6th Street Safety Stats for the Pilot Program

On Wednesday, January 15, a press conference was held at Parkside to announce the pilot to reopen 6th Street to vehicular traffic during the weekends. The pilot allows us to test new approaches that can have an immediate, positive impact, and inform potential changes the design and future management of this important, historic public space. Sheryl Sculley, Downtown Alliance board member, spoke on our behalf to express appreciation to Mayor Watson, APD Chief Davis, Public Works & Transportation Director Richard Mendoza, and City Manager TC Broadnax for their support of this effort to improve public safety downtown and specifically in the E 6th Street District. Learn more about the changes here.

At the beginning of March, ACM Garcia released a memo on preliminary data around the opening of 6th Street to vehicles Thursday-Sunday nights. The re-opening of East 6th Street is the first step in transforming for this world-renowned street into an 18-hour retail and entertainment district. The City’s website on the pilot has the boundaries and other helpful information on the rationale for this safety pilot.

The Results so Far

The preliminary public safety data is encouraging, we hope to see the trend continuing.

-Overall, there is a decrease in arrests, use of force and officer injuries compared to 2024

-Use of force on 6th Street is down 50%, and overall use of force is down 57%

It’s also important to note that the year-to-date crime comparisons within our PID (Public Improvement District) boundaries show favorable trends.

-All Crimes Against Persons within the PID are down 46% YTD (170 to 91 crimes)

-All Crimes Against Property within the PID are down 62% YTD (278 to 106 crimes)

-All Crimes Against Society within the PID are down 44% YTD (129 to 74 crimes)

Our Information on Foot Traffic

We created a “Place of Interest” around 6th Street in PlacerAI to analyze visitation patterns and demographic shifts that may occur with the pilot program. Here is what we found:

There is currently no end date planned; however, the pilot has been suspended during SXSW. The infrastructure providing deepened sidewalks will not be removed during the suspension. The road will be shut down to vehicular traffic on a rolling schedule.

Having a safe downtown is a top priority of ours. Improving safety on 6th Street is essential to improving the health and viability of this world-renowned destination. We support the pilot and look forward to seeing how this will help shape and enhance the future of the District.