I hear the number of people moving to Austin daily went from 100 to 173 (condos, neighborhoods)

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by scm53

Since you claim "we are broke", answer this: From 1994 to 2014, how much money did CAMPO ask the state for that they didn't get? Your allegation must be based on something tangible. Is it?

So you're saying there was plenty of money? That they built:

Toll 1
183A
SH45N
SH45SE
TX 130
Toll 290

as tolls roads (knowingly compromising their diversionary effectiveness) just for laughs?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by scm53

(one can start with the downward population revision from the '86 plan -- in '94, CAMPO forecast that by 2020, the metro area would be at 1.36M. Since we are at 1.9M five years before 2020, wonder why we don't have enough roads?)

You're comparing totally different things.

1.9M is the total metro population (5 counties worth).

1.36 million was the projected 2020 population of the ATS Subareas

http://www.campotexas.org/wp-content...-pt-1-of-2.pdf

3-5, 3-6

Travis county and some bits of Hays and Williamson.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Novacek

So you're saying there was plenty of money? That they built:

Toll 1
183A
SH45N
SH45SE
TX 130
Toll 290

as tolls roads just for ****s and giggles?

Thanks for admitting you don't know and just made it up. Either to have something to argue about or because it fits your political lens, tough to tell.

Since 1994, US and Texas highway funds paid over $2B to rebuild I10W in Houston alone. Not to mention expanding 35 in Fort Worth and San Antonio, rebuilding almost all of 35 from Round Rock to Denton, expanding I10W in SA, completely rebuilding the 114 bottleneck in Grapevine, rebuilding 620 in NE Tarrant County, removing the Lancaster overpass and expanding 30W in FW, rebuilding and expanding I30 in Arlington, and the list goes on. Every metro in Texas got major money for their highways, except Austin. So much for being "broke". And yes, there was "plenty of money". It just wasn't spent here.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by scm53

Thanks for admitting you don't know and just made it up.

Neither the state nor federal gas taxes have been raised in 20 years. TxDot is doing massive borrowing because they don't have the money (they're broke), and have been for over a decade.
TxDOT Tells Lawmakers Funding Crisis Around the Corner | The Texas Tribune

Originally Posted by scm53

Since 1994, US and Texas highway funds paid over $2B to rebuild I10W in Houston alone.

So your evidence that there was plenty of money (for 10s of billions of dollars of road work in the Austin area) is that $2B was spent in Houston (3 times our size) over 20 years.

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by Booger52

[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
Austin is ahorrible place to relocate. I lost my job last September...stilllooking...can't even get an interview - so many people looking. My companyclosed down...they don't advertise the bad...they want everyone to MOVE TOAUSTIN. Taxes are really HIGH...homes are really HIGH...Austin prides itself onBEING WEIRD and THEY are. And I am an Austin Native and if no family here...Iwould MOVE TODAY!
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
Almost forgot tomention TRAFFIC...you have to plan an hour to get anywhere...and that is juston the same side of town. Couple of hours are needed if want to go from Southto North or North to South, etc. I tried riding the metro!!! That is a JOKE!!!Doesn't go anywhere anyone needs to go. I tried to ride it for an interview atUT...got on train...waited for bus. Had interview. Got on bus...after waiting30 minutes. Went to MLK station...waited 30 minutes. Rode train and then sincemiddle of day...had to get off at Lakeline...waited 30 minutes for a bus totake me to Leander. So when I finished interview at 11...got to my car at 2.Who wants to spend 3 hours getting to car!! Then I had to drive another 30minutes to get home. And it was raining the whole day and all the stations hadwet seats. Horrible day. Won't apply downtown or UT again. Definitely nothingSOUTH! No bathrooms near the stations?!?!?!!!!! 3 hours and no potty! Whothought of this plan!
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]

What kind of job are you trying to get? What kind of education do you have? You do realize you're trying to get to Downtown from Leander which is almost 30 miles away, don't you?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by Paulmmm

I agree. Even having them both on Ignore because they troll and derail pretty much every thread they touch, it gets really old having to read around them and having the original topic all of a sudden go in a totally different direction, just so they can whine at each other until the whole thread gets shut down.

I know that's how some childish people behave online, but come on, scm53 and Novacek, is it really that important to you to ruin every thread just so you can brag to yourself about winning the Internet?

Because talking about transportation, and the billion$ spent on it, is both totally unimportant and totally unrelated to the 200 people moving here every day?

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Novacek

Because talking about transportation, and the billion$ spent on it, is both totally unimportant and totally unrelated to the 200 people moving here every day?

Scm53 SWEARS he wasn't discussing transit anywhere in the FOUR pages you two have been arguing. What were YOU talking about then?

[creepy]

So back to the original question. Some things to do would be figure out who is building all the condos. Who on the former city council gave permission without asking neighborhoods what they wanted. Find out what is planned for the future. Out the developers?

I am still not naive enough to think all these people are just moving here cause hey it's Austin and they just heard about it. Sure it is a free country but that is not what we are seeing here. We are seeing a luring, as I have said before. No, I am not Spike G. not sure whether to be insulted or complemented.

[buffettjr]

Originally Posted by Novacek

From the TTI, 85% of traffic on I35 is "local" (their definition of local is a bit generous, originating or finishing anywhere in the 3 county region, but broadly applicable). Mexico<->Canada traffic isn't the main problem.

Improve MOPAC to remove traffic on I35 - City of Austin and the Texas Department of Transportation

I don't see percentages as being that relevant compared to real values because the road's capacity is fixed. If "15%" is defined as 40,000 18 wheelers per day coursing through the middle of downtown on a road system with a fixed capacity, that can absolutely have a tremendous and outsized effect on traffic, especially during congestion periods. Congestion that would be nonexistent had we used tax dollars (local and federal) to build a new I-35 instead of using toll revenue no one will pay and handing guaranteed profits to foreign companies.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

I don't see percentages as being that relevant compared to real values because the road's capacity is fixed. If "15%" is defined as 40,000 18 wheelers per day coursing through the middle of downtown on a road system with a fixed capacity, that can absolutely have a tremendous and outsized effect on traffic, especially during congestion periods.

It certainly isn't 15%, unless you're assuming no vehicles from anywhere else in Texas (or anywhere else in the US) ever drive on 35.

Sure, everything contributes, but NAFTA traffic isn't the main problem. (to bring things back to the subject of thread) it's the population here that's the main problem. Especially during peak periods.

Originally Posted by buffettjr

Congestion that would be nonexistent had we used tax dollars (local and federal) to build a new I-35 instead of using toll revenue no one will pay

What tax dollars? There were no tax dollars available. It wasn't the choice between a toll bypass and a free bypass, it was the choice between a toll bypass and nothing.

Originally Posted by buffettjr

and handing guaranteed profits to foreign companies.

1. The "foreign" owned segment isn't even in Austin.

2. What guaranteed profits? Or did you miss the news about them almost going bankrupt?