AUSTIN, Texas — In just the last week, Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) has responded to several serious crashes in the South Congress area.
"One resulted in a fatality," said ATCEMS Cpt. Christina Stedman, referring to a collision on Thursday morning between a car and a cyclist where the cyclist ended up dying.
Just up the road, a vehicle hit a pedestrian near South Congress Ave. and Lightsey Rd.
“Resulted in being transported with critical live threatening injuries," Stedman said of that incident.
Michael Dowss owns property along South Congress near Stassney Ln. He said with more cars on the road, he's seen drivers speeding and plenty of accidents.
"There is a danger," Dowss said.
Vision Zero, an organization that aims to prevent traffic collisions, reports from January 2020 through August 2024, there have been eight deaths and 11 serious injuries on South Congress between Ben White Blvd. and Slaughter Ln.
Dowss said that although the city has tried to make safety improvements recently, it can still be a dangerous stretch.
“You can see by the tires marks and chipped concrete, the cars at times are coming over the curb, Dowss said. "They have narrowed the lane they need to leave the cars more latitude to move left and right.”
Dowss hopes South Congress can become more safe for both pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, but said a perfect solution is hard to come by.
"No matter what it’s a tough solution," Dowss said.