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31K Portraits of Peace/Retratos por la Paz

January 19, 2012 by Erica

Portrait by Diego Huerta for 31K Portraits for Peace exhibition.

Something special is coming to Austin beginning next Friday: 31K retratos por la paz/portraits for peace, a powerful exhibit featuring the photography of Diego Huerta that opens Jan. 27 at the Mexic-Arte Museum.

The 31K project chronicles the hope for peace that still remains in Mexico despite the ongoing drug wars that have killed 31,000 people. From the Mexic-Arte website:

Diego Huerta and project partner Daniela Gutiérrez have travelled throughout Mexico and arrived at cities like Guadalajara, Campeche, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Ciudad de México, Mazatlan, and Baja California.

For over 180 days Diego and Daniela have cataloged their project on both their website and Facebook pages providing followers with current photos and video diary excerpts from their national journeys throughout Mexico. 31K’s large-scale vivid photographs portray the breadth of lives lost and the hope for peace that still remains in Mexico. With each 31K photograph Diego presents the panoply of Mexican life. Each colorful image captures a vignette of the Mexican people from students, families, street performers, artisans, businessmen, and priests.

A visit to 31kproject.com is a chills-inducing experience, with poignant video diaries and photos from each day of Diego’s and Daniela’s travels. While you’re out and about around town or onboard the bus, you might see the exhibit preview on both the outside and inside of some of our buses. Capital Metro is a supporter of this fantastic exhibit.

Here are the details of the opening reception:

January 27
6 -7 p.m. Members Reception
7 -9 p.m. Members and General Public Reception
Admission: Free for Mexic-Arte Museum Members/$10 for non-members
Getting to the museum: Mexic-Arte Museum is on the corner of 5th and Congress. Ride 1L/1M, 5, 7, 10, 20, 30 and 101

Follow Diego and Daniela’s 31K Project on their official website and on their facebook page.

Posted in Capital Metro news, community, events, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Resolve to Ride in 2012

January 2, 2012 by Erica

Happy 2012!

For many people, New Year’s is a time of reflection and introspection. There’s something about wrapping up a year and anticipating the next that just lends itself perfectly to resolutions and goal-setting. What went well in 2011? What do I want to do differently in 2012?

If any of your resolutions for 2012 pertain to saving money, getting healthier, or being kinder to our planet, consider adding Capital Metro to your bucket list for 2012.

SAVE SOME GREEN
Conservatively, you can save a couple hundred bucks a month on gas by taking public transportation instead of driving your car. It costs just $1 per trip on the bus, and buying a multi-ride pass will bring the cost per trip down even more. Calculate your savings. Check out our low fares.

GET LEAN
I’m always fretting over my weight and trying to find time to incorporate more exercise into my daily routine. You may not immediately connect public transportation with exercise, but consider that every single transit rider starts and ends as a pedestrian. Think about it: you walk (or bike) to your stop, and on the tail end, you walk to your destination. Over time that walking adds up to pounds and inches.

GO GREEN
Recycling is great, but if you’re ready to take it to the next level, ride Capital Metro. Taking public transportation instead of driving your own car is the single greatest action you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. Calculate your carbon savings by riding public transportation.

If you want to make a difference in 2012 on the environment or on your waistline or bottom line, mosey over to Capital Metro’s online store and purchase a transit pass today. Here’s to a great beginning to 2012.

Posted in Benefits of Transit, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Be a Night Owl on New Year’s Eve

December 28, 2011 by Erica

Looking to revel downtown on New Year’s Eve this year? Capital Metro, in partnership with the Austin Police Department, wants to help you ring in the new year safely, and we’re offering FREE Night Owl service on New Year’s Eve.

Ride a regular local bus to downtown that night for $1, and catch a free return ride via one of six Night Owl bus routes, which begin service at midnight and run til after 3 a.m. Catch one of these buses at 6th and Congress, with service to neighborhoods throughout town.

This means your transportation costs for New Year’s Eve can max out at a mere $1–the cost of a one-way fare via Capital Metro’s regular local routes. Yes! No parking fees, no circling the block looking for a meter, and no worrying about the dangers of being out on the road that night.

You can plan your trip with our online trip planner, and check out the Night Owl maps, too, to see if our late night service will work for you.

APD is stepping up its DWI enforcement. Don’t chance it! If you’re flying late on New Year’s, get on the Night Owl.

Posted in Capital Metro news, community, events, safety | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Happy Holidays from Capital Metro

December 23, 2011 by Erica

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Getting around town in 2012: by Train, by Bus, by Bike

December 22, 2011 by jolindamarshall

We want to encourage more people to use bicycles to connect to MetroBus and MetroRail.  We want to know more about how bicyclists currently connect to transit, and what barriers prevent potential bicyclists from choosing to ‘bike-and-ride’.

Please take the Bicycle ‘First Mile/Last Mile’ Connection survey –available through January 15th!  

Capital Metro has been pleased to see an increase of transit ridership that includes more cyclists. We are looking at first/last mile opportunities to help cyclists and other passengers to connect to/from the trains and at bus transfer areas.  Information we get from this survey will tell us how we can provide better bike access to our services. 

While providing optimum services to all of our passengers, we want accommodate the needs of our passengers that connect by bike.   To do that, we are taking steps to address cyclist demand in a variety of ways:

We do allow for folding bikes on the buses. Standard bikes are not allowed on the interior of our buses due to space and liability reasons.  We have researched practices of other transit agencies throughout the country and have found this to be true of most other transit agencies aboard standard buses.  We are instead working on convenient options that will enhance bike/bus connections.  

We will be adding secure/enclosed bike storage at some of our transit stations and park and rides soon.  The first one will be at Kramer Station this spring.  It will consist of a fully-enclosed parking area for 24 bikes that is accessible by a secured access card to provide a higher level of security and protection for bikes.  For some, it will offer a preferred alternative to transporting bikes on the trains and buses. Six more of them will be installed in 2012-13 throughoutAustin.  We are also working with the city ofAustin’s implementation of their bike-share program. 

Capital Metro continues to improve safety, access, and accessibility to stops and crossings, to add bike parking at key stops, and to implement special projects like the shared use ped/bike trail construction from Highland Mall (Denson Dr.) to Lamar Blvd. to enhance pedestrian and cyclist connections to transit options.  These and other efforts will enable more people to ride their bikes to connect to transit opportunities that can best serve their lifestyle.  Continue Reading »

Posted in bike by bus, bikes, MetroRail, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

James Ferguson takes his first MetroRail ride

December 19, 2011 by Erica

Data Analyst Brad Weaver, Vice Chair John Langmore and CEO Linda S. Watson met Mr. Ferguson (seated) and his caseworker Roy Salazar (right) at Plaza Saltillo for a train ride.

Data Analyst Brad Weaver, Vice Chair John Langmore and CEO Linda S. Watson met Mr. Ferguson (seated) and his caseworker Roy Salazar (right) at Plaza Saltillo for a train ride.

We posted a story from the Austin American-Statesman earlier about James Ferguson, who was selected for the newspaper’s annual Season for Caring and who is a train buff. 

Amplify Credit Union employees had already done some awesome things for Mr. Ferguson, including redecorating and cleaning his apartment and stocking it with new furniture. We were all really touched by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the credit union employees.
 
But there was one small thing that Capital Metro could offer Mr. Ferguson that no one else could: a behind-the-scenes train experience on MetroRail.
 
On Friday, President Linda Watson, Vice Chair John Langmore and Data Analyst Brad Weaver met Mr. Ferguson and his Integral Care caseworker Roy Salazar at Plaza Saltillo for a train ride. Continue Reading »

Posted in community, MetroRail, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Fuel Spill Drill

December 16, 2011 by Misty

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, a group of four employees were told a fuel delivery truck hose failed and a large amount of diesel fuel was released on the ground next to the service island. Their job was to take care of the situation. This was just a drill, but nonetheless, they sprang into action.

A water tank was set up to act as a delivery truck leaking fuel. Five other employees were positioned around the scenario to observe and take notes. Continue Reading »

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Our holiday tradition

December 13, 2011 by Adam

My favorite holiday tradition at Capital Metro is the annual caroling from our neighbors across the street at Brooke Elementary School. As a thank you to our employees who volunteer at Brooke and help needy families, each year the school puts on a holiday concert in our lobby. Without further ado, please enjoy the third, fourth and fifth graders’ rendition of Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad:


 

Posted in Holiday, Holiday events | 1 Comment »

Capital Metro approves a long-range financial plan

December 6, 2011 by Erica

Yesterday afternoon, the board of directors approved a long-range financial plan that incorporates the forecasts for revenue and expenditures and financing options for Capital Metro for the next seven years. The plan itself is not posted online yet, but here’s an overview.

This landmark plan outlines a strategy to address several funding challenges over the next few years while increasing our savings to a projected $68 million by 2018.

As outlined in Capital Metro’s new strategic plan, we are taking steps to strengthen the financial health of the agency. The long-range financial plan will help Capital Metro meet its financial goals by:

  • Maintaining current service in the short-term
  • Providing funding for bus fleet replacements
  • Helping meet cash reserve targets of Senate Bill 650
  • Continuing MetroRapid plans as scheduled
  • Planning for federally-required Positive Train Control implementation
  • Supporting the labor structure transition

Of significant concern has been ensuring that Capital Metro’s ageing fleet can be replaced on a regular schedule. The long-range plan includes a seven-year strategy that will replace a total of 292 vehicles.

That strategy includes Capital Metro borrowing $20 million to jumpstart the vehicle replacement program in FY2013-14 and to allow the agency to stay on track to meet the Texas Legislature’s cash savings requirements as specified in SB650. Capital Metro expects to save millions in vehicle maintenance costs over the life of the loan.

Posted in finances | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Connecting Central Texas

December 5, 2011 by Misty

Have you heard about Project Connect? It’s a new initiative aimed at implementing the high capacity transit component of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) 2035 Plan. The initial Project Connect partnership includes the City of Austin, Capital Metro, the Lone Star Rail District and CAMPO.

Over the next several months, the Project Connect team will reach out to the public to build consensus and answer the following questions:

  1. How will high capacity transit components in the CAMPO 2035 Regional Transportation Plan work as a system?
  2. How will our region organize to develop and operate the system?
  3. How will we pay for the system over the long term?

This week, the public is invited to attend one of three open houses to learn more, ask questions and provide valuable feedback:

  • Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 5-8 p.m. at Bowie High School (4103 Slaughter Lane)
  • Thursday, Dec 8 from 5-8 p.m. at Anderson High School (8403 Mesa Drive)
  • Friday, Dec 9 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Austin City Hall Atrium (301 W. 2nd Street)

Want to know more? Visit connectcentraltexas.com. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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