The transportation plan that could govern the transportation network of Austin, Texas for years to come was released in the form of a final draft last week, outlining goals, objectives, action items and draft maps of its potential impact.
The plan has been dubbed the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP), a locally-focused plan intended to replace a 1995 regional forebear. It calls for public and private sectors to work together to improve air quality, reduce congestion and better connect the community at large. It has eight mobility goals tied to this: commuter delay, travel choice, health and safety, affordability, sustainability, placemaking, economic prosperity and innovation.
“The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan promotes economic opportunity and affordability, safety, health, environmental sustainability, access to cultural and lifelong learning opportunities, and a diverse, multimodal transportation portfolio,” Robert Spillar, Austin’s Transportation Director, said. “Paramount to the plan is our effort to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries that occur on the transportation network within Austin. Concurrently, the plan addresses equity by recognizing where our transportation network has reinforced historic community barriers and establishes both communication outreach techniques and policies that seek to make sure everyone in our community is heard and served so that these barriers may one day be erased.”
While the public can now review these efforts, there are no guarantees this draft will be the plan’s final form. It still needs to be reviewed by the city council before potential adoption in the spring.