Actual street · February 2024
Four lanes for through traffic
Left turns, through traffic, buses, and business access all compete in the same lanes.
- No dedicated turning space
- Long crossing distance
- Little room for refuge or shade
A community vision for South First Street
Easier to cross. Easier to reach.
South First Alliance began with neighbors, business owners, and people who use the street. The question is simple: could South First work better with one lane in each direction, a center space for left turns, safer crossings, clear sidewalks, and better bus stops?
Same street.
Different choices.
Different choices.
The problem, in one frame
The street is wide. The walking space is not.
Four lanes for cars going straight leave no separate place for left turns. Along the edge, people walk through a narrow space crowded by poles, signs, and driveways.
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01
Turning happens in a through lane.
One waiting driver can stop everyone behind them.
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02
The sidewalk is an obstacle course.
Poles, signs, driveways, and broken edges reduce the usable width.
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03
Crossing means clearing the full street.
There is no midpoint where a person can pause safely.
These photos were taken in 2024. Some conditions may have changed. Before a public campaign begins, the same locations should be photographed again.
Three possibilities at the same intersection
What could South First actually look like?
Each image starts from the real Monroe Street photograph. The buildings, signals, utilities, and camera angle stay fixed. Only the street treatment changes.
Same real viewpoint
Option 02
Planted median + turn areas
Raised planted islands give people a safe place to stop halfway across. Short turning areas remain where homes and businesses need them.
- Lets people cross one direction at a time
- Could add shade and absorb rainwater
- Driveway access must be worked out carefully
These pictures were created with AI from the real February 2024 photograph. They show ideas only. They are not measured plans and do not tell us how traffic, drainage, utilities, or property access would work.
What the vision is trying to change
Five things people should be able to do.
A street design is useful only if daily tasks become safer and easier.
Turn without blocking traffic
Reach a home, business, or side street without stopping a through lane.
Cross in two shorter steps
Use a safe place to pause halfway instead of clearing every lane at once.
Walk side by side
Pass poles, signs, trees, and other people without stepping toward traffic.
Wait for the bus in shade
Board from a level, accessible pad with a clear path to the sidewalk.
Keep businesses reachable
Plan turns, deliveries, parking, and driveway access block by block.
What Austin and other cities have already tried
These ideas are already used on city streets.
The examples below show that these designs can work. South First still needs its own measurements and public review.
01
Barton Springs compared with South First
One lane each way. Travel time changed by seconds.
After Austin changed Barton Springs from four lanes to two, drivers going over 40 mph fell 64 to 70%. Reported crashes fell 17%. The longest average trip increase was nine seconds.
See the comparison → 02National street-design guidance
Neighborhood main street
Many main streets use fewer travel lanes, more crossings, center turn lanes, and planted medians to make homes and businesses easier to reach.
See an example street ↗ 03National street-design guidance
A safe place to pause while crossing
A raised island in the middle lets someone cross one direction of traffic at a time.
See how crossing islands work ↗
What these examples cannot answer
South First is different on every block. Before choosing a plan, the City needs to measure how many cars use it, where people turn, how buses operate, where crashes happen, and how homes and businesses are reached.
From pictures to a real decision
Now test the ideas against the street.
The pictures start the conversation. The next step is to bring the group back together, collect current information, listen to people who use each part of the street, and decide which ideas deserve real engineering work.
See the 30-day plan →