Muslim leaders, city council members call for safety improvements on North Lamar Blvd.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Council on American–Islamic Relations' Austin branch (CAIR Austin) and members of the Austin City Council called for pedestrian safety improvements along North Lamar Boulevard at a press conference Wednesday.

The conference came days after the funeral of Imam Islam Mossaad. He was walking to the North Austin Muslim Community Center during the night of July 27, when a car driven by an allegedly intoxicated person struck and killed him, according to Austin Police.

"He was struck and killed in a fatal car pedestrian accident on North Lamar Boulevard, a corridor that has been neglected by the city for long time," said Shaimaa Zayan, CAIR Austin operations manager."

Zayan introduced the first speaker, Adnan Suleiman, a former NAMCC board member. He had been in contact with the city about safety concerns for nearly a decade, she said.

"[NAMCC] has been a part of the North Lamar neighborhood since 1993. Many of our members live nearby and frequently walk to attend daily prayers services and community events for the kids," he said. "Traffic safety along the North Lamar corridor ... has been a significant and an ongoing concern, with little to no improvement for a very long time."

North Lamar Boulevard sees multiple pedestrian deaths every year, according to data collated by KXAN. So far, only two people have been killed while walking along the roadway in 2025: Mossaad and one person who was Austin's second traffic fatality of this year.

"This devastating event serves as a strong reminder of the consequences of inaction," Suleiman said. "We are hopeful that these efforts will result in immediate relief to the safety concerns around the center, more broadly, bring long overdue enhancements along the entire North Lamar Boulevard."

Council members make promises, say corridor needs significant fixes

Council members Zohaib Qadri, Mike Siegel and José "Chito" Vela attended the press conference at Austin City Hall. North Lamar Boulevard runs through council districts four and seven, which Vela and Siegel represent.

Before the conference, those members issued a joint statement. In it, they said they also grieve Mossaad's death and "are ready to do everything we can to prevent future casualties."

"North Lamar may be a major thoroughfare, but it is not just a road for cars. It is a corridor that connects communities to their homes, schools, businesses, places of worship, and parks," their statement said. "It’s time to implement solutions with people in mind. Not just for movement along Lamar, but for safe passage across it."  

NAMCC, Mossaad's mosque, sits within Siegel's district. Voters in the district elected Siegel as their council member in 2024.

He announced that he's formed a team with Qadri and Vela to "make sure that fixes happen as soon as possible."

"This an unacceptable series of events -- promises were made by our city, going back to a 2016 bond that promised real, deep safety improvements to the North Lamar corridor," Siegel said. "Unfortunately, this is, to this day, one of the most dangerous corridors in the city for pedestrians. Far too many lives have been lost due to accidents between cars and pedestrians and other types of accidents."

Siegel made an new promise at the press conference: a "safe crossing beacon for pedestrians." But more improvements are necessary, he added.

"This is a street that was not built to be a part of a major urban, dense area. It was built by the state through TxDOT. It is a subpar road in terms of interactions with the urban interface," Siegel concluded.

Qadri, who spoke after Siegel, said he knew Mossaad and appreciated "his kindness and his warmth."

"When there's inaction on the council, or inaction at the local level, you see the adverse effects play out in real time, and I think that's what we saw here," he said. "I'm looking forward to making sure that that things like this don't happen again."

Vela said he appreciates Siegel's leadership towards bringing safety fixes. His constituents elected him to council in 2022 and again in 2024.

"When a faith community loses its leader, it's something that deeply affects the entire community. My deep condolences to all who mourn him," Vela said. "I look forward to working with [Siegel] over the next few years to make sure that we get the safety improvements that were promised."

The council member explained what he learned about previously promised projects along the corridor. He said that a previous bond project lacked sufficient funding, and said he's committed to funding the improvements.

"This is, as both of my colleagues mentioned, one of the deadliest streets in Austin, and that that needs to change," Vela said. "We know the improvements that we need to make. We know that these improvements will increase safety and save lives, and we need to get it done as soon as possible."