Festival Time Again

Texas Tribune Festival returns in September with full weekend of politicalprogramming

The times they are a-changin' in government, public policy and everything in between. Whether you want to make some noise, or just stay informed, the Texas Tribune Festival is the place to be this September.

After a successful inaugural year in 2011, Texas Tribune Festival is back with a full weekend of debate, discussion and dialogue, bringing some of the biggest names in the world of politics and public policy to Austin from September 21 - 23, 2012.

The Texas Tribune, a nonpartisan, non-profit media outlet focusing on statewide public policy, politics and government issues, started the festival to bring together some of the state’s most prominent thinkers and improve civic engagement in Texas.

The festival will be held on the University of Texas campus, and is comprised of six tracks covering topics relevant to our state and nation: Energy & Environment, Race & Immigration, Public & Higher Education, Health & Human Services, Law & Order and Trade & Transportation.

Festival attendees can pick and choose among sessions throughout the day, so it’s easy to concentrate on topics of interest (and avoid others). With its cohesive design and organization, navigating the expansive university campus is no problem.

The weekend will kick off on the evening of Friday, September 21 with “A Conversation with Rick Perry.” Because what is a festival about Texas politics without a few words from the longest standing governor in the state’s history?

Saturday will offer a full day of seminars and debates featuring heavy-hitters from across the state. And after eight information-filled hours, attendees can head over to Scholz Garten for beers and mingling with other festival-goers. The festival will come to a close Sunday afternoon with "A Discussion About the 2012 Presidential Race," featuring speakers Gwen Ifill, Hendrik Hertzberg, Julie Mason and Maggie Haberman.

General registration for the second annual politics festival opened on Monday, July 16. If purchased before August 16, tickets are a reasonable $100. A special discounted rate of $50 is available to all students, faculty and university and K-12 staff.

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More information about the second annual Texas Tribune Festival and its programming can be found here.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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