What is your idea of how Austin transportation should look? (San Antonio: apartments, lawyers)

[buffettjr]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

What's so crazy about the upper lower deck structure in the first place? It basically routes through traffic over and local traffic takes the lower. What's hard about that?
.

But that isn't really what it does. It does the opposite. It takes the slow lanes - the two right lanes where the on and off people are - and sends them up and over the city. The two fast lanes where all the trucks and through traffic are supposed to be go down through the city and all the on and off ramps. So now all the traffic needs to switch places with each other. Add to this that ramps are 10 feet long and blinded by walls until you're actually on the highway. I heard that I-35 was so poorly designed and dangerous that the lead designer ended up committing suicide. I can't remember where I heard this, but I think it was a radio program.

[buffettjr]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Our new urbanism experiments have so far been failures.

I enjoyed your post, homeinatx. Would you mind expanding on your earlier comment?

[hoffdano]

I don't share much of homeinatx's vision. I fail to see why I should support density movements when in almost all parts of the US, high density environments carry lifestyle qualities I don't want. I want to be able to afford a reasonably high quality living environment. I don't want to use elevators to get to my "home." I want good public schools. I don't want to hear garbage trucks or buses.

Since I don't expect to work for the same company for a lifetime, I think it is unreasonable to simply say "live close to where you work" when the work location might change in a few years. And since I must work, I'll go commute to a new work location instead of moving if I have to change jobs.

I'm pretty fit. But I couldn't realistically ride a bike to work if I had to climb some of the hills in Austin. And riding a bike in the summer could be unbearable - and force me to shower and change clothes multiple times a day.

I think Austin can and should do more to improve the utility of its transportation infrastructure, including the roads. I have no idea why it is meaningful to you that roads don't pay property taxes. Neither do buses or trains. Nor many other government funded structures. I am not against toll roads, nor increased gasoline/energy taxes. I think Austin could do more to make commuter vehicles, such as scooters, more viable for a larger portion of the commuting population.

[homeinatx]

2 quick things:

I am not suggesting that everyone would want to live in denser urban environments, but for public transportation infrastructure to be effective, it would be better if at least some of us did, and Austin currently provides few options for that. We have a problem with too many cars on the roads - building and expanding roads simply encourages more of the same.

I think Austin's new urbanism experiments are largely failures in that they have not really produced mixed land use options, and it would be very difficult to live in any of them without a car, except perhaps the Triangle, but judging from the parking nightmare there, I doubt that many people do. None of them yet offer a live, work, play scenario for non-auto-centric everyday life -since this is a transportation thread - they get a BIG FAIL there. The fact that subjectively I find all of them spectacularly ugly is of less relevance. They all also seem to be designed in terms of an isolationist MPC mindset, restricting non-auto access from surrounding neighborhoods. The only current retail at Mueller is as big box - huge parking lot - suburban strip mall in design and execution as you can get - NOTHING new urbanist about it, despite all of Mueller's advertising claims.

Quality of life is quite rightly a subjective measure, and hoffdano you do not have to worry, there is zero chance that Austin will lose its fundamentally sunbelt suburban sprawl character, but as it grows, pockets of increased density for those who would rather not have to drive everywhere to live is one way of getting cars off the roads and easing traffic congestion problems, conserving water and gas and other precious natural resources etc.

[ScoPro]

Put a heavy tax on bikes and joggers/pedestrians to help pay for bike lanes, hike & bike trails, and bike bridges.

Cut tollway tolls in half, double deck all expressways with express lanes. Complete the 45/620 loop, and build another outer ring.

Ban construction of office towers downtown.

[Lije Baley]

Speaking of bike lanes.......

"Cyclist protest video becomes online hit"

And this is NOT one of the all-too-common whiny protest videos that infest the net - I wonder if he got hurt doing some of those "demonstrations"?

[veloman777]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Put a heavy tax on bikes and joggers/pedestrians to help pay for bike lanes, hike & bike trails, and bike bridges.

Cut tollway tolls in half, double deck all expressways with express lanes. Complete the 45/620 loop, and build another outer ring.

Ban construction of office towers downtown.

I wouldn't mind paying tolls to ride my bike on safe, proper infrastructure. However, nearly all bicycle infrastructure costs are a drop in the bucket compared to what it costs for highways.

Where would the billions of dollars come from to double deck all expressways?

[veloman777]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

I'm pretty fit. But I couldn't realistically ride a bike to work if I had to climb some of the hills in Austin. And riding a bike in the summer could be unbearable - and force me to shower and change clothes multiple times a day.

I think Austin could do more to make commuter vehicles, such as scooters, more viable for a larger portion of the commuting population.

I am a competitive road cyclist and I AGREE with you!
My custom electric assisted bike allows me to travel 30 miles at 25mph (a little less on hills), without breaking a sweat (barely pedaling. maybe a little when it was 105 - like as if you walked from a car in the parking lot 2 or 3 minutes to your desitination) It uses the same electrical consumption as 1 vampire plug current - which is a power cord from an appliance pluged in, but NOT in use).(15 miles a day)). That's about $1/month.

It always has me beating Google car directions time estimate within a 6 mile radius of downtown, and I obey all traffic laws.

Scooters are a nice try, but most of the gasoline ones pollute more than a car. The last thing we need is more air pollution since we are on the edge of non-attainment. Some electric scooters do get you more comfort and speed than an electric bike, but at vastly more cost and power requirement.

PM me if you want to know more about ebikes. They are a TON of fun to ride and make me feel so much safer than slow normal cycling.

[veloman777]

Originally Posted by cBach

I would think that downgrading the status of I-35 from an interstate to "Central Austin Expressway" or something like that and then resigning 130 as I-35 would probably do the trick.

I know it sounds too easy but sometimes that's how life is. The easy solutions are right in front of us. However, resigning 130 as I-35 would impact all the signs north (or south) of there, depending on which side they decide to sync up first, but sings are a lot cheaper than roads!

I really like this idea, and think it would be the best 'bang for the buck', and significantly improve our air quality getting so many trucks away from DT.

[veloman777]

I went to the Project Connect meeting last night. I was told by city staff that adding capacity to I-35 in central Austin will never happen. There is just no room to go out, or money to go below ground or add lanes on top.

Mopac will likely get one more managed/toll lane.

That's it.

This is a warning, these highways will very likely never get better during rush hour.

The city seems to be focusing on 'high-capacity' transit like rail and 'rapid-bus'. I'm skeptical that many people will prefer public transit over their cars.

I think 360 could be a lot better if they fix the timing of the lights to allow 'waves' of 1 mile traffic to go 60mph the entire length. Each light would turn green for this 'wave'. It's possible if people stick to 60mph and stay within normal following distances. Imagine only stopping once or twice on 360?