Austin - 10 years behind on roads? (Cedar Park, Cleveland: transporting, purchase, good schools)

[car957]

Its not just cajones. Its the dollars. I would love to ride downtown from a rail station located within a few miles of my home. And I am not advocating this as the end-all solution.

We've been debating mass transit for 20 years in Austin and we've been relying on CapMetro and CAMPO. I see neither of them considering the interests of all of the citizens. I think some of Federal dollars have been held hostage by some puddinghead legislator from Williamson County.

I do agree that making downtown the center of the community works. I'm there 3-4X/month and I love downtown. If I could live there I would. I can't and I like where I am. If we want to add density as we progress outward, lets do it. Force me into a park & ride. Fine. Just give me a way to get to the airport using public transit. Oh, and that goes for my North Austin friends who would live for a mechanism that served all transportation venues.

I hope I am as wise as Twange in a few more years....

[twange]

Originally Posted by car957

Just give me a way to get to the airport using public transit. Oh, and that goes for my North Austin friends who would live for a mechanism that served all transportation venues.

I hope I am as wise as Twange in a few more years....

Why on earth is there no bus that goes to the airport here in the south. My Gawd, what an oversight...no wonder nobody trusts CapMetro Just run one down the frontage road of Ben White...

And I'll take that back-door compliment as a good, friendly jab in the ribs?

[southwest1230]

Originally Posted by love roses

I never really gave it that kind of thought, but I have to agree with the stop sign (structural) issue you pointed out. I do have a hard time visualizing us with Houston sized freeway systems, however, and wish they would put a little more "meat on the bones" of this railway system, even from the start. I'm not sure it's enough. I loved that when we were in Denver, CDOT included virtually every outlying area from Dowtown, even as far as Highlands Ranch for a rail line. They just went whole hog, and I wished austin had the cajones to do that.

I truly think that, on a subconscious level, the people that make these decisions don't want the growth. Same as a gov't burying bills in committee, you can bury future growth in a disfunctional highway grid. You have to make hard decisions to make that happen. I think there is more to this than at first glance. Most people would call it Stonewalling.

[southwest1230]

Originally Posted by twange

Some may suggest that is, in fact..."The Dark Side, Luke"...

http://www.rumrill.net/brian/pics/pics5/pics5/DarthVader/darth_vader_closeup.jpg (broken link)

Hahaha....good one......can I elaborate on that one? :

"Luke...AHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGG...........Luke.... come over to the dark
side of unregulated planning ........aggggghhhhhhhhh......before soon you will be Houston lite......agghhhhhhhhhhh

[twange]

Bleep-doop-op-erp-iddle-eee-gwap...!

[mimimomx3]

The exit off of MoPac onto Lake Austin Blvd had a stop sign instead of a traffic light. So there we were, with a bunch of other folks trying to cross traffic through a bumper-to-bumper caterpillar of disgruntled drivers only getting out because of someone's goodwill. That seems to be just an outdated, mismanaged intersection. I see stuff like that everywhere around here. I'm not talking about $200 billion projects.

That is a strange intersection...and I have no idea why that exists. It seems that if there were something better it would be there, but who knows? I think that fundamentally, Austin wasn't really planned to be anything more than a college-capital Southern town, and I don't think it can be retrofitted from the inside out to be a mini San Francisco. I think our bus system could be bettter, the outer suburbs should have (and could have at this point) better mass transit (light rail, etc). But when it concerns the central city (bounded by 183, 35, 360, the river), what we have is what we have.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by southwest1230

I truly think that, on a subconscious level, the people that make these decisions don't want the growth. Same as a gov't burying bills in committee, you can bury future growth in a disfunctional highway grid. You have to make hard decisions to make that happen. I think there is more to this than at first glance. Most people would call it Stonewalling.

unfortunately, it's not working. they keep on a comin'

[twange]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

[b]I think that fundamentally, Austin wasn't really planned to be anything more than a college-capital Southern town, and I don't think it can be retrofitted from the inside out to be a mini San Francisco.

Good point, but I do think they could make real, tangible changes that would not compromise quality of life. All cities started out as small towns. Like language, they evolve/devolve as their needs and environment sees fit. And let's face it, if there is any retro-fitting to be done, downtown is the place to start. That way you don't need to rip out a bunch of trees and established neighborhoods to build a freeway which just creates more traffic, pollution, noise and angry fools racing from here to there.

The first time I visited Austin, I was completely taken by the fact that once you get out of downtown(by that I mean bigger buildings and such),you are immediately in beautiful, established neighborhoods with lots of trees, parks and decent houses. No sprawling, brownish-gray ring of yesteryear's industrial bones, white-flight slums and abject sadness so commonplace in my hometown(which I love bitterly). It really made an impression on me that urban density is the way to go. Keep the development in the city and build upwards. Keep the outlying neighborhoods quiet and homey. Keep the country authentic and rural. Those who want to live in a city environment have that choice(if they can afford it...another thread for sure), those who don't like that can still be close to all the things a good city has.

Structurally, it's why NYC is so amazing. Say what you want about the size and girth of that place but you can get from Manhattan to cute, small, New England-type towns in 30-40 minutes by car!

[car957]

No offense Twange. I read and I listen.

I am just a middle class public safety servant. I drive the streets and play in traffic. And I keep asking "where the hell is CAPMETRO?" Mark Krussee and his Leander project has screwed me.

But hey, I am from South Austin. I am one of the dumbest tools in the shed.

[texastea]

Maybe Leander's hiring...

I knew it was a big deal, but I didn't know HOW big:

http://www.klru.org/austinnow/archiv...nder/index.asp
(watch the video)