New biking, pedestrian plans seek to alleviate Austin's traffic woes

The challenge to make Austin more appealing to bicyclists and pedestrians has culminated in a collection of alternative transportation efforts.

Multiple public and private initiatives, including revisions to the city's bicycle master plan and efforts to convert commuters to public transportation users, could provide short- and long-term solutions to Austin's transportation problems.

In the meantime, a June report revealed area commute times will likely continue ticking upward. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce 2013 Mobility Report revealed travel times increase 31 percent during peak hours in the Austin region. By 2035 commute times will double unless action is taken, the report states.

The problem is compounded by traffic on the downtown portion of I-35, which ranked atop the state's most congested highways, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The Central Austin portion of MoPac ranks 27th statewide in congestion, further emphasizing the need to draw motorists off the city's main roadways.

Effort to eliminate 'short trips'

The first update in five years to Austin's bike plan places a larger priority on small-scale bicycle initiatives, particularly those that help reduce short-distance automobile commutes. Currently only about 2 percent of Austinites, including 6 percent in the central part of the city, use a bike to get to work, according to the updated bike plan, compared with 1 percent nationally.

Less than 20 percent of Austin residents feel comfortable using bicycle lanes that travel immediately alongside automobiles, yet more than half—55 percent—would ride in protected bicycle lanes, according to survey results in the updated bike plan.

The plan proposes building more protected cycle tracks similar to the protected green lanes along Guadalupe Street near The University of Texas campus, creating more bike-friendly residential streets and improving intersections for bicycle traffic.

Making roads more bike-friendly

Those changes are needed to make bicyclists feel more comfortable, said Councilman Chris Riley, who has sponsored multiple bicycle-friendly initiatives. Updates to the bike plan, which council will officially vote on in August or September, include a $155 million, 370-mile recommendation to create a more connected bicycle network that appeals to all ages and abilities. What at first may feel like a staggering price tag may not be so bad, Riley said, when compared with Houston's recent $200 million investment in improved bike pathways.

"It's not just young hipsters or people in spandex or more generally the people who have been biking in the past," Riley said. "Now we see a whole new crowd of people, many of whom are older than the typical cyclist we've seen in Austin."

Cyclists new and old could benefit from a proposal that would ban handheld smartphone use while driving in Austin. City Council is likely to vote on the proposed ban, first recommended by the Distracted Driving Advisory Group, before the end of the year, said Scott Johnson, a bicycle safety advocate and advisory group member. Johnson and his advisory group members will finalize their recommendations for council by Aug. 1, he said.

The Austin Transportation Department, which in early May took over all city bicycle programs, is also reviewing possible ways to convert more commuters to alternative transportation users, said Gordon Derr, the department's director.

"If we can identify those 2- to 3-mile trips and find the constraints to people making them and clear those constraints out, then we can make a significant dent in the congestion issue," Derr said. "Certainly we know some of those [commuters] have Humvees we're never going to be able to drag them out of, but there are some people, if you show them options, we think they'll take it."

More education programs, neighborhood outreach and street resurfacing projects are anticipated as part of the city's increased emphasis on biking alternatives, said Derr, whose department is in the process of hiring a new bicycle program coordinator who will also oversee the city's pedestrian programs until those initiatives grow.

Walking the walk

Pedestrian-friendly initiatives took a huge leap forward this past year, Riley said, with the creation of the Pedestrian Advisory Council and the emergence of Walk Austin, the city's first pedestrian advocacy group.

Also, Riley and other council members on June 12 approved the city's first comprehensive Complete Streets policy that defines roadways as public spaces that should be designed to serve bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders in addition to motorists. By Sept. 15 city staff may approach council with amendments to the city code to better enforce the new policy, said Katherine Gregor, project manager with the city's transportation department.

"We've been doing this kind of work for a while without calling it Complete Streets," she said. "This policy is really saying we're going to get better at our own game."

Austin's plan exceeds Complete Streets national standards, Gregor said, because it incorporates more urban design to help make streets more beautiful and accessible for all. The biggest challenge is overcoming Austin's automobile-centric layout, she said.

"Some residents have no choice but to drive," said Gregor, suggesting that more needs done to help car drivers complete the final leg of their commute through alternative transportation options.

Driving change for motorists

Eliminating the on-site parking requirement for companies in certain areas could force commuters to rely on transportation alternatives, said walkability expert Jeff Speck, who visited Austin in early May to discuss potential traffic solutions.

Some local experts share Speck's sentiment.

"We need to find ways to get people to use more urban, efficient ways of getting around," said Glenn Gadbois, executive director of transportation advocacy group Movability Austin. "A behavioral change is needed so people start thinking again how they should get around."

Movability Austin works with companies to identify programs and tax incentives that can help take those companies' commuters off the road. In late July, Gadbois will be working with chamber leadership to finalize details on a potential partnership that could increase Movability Austin's efforts.

"[The private sector] has all sorts of reasons for wanting to do this—it's just a matter of compelling them to care," he said.

Solutions often need to be personalized for each participating company, Gadbois said. For example, telecommuting—or working remotely—does not make sense for a company that already invests heavily in its downtown location, he said.

"The last thing you want to do is [create] something mandatory," Gadbois said.

Capital Metro in July launched its own program that seeks to cater to individual company needs. MetroWorks expands upon longtime Capital Metro agreements with the city, UT and Austin Community College to offer reduced transit fare options for commuters, said Dan Dawson, vice president of marketing and communications.

"We're trying to design a very simple, easy-to-use program for businesses to just plug into Capital Metro and go," he said.

The W Hotel, Hilton Austin and companies within the Brazos Tech District have already signed on to MetroWorks, Dawson said. According to the chamber's mobility report, 74,000 daily travelers will need to convert to public transportation options, an achievable feat because of efforts from Capital Metro and Movability Austin, Dawson said.

What else can be done?

The next step, he said, will be to target companies along the new MetroRapid bus route, which launches in August on Burnet Road and South Lamar Boulevard. Also, if approved by voters in November, the proposed urban rail line would be within walking distance of more than 132,000 workers, Dawson said, creating more potential MetroWorks participants.

The city can also do its part, said Councilman Riley, who proposes repurposing city-owned parking lots to create another incentive program.

Currently, City Hall employees can trade their parking spot for a monthly financial reward, which is paid through public use of the open parking spaces, Riley said. A more sophisticated version of that plan could be established at all city-owned lots, he said.

Riley, who also serves as the Capital Metro board vice chairman, has pushed for "decoupling" the cost of parking from the base price of downtown residential rental units.

"That was a fairly novel concept at the time for Austin, but it has worked out so well that it has become standard practice in that area—even for projects that are not subject to the requirement," Riley said.

One such example can be found at Whitley Apartments in downtown Austin, where 20 percent of efficiency and one-bedroom occupants, Riley said, have waived the right to a parking spot—resulting in cheaper rent per month for those residents. Riley said he is hopeful a new multiuse project near the Plaza Saltillo train station in East Austin will similarly decouple parking from the cost of each apartment.

As more commuters convert to cycling, more education will be needed to ensure respect from motorists, said Johnson, a bicycling enthusiast who serves on the Distracted Driving Advisory Group.

"In order for bicyclists to get respect, they have to respect traffic laws," he said.