Worst traffic seven years straight (Houston, San Antonio: daycare, transfer, live)

[twange]

Originally Posted by cdelena

Getting in front of the growth with some new ideas is really needed.

Bingo! The problem is that it usually takes too long for politicians to get things rolling...by then, the problem's even bigger.

[Txstar]

I would like to see how all the downtown development will effect public transportation. I mean if 25k residents will be living downtown, I would think the city would also want to improve mass transit (it only makes sense). I would take a guess and say that a lot of people who live downtown will still live to far to walk or even ride their bike to work. I think it would defeat the purpose if people lived downtown and still had to drive thier cars everywhere. Austin has a chance to become an urban example for the south, but only if we can capitalize on public transportation.

[jread]

Originally Posted by cdelena

Getting in front of the growth with some new ideas is really needed.

Exactly, which is why I like the idea of public transit and higher-density development. I'm also a fan of transit-oriented development (TOD), where new neighborhoods are built around public transit hubs. I think that we can still have reasonably priced single-family housing, as well as condos/apartments, if we work on strategic development and make sure to provide transit options.

This is a long but very interesting presentation that involves what I'm speaking of: http://envisioncentraltexas.org/reso...enario2005.pdf

[southwest1230]

You say public transportation isn't a win-win for anybody, when, actually, it is the ONLY win-win solution for everybody. And nobody wins per a road solution, and it just extends the amount of time before we need more roads again. Adding more roads is like giving an alcoholic another drink to take the hair-of-the-dog edge off a a hangover....

[twange]

Originally Posted by jread

This is a long but very interesting presentation that involves what I'm speaking of: http://envisioncentraltexas.org/reso...enario2005.pdf

I'm going to print that sucker out and have a go...

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Austin has one interstate and a couple of state higways.Why else would it have a traffic problem.If San Antonio had a rinky dink freeway system like that,S.A. would be a 24 hour parking lot.Austin grew to fast to quick.

[case44]

Austin will have several projects going in the next few years, but they all involve tolls. I don't have any new details for I-35, but TXDOT is reportedly out of money. Projects are covered into next year, but there is concern about 2009 and beyond. Improving Ed Bluestein and MoPac will solve some of I-35's problems, but not all of them.

[case44]

Originally Posted by Txstar

I would like to see how all the downtown development will effect public transportation. I mean if 25k residents will be living downtown, I would think the city would also want to improve mass transit (it only makes sense). I would take a guess and say that a lot of people who live downtown will still live to far to walk or even ride their bike to work. I think it would defeat the purpose if people lived downtown and still had to drive thier cars everywhere. Austin has a chance to become an urban example for the south, but only if we can capitalize on public transportation.

They definitely need rail now. If anyone needs it, it's Austin.

[Biscuits]

Originally Posted by SweethomeSanAntonio

Austin has one interstate and a couple of state higways.Why else would it have a traffic problem.If San Antonio had a rinky dink freeway system like that,S.A. would be a 24 hour parking lot.Austin grew to fast to quick.

Austin is far from a 24 hour parking lot.

People who think the traffic is bad here have either: a) never lived in a city with true traffic problems (unlike the predictable rush-hour congestion on MoPac/I-35); or, b) live far outside central Austin and need to accept the trade-off they made when they contributed to the very problem they now complain of.

Personally, there are very few hours in the week that I can't get to any place worth traveling to within 20 minutes. If I lived in S.A., I would not have this luxury; mainly because there are so few places in S.A worth traveling to.

[faithr]

In two weeks I'll be able to see this traffic situation for myself.
Currently, I live 18 miles west of DC. In order to be at the Verizon Center by 7 for a bball game, we need to leave around 5 on a weekday. We usually get there a little earlier, but we have been late allowing two hours.
I am from NYC where it once took me 4 hours to drive 20 miles out to Long Island from Manhattan. That was an extreme case, but my brother is in his car about 4-5 hours daily commuting. He lives 16 miles from his job.
I understand that Austin has some traffic issues, but I can't imagine it can be anywhere as bad as either DC or NY. Not to mention LA, of which i have no personal knowledge.