Martinez Endorses Mobility Bond

At a City Hall press conference today, Mayor Steve Adler and former council member Mike Martinez joined other advocates issuing statements of support for the $720 million bond proposal, which has not yet received final approval from City Council but is scheduled for a public hearing Aug. 11 and a vote either then or Aug. 18.

Steve Adler and Mike Martinez

Among the groups endorsing the proposal were members of pro-bond coalition Get Austin Moving: Austin Technology Council, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Hill Country Conservancy, Shoal Creek Conservancy, the Trail Foundation, and the Alliance for Public Transportation.

The mayor described the mobility bond as a continuation of work begun by previous councils, and said: “The Smart Corridor bond is the next step in the progress that Mike Martinez made on the Austin City Council and the CapMetro board. Now is the time to take the corridor plans off the shelf and put them into action. These plans are the right way both to address traffic congestion and to get more people using rapid transit.”

In a statement posted to Facebook, Martinez said: “This bond proposal [is] not a perfect plan, but transportation and traffic are certainly something we can all agree is a major issue for our community and needs serious attention. I hope you will join us and support this proposal. … We must come together and unite to make … lasting changes in our community.”

For a detailed breakdown of the bond proposal, see our coverage from this week’s issue (“What Would $720 Million for Transportation Buy?," Aug. 5) here.