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City Parking Meters

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City of Austin getting new parking meters
City of Austin getting new parking meters

Rob Spillar stopped by the DANA board meeting this past Tuesday to share his recommendation to replace the existing parking meters.  Quite simply, the recommended system is VASTLY superior (ppt) to the old meters.

Highlights:
1) potential to partner with CapMetro to purchase bus/rail tickets
2) potential for city to compete with parking garages on weekend nights
3) time purchased is transferable to other parking locations
4) free parking for motorcycles and scooters

Today, Austin City Council approved the new parking meters on consent.

-Jude

No more weekend Dillo

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No more weekend service for the Dillo
No more weekend service for the Dillo

According to CapMetro, weekend Dillo service isn’t getting enough ridership to support its continued operation.  My question is, at $0.50 per two hour pass, were they ever expecting it to?

This would be especially frustrating news for commuters if the Commuter Rail was running weekends… but it’s not.

http://capmetro.org/news/news_detail.asp?id=6335

El Sol Y La Luna – it's all good

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El Sol y La Luna: a catalyst for change on east sixth street
El Sol y La Luna: a catalyst for change on east sixth street

Quick… think of the top three table-service restaurants, east of Congress, which are open at 7am to serve breakfast on weekend mornings?

Stumped?  Can’t even think of one?

There weren’t any, until now.

This morning I had breakfast at the new El Sol y La Luna restaurant at 6th & Red River.  THIS is what is needed on East 6th Street!  There are so many residents and visitors in this area ready to spend money on items other than alcohol.   I’ve never been to their first location on South Congress, but the vibe was a combination of Magnolia meets Las Manitas meets Habana.   The food was very good (I had an american breakfast of eggs, bacon, and waffles).  Two entrees, two drinks, plus tip was $25.  El Sol y La Luna gave me a reason to walk on the northern edge of the 600 block of East 6th street, which is a good sign for other businesses to move to the district.

I don’t want to sound overly grand, but I really think that in combination with the efforts of the DAA, DANA, and 6th Street Austin, El Sol y La Luna is the catalyst for change on East 6th.  Show your support through patronage.

El Sol y La Luna

-Jude

Brazos Streetscape Improvement & Reconstruction Project

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It’s been a few years in the making and it now appears that Brazos St will get the make over we’ve been expecting.  This month, the city should begin to send out RFPs for the construction work, which is expected to begin this summer and stretch from Cesar Chavez to 11th Street.  There will be significant infrastructure improvements.  The most visible improvement will be the addition of Great Streets sidewalks.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/publicworks/brazos.htm