From the Urban Transportation Commission: A commuter survey
The most recent meeting of the Urban Transportation Commission showcased a survey for Central Texan commuters. The Transportation and Public Works Department’s Kristin Pipkin presented a focused update on how the city is using $47.9 million in federal grant funding to try to increase the share of people getting to work by any means other than driving alone.
The Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency awarded that money for the city’s MOVING Central Texas initiative. According to Pipkin’s presentation, the funding is intended to “keep Austin moving while delivering a premiere multimodal transportation system” along with “(creating) a new sustainable ridership group,” through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program in 2024.
Pipkin, the program administrator for the grant, said the city hopes that several looming large-scale roadwork and construction projects, including the planned widening of I-35, will push commuters around the region to consider options like public transit, carpooling, walking and cycling.
“With everything going under construction, we’re trying to leverage this opportunity to go, there might be a better way to travel,” Pipkin said.
While hopes for a more multimodal future for the area may be pinned on separate projects like Austin Light Rail or on the work of institutions like Capital Metro, Pipkin said the city hopes to use the grant funding “in alignment” with those other avenues.
To that end, the city is collecting feedback from area commuters about how they currently commute and why. Readers interested in responding to the survey can do so by following this link to the survey on the city’s SpeakUp platform. Completing the survey, Pipkin noted, will automatically enter you for the chance to win a $100 HEB gift card.
— Miles Wall
Music Commissioners talk city funding
During their Monday meeting, Music Commissioners reviewed finalized guidelines for the 2025 cycle of the Austin Live Music Fund, looking at grant levels, application criteria and compliance rules. Staff from the Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Department explained that the latest changes reflect feedback from public input sessions, stakeholder working groups and ongoing conversations with the commission. The updated framework awards individual musicians up to $20,000 and venues up to $70,000, depending on eligibility.
Commissioners asked for clarification on the evaluation criteria and how the city would handle conflict of interest concerns. In response, staff said that a centralized artist intake form will be used to ensure consistency across grant programs and that third-party evaluators will be selected to review applications independently. In response to questions about why the Creative Space Assistance Program was not open to arts and music venues that own their real estate, staff explained that the intent of the program is to assist spaces that are at risk of sudden displacement.
— Chad Swiatecki
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Elsewhere in the News
Most of yesterday’s news was about the shooting at Zilker Park. Here’s KUT’s coverage, if you missed it.
Meanwhile, Barton Hills parents are furious at the communication — and miscommunication — around shelter-in-place orders during the manhunt. ($$)
KXAN has rounded up the Texas reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death yesterday.
KUT details a crucial neighborhood vote in Cherrywood concerning the I-35 expansion and its potentially-noisy future.
And, the New York Times takes a crack at the “brutal” race between Texas AG Ken Paxton and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. ($$)
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