Can you briefly describe the overall concept of the Downtown Austin Park and Ride (DAPR)? What problem is it trying to solve?
RECA’s Downtown Mobility Task Force conceived DAPR last summer as we sought to address the issue of traffic congestion and insufficient parking in Austin’s downtown Central Business District (CBD). To help with this endeavor, RECA hired HNTB, a 90+ year-old, internationally respected engineering services firm to conduct a study and assist with formulating a proposal to help solve the problem. The study revealed that the actual estimated deficit of parking spaces in the CBD today is approximately 2,500. Conservative projections suggest that if downtown continues to grow over the next five years at the current pace, the deficit of parking spaces will triple to more than 7,500. In addition, because of the limited access points in and out of the CBD, there are a number of severely congested intersections currently operating during peak rush hours at a Level of Service F, defined by transportation planners as the lowest measurement of efficiency for a road’s performance.
