Stimulus Watch

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[edit] General Description

This project will provide ADA-compliant sidewalks of depth from 12' to 15', capable of handling both pedestrian and bicycle traffic, on both sides of Burnet Rd along a 2.5 mile route from Koenig Ln to 183.

Burnet Rd is a 5-lane street running north-south through the north-central part of Austin, Texas. Both sides of the street are zoned for commercial or mixed use. Businesses mostly have parking in the front, making it convenient for people to drive from the nearby neighborhoods, but making walking and biking difficult, especially in summer.

The City of Austin in 2006-2007 rezoned most of the properties from 45th St to Anderson Ln to allow for "Vertical Mixed Use" (VMU), i.e. apartments and condos on top of ground-floor commercial uses. The City expects a 50% increase in population for this part of the City over 20 years, with almost all of the new residents living directly on Burnet and similar arterials.

This population increase is bound to strain the area's roadways. Several intersections, including Burnet@Anderson Ln, are already at risk of traffic failure today. The City's intent is for Burnet to become more walkable and transit-friendly. New buildings must be built near the street, and developers must build 12-15' tree-lined sidewalks along the road as part of their projects. The ground floor of each VMU building must support a commercial use that gives people a reason to walk near the road. When people are already near the road, they are more likely to use mass transit.

There are many practical problems with this concept. For starters, Burnet Rd from Koenig Ln to 183 has only sporadic, disconnected sidewalks and no bike lanes. Intersections often do not have curb ramps for bicycles or wheelchairs. Waiting for developers to build this infrastructure piecemeal may take decades, leaving big gaps in the pedestrian zone.

[edit] Points in Favor

1. Federal compliance. At the heart of this project is the City's obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide access for disabled people to public facilities. Public facilities located near Burnet Rd transit stops in the service area of the proposed sidewalks include Lamar Middle School, Northwest Park, the new Steck Library, Pillow Elementary and Burnet Middle School.

2. Traffic reduction. With traffic on Burnet Rd approaching (or already exceeding) capacity, sidewalks, bike lanes and better transit are key steps to offset increased traffic. Likely users of sidewalks include:

-- Existing residents who live near Burnet and who walk or bike to area businesses or transit stops. Assuming that the service area is a quarter mile on either side of Burnet from Koenig to 183 (2.5 miles), that the residential density in this area is 6 households per acre, that each household uses the sidewalks once a week, the total vehicle trips displaced is 674 per day.

-- Future residents living in VMU apartments and condos, especially near intersections where Rapid Bus stations will be located. Assuming residential density of 30 units per acre within 800' of the intersection of Burnet and Anderson (1500 households), assuming each household makes 5 trips a day, and assuming sidewalks replace car trips for 10% of these trips, total vehicle trips displaced near this intersection would be 750 per day. Other intersections zoned for some mixed use and where sidewalks can be expected to displace car trips include Burnet@Koenig and Burnet@Pegram/Justin.

-- Pass-thru drivers who, having stopped to shop at one destination, choose to walk to other destinations rather than drive.

3. Stimulus effect. The City already owns the right of way along Burnet. Sidewalk construction is comparatively simple, so it can be done quickly and will employ a significant number of workers.

[edit] Points Against

1. Cost. This cost-benefit study http://www.dksassociates.com/admin/paperfile/Loudon%20ITE%20District%206%202005%20Paper.pdf by William Loudon of bicycle and pedestrian access improvements offers unit cost estimates for 6' sidewalks on both sides of the street of $1.7 million per mile. The Burnet Rd cost estimate is $4 million per mile. The difference is in the depth of the sidewalks proposed for Burnet, 12-15', and in features such as tree-wells for shading.

The kinds of sidewalks proposed for this project make the most sense in areas getting high levels of pedestrian traffic. Some parts of Burnet may not see those levels for years.

[edit] Possible Refinements to the Project

Burnet Rd runs for miles. Some places along Burnet are better suited for mixed use residential districts than others. These districts, together with the areas near public facilities, should get immediate priority with regard to sidewalks since utilization here will be higher.

The City's transit authority, CapMetro, is in the process of selecting sites for Rapid Bus stations along Burnet Rd. Sidewalks, plazas, and station amenities that make transit easier to use should have near-term priority.