Austin Mobility News: October 25, 2021

Press release from the City of Austin:

In this week's edition:

• Austin traffic volumes are returning and fatal crashes are on the rise, reflecting national trend
• Major project on Anderson Mill Road approaching completion
• Safe 2 Save competition winners selected
• LGBT History Month: How Bettie Naylor’s life tells the story of Pride
• Oltorf Street and Parker Lane receive intersection safety improvements
• Calendar Corner: October 25 – 31, 2021

Para obtener más información en español, vea este correo electrónico en su navegador y haga clic en la esquina superior derecha para la traducción al español.

Austin traffic volumes are returning and fatal crashes are on the rise, reflecting national trend

A High-Crash Roadway sign alerts drivers on Cameron Road the area is the focus of safety improvements to reduce serious-injury and fatal crashes.

In the spring of 2020, just after the onset of the pandemic in Austin, city streets emptied and traffic volumes fell by more than half, dropping from a peak of 1.15 million average daily trips in February 2020 to a low of 530,000 average daily trips in April 2020 according to Austin Transportation Department estimates.

Since then, those volumes have slowly crept up toward pre-pandemic levels, but ATD data shows they are still lower than they were before COVID-19. Overall traffic volume estimates for the week ending Oct. 22 are down 10% compared to the week of Feb. 2, 2020. Average travel time estimates for the week of Oct. 22 are also lower than they were the week of Feb. 2: down 10% in the morning peak period, 2% mid-day and 14% in the evening peak period.

But while traffic volumes are still slightly down, fatalities on the roads have increased in Austin, reflecting a trend that is happening across the nation.

Through early October, there have been more than 90 traffic fatalities in Austin, up approximately 30% from the same period in 2020 and 37% from the same period in 2019. However, the total number of combined fatalities and serious injuries as a result of traffic crashes are down from before the pandemic—from approximately 510 at this point in 2019 to approximately 490 in 2021.

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