From left: James Mason, Austin Police Department operations lieutenant; Gordon Derr, Austin Transportation Department assistant director; Laura Dierenfield, ATD program consultant; James Snow, Public Works Department assistant director; and Chad Crager, PWD communities services manager, served as panelists for the April 18 town hall meeting.[/caption]

District 10 City Councilwoman Sheri Gallo hosted the April 18 meeting to provide information on public safety issues, such as bike lanes and traffic-calming devices.[/caption]

Traffic safety was a key issue at an Austin City Council District 10 town hall meeting where West and Northwest Austin residents questioned city officials about removing bike lanes and adding traffic-calming devices such as speed humps.

Austin City Councilwoman Sheri Gallo said the goal of her District 10 town hall meetings is to provide information on key issues, such as public safety and traffic. Gallo rounded up officials from the Austin Police, Austin Transportation and Public Works departments to respond to resident inquiries at the April 18 meeting.

One topic—the removal of bike lanes—garnered applause and cheers from the audience. Gordon Derr, assistant director at the Austin Transportation Department, said the best way to affect change about bike lanes is calling 311, the city's information center. The Austin 311 app also provides another avenue for residents to submit feedback and photos of issues they see in their neighborhoods, such as potholes.

"If you feel there are safety concerns, those should be brought in," Derr said. "We'll have the area engineers look at that [and] we'll work with the Active Transportation Program. We really look to citizens to communicate us about when conditions have changed."

Urban trails are another option for bicyclists. However, Chad Crager, Public Works communications services manager, said they are an expensive option and are mainly implemented where there are gaps in the bicycle and pedestrian network, such as on Jollyville Road to cross Loop 360.

"Urban trails are something we want to put in Austin, and we have an urban trails master plan," he said. " They tie in preferably on street, to protected bicycle lanes or sidewalks."

District 10 residents also inquired about installing traffic-calming devices and permanent speed monitoring devices to address drivers speeding through neighborhoods. Derr said residents should contact the department to recommend locations for traffic-calming devices. Derr said the city gets a list of requests each year, and employees evaluate and score each request based on criteria such as traffic volume and speed.

Neighborhood groups may also contribute funding for the installation of permanent speed monitoring devices. The city is working on guidelines for maintenance and operation of these devices for neighborhoods, such as the Northwest Austin Civic Association, that have offered to help fund them.

Gallo's next town hall meeting will discuss public policy concerning the police and fire departments, EMS and wildfires. A date has not yet been scheduled, but it is likely to occur in May or June. For more information or to sign up for the District 10 newsletter, email [email protected].