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.
From what we see to what we can measure
South First now has its own public-data baseline.
The record shows repeated injury crashes, a strong turning pattern, and sidewalks the City marks as deficient. It supports a closer study, not a predetermined design.
01
Barton Springs Road to Oltorf Street
What the public record shows about our street.
Five years of City records show repeated injury crashes near the corridor. Turning, walking conditions, transit, and missing traffic studies point to the questions the City should answer next.
See the evidence → 02A nearby Austin test
One lane each way. Travel time changed by seconds.
Austin measured speeding, travel time, and crashes before and after it changed Barton Springs Road.
See the comparison → 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 the baseline cannot answer
No current public study shows 2026 traffic volume, operating speeds, travel times, diversion, bus delay, right-of-way fit, or which lane layout would work. Those measurements should come before a design.
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 →