Plans for permanent public safety improvements around Rainey Street and Lady Bird Lake are coming together as part of a renewed civic focus on protecting residents and visitors in the area.

The background

Concerns about safety around the Rainey Street Historic District and the lakeside hike and bike trail grew this year after multiple bodies were recovered from the water near the area. The incidents brought significant attention to securing the nightlife district and nearby strip of recreational trail, including a City Council-backed push to upgrade local safety features.

As an interim first step, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department added new temporary lighting, fencing, signage and a solar camera along the waterfront this year. Planning for permanent safety improvements around Rainey is in the works alongside a trailhead improvement project led by The Trail Conservancy.

Temporary safety features were installed along the trail off Rainey Street earlier this year. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)


Next steps

Following that initial process, the city and the conservancy partnered to bring on a consultant to review the situation and recommend further safety fixes along the trail. That study is now complete and resulted in proposals for several improvements for Austin to take on, including:
  • Installing a camera at Rainey and Cummings streets
  • Encouraging alternate pedestrian routes after 10 p.m., when the hike and bike trail closes, by adding new infrastructure, pedestrian lighting and traffic-calming features along East Avenue
  • Installing signs informing pedestrians about the trail's operating hours
  • Installing features to reduce potential tripping hazards around the trail
  • Adding pedestrian lighting along the trail and at the Rainey and Cummings restroom that could be dimmed during park closure hours
In a memo, Parks Director Kimberly McNeeley said all of those updates could run the city between $800,000-$1 million. Those dollars may be pulled from Austin's 2018 bond funding, resulting in the deferral of some other in-progress projects, such as Shoal Creek rehabilitation work on the west side of downtown.

McNeeley said detailed planning for the improvements will take place over the next few months. The city expects all of those features to be in place by next summer, although the priority camera could be in place by this fall.

Additional cameras and other safety measures will be coming to the Rainey Street trailhead area. (Courtesy city of Austin)