Expansion of metro in the suburbs and austin? (Round Rock, Cedar Park: 2015, house)

[MiaMia411]

Originally Posted by north2south.

So we all know that austin has probably one of the very worst public transportation systems for a city this size and driving past the metro station got me thinking... Why doesn't austin expand metro? The parking lot at lakeline is slammed. Instead of limited hours and only 2 little cars what if it was expanded to have 10 cars? What about adding stations across the suburbs such like how leander has a station? This would help a good chunk of people who travel from the subrubs to the city and other suburbs.

Is there something I'm missing?

I would have to say that Austin didnt do anything when they needed to many years ago to accommodate all the people moving into the city so now you have a big headache.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Novacek

The problem is that Cedar Park still gets some/many of the benefits of CapMetro, without paying for it. They're moochers.

1. Some number still ride the rail/buses.

2. Cedar Park commuters into Austin see the congestion improvements from Austinites riding the bus instead of driving.

3. Austinites pay the regional burden of the social service aspect of transit (serving the poor and elderly and handicapped) while Cedar Park exempts themselves.

1. I agree, but Cap Metro could easily solve the moocher issue by issuing swipe cards to access their services for residents of cities that actually pay the tax. And they could just charge extra for people that don't have those swipe cards. Then there wouldn't be any more mooching. (Sort of like a TxTag for CapMetro)

2. I really can't imagine that congestion has been improved for commuters from Cedar Park who mainly commute into Austin using 183 or Parmer due to buses and the current state of the Metro Rail.

3. Point taken I guess, but Cedar Park isn't the only one. West Lake Hills, Pflugerville, Georgetown, and I think even Rollingwood can be lumped together.

I'm not denying that Cedar Park often has an "only looking out for Cedar Park" attitude, because it does. If the Schlitterbahn had gone in where it was proposed on the edge of Cedar Park/Round Rock, it would have hosed Round Rock pretty bad in my opinion. But, I can say that my family really enjoys having the Cedar Park Center 5 minutes away more than it would enjoy having buses on the streets. Isn't it cooler to use Uber or Lyft anyway now? This is the hip Austin metro area. Not only have I seen my neighbors in Cedar Park use Uber, but a couple of them actually drive for them.

[north2south.]

I think austin and the surrounding area should quit trying to be "hip@ and "cool" and start actually solving these real problems with logic and reason. Ãœber and lyft arnt real public transportation solutions for a city this size and it's only going to continue to get worse if nothing gets done. Austin is growing, and when everyone finally decides on the solution it's going to take years and years to build and be completed and in that time frame how many more people will have moved here?

[orngkat]

As long as most people opt to drive solo in their own private vehicles, they will continue to blame the city, the bus, the rail...anything but themselves. Many of could work out alternatives but prefer not to.

[AuburnAL]

I am all for Round Rock getting hosed because I think it has a silly name.

To proclaim people moochers because they live in a city without the tax is fairly silly. They still pay for a ticket. You wouldn't consider a tourist who used it a moochers even though their fares would also be the only monetary support they gave the system. Beyond that the train doesn't appear to be such a breakout success that it would do itself any favors by turning away riders or establishing second class fares.

[ImOnFiya]

Until Republican majorities in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and Hutto believe that Capital Metro can be a key solution to their transportation woes by fully opting in into bus service via a system grid of local routes (beyond the express bus and train for Cedar Park/Leander), public transit in the Austin metro will remain the same.

I believe the key will be to convince "married women with children" that local bus routes with access to their neighborhoods won't bring crime and increased noise pollution.

FYI: I believe Pflugerville will be the first suburb to get fully on board. They are having active planning discussions with Capital Metro (and, yes, I do believe it's because the town is now votes majority-democratic.)

[Mycity4lyfe]

I don't and wouldn't want busses in suburbs.. The train makes sense.. Park your car down the street ride in on the train and get dropped off at your car. Riding a bus is not a desirable method of transportation for those in the suburbs from my experience.. Never heard of anyone taking a bus into the city unless it was a children's field trip at school

[north2south.]

Agree.. For me the metro train makes sense but busses don't. Busses are fine for instead city limits but don't really make sense in the suburbs. I guess coming from the north with more developed cities makes me think differently.

[AuburnAL]

Originally Posted by Mycity4lyfe

I don't and wouldn't want busses in suburbs.. The train makes sense.. Park your car down the street ride in on the train and get dropped off at your car. Riding a bus is not a desirable method of transportation for those in the suburbs from my experience.. Never heard of anyone taking a bus into the city unless it was a children's field trip at school

Austin runs its bus system better than most cities since the stops seem a lot more spaced out. However, you're still stuck in the same traffic and have no freedom to go straight to your destination so there doesn't seem to be much point to riding a bus if you have a car.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by AuburnAL

Austin runs its bus system better than most cities since the stops seem a lot more spaced out. However, you're still stuck in the same traffic and have no freedom to go straight to your destination so there doesn't seem to be much point to riding a bus if you have a car.

That is if free, i.e. subsidized, parking is available from your employer. Speaking of subsidies, yes Cedar Park residents do pay for tickets on the red line (at least theoretically depending on enforcement), but that does not fully pay for the service or in other words they are still mooching.

For some people in Leander and Lakeline the express bus is a better option than rail. Also consider that rail drops off east of congress, whereas many people work west of congress where the bus drops off.

Hard to imagine any jurisdiction that has left Cap Metro will come back as a full member. Better chance that they will have agreements for limited service with Cap Metro.

I guess the arena in Cedar Park is worth something, but hard for me to tell after having to endure Cirque du Soleil there last week.