Austin Transportation Department officials and representatives from three new bike-share companies have broken bread. The meeting came at the city’s request after the companies – Spin, Ofo and Donkey Republic – dropped their on-demand bicycles onto city sidewalks at the beginning of South by Southwest without any notice. The companies differ from Austin’s official bike-share service, B-Cycle, in that their two-wheelers don’t require docking stations. The potential for bikes to be picked up and dropped off on any piece of available right-of-way struck a note of concern for ATD officials. On Tuesday, the department issued a statement saying that the companies have been “instructed to suspend service until proper documentation such as insurance and safety requirements can be reviewed.” The statement goes on to say, “We welcome innovative transportation solutions and look forward to learning how dockless bike share systems can further mobility choices in a safe and reliable manner. We are in discussions with these companies about a short-term non-commercial pilot project that, if approved, would operate for the length of the SXSW Festival. Through this pilot program, the City intends to gather information about system operations in order to further our understanding of the public benefits of this type of bike sharing service. The City of Austin actively promotes bicycle transportation and supports access to bike share as a mobility option for residents and visitors to Austin. However, it is important that all businesses occupying the public right of way do so lawfully, and do not present any public safety hazards.“

The Texas Legislature put a number of Austin regulations in the hot seat on Tuesday. In addition to proposed rules for ride-hailing companies and grocery store plastic bag bans, the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce also took up a bill that could abrogate the city’s policy on short-term rentals. The committee had met on Tuesday morning but recessed just before noon before taking up state Sen. Kelly Hancock’s Senate Bill 451 in order for the members to join the full Senate in its marathon discussion of SB 6, otherwise known as the bathroom bill. The committee reconvened in the evening and heard from SB 451 opponent Mayor Steve Adler and supporter City Council Member Ellen Troxclair. Troxclair explained that the city’s rules – which cap the number of certain STRs – inhibit property owners’ economic freedom. “The majority of stories that we heard were not from evil corporate investments,” Troxclair said. “They were local Austinites who were using a short-term rental as a way to help them afford to live in our city.”

With all the festivities going on this week, Austin-Travis County EMS shores up its downtown presence today at 3 p.m. Starting then, ATCEMS will activate its Casualty Collection Point at the corner of Fifth and Congress. Each day, the agency will plot the incidents on an interactive map that will include information about the location, the response and patient dispositions. Information about the incidents will be included in a press release to be sent out by 1 p.m. the next day (beginning on Wednesday). Check out the live audio feed of ATCEMS radio traffic in the area here (also kicking off at 3 p.m. today).

City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan isn’t letting the fun and shenanigans of South by Southwest distract him from serious issues at the 85th Texas Legislature. On Monday, Flannigan railed against Senate Bill 6, otherwise known as the “bathroom bill,” which would dictate public bathroom usage based on biological genders. At a panel discussion at Cheer Up Charlies, he took aim at the lawmakers who crafted the bill. “There is no room for discussion. They are bigots, they are racists, they are homophobes. And there is no way we can allow them to retain positions of leadership which then enables people who secretly believe those things to publicly believe those things that then leads to silence, and ultimately and often in the trans community and the LGBT (community), people taking their own lives.” Afterward, Flannigan told the Austin Monitor, “At South by, I think it’s important that we don’t just invite our visitors here and take their money. We also need to take the opportunity to educate them and leverage this power to do good for not just Texas but the whole nation.” The Texas Senate will likely vote on SB 6 this week.

Since no one mortal can keep up with Mayor Steve Adler, who is out-Southby-ing us all, we will point you in the direction of his Reddit appearance from yesterday, which can be enjoyed from the relative comfort of home, without a badge. Highlights include a prediction that the San Antonio/Austin/Waco corridor will be a “megalopolis” within 25 years and a glowing endorsement of changing the name of Austin Energy to “Austin Powers.” But there is a lot of talk about mobility and affordability, too, for the more serious-minded.

Looking for something to do during this super-boring week in Austin, Texas? As usual, the Austin Monitor has you covered. Join Monitor publisher Mike Kanin and editor Liz Pagano along with National Bright Cities program director Heidi Gerbracht and Giving City’s Monica Maldonado Williams in an “Ask (Us) Anything” at the Known Unknown series tomorrow. Ask me about my black eye! Ask Kanin about Black Eyes! The fun starts at 2 p.m. at the Violet Crown theater downtown. More details, and the full lineup, is here.

South by Southwest is a busy time for pretty much everyone living in or stepping foot in Austin for the next two weeks. Take this opportunity to take care of a few housekeeping items that will ensure this period goes as smoothly as humanly possible. Download the SXSW GO app to maintain schedules and keep up with the latest festival news. The Austin Police Department also has an app where you can get news alerts, find station information and file anonymous tips to help fight crime. Find directions, street closures and information about local tow companies and their respective jurisdictions on the city’s website.

Last month, watershed protection planners descended on Texas State University in San Marcos and discussed the future of Texas’ beloved springs, creeks and rivers. Some of the key topics include how the rapidly growing state can meet its future water needs, how it will pay for it and what the legislature should be doing right now to address the issue. The panel also touched on the importance of the relationships between conservationists and local landowners in maintaining and protecting state waterways. In order to reach a wider audience than the initial 150 people who were in attendance on Feb. 24, the Hill Country Alliance, the nonprofit behind the effort, has made the audio available on the Texas Public Radio website.

Yesterday, the Austin Transportation Department may have found a way to make routine gripes about Austin’s traffic safety a part of the recently approved Vision Zero Action Plan. The Vision Zero Input Map is an interactive tool launched by the city to make it easier for Austinites to share places where streets need to be safer. Though there is a way to report for various modes of travel, the city is encouraging pedestrian concerns over the next couple of weeks and will use the data to help craft the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan – just one component of the Vision Zero program.

If you think you’re busy during South by Southwest, take a look at Mayor Steve Adler’s schedule for just day one of the week-and-a-half-long festival. Adler kicks off March 9 with a Texas Tribune Conversation with Evan Smith at 7:30 a.m. in the Austin Club, before running off to a 9:30 a.m. joint SXSW and U.S. Conference of Mayors panel on inequality. He will be joined there by the president of Huston-Tillotson University, Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette (Hilton Salon H). At 10:30 a.m., he’s scheduled for a SXSWedu My Brother’s Keeper Community Dialogue with Travis County Judge Sarah Echkardt, Dr. Gregory Vincent and E3’s Susan Dawson, among others (JW Marriott Salon D). The following hour Adler will join Mark Madrid of the Greater Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at Hotel Van Zandt for a talk on Igniting Latina/o Talent in Technology and Innovation, and at noon he will participate in the Real Estate Council of Austin’s Mayoral Town Hall at the Four Seasons. Adler closes Thursday with Consul General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez for the Casa Mexico Opening at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

Well, spring festival season is here, and yesterday brought news from South by Southwest that it will be rewriting its artist invitation letters and performance agreements to remove “the option of notifying immigration authorities in situations where a foreign artist might ‘adversely affect the viability of Artist’s official showcase.'” A statement from SXSW about the change reiterated that they had never reported any artist or participant to any immigration agency and that they do not “collude with” immigration agencies to deport anyone. “With the announcement of President Trump’s latest Travel Ban, SXSW would like to reaffirm its public opposition to these executive orders and provide ongoing support to the artists traveling from foreign countries to our event,” it reads. “We would like to again apologize for the language in our agreements. We care deeply about the community we serve, and our event is a welcome and safe space for all people.”

And, in SXSW news that all of Austin can’t wait to complain about: The city has also released the list of street closures for the festival. That map is embedded below, but do know that the Austin Monitor assumes that anyone driving downtown during the festival is doing so in order to complain. Otherwise, we just don’t get it.

Download (PDF, 948KB)

The Austin Independent School District will close next week, March 13-17, for spring break. That includes all district offices and schools, which will reopen for business the following Monday, March 20. Due to the closures, the sign-up for March 20’s public hearing on the Facility Master Plan is this Friday, March 10. It’s part of the ongoing process underway for the district to take stock of its current facilities and decide how they will be utilized in the future. AISD’s board got an update on the subject earlier this week. Community members who aren’t able to speak at the hearing – which begins at 1 p.m. – can email their opinions to the trustees at trustees@austinisd.org.