How many arrests has APD made since reopening 6th Street on weekends?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Use of force incidents and total arrests along Sixth Street have declined between early 2024 and early 2025, as the city continues its phase approach to reopen Sixth Street to vehicular traffic on the weekend.
The pilot program kicked off in early January with a focused effort on the 200 through 500 blocks of Sixth Street, between Red River and Brazos Streets. The Austin Police, Transportation and Public Works and Development Services departments have collaborated on the initiative, with officials using temporary rubber curbs and fencing to modify the street.
City crews have also expanded pedestrian space along the sidewalks and modified signal timing to improve safety conditions, with officials telling the Austin Mobility Committee Thursday that there have been no operational issues flagged since the changes began.
Transportation and Public Works officials have added rideshare drop-off zones and incorporated signage to direct people away from drop-offs along Sixth Street, and the pedestrian crossing at Trinity Street closes each night as crowd sizes grow.
Austin Police provided data to the committee Thursday that compared incidents between Jan. 1 and Feb. 11, 2024, as well as the same time this year. Last year, that timespan included 177 use-of-force incidents as well as 171 total arrests on Sixth Street; by comparison, there were 88 use-of-force incidents and 113 total arrests along Sixth Street during the same time this year.
Officers along the Sixth Street opening area made more than 80 traffic stops on Friday and Saturday nights in February, APD officials said Thursday; those enforcements have resulted in a decline in "observed traffic violations," per city documents.
The next step for the program includes reinstalling the configuration now that South by Southwest has concluded. Mid-term efforts include incorporating sturdier materials to bolster some of the streetscape elements, with considerations including parklets, planters and concrete barriers.
Looking toward long-term changes, Transportation and Public Works crews are facilitating an engineering study to coincide with other city-led transportation plans and to help support revitalization efforts along the corridor.