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The city of Austin worked to make Sixth Street safer following the June mass shootings that killed one person and injured more than a dozen others.
AUSTIN, Texas – Security improvements are slowly but surely coming to Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district following the June mass shootings that killed one person.
Austin Energy crews replaced 64 lights with brighter LED lights to improve lighting, according to a memo sent to Mayor and City Council by Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon and Development Services Director Denise Lucas.
It is possible that the area could get even brighter, especially in the back streets that run north to south, depending on the results of a lighting study. The city may also ask landowners to illuminate their buildings facing the alley more.
The improvements are in response to the Safer 6th Street resolution passed by the Council in July.
Work is also underway to create a dedicated staging area for first responders that will also serve as a command post for a Rescue Task Force, the memo says. APD officials, Austin fire teams and Austin-Travis County paramedics would all be deployed in the area to help reach and treat patients more quickly.
During the mass shooting, some patients trapped in the crowd had to be taken to safety by police officers. Some were also transported to hospital in police cars amid the chaos.
Members of APD, the Austin Transportation Department, Austin Energy, AFD, ATCEMS, the Austin Code Department, and the Historic Preservation Office met in August to discuss security solutions.
Throughout the process, the team has learned that underage drinking and fake ID cards are still widespread on Sixth Street. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) performed an operation to drink minors in early September. The TABC and APD will now perform more operations in the future, says the memo.
Other security solutions are still being considered and the city staff will need more time to review the options.
The city could launch various programs to try to get rid of the area where crowds gather on the street. Some of the options include cafe seating, water barriers, or other “pop-up” measures along the street that would still leave wider walkways for people between shops. The road is closed to car traffic on the weekends.
The City also examines how other major cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and others handle nightlife and entertainment district management.
Another option is to require entertainment company employee safety training – something that could be enforced as part of the business licensing process. The team working on solutions has yet to seek feedback from business owners to figure out how to move forward with this option.
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