AUSTIN, Texas — Through the ATX Walk Bike Roll program, the City of Austin's Public Works Department and Transportation Department are looking to update the Urban Trails Plan. The update will re-examine the trail network and update sidewalks and bikeway plans.
Katie Wettick, community services division manager for the Public Works Department, said the main focus of this update is to provide comfortable paths for all Austin residents, no matter their race.
“We're realizing that past planning efforts and past planning decisions haven't taken into account the needs of all communities,” Wettick said. “And so, we're really trying to rectify that by looking at how we add infrastructure in historically underserved areas.”
To achieve its equity goals, the program has hired community ambassadors from underrepresented populations to find out which updates to infrastructure will have a positive impact.
“Our community ambassadors are people who are really embedded in the communities that we're trying to reach,” Wettick said. “So, they applied for this role and then they go and do outreach for us within their communities because they already have trust, they have relationships, and they're able to have these really great in-depth conversations with their community members that they then bring back to us so that we can put that feedback into our plans as part of the process.”
Marifer Tamkin walks two to three miles every day on Boogy Creek Trail.
"To let off some steam and have a good time working out," she said.
As a Latina woman, she said safety is a top priority.
"There's a lot of nature here," she said. "There are so many people that come on this trail. So, I always feel really safe going on it. And it's also down the street from my house. It's really accessible for me."
Wettick hopes the program's plans allow everyone to feel as safe as Tamkin does.
Wettick said this fall, the team behind the program will present different scenarios of updates to the community and ensure everyone is on board. Once the public approves the draft plans, the team hopes to present them to the Austin City Council and have them adopted by summer 2023.
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