Re: Red River Street detour

[Tom Wald]

Austin Bicycle Advisory Council folks,

I sent the email below to Jim Walker at UT regarding the Red River St. closure. Jim visited the BAC last year regarding this issue.

My original email from four weeks ago is below, stating that there is no signed detour and no continuous pedestrian, bicycling, or ADA compliant detour. The issue has still not been resolved and there has been no word from Jim Walker or other UT Austin representative on a timeline toward resolution.

I've cc-ed the two Austin City Council Members whose districts are in this area (CM Kathie Tovo and CM Natasha Harper-Madison), and Laura Dierenfield of Austin Transportation Department.

-Tom

On Fri, Jan 17, 2020 at 12:19 PM Tom Wald <tom...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks, Jim, for looking into it.

-Tom

On Fri, Jan 17, 2020 at 10:08 AM Walker, Jim <Jim.W...@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

I was working on this internally but fair enough to express the need further.

I’ll keep working it.

Jim

Sent from handheld, apologies for spellin and brvity ... Jim 

On Jan 17, 2020, at 9:04 AM, Tom Wald <tom...@gmail.com> wrote:

I hadn’t heard anything from you after a while, so I spread the word further:

https://twitter.com/tomwald/status/1218184495196561408?s=21

The rollout of the detour is pretty infuriating, given how much attention is on it.

-Tom

On Thu, Jan 9, 2020 at 9:25 PM Tom Wald <tom...@gmail.com> wrote:

Jim,

Thanks for working with the Austin Bicycle Advisory Council and others in the community on bicycling and walking mobility during the Red River St. realignment.

I've been past the area a few times via car and bike. When I go by bike, I do not see any detour signage, and I do not see what the intended route is. There are detour signs, but they are oriented for car traffic. I see something like a detour path, but it is incomplete and has significant obstacles in it (e.g. jersey barrier, construction debris, construction signs)--it's so unclear that I'm not sure if I'm on the construction site or trespassing.

Is there a detour route? Is UT planning to place detour signs with ped and bike symbols for clarity? Has anyone "walked" through the detour route to make sure that there is at least a 5' wide path to accommodate bike trailers, trikes, wheelchairs, and personal mobility devices?

For local examples, I feel like Capital Metro has done a good job with the detours in the Red River & 4th Streets vicinity recently. Not perfect, but probably better than other Austin projects of that scale (and better than what's at Red River & MLK area at UT).

Thanks,

Tom

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Tom Wald
tom...@gmail.com
512-203-7626

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-- Sent from my smart phone Tom Wald 512-203-7626 tom...@gmail.com

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Tom Wald
tom...@gmail.com
512-203-7626

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Tom Wald
tom...@gmail.com
512-203-7626

[Kathryn Flowers]

Hi all,

I have also been communicating with Carlos Martinez in the President's office and Jim Walker regarding this closure. I sent detailed feedback and requests for action last week on the one year anniversary of Tony Diaz's death, specifically related to the same issues and more that Tom brings up. I was told my feedback is being considered, but no changes have happened. I followed up today again.

Since I commute this way daily, I have borrowed a camera from another BAC member and am taking footage which I plan to send to UT officials.

I suggest everyone else do the same.

Thanks,

Kathryn Flowers

Full Member, Bicycle Advisory Council
817-366-3245

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[Tom Wald]

Here’s what UT may be designating as the Red River Street detour tonight. Looks like the workers blocked the sidewalk with ‘danger’ tape.

-Tom

[Kathryn Flowers]

Hi Tom,

I also witnessed this going up and wondered the same. I am not sure how they can call it a detour if it just dumps you into traffic without any safe continuation at MLK, but perhaps they have some larger plan I am unaware of.

Jim did answer my email yesterday indicating that there would likely be no major changes at this point, outside of a possible adjustment at Red River and Clyde Littlefield to traffic patterns, but it didn't seem like a guarantee.

In good news, I did receive the results of my PIR for the traffic management plan today and will be sharing that with the BAC tomorrow most likely, when I'm able.

Thanks,

Kathryn

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[Tom Wald]

Lee Austin,

Did you know there is no marked or consistently accessible detour for either pedestrian or bicycle traffic going northbound on Red River St. at MLK Blvd.?

-Tom

[Tom Wald]

All,

I'm resurrecting this early 2020 Austin BAC thread since UT and its contractors have closed the ped & bike path without notice.

I took this photo in January at night, looking northbound along the I-35 Southbound Service Road between MLK and Manor Road:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/whaorpn38pgck86/2022-01-25%2020.23.55.heic?dl=0

I reported it to Austin 3-1-1 in January and have not received a response. I contacted Moody Center last week via their Facebook messaging and have not received a response. I also emailed Jim Walker about this, and he is looking into it, though I understand that transportation operations is not his official role at UT.

I hope no one gets hurt from walking or biking on the service road lanes.

I have kept the same cc's here, to keep you all in the loop.

-Tom

[Kathryn Flowers]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for sending this email. I actually noticed this as well the week of February 7 on my way into UT and registered a complaint to UT PTS at that time (no response). I wish I had thought to report it to 311 but I did not.

I can attest there is no safe, direct detour for this closure as the new Red River heading southbound is still not open. My current workaround is quite time consuming and I can imagine many people are choosing the less safe, direct option. I go into the office rarely now so it is not as much of an inconvenience for me.

The pandemic really changed the tone of this particular conversation, but the safety risk is still there for people who are commuting and traveling between locations daily by foot and by bike. I am not sure what it will take to get this fixed. Hopefully not another death. Tony Diaz's death was just over 3 years ago and very little has changed to make this area safer. I am strongly supportive of the new lanes going in on new Red River (which will be helpful once the full road is open) but three years without a consistent interim stopgap is reckless and dangerous.

Thanks,

Kathryn