AUSTIN, Texas – City officials talk about the changes to improve safety on 6th Street in downtown Austin.
What we know:
A news conference is being held at 10:30 a.m. (CT) at Parkside Austin in the 300 block of East 6th Street.
City and community leaders, including Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, Shawn Cirkiel, Chef/Owner of Parkside Austin and Chairman of the Pecan Street Association, Anna Martin, Assistant Director for City of Austin’s Transportation & Public Works Department and Sheryl Sculley, Downtown Austin Alliance Board of Directors and downtown resident are all expected to speak.
The backstory:
APD talks safety on 6th St. in downtown Austin
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis talks about plans to improve safety on 6th Street after the recent terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Officials had held a news conference on January 2 to talk about safety on 6th Street following the terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Sixth Street has been blocked off to vehicles from sunset until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday for several decades. However, Chief Davis plans to change all that.
Davis aims to open 6th Street to traffic because she believes it will help the city crackdown on crime. However, in the wake of the New Orleans terror attack, she added more barriers to block off the street, including large trucks.
Chief Davis said she thinks allowing vehicles to drive through the pedestrian-filled street might improve security and prevent fights.
The other side:
APD still looking at opening 6th Street to cars
Austin police say they are still planning to open Sixth Street to vehicular traffic, even after the deadly truck attack in New Orleans where 14 people were killed when a man drove a truck into a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers on New Year’s Day.
Not everyone likes the idea of opening 6th Street.
Downtown business owner Bob Woody doesn’t think it’s a good idea. “Opening Sixth Street, putting cars where pedestrians are causes a problem,” he said.
Some Austin residents like Juliette Bueno echo that thought.
“I think that’s really dangerous at night. Especially during the weekends, there’s a lot of drunk people here, so it’s just not a good idea. People mindlessly probably would walk, and it would really put the pedestrians in danger,” she said.
What they’re saying:
“Large crowds leaving Blind Pig, 800 people at 2 a.m. into the street, difficult for any sized sidewalk to accommodate it. Same thing, across the street, same thing next door. Maggie Mae’s. Shakespeare. 800. 800. 800 [people each]. 2,400 people on the sidewalks,” Woody said. “Take the cars away. Nobody gets hit by a car. That’s the end. That’s it. Don’t add vehicles. You won’t have a vehicular accident.”
“Recognizing what happened in New Orleans and Las Vegas, we do need to take some steps,” said Chief Davis.
What’s next:
6th Street tall curb edges coming soon
Sixth Street has been blocked off to vehicles from sunset until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday for several decades. However, the new police chief plans to change all that, a concept the city has been testing out.
Curb edges have been installed along sections of 6th Street.
Davis says the plan is to have the curb edges, which are 12 to 18 inches tall, for the entire length of the street from Brazos to Red River.
The Source: Information from previous reporting and the City of Austin.
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