Some city council members make micro-mobility a priority for Austinites

AUSTIN (KXAN) — City of Austin Council member Mackenzie Kelly of District 6 was set to address an agenda item related to micro-mobility in the city during the April 20 council meeting, but the agenda was changed after a “desired outcome” was achieved.

Kelly expressed her gratitude toward Mayor Kirk Watson and council members Zohaib Qadri, José Vela and Leslie Pool for their collaboration on the resolution.

“I'm grateful to share that we were able to achieve the desired outcome of my resolution thanks to productive discussions with stakeholders and the Austin Transportation Department,” Kelly said.

In a memo to Interim City Manager Jesus Garza, Kelly said ATD emphasized its commitment to collaborating with micro-mobility providers to ensure the services were safe and reliable by developing and implementing strategies to encourage micro-mobility use.

“I would like to commend the City Manager’s office and the Austin Transportation Department for their persistent efforts to ensure that Austinites travel safely and conveniently, making micro-mobility the most effective mode of transportation in Austin,” Kelly said.

According to Kelly’s memo, dockless micro-mobility devices were introduced in Austin in early 2018.

Kelly originally placed an item on March 23’s agenda that would direct the city manager to explore possible regulations for the organization and management of the micro-mobility devices. The item was later postponed to the April 20 meeting.