Data suggests Barton Springs Road is safer following pilot project

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A pilot safety project on Barton Springs Road has had “positive safety outcomes,” according to the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department. 

Because the road has a significant history of crashes resulting in injuries and a consistent pattern of “high-risk speeding,” Transportation and Public Works staff installed the safety project, which includes physically separated bike lanes, reducing traffic from two to one-vehicle lanes in both directions from Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard, and safer pedestrian crosswalks.

 "It's really exciting when we get to do a project and we anticipate things playing out a certain way -- and they mainly do," said Lewis Leff, Assistant Director of Transportation and Public Works Department. "We've seen a lot of great safety benefits come from the first six months."

One goal was to reduce the number of vehicles speeding 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, which on Barton Springs Road is 30 mph. Someone speeding at or above 10 mph is considered “high risk” and can lead to injury or death in crashes, according to the department. 

Staff cited an incident in 2022 where a driver was speeding at 50 mph along the road, crashed and injured 10 people. 

The department reported since the new pilot project was installed, the number of people driving over 40 mph has dropped by 65%. They said this means almost 500 fewer drivers a day are speeding above 10 mph on the road. 

The Transportation and Public Works Department reported the changes to the road have not impacted commute times terribly, but lines for traffic lights tend to be longer than before due to there only being one lane on each side.

While some have noticed an increase in traffic, Leff said the majority of residents support the safety improvements.

"What we've been able to accomplish here is really what we set out to -- a much safer street, lower risk for everybody involved, including drivers and people outside of vehicles," he said. "And [we were] able to do that with minimal operational impacts."