Leander is considering withdrawing from CapMetro transit due to poor weekend service? (Austin: lawyer, house)

[Need4Camaro]

https://communityimpact.com/austin/l...capital-metro/

Apparently Leander is upset because the train does not service the city during the weekends and they dont feel the need to pay for the service, so they rather seperate and pay a $10 million separation fee over the course of 2 years with no bus or rail service.

I think this is a horrible anti-progressive idea that will hurt more than help. It will put more cars on 183 and no feasible means to get to Austin.

Can't Leander instead just request for optimized service rather than pulling the plug for those commuters up that way? I hope this doesn't pass.

[CarnivalGal]

I'm curious to see how this pans out. I think them pulling out will greatly decrease ridership and ultimately hit Cap Metro in the pocketbook, which is the plan. I think they are hoping the lost revenue, or threat of lost revenue, will get Cap Metro to revisit their weekend schedule.

I will say, the rail doesn't really help me during the week. But there are plenty of times when I wanted to go downtown on the weekends and the rail would have been awesome, but it wasn't an option.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

I'm curious to see how this pans out. I think them pulling out will greatly decrease ridership and ultimately hit Cap Metro in the pocketbook, which is the plan. I think they are hoping the lost revenue, or threat of lost revenue, will get Cap Metro to revisit their weekend schedule.

I will say, the rail doesn't really help me during the week. But there are plenty of times when I wanted to go downtown on the weekends and the rail would have been awesome, but it wasn't an option.

I use it at Lakeline to get Downtown during the weekends. After using it, I'll never drive downtown again.

[Trainwreck20]

I suspect a lot of it is a game of chicken. We'll see, I guess .

[10scoachrick]

Well, it's not like there are FEWER people in Leander compared to the time of the opening of the Leander station. It's growing like weeds up there! Don't make all those nice folks drive to Lakeline!!!

Leander shouldn't pay for the "non service" on the weekends; but pulling the plug would bring out every lawyer or lawyer's cousin living near the Leander Station(who presumably does or could benefit from the easy access they bought their house to enjoy). Might be enough of "them" to tar and feather the folks who want to discontinue service altogether.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

I'm curious to see how this pans out. I think them pulling out will greatly decrease ridership and ultimately hit Cap Metro in the pocketbook, which is the plan. .

I would bet the increase at Lakeline would come close to offsetting the loss from Leander(partly folks driving IN from Leander to Lakeline and partly those who have found boarding at Lakeline to be a crowded pain during peak times).

[ScoPro]

Saw this analysis posted on another forum:


"It appears tax-paying non-user Leanderites think it might be a very poor cost effective service:


According to the article, they saw an average of 472 weekday morning riders. Double that to 944 to cover the round trip back home and multiply it by 260 workdays a year, and that is 245,440 riders per year. Divide the $5,133,277 per year that Leander pays to participate by that total ridership number and every single one of those rides is being subsidized by Leander citizens by $20.91. So if you are a Leanderite and commute to and from Austin M-F all year, you are receiving an annual subsidy of $10,873 from your fellow Leanderites."

https://communityimpact.com/austin/leander-cedar-park/editors-pick/2019/07/15/leander-city-council-to-consider-withdrawing-from-capital-metro/

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Saw this analysis posted on another forum:


"It appears tax-paying non-user Leanderites think it might be a very poor cost effective service:


According to the article, they saw an average of 472 weekday morning riders. Double that to 944 to cover the round trip back home and multiply it by 260 workdays a year, and that is 245,440 riders per year. Divide the $5,133,277 per year that Leander pays to participate by that total ridership number and every single one of those rides is being subsidized by Leander citizens by $20.91. So if you are a Leanderite and commute to and from Austin M-F all year, you are receiving an annual subsidy of $10,873 from your fellow Leanderites."

https://communityimpact.com/austin/leander-cedar-park/editors-pick/2019/07/15/leander-city-council-to-consider-withdrawing-from-capital-metro/

Yeah but what are they going to do when 183a packs up?

[ScoPro]

Lol - 472 more cars aren’t going to make a difference out of the 44,000 that use it presently.
That’s roughly 60 more cars per lane each hour of the 3 rush hours. And that’s not even counting those who would use Parmer.

Besides, more riders from Cedar Park will be able to get on at the Lakeline Station to take up the slack.

[ScoPro]

Personally, I & my wife would like to ride the train from the Lakeline station all the way downtown on a weekend for lunch or dinner and back.