Browsing Tag

drunk driving

Austin

ATX Safer Streets: How You Can Help a Movement to Make Austin Safer for Pedestrians

austin

Following the news of the tragic death of Kelly (a.k.a. ATX Hipsters) this weekend, Zack Teibloom made me aware of ATX Safer Streets, a coalition of concerned citizens advocating for safer streets in Austin for pedestrians and cyclists.

You’ve probably heard a lot about ATX Safer Streets recently, and maybe you even liked their Facebook page or started following them on Twitter.

I reached out to ATX Safer Streets’ founders Sara LeVine, Joseph Boyle and Butch Dowdy to learn more about who they are and how we can help make Austin a safer place for pedestrians and cyclists.

Now is the time for us to act.

 

What is ATX Safer Streets?

Sara: We are three volunteers that are committed to improving the safety and livability of Austin through improved late night public transportation options, including buses, taxis and peer-to-peer driving programs and better options for overnight parking. We started with a petition on Change.org in March of 2014 and since then have gained a huge (more…)

April 30, 2014 by
Austin

Austin is Not a Pedestrian or Cyclist-Friendly City, and That Needs to Change

bike friendly austin
Austin is a progressive city in so many ways, but being pedestrian and cyclist-friendly are not two features the city can boast.
On Saturday, I read yet another article about a pedestrian killed by a drunk driver in Downtown Austin. I shared on Twitter that this is becoming an epidemic in our city, and that it needs to change. The next morning I woke up to discover that the pedestrian who was killed was an acquaintance of mine. Kelly, known as ATX Hipsters online, was a big supporter of bloggers, writers, musicians and social media people in Austin. He shared our blog posts, our music and our stories just because he wanted to. He always went out of his way to say hello to me, and he was a friend to many people.
While police were tending to the crash that killed Kelly, ANOTHER drunk driver crashed into that very scene (no one was killed). Kelly’s death was one of TWO pedestrian deaths on Saturday night (the other occurred in the Zilker Park area). These two deaths follow the (more…)
April 28, 2014 by
Hipstercrite Life

When the Car Speeds Out of Control

11:34PM 10/10/11 I think?

I spoke with my father earlier this evening. Dad is a part-time actor and part-time chauffeur in Los Angeles (aren’t they all?). He works for a well-known car service and because of his super flyness and charm, he often drives some of their largest clients. Most of his clients are kind or completely aloof, but never mean. Dad told me about one of the few cranky clients he had the other night, an older actor who had his heyday 40 years ago but is still milking it for all it’s worth. To make a long story short, the actor handed my dad a tip, but then decided he didn’t want to give the tip and pulled the money out of my dad’s hand and left. Dad thought it was hysterical.

But this wasn’t the story that struck me during our conversation. No, it was the part about getting hit head-on by a drunk driver on Friday night. “Now, I don’t want you to worry,” he said, “I’m fine.” My Dad knows I worry a lot. However, I think he thinks I worry more than I do. I’m not (more…)

October 11, 2011 by