The topic of the day is transportation and commuting traffic, so buckle up 😉
Austin likes to promote its weirdness and its breakfast tacos, but our dirty little not-so-secret is that traffic is an absolute nightmare. You may have noticed this on your daily commute.
Mayor Adler has designated May 11 as “Austin Don’t Rush” day, as part of an effort to recreate the traffic miracle that occurred during President Obama’s visit for SWSX. On that day, which will go down in history, the City requested that people work from home to minimize the predicted carpocalypse. The results were impressive.
Compared to peak times on an average Friday:
— Drivers on MoPac experienced a 60 percent reduction in travel times.
— On Highway 183, travel times decreased by half.
— Drivers on Cesar Chavez, Congress, Guad, Lamar, Lavaca, and South 1st enjoyed a 32 percent drop in traffic volume and a 22 percent decrease in travel time.
Austin Don’t Rush has a similar goal, which is getting Austinites to avoid driving by themselves during morning and afternoon rush hours on May 11. Some alternatives include working flex hours, work from home during the first part of the day and come in for the afternoon, take transit (MetroRail, MetroBus and MetroRapid), use “active transportation” (bike, run, walk, scooter, skate, etc.), or even telecommute. The jury is still out regarding teleportation devices.
To support this effort, CapMetro is making service on ALL of their buses and trains and special access FREE to ride all day. This includes all users of MetroBus, UT Shuttle, MetroRapid, MetroFlyer, MetroExpress, MetroRapid, MetroRail, even MetroAccess.
Shifting gears (heh), have you voted on Proposition 1 yet? Early voting ends May 3rd and the last day to vote is the 7th. Whether you are for or against it, I encourage you to vote since it is a local election and we can actually have a say in what happens in our city. Now is your chance to tell Uber and Lyft (or City Council) to go kick rocks.
More about Austin Don’t Rush: www.mayoradler.com/austin-dont-rush-on-may-11/?utm_source=Austin+EcoNewsletter&utm_campaign=38d4e7a72a-EN4%2F28%2F16_ADR_Prop+1_Recycle+Games_EV_Monarchs&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e376911220-38d4e7a72a-171079381#more-3666