding.
(Capital Metro/Twitter)<p>Project Connect, a $7.1 billion transit system overhaul, will be paid for primarily by 1) a property tax rate hike for city of Austin residents and 2) as-yet-unsecured federal grants.</p><p>In the run-up to the Nov. 3 election, opponents of Project Connect worried that banking on federal funding in the midst of a pandemic and economic downturn was akin to building a house <a href="https://austonia.com/project-connect-budget" target="_self">on a sand foundation.</a></p><p>U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, acknowledged that federal funding largely hinged on the results of the presidential election.</p><p>Now, with President-elect Joe Biden poised to take office next month, transit supporters are optimistic that Capital Metro will be able to secure the federal funding its needs to bring light rail to Austin.</p><p>"We know public transportation will have a friend in the White House come January," American Public Transportation Association Chairperson Nuria Fernandez said.</p><p>Austin Mayor Steve Adler feels similarly, adding that he has spent time with members of Biden's transition team.</p><p>"I know it's a priority," he said.</p>3. Mass transit is a top consideration for companies considering a move to Austin.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNzMxMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzIxNzU2OX0.BGvaCYItlntuxtYFQQ_7Yj_-r8AL4RqBXJQnYwc4vO4/img.jpg?width=980" id="5cf66" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="502dd7d45e1c35f70cde6e6997ba7880" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />(Capital Metro)<p>Companies looking to relocate look for two big things in a potential new home: talent in the form of a ready workforce and mass transit options, said Jerry Sweeney, CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust, which has partnered with Capital Metro to redevelop the IBM campus in North Austin.</p><p>"The economic impact of a mass transit system on value creation is fairly significant," he said.</p><p>In addition to its economic development benefits, public transit investment also correlates with increasing real estate values for both commercial and residential properties and job creation, Sweeney added.</p><p>With voter approval of Project Connect and <a href="https://austonia.com/reshaping-i-35" target="_self">state funding committed to the I-35 expansion project</a>, Austin is more appealing to companies looking to relocate than ever.</p><p>"We need to stand on three legs: transportation, economic development and talent," said Shaun Cranston, vice president and director of land development services for the Dallas-based engineering firm Halff Associates. "When one of those three legs is weak, the other two cannot stand. I am proud and pleased to say that all three legs are strong and that we have a great future ahead of us."</p>4. The I-35 expansion projects offers more than congestion relief.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc3NzkzNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzYwNzgwNX0.zg5LDU2KqnoFsppRRzeg4aAScy9T_-ybK8sR0Iwj-IU/img.png?width=980" id="a4b99" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ce270e77938bc66a335829a10b03d89" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />TxDot has proposed three expansion plans as part of its I-35. expansion project. This is one.
(TxDOT)<p>The Texas Department of Transportation touts its $7.5 billion I-35 expansion project, which proposes to expand the highway to up to 20 lanes between Hwy. 290 and Ben White Boulevard, as a salve for traffic congestion.</p><p>Critics of the project <a href="https://austin.towers.net/widening-i-35-to-20-lanes-in-downtown-austin-is-the-anti-project-connect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dispute this claim</a>, arguing that cities cannot build their way out of congestion and pointing to recent expansion of the Katy Freeway in Houston, which increased capacity but also led to induced demand. In other words, more lanes drew more drivers.</p><p>Regardless of where people stand on the congestion debate, supporters of the project say it offers other benefits. By burying a portion of I-35—between Airport Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Street—underground, it could allow for a reconnected downtown street grid.</p><p>A February report <a href="https://downtownaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ULI-ASP_Report_Austin_I-35_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">from the Urban Land Institute</a> proposed building a surface-level boulevard over the underground portions of the interstate, which would allow for public plazas and other amenities.</p><p>"Thank you, TxDOT, for taking the main lanes below ground," Adler said during the Chamber event.</p>5. The Broadmoor development offers proof of some of these claims.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5NDE0NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzEzMDAwMn0.5Ala0jDPZK5K31QjicB0DRNl5W7RBhT2TFvlxZYU6aA/img.png?width=980" id="9e1aa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6450d38fcf9bfb31e1bc46304db7ece2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />5. The Broadmoor development offers proof of some of these claims.(Brandywine Realty Trust)<p>Broadmoor, a 66-acre, $3 billion master-planned community <a href="https://austonia.com/capital-metro-broadmoor" target="_self">underway in North Austin</a>, hints at the transit-oriented development that could come as a result of Project Connect.</p><p>Brandywine Realty Trust, a Philadelphia-based developer, is behind the project, which will transform the IBM campus near the Domain from a 1-million-square-foot office park to a 7-million-square-foot mixed-use destination by 2036.</p><p>Brandywine partnered with Capital Metro on the project, which is oriented around the forthcoming Broadmoor commuter rail station. When completed in 2022, it will be served by the red line and accessible to some 25,000 employees within a half-mile radius.</p><p>"We are big believers in mass transportation," Brandywine CEO Jerry Sweeney said.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Gas prices are expected to hit a 12-year low on Thanksgiving
25 November 2020
(Pexels)
Make sure to fill up your tank up on Thanksgiving, as gas prices are hitting a 12-year low.
<p>According to AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch, Thanksgiving day gas prices will be the lowest that they have been on the holiday for the past dozen years. This projection comes after gas prices have been on a declining rollercoaster in 2020 altogether.</p><p>AAA expects prices to be more than 50 cents cheaper per gallon on Thanksgiving.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="325" data-rm-shortcode-id="17dfdd327eed748c34908839f07af60a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwNzE4OS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzEyODE3OH0.mi3WR6Tz9RtpaxI0HuueNlk4uEVLzM2YGVjxNbkEsUI/img.gif?width=980" data-width="670" id="4a340" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(GasBuddy.com)</small></p><p>Right now, the statewide average on gas prices is $1.79. At this time last year, a gallon of gas would run you $2.26, or 47 cents more than today. On top of that, Texas drivers are paying the second cheapest prices out of the country, just behind Missouri at $1.74 per gallon.<br/></p><p>Compared to the nationwide average, $2.10 per gallon, Texas is already paying 31 cents less.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1181" data-rm-shortcode-id="64ff5bf1dbff1a4828e21f296202cf98" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDgwNzE5My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODc3MzgxMH0.Kk008maiKAHJMUNMz8ObnkKUPJD20uKtheDF5slka0U/img.png?width=980" data-width="1598" id="8e199" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(GasBuddy.com)</small></p><p>This massive price drop comes amid officials encouraging people to stay home for the holidays, one of the biggest travel times of the year. AAA is expecting a 5% total drop in Texas travel this year—10% across the U.S.<br/></p><p>The decrease in travel will be the largest one-year drop the country has seen since the 2008 Great Recession.</p>
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