Austin Mobility News For November 22

Press release from the City of Austin:

November 23, 2021

On Nov. 19, a crew of Austin Transportation Department employees worked in South Austin to paint new crosswalks at the intersection of Menchaca Road and Fort View Road, where they needed to be realigned to match newly installed curbs. Lawrence Fabian, who says he is the fastest crosswalk-marker in the Signs and Markings Division, laid down the white paint in a “continental” pattern, with a series horizontal stripes crossing the street behind a line for drivers to stop, and reflective glass beads added to increase visibility.

Crosswalks painted with high-visibility continental, ladder or zebra styles are preferable to the standard parallel or dashes pavement markings, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, because they are more visible to approaching vehicles and therefore more likely to cause a driver to yield.

According to NACTO’s guidelines, intersection crossings should be designed to be as compact as possible, moving pedestrians directly into a driver’s field of vision to create eye contact.

In addition to street design, engineers can make intersections safer by changing signal timing to give pedestrians a head start into the crosswalk before vehicles are given a green light, called a leading pedestrian interval or LPI.

In late 2019, Austin Transportation engineers programmed LPIs into dozens of downtown signals—every intersection downtown now features an LPI for at least one pedestrian crossing, allowing pedestrians 5-7 seconds of dedicated time in the intersection. More than 12% of all pedestrian crashes in Austin occur downtown, despite the area making up less than 1% of the city street network.

The reduction in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic has made before and after comparisons difficult, but the Vision Zero team has compared intersections that received LPIs to those that did not and found the intersections that had the signal change saw 18% fewer pedestrian crashes than those that did not.

This holiday season Austin Transportation is working to remind the community that the best gift we can give each other is to make good driving choices so we all get where we’re going safely. Crashes are not accidents and choosing to speed, driving distracted, and not making a plan to get home safe before drinking put others in our community at risk and have severe consequences.

Nationwide and in Austin there is an upward trend in traffic fatalities. This is a complex issue, illustrated in a recent conversation on the NPR program 1A featuring Austin Transportation Safety Officer Lewis Leff.

Whatever holiday, gathering or event you’re planning on attending, plan your travel decisions in advance. Deciding to slow down, turning on “Do Not Disturb” on your phone before driving and making a plan to get home safe are simple things you can do before every trip you take. Small choices save lives.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) will host a virtual Open House beginning November 22, 2021 about the MoPac South Environmental Study, which was paused in 2015. The virtual meeting will consist of meeting materials for view and download, as well as both audio and visual components. Public comments will be accepted through January 7, 2022.

Texas Department of Transportation is holding a virtual public meeting to receive public comments on the November 2021 Quarterly Revision to the 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Following the meeting, the public can provide comments until 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, to be a part of the official record.

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