This study aims to answer questions that will provide guidance to planners, policymakers and engineers in the area of road safety as it relates to collisions.  In doing so, we seek to classify what environmental and behavioral characteristics might play a role in the number and/or severity of these collisions.  Please note that, while we acknowledge information about one’s crash history may be sensitive, we will not be collecting any personal identifiers, such as home address.  In addition, all collected data will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any third parties.

Beginning this Saturday, October the 1^st, this survey will be available online at the following URL: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/646412/CrashSurvey.  On October 14^th, we will use all data gathered so far to perform analysis and publish results as part of our class project.

To help spread the word and ensure adequate number of responses for analysis, we would greatly appreciate if you could advertise this survey by placing the above link on your neighborhood association website, your upcoming newsletters or meet-ups, and any other ways you might reach out to the residents of your neighborhood.

Please note that while we want a large number of responses before October 14^th in order to perform analysis during this fall semester, the survey will remain available long after this date so that a re-analysis might be performed.  In other words, please feel free to continue advertising this survey after October 14^th.

Lastly, please note that the online survey is not yet complete.  So please discourage any use of the URL until October 1.

It is time to participate in the next step of the process to change Tarrytown Neighborhood Park:

Below is the copy of the application from the City of Austin:

NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNER PROGRAM

Applications Are Accepted By Invitation Only After Notice of Intent of Application Interest

Application Form

Please print clearly or type.  Please answer all questions and use the space provided.  Attach additional pages as needed.

Please consider us for:              ¨ NCSP Small Project Program (< $75,000)

¨ GAP Project                          ¨ NCSP Large Project Program ($75,000 to $150,000)

By signing this application, I certify that the information contained in the application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.  I certify that the contact person will be the only contact person for the project, the only person who is able to submit or request funding, and is a member of our neighborhood or community organization.

If the project is approved, I understand that the City will enter into a contract with the applicant organization to ensure completion of the project as described in the application.

This section must be completed by the president or the vice-president of the neighborhood organization or officer of the community organization, or by the president or vice president of the Board of the Fiscal Agent- 501(c)3 organization or equivalent

PLEASE CONTACT SARA KRAUSE, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIVITY DIVISION, PUBLIC WORKS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AT sara.krause@austintexas.gov or 512-974-7182 FOR QUESTIONS OR FURTHER INFORMATION.

Please join us Monday, November 28tth, 6:00PM at Howson Library to discuss

• Traffic Calming Proposals
• Impact on the neighborhood
• Permanent change of the streets
• Safety of our children
• Future Initiatives

For more info, please see the following:

• Flyer
• 1 OPTION 1
• 2 OPTION 1
• 3 OPTION 2
• 4 OPTION 2

To ensure complete confidentiality, Resource Systems Group (RSG), an independent market research company, is conducting the survey. Your responses will remain confidential and will never be linked back to you.

To take the survey, please click on the link below or copy the URL and paste it into the address bar in your web browser. Further instructions are located on the first page of the survey.

http://legacy.rsgsurvey.com/mopac/passworde.asp

If you have friends, family, or colleagues that use MoPac we encourage you to forward the link to them and ask them to take the survey.

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (Mobility Authority)

MoPac Open House Meetings:
TxDOT and the Mobility Authority invite you to attend one of two open house meetings to learn more about the MoPac Improvement Project. Information will be provided about the history of the project, the scenarios being studies, the environmental process and project timeline. Attendees will also have the opportunity to review materials, speak with TxDOT and Mobility Authority staff and consultants, and  provide feedback on the various transportation solutions being considered. Attendees are invited to come and go at their convenience.
The MoPac1 open houses will be on Oct 6 & 7:

When: Wed, October 6, 6pm – 8pm
Where: Murchison Middle School, Cafeteria, 3700 North Hills Drive, Austin, Texas

When: Thu, October 7, 6pm – 8pm
Where: O’ Henry Middle School, Cafeteria, 2610 West 10th Street, Austin, Texas

The rail plan is intended to guide future public and private actions to expand mobility of people and goods on rail and meet federal and state legislative requirements.

Attendees of the August rail meeting will be able to ask rail division staff questions, submit comments and complete brief questionnaires.

“This plan will provide an inventory of all transportation modes and address the need for improvements to roadways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit, freight and passenger rail, airports, water parts, pipelines, and Intelligent Transportation Systems,” said Amadeo Saenz Jr., TxDOT executive director.

TxDOT will be conducting a second set of open house-style public meetings in August to discuss preliminary findings and take additional public input on the state’s long-range transportation plan. The department will host its Austin meeting Aug. 12, also at its Austin district office, from 4–7 p.m.

Public comments on the state’s rail plan may be mailed to the rail division or submitted via its website. Visit Texas Rail Plan’s website (http://www.txdot.gov/public_involvement/rail_plan/) for more information.

Comments will be accepted through Oct. 9, 2010.

From the TxDOT MoPac1 website (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/project_information/projects/austin/mopac1/):

Crews will work Monday through Thursday nights the week of June 20, and Sunday through Thursday nights thereafter.  TxDOT says the night work, which will be done between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM, is necessary to avoid interfering with heavier daytime traffic on Loop 1.  The $3.5-million project is scheduled to be completed in late September.  Motorists are reminded that work zone traffic fines are doubled when crews are present.

Early July Update:  Some good progress was made this week , but the rain has slowed things down.   TxDOT is still working on the concrete removal on the northbound lanes and needs a few more nights to finish.  The plan at this time is to start hot mix operations next week on the southbound side.  This work should take most of July to complete and then we will work on the northbound side.

The consulting firm for the project (Patrick Owens and John Kelly of AECOM (formerly DMJM Harris)) reported the findings of a traffic modeling study showing that the addition of a north and south bound managed lane between Parmer Lane and Lady Bird Lake could yield noticeable travel-time savings for all vehicles.  By 2030, during the southbound a.m. peak hour, travel time in general purpose lanes could be reduced by 50 percent and users of the potential managed lane could see a 63 percent travel-time savings compared to a “no-build” scenario.  Additionally, northbound in the p.m. peak hour, travel time in general purpose lanes could be reduced by 5 percent and users of the potential managed lane could see a 50 percent travel-time savings compared to a “no-build” scenario.

John Kelly said that the environmental study for the project will consider the impact of a tolled managed lane, a non-tolled managed lane, and the no-build option. He projected a total cost for the entire managed lane project, including sound walls, at $150 million, with $120 million financed with toll-backed bonds, requiring the remainder to be financed with other funds.