[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6506834,"mediaKeyId","5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b","parentId",5546021,"title","Votes at a glance: Urban Transportation Commission actions Aug. 20, 2025","audioSeconds",27,"startMs",67000,"endMs",94000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b&start=67&end=94","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b/thumbnail_67000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6506834/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Urban-Transportation-Commission-actions-Aug-20-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506834-7c7d7cae2601f2cc59a71c222eb5de22/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022427&Signature=GpaT5g00OuWE6G6UksoaRFAqgILhRg2JISsJArCDwjmGJEjrGP~VCBw5lateDZ6BhXESqhmJquEAt-gYH9uylY4kShB-KQV2US09we00Es5K1konRk6hXtER5G4bQZqfvg07vUHX4nXR~pDR-~tOtNiNTQnsRMqCC4ky16X4gj9RXoKFswIofGm2KmdJuRNv8xcoHVuUJuxTD7wzQ0OznEJEFddp~JSHJt-TIyf-y3XorL1OE~XvWq~5AtDb8j~8n-NiRlt1CD9nrcBA6NlDQNGk-wi084xBDTXme7rn5B3k--MZg6dZRnl8Sa2zgrHAZsJ6-vKCNVHJwbbsPKse5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-08-05T00:00:00Z","article","The Urban Transportation Commission took three recorded actions during its Aug. 20, 2025, meeting:

1) Approval of July 1 meeting minutes — Approved unanimously, 6–0. The commission chair entertained a motion and the minutes were approved with all present members voting in favor.

2) Indefinite postponement — The commission voted to indefinitely postpone agenda item 5 (discussion and approval of a commission comment to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles on autonomous vehicle rules adoption). Motion carried 7–0.

3) Postpone appointment to Downtown Commission — The commission voted to postpone action on appointing a member to the Downtown Commission to the September meeting. Motion carried 7–0.

Votes were taken by voice or hand-raise; specific individual roll-call votes were not recorded in the meeting transcript for these items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Urban Transportation","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved minutes from its July 1 meeting, indefinitely postponed its comment and approval item on TxDMV autonomous vehicle rules, and postponed a Downtown Commission appointment to next month.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506837,"Austin reviews state AV rulemaking, local deployments and incident reporting as DMV rules near finalization",821,3339000,4160000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b&start=3339&end=4160","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b/thumbnail_3339000.jpg","/articles/6506837/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Austin-reviews-state-AV-rulemaking-local-deployments-and-incident-reporting-as-DMV-rules-near-finalization","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506837-b08691fe282d5c14da61c1ea12b07911/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022427&Signature=Slg2167Jup0Ujv3vhzhI1-MNISXlkYqEvWskgyP15SKCkEBhCAAigEBWEJh1mOhHtjEqQccdHwDp3WrRh56c8~2heIjF1TBI5yTgyRZnIlKHOMGMpwiCkg2zaa~YZsQwJz~nj7arH58INekN5m1pV~7qjQQ0~Qza4f7TCWC9TqUe6~OMpF8w5aPSt~-Bvex7FCEO~rczvfL-VIKhmBHNsvowj~JspPN-ERTYnvnv5spA~TS6~a71jRUc0oci3nKIJ-RI7arVx9ANsciIEmQ2Ux5Le0ZAB0zyWXll10KdZKnhiHLeisWFu3WYc-RlkxW7awhV0Obh-ZFgzXzqXJSoyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff on Tuesday told the Urban Transportation Commission that the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ (TxDMV) proposed rules to implement SB 2807 will create a permit regime for commercial autonomous vehicle (AV) operations in Texas but leave significant operational detail to state and company practice. TPW staff also summarized local AV activity and an incident log the city has been maintaining since July 2023.

Kristen Bray, a TPW business process consultant, told commissioners the state’s SB 2807 — a law enacted by the Legislature this year — grants the TxDMV authority to permit commercial AV operations and to suspend, revoke or cancel permits. The proposed rules published in the Texas Register (public comment period closed Aug. 25) specify application elements such as vehicle identification (VIN numbers, make, model, year), an authorization holder for each fleet, and a requirement that companies provide a first-responder plan to the Texas Department of Public Safety describing how first responders may communicate with fleet support and how to remove or tow AVs.

\"A way for first responders to recognize whether the AV is in autonomous mode is a really big deal,\" Bray said. She added that the regulatory framework remains in an early stage and that additional DPS- or TxDMV-level rules may follow.

Bray described Austin’s local experience: five AV companies operating in Austin at the time of the presentation, with two considered deployed (Waymo and Tesla) and others testing or mapping. The city’s locally compiled incident dashboard — updated July 25 — showed 128 reported incidents since July 2023; staff said these reports are based on direct reports to the city and not a broad social-media sweep. TPW uses the incident data to identify hotspots (notably areas with heavy pedestrian traffic and event-related diversions) and to provide operational feedback to companies.

Bray said the city convenes an autonomous vehicle safety working group including APD, AFD, EMS, TPW, airport staff and the law department to coordinate first-responder training and company communication. When high-priority emergency responses occur, TPW asks companies to geofence the location (typically a 1,000-foot radius for one hour) to avoid AVs driving through active scenes. TPW also coordinates pre-event briefings with AV companies for major special events and football games so companies can avoid closures and staging areas.

On enforcement, staff explained that issuing a moving violation to an AV requires an affidavit and extra administrative steps because there is no human driver to cite; parking violations are more straightforward to issue to a vehicle. Commissioners raised concerns about ad hoc data sharing from companies. Bray said some deployed companies share operational summaries, vehicle counts and collision reports (Waymo posts certain collision reports to NHTSA), but comprehensive real-time data such as vehicle miles traveled is not consistently provided. TPW staff said they welcome more proactive data sharing but currently rely on collaboration and voluntary disclosures in the absence of a stronger statutory data mandate.

Commissioners discussed whether the city should submit comments on the proposed TxDMV rules; staff noted that the city-level intergovernmental relations office was coordinating a consolidated city comment and that individuals on the commission could submit private comments directly. Commissioners asked for periodic updates; several suggested another commission briefing in six months because deployment and rulemaking remain active and evolving.

TPW provided reporting channels for the public: report incidents via 311 or the non-emergency vehicle issues option in the 311 app, or email COAVworkinggroup@austintexas.gov to reach the city’s AV working group. Bray emphasized that the city’s incident dashboard is populated only with reports that city staff can verify with date, time and location to allow company follow-up.","Transportation and Public Works staff reviewed SB 2807 rulemaking at the Texas DMV that will permit and regulate commercial autonomous vehicle operations, described local AV deployments and explained the city's incident reporting, first-responder coordination and data limitations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506842,"TPW details emergency management role: winter weather, debris and training plans",699,1790000,2489000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b&start=1790&end=2489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b/thumbnail_1790000.jpg","/articles/6506842/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/TPW-details-emergency-management-role-winter-weather-debris-and-training-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506842-8641b9253fe698a0f3d6db1acc92801d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022427&Signature=X1ciuX8W-hWNZileQwmBagJ6MkrKgVg5hBsfNlIJ61MP79aYpZHYi-847S4jbrFrmLUtQBaudhItzK23RwARXyj~iucE8v-SsO7OLPTcVpWV6kFJTZbGdbrFXgb-IrQsR0nc2D3dS47QDxJSdo3PGlnVMN7B3eJ1W7Hy1443n6rDe929IS-CgJkEAlEKX1ze0SLvb~p-o5j2qdhPlLaOA2jAzeYM3rMbXcqqkfSL6rUNEe44P-Vcsw7qHR6ehw8JGq1L5FFLDcUYlE5lvjdeytpKKX~R28leso0o3gOt~xYR1j1qe9~VWxEZ2B5ND1j2RGrt-3VUh~Cd3i3LL0mwBg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Transportation and Public Works (TPW) staff on Tuesday presented an overview of the department’s emergency management program, outlining responsibilities for road treatment, debris clearing, signal resiliency and interagency coordination for winter storms, severe weather and large special events.

Dan Walbrach, assistant director for TPW, said the emergency management (EM) program comprises a small core team that maintains plans and training, larger operational crews that perform field response, and support functions (public information, data technology services, logistics, safety and finance) that enable a sustained response. \"They're responsible for clearing roadways, treating roadways, taking care of debris management, ensuring that signals are working and that signs are up,\" Walbrach said.

Kimmy McMinn, TPW emergency manager, described recent activations: two Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations during the winter season, one TPW-only department operations center activation in February, and multiple severe-weather activations in spring and summer. TPW supports debris management in coordination with Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) and assists Watershed Protection on barricading low-water crossings when the flood early warning system indicates risk.

TPW staff highlighted investments and operational practices intended to improve response time and resiliency. These include use of battery backup units and portable generators at signals to avoid long outages, remote reset capability for signals from the Mobility Management Center to reduce crew dispatch, and three new liquid brine application units to improve and make more precise winter-weather roadway treatment.

McMinn outlined technology tools used for situational awareness: an on-call dashboard listing critical on-call contacts, a road-conditions dashboard fed by sensors, mapping of critical assets (substations, treatment plants, hospitals), real-time signal status and a SharePoint-based emergency communications hub that links maps, hydro data and service requests. TPW is exploring a virtual EOC tool already used by other departments to coordinate debris management and recovery.

Longer-term recovery and resilience work includes debris-management planning and staging of equipment (trailers, type-3 barricades, cones, lights) for wildfire evacuation support; regular equipment training and exercises; and updating a consolidated TPW continuity of operations plan (COOP) that will include appendices for fire, evacuation, winter weather, flood response and debris management. McMinn said the department also will expand Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) training across operational and support staff so TPW can coordinate seamlessly with public safety.

Staff said they coordinate regularly with Austin Fire, Austin Police, Austin Energy, Austin Water, TxDOT, Travis County and regional partners through CAPCOG and Homeland Security Emergency Management to align response and resource allocation. Jim Dale, TPW deputy director, said bond-funded projects have been used to upgrade signal communications and resiliency and that the department is seeking opportunities to better coordinate treatment responsibility with neighboring agencies.

Commissioners asked about long-term resiliency and how TPW handles immediate roadway threats. McMinn said debris management is a long-duration recovery effort after storms and TPW is developing a debris-management dashboard with ARR and Austin Fire. Dale added that police are typically first on scene; if an obstruction is an immediate public-safety hazard, APD may request TPW assistance to remove it.

TPW staff said the department will continue quarterly exercises, maintain winter-readiness statements for executives, and refine staging and deployment plans for evacuations and large events. Staff also noted that TPW will coordinate the distribution and timing of ICS/NIMS training and work on liaisons with TxDOT to improve coordination on state-owned roadways.","Austin Transportation and Public Works described its emergency management structure, winter weather and severe weather responses, debris management coordination, new liquid brine units and incident-command training to improve response and recovery.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506847,"City and CapMetro outline plan to expand and electrify Austin bike share",806,146000,952000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b&start=146&end=952","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5546021-05594d27bfefd4be9093a3674f07ca7b/thumbnail_146000.jpg","/articles/6506847/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-and-CapMetro-outline-plan-to-expand-and-electrify-Austin-bike-share","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506847-499b41f65b93fa18b09c9802e4163037/orig.mp4?Expires=1771022427&Signature=J7Y355m9sRjVKs52kKreN2oYQAJTt5zg3hB75g7XfA5ldNepG2D1ik3E~0lubkFc9o2g8FrcPRvhIA301r54hKesAAEQbkfmkzXNkjjteCAQlukRv-C75mDcOsCay-ielZaEJsOg2sksEsmNVQVz1H7vybs5GkqXsvMdDjGqoaTUASjJ5yVTz~DWVnzZ1Wqa1wfhduCctn1ecdoNMf1Hr9772ouu9hqyAxtIrv4edo177aUFnafAvZ4FjCfYc-iW8nmk1SU82H5G3tjbd9LgMv2DrpoEsPLyg253yUpOtwLmjaEN64k11ZAnDZys77zQUkXIF9QwYkV7mNzePrBiJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Austin staff and CapMetro on Tuesday described a three-year interlocal agreement and a phased expansion of the city’s bike-share system, including new electrified stations, a fare restructure that went into effect Aug. 1, and plans to add roughly 10 stations this fall.

The city entered a three-year interlocal agreement with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) earlier this year. Under the agreement, CapMetro will manage vendor contracts, operations, maintenance and branding for the system and ensure grant-funded activities meet third-party requirements; the city retains ownership of stations and bikes and will design and permit new infrastructure except where construction occurs in CapMetro right-of-way. City and CapMetro staff said both partners will produce monthly and annual reports on system performance.

City and CapMetro officials said the system now operates a 100% electric bicycle fleet after replacing the legacy B-cycle system last year. CapMetro and Transportation and Public Works (TPW) staff said the system currently had 73 stations and would reach 75 the day after the presentation; they plan to install about 10 additional stations in fall 2025 and scale up thereafter toward a larger network footprint.

\"We are focused on expanding 10 stations here in 2025, this fall,\" said Mike Kimbreau, program manager for shared mobility services with Transportation and Public Works. \"We're aiming for roughly 30 to 50% of the system being able to charge bikes at docks so we reduce battery swaps and lower operational costs.\" JD Simpson, CapMetro’s bike program manager, added that CapMetro staff handle battery swaps and vendor operations under the interlocal agreement.

Ridership remains heavily concentrated in West Campus and the University of Texas area; staff said trips per bike per day range between about three and six. Simpson said the library station at the UT campus had registered more than 30,000 trips so far this year. Staff also said the system recorded its single highest day during South by Southwest with more than 2,000 trips.

To address confusing legacy pricing, staff moved on Aug. 1 to a per-minute usage charge (25 cents per minute for overages) and adjusted the structure for day, 31-day and annual passes and student discounts. \"We have more closely aligned our annual pass and student discount with industry best practices,\" Simpson said. The city said the student discount and a UT supplement for the first year will lessen the immediate price impact on students while the partners monitor ridership.

TPW and CapMetro staff said operations costs are dominated by battery swaps for electric bikes. Electrified docks, which recharge bikes while docked, are intended to reduce labor-intensive battery swaps and let operations staff focus on maintenance. Staff described permitting, conduit installation and metering as obstacles to quick electrification and said retrofitting high-ridership stations is a priority.

Staff also said they are pursuing advertising revenue to offset operating costs; CapMetro has begun station advertising with H-E-B and staff expect to report more on advertising revenue next year. City staff said fare revenue historically covered a minority of operating costs (staff estimated student fares previously covered about 25% of operating costs) and that the city and CapMetro will share operating costs under the interlocal agreement.

The presentation included an outline of grant funding that supports the expansion. Staff said a Transportation Alternatives set-aside grant from the Texas Department of Transportation is funding parts of the planned expansion and that the city is using its Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) work to measure how bike share feeds transit ridership over the next 4–5 years.

Commissioners asked about competition with shared scooters and how bike share complements transit. \"We're looking at it more as a transit solution,\" Simpson said, noting station-based bikes can better serve groups and large transit transfers than sidewalk scooters. Commissioners also urged staff to monitor West Campus closely after the fare change because students are a large share of riders; staff said UT is supplementing the first year and they will watch ridership and revisit pricing.

Staff said next steps include installing the 10 2025 expansion stations, retrofitting existing high-ridership stations for electrification, launching system advertising, improving the public ridership dashboard and revisiting the interlocal agreement with CapMetro in 2028.","City of Austin and CapMetro described a three-year interlocal agreement, recent fare changes, ridership patterns concentrated at UT/West Campus, and plans to add about 10 stations this fall while electrifying 30–50% of docks to reduce operational costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Urban Transportation Commission actions Aug. 20, 2025

Austin reviews state AV rulemaking, local deployments and incident reporting as DMV rules near finalization

TPW details emergency management role: winter weather, debris and training plans

City and CapMetro outline plan to expand and electrify Austin bike share