City of Austin
Transportation Department
2018 Annual Report
WHAT WE DO
The Austin Transportation Department does its best to keep Austin connected and on the move. Read more below to learn what our department does.
Ensuring Public Safety and Clean Air
As an integral part of urban life, transportation can widely affect public safety and health. Through specialized programs, the Austin Transportation Department strives to make transportation safer and more sustainable.
Vision Zero
Vision Zero is an international movement to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and injuries. In 2016, the City of Austin adopted the Vision Zero Action Plan to achieve this goal by year 2025. Austin Transportation works to improve roadway designs to enhance safety and reduce crashes, and collaborates with Austin Police across different strategic areas to increase public awareness and enforcement on measures to prevent traffic deaths and injuries.
Vision Zero
Outreach and Awareness
70
outreach events
22,505
people reached
924
people who signed the Vision Zero pledge
Enforcement: Vision Zero in Action
Vision Zero in Action encompasses targeted enforcement of traffic safety laws on Austin streets, followed shortly by distribution of educational materials about transportation safety. Police officers target behaviors and locations that result in a disproportionate share of crashes in which people are injured or killed, as well as behaviors that contribute to congestion and air quality issues. Specific locations and enforcement efforts are informed by Austin Transportation and Austin Police data.
5,347
total citations and warnings
for Vision Zero in Action enforcement
Top Citations and Warnings
1,626
speeding
1,231
driver inattention / hands-free violation, e.g., texting while operating a vehicle in motion
351
failure to stop
Austin Traffic Deaths, Year by Year
More information can be found on the City of Austin's Vision Zero program website, where you will find reports on crash statistics and program enforcement.
Air Quality
The City's air quality program aims to promote healthy outdoor air for all residents while also reducing traffic congestion. By encouraging people to take up sustainable alternatives to driving alone, we can positively impact our region's air quality.
313
"good" air quality days
45
"moderate" air quality days
7
"unhealthy for sensitive groups"
air quality days
The design value of ozone for Austin in 2017 was 69 ppb, which was 99% of that of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). A design value is a statistic that describes the air quality status of a given location relative to the level of the NAAQS.
Strengthening the Multimodal System
As Austin continues to grow, the Austin Transportation Department makes sure to monitor traffic and incidents in its connected system around the clock and bring improvements where needed.
Transportation Management Center
The Transportation Management Center (TMC) is the City of Austin's headquarters for monitoring and managing traffic throughout the Austin area. The center is staffed seven days a week through peak travel times, and may be staffed continuously through large events. Visit the Transportation Management Center's Data and Performance Hub to see more and follow @austinmobility on Twitter for real-time traffic updates.
11,126
customer service requests
addressed over the year
3,360
field technician repair dispatches
over the year
34,000
hours of travel time saved over the year
due to Transportation Management Center intervention
216
signal timing adjustments
over the year
1/3
of traffic signals retimed over the year
$1,716,000
or more total taxpayer dollars saved in travel time over the year
569
traffic update Twitter posts
20
special events managed across 56 days
Signs, Markings and Signals
2,482 miles
of roadway, measured by centerline length,
in Austin's full purpose jurisdiction
7,725 miles
of lanes (centerline roadway length multiplied by number of lanes) in Austin's full purpose jurisdiction
785 miles
of roadway markings maintained —
almost 1/3 of all roadway length in Austin
3,787
new road signs installed
1,145
crosswalks maintained
29,085
road signs repaired or replaced
18,364
raised pavement markers installed
In 2017, the department turned on...
9
new traffic signals
10
pedestrian hybrid beacons
and now operates a total of...
997
traffic signals
62
pedestrian hybrid beacons
Promoting Active and Sustainable Modes
Our department works to improve city streets in the interest of safety and mobility for people of all ages and abilities as they drive, walk, bike and take transit.
Designing Safer and Multimodal Streets
Through extensive vetting, analysis, engineering and design, our safety improvement projects at major locations address public safety and mobility on a large scale.
3
completed major intersection
safety improvement projects
30
completed multimodal
street safety projects
11.9
miles of on-street
bicycle facilities added, bringing Austin to a total of 256 miles of bicycle facilities
Completed first Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
The Austin Pedestrian Safety Action Plan provides a comprehensive strategy for addressing pedestrian safety in service to a more walkable environment that contributes to Austin’s vision for a sustainable, socially equitable, affordable and economically prosperous city.
Published pilot Austin Street Design Guide
The pilot Austin Street Design Guide is a modern guide for street design that considers street function, context and all transportation modes. The guide contains street cross-sections and serves as a precursor to updates to the City’s Transportation Criteria Manual.
Smart Trips
Smart Trips Austin is an active transportation options program that aims to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips and increase trips taken by foot, bike, bus or shared car. The City of Austin and Capital Metro work together to encourage Austinites to consider more sustainable options for getting around town. Smart Trips activities in 2017 include...
12,349
households reached
22
hosted walks, bike rides
and transit adventures
1,005
toolkits delivered
25
community events
Community Connections
We stay connected to the community through engagement and outreach in the form of completed service requests, weekly newsletter updates, press releases and more.
In 2017, the department...
... responded to 24,442 customer service requests...
Traffic Signals, 45.52%
Signs and Markings, 18.49%
Traffic Engineering, 13.48%
Right-of-Way Management, 11.53%
Parking Meters, 6.69%
Active Transportation, 1.73%
Special Events, 1.38%
Parking Enforcement, 1.19%
... and sent out 51 mobility newsletters to about 4,300 subscribers and 19 press releases.
Regulating and Permitting
To ensure safety and smooth operations for all road users, Austin Transportation staff oversee the regulation and permitting of the City’s right of way for a variety of purposes and occasions.
Special Events
The Austin Center for Events works to ensure safety through inspection, regulation and traffic control of department-permitted special events.
168
special events held
that were permitted
by Austin Transportation
293
special events days
Right-of-Way Management
Number of permits issued
10,849
excavation
1,653
temporary use of right of way (usually construction)
314
valet (for operating customer vehicle drop-off and return zones, temporary or permanent)
15
sidewalk café
2,944
driveway/sidewalk
1,393
parking (for using a City parking space for temporary loading and unloading)
227
film
14
vendor
Parking
220
new metered parking spaces
15%
of all transactions were for metered parking made with the ParkX pay-by-phone app
200
parking spaces available
in the Affordable Parking Program
Affordable Parking Program
Austin Transportation's Affordable Parking Program provides parking overnight at City-owned facilities in or near the downtown area for hospitality and service industry workers. The monthly charge is $35, which is significantly lower than typical downtown parking garage prices. In 2017, the city offered 200 available spaces through the program and looks to expand as more facilities are made available.
