Traffic Nightmare

Downtown Austin's stretch of I-35 named the most congested roadway in Texas

Ahead of a meeting for the Texas Senate Transportation Committee, a stretch of I-35 in Austin is ranked as the most congested in the state.

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If you’re a regular commuter in Austin, you might want to sit down for this news. (However, you’re probably already sitting because you’re still stuck in traffic on I-35.)

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has released its annual report of the “Top 100 Congested Roadways” in the state, and the main stretch I-35 in Austin takes the top spot.

Specifically, the segment between US-183 and SH-71 is the most congested roadway in the state, according to data through August 31, 2013. While not a surprise to many local drivers, the I-35 segment was ranked fourth just a few years ago. Tarrant and Harris counties have previously boasted the most congested roadways in the state, with I-35W in Fort Worth and I-45 in Houston formerly ranked as No. 1.

The rankings will be a focus for lawmakers who meet this week to discuss ways to alleviate traffic in the state. As with previous years, the rankings also provide insight into the ongoing plans and strategies TxDOT has to address the traffic headaches. So far, the only plan specific to the I-35 corridor is to continue the HERO Patrol Service to quickly clear accidents between Buda and Round Rock. The stretch of roadway has an annual congestion cost of $172 million.

Mopac is, of course, Travis County’s second most congested roadway, however it ranked No. 27 on the statewide list. Don’t be surprised to see it rising in next year's rankings, thanks to the major reconstruction project.

The report did include some good news for Austin commuters. Not all Austin roadways saw increased congestion this year. North Lamar Boulevard between West Fifth Street and West 45th Street has fallen to No. 71 on the list (it ranked No. 24 in 2010).

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Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

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