Austin Mobility News For October 11

Press release from the City of Austin:

October 11, 2021

A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge near the Longhorn Dam will soon give Austinites another option to cross Lady Bird Lake. Austin Public Works kicked off the design phase of the project in summer 2021 for the new bridge, which is expected to be complete in 2026.

The $460 million 2020 Safety and Active Transportation Bond included funding for the design and construction of the new pedestrian and bicycle bridge, projected to cost $15 million.

In 2019, Austin Public Works and Austin Transportation shared five bridge alternatives based on community input received in 2018. Alternative B, a wishbone-shaped bridge that connects to the shore at three points, received the most overall support.

The project team will share updates with the community at key milestones during the design phase of the project. Learn more and subscribe to receive project updates at AustinTexas.gov/NewLHDBridge.

A creative crosswalk that resembles the Progressive Pride flag is coming to the downtown Austin intersection of Bettie Naylor (Fourth) and Colorado streets. Today, in commemoration of National Coming Out Day, Austin Transportation is installing the crosswalks at the intersection. The intersection will be closed until approximately 5 p.m.

National Coming Out Day is a day that raises awareness for individuals within the LGBTQ+ community. This placemaking activation installed by the City conveys a message of hope, support, and acceptance to all who live in and visit Austin.

The design for the rainbow crosswalks were based on previous designs requested by the community. The Progressive Pride flag that provided the basis for the crosswalk includes black and brown stripes to represent people of color, and baby blue, pink and white, which represent the Transgender community.

Additionally, three nearby utility boxes will be decorated as part of Austin Transportation's Artbox program. The Artbox at the southwest corner of Bettie Naylor and Colorado Street will feature the original 1978 Gilbert Baker Pride Flag, the 2017 Philadelphia Pride Flag, the 2018 Progress Pride Flag by Daniel Quasar and the 2021 Intersex Progressive Pride Flag designed by Valentino Vecchietti.

Photos and video of the installation are viewable here. To learn more about the history of these flags or the other Pride Flags that will be displayed on Artboxes in the area, visit the Smart Mobility website.

Traffic crash fatalities are on the rise nationally, in Texas and in Austin. Austin Transportation (ATD) continues to work to reduce these severe crashes and reach zero traffic deaths by scaling up engineering solutions and action-focused messaging. ATD's Vision Zero staff delivered a presentation on its ongoing efforts to Austin City Council's Mobility Committee Oct. 7.

Speed is the primary factor that determines crash severity, which is why ATD is focused on delivering projects with safer designs and an emphasis on appropriate speeds for safe outcomes. Examples of those projects include flashing yellow turn arrow signals, shown to prevent crashes when drivers make unprotected left turns, and pedestrian hybrid beacons, used to warn drivers of pedestrians in the roadway at intersections where there is no traffic signal.

Using Austin Mobility Bond dollars, 12 intersection safety projects have been completed with 18 more in early stages of planning and design.

Driver choices play an important complementary role to safer transportation infrastructure in preventing severe and fatal crashes. The four behaviors that most often cause crashes are speeding, distraction, failing to yield and driving while impaired. Through dynamic messaging displays at key crash locations, advertising, a safest driver community competition (Safe 2 Save) and more planned for the holidays, ATD continues to urge community members to consider their driving decisions so that everyone can complete their trips safely.

Upcoming Vision Zero efforts include:

It was 1931, the height of the Great Depression, and Roy Velasquez needed a job.

A then-21-year-old first-generation American born to parents who immigrated from Monterrey, Mexico, Velasquez decided to go into the taxi business because, as he told biographers Glen Cootes and Karen Strong, “it was the only thing that was left open.”

So Velasquez went to the owner of “Ten Cents Taxi” seeking work.

“The guy who I went to, he [said], ‘I hate to tell you, but I can’t hire you because you might ruin my clientele,’” Velasquez recalled according to Robyn Turner’s 1982 book Austin Originals.

So Velasquez went out on his own, starting Roy’s Taxi in 1931 with a single Model A Ford he bought for $450 and $5 he borrowed from a friend to cover the fee for the city permit.

In those years, the other taxi cab companies in a segregated Austin would not carry Black passengers. Roy’s Taxi became the first company to do so. Velasquez started his business at a service station located at the end of the streetcar tracks at Sixth and Chicon streets. When passengers missed the streetcar, which cost a nickel, Roy’s Taxi would take them anywhere in the city for a dime.

Velasquez built Roy’s Taxi steadily and ran it until his death in 1981. His family continued to run the business until 2006, when they sold it to Yellow Cab Co.

In addition to his pioneering work as a businessman, Velasquez was a leader in the community. He built relationships with Mayor Tom Miller, Council Member Emma Long and U.S. Senator Dennis Chávez of New Mexico, among others. According to a story he told biographers Cootes and Strong, he also helped Lyndon B. Johnson get elected to U.S. Congress for the first time in 1937.

Along with his brother Julius, Nash Moreno and Henry Moreno, Velasquez organized the Austin chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens in 1935.

“People say 'political leader' but I always call myself a civic leader,” Velasquez told author Turner. “Politics is something you do when you got special interest one way or the other. A civic leader is a man who’s interested in his people and is trying to do right for the community.”

Downtown Austinites can expect see a refreshed transit red lane on Lavaca St. in the coming weeks. City of Austin crews will be painting the transit lanes between Fourth and 18th streets beginning in October. This is the continuation of a joint venture launched in 2020 between the City of Austin and Capital Metro and is designed to improve transit operations and safety by providing clarity for those driving.

The project will be completed in five phases:

Lavaca St.

• Between Fourth and Fifth St.
• Between Sixth and Seventh St.
• Between 15th and 16th St.
• Between 16th and 17th St.
• Between 17th and 18th St.

Some areas will receive new paint, while others will be repainted with a higher quality, more durable product. For questions, contact austinmobility@austintexas.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Austin. The views expressed here are the author’s own.