Austin traffic update: we're scr*wed (Round Rock, Spring: city hall, zoning, office)

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by Rynldsbr

So has City of Austin and Travis County. Continuing to stack houses and high rises packed with people into spaces with limited road access, minimal transit options, and an us-versus-them mentality toward the suburbs is not a one sided coin.

You're assuming the city/county can prevent it.

Usually, they can't. Often times they're precluded by the state of Texas from preventing development, except for very limited reasons. To the state of Texas, it's a Property Rights issue.

And then even if they do, they get sued or the state of Texas passes a special statute removing the land from Austin's ETJ.


If Austin could have prevented any/all development west of loop 360, it would have. But it doesn't have that power.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

Uber



and converting half of all freeway lanes into 3+ occupant HOV lanes. The economic boost to the local rideshare economy and time (aka Money) saved would be enormous.

But uber is cars - and there are several similar companies (that didn't throw two-year-old hissy fits at the very idea of living by minimal regulatios) in town anyway. No matter how cool one might think uber is, you can't get past the fact that it depends for its very existence on cars on the road. If people didn't need to get to point B from point A via car, uber wouldn't be able to exist.

Let's call it what it is. You're just upset that everyone doesn't see the world and desire to live exactly the way you do and that's Just Not Right and they should be somehow forced to do so.

An important point was made upstream. Most people have lives outside of work that makes carpooling or taking public transportation unworkable for them, whether it's going home to let the dog out or having children in daycare who may get sick and need to be picked up NOW. I've had clients make a considered decision not to purchase a home in Leander, say, even though they could ride the train downtown, for that very reason. Real life has a pesky way of not caring about urbanist dreams.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Real life has a pesky way of not caring about urbanist dreams.

Come on, be honest.

Any commuter rail, but especially a system as young/small as Austin. And especially an hour long ride _two_ municipalities out, is hardly an "urbanist dream".

An urbanist dream is a network of transit coming at 5 minute frequencies (faster than many people can walk to their car in a parking garage).

Which is actually almost doable in Austin even today.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

But uber is cars - and there are several similar companies (that didn't throw two-year-old hissy fits at the very idea of living by minimal regulatios) in town anyway. No matter how cool one might think uber is, you can't get past the fact that it depends for its very existence on cars on the road. If people didn't need to get to point B from point A via car, uber wouldn't be able to exist.

Let's call it what it is. You're just upset that everyone doesn't see the world and desire to live exactly the way you do and that's Just Not Right and they should be somehow forced to do so.

An important point was made upstream. Most people have lives outside of work that makes carpooling or taking public transportation unworkable for them, whether it's going home to let the dog out or having children in daycare who may get sick and need to be picked up NOW. I've had clients make a considered decision not to purchase a home in Leander, say, even though they could ride the train downtown, for that very reason. Real life has a pesky way of not caring about urbanist dreams.

I don't want to "live" 4 hours per day in a car. Call me selfish.




BTW, I assume from your comments that you've never taken Uber, or understand how it works.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by Novacek

You're assuming the city/county can prevent it.

Usually, they can't. Often times they're precluded by the state of Texas from preventing development, except for very limited reasons. To the state of Texas, it's a Property Rights issue.

And then even if they do, they get sued or the state of Texas passes a special statute removing the land from Austin's ETJ.


If Austin could have prevented any/all development west of loop 360, it would have. But it doesn't have that power.

THIS THIS THIS! A THOUSAND TIMES THIS!!!

The city and county have VERY FEW land development/planning tools available to them. This is by design and rigorously enforced by the state! The lege protects property rights, ie the ability to make the most $ from one's land. The Texas lege doesn't want Austin (or other city) banning shopping bags or protecting trees, they certainly aren't going to let municipalities ban fracking or restrict development! (Perry called it creeping Californication!)

The city and county are flat out prohibited from doing the kind of restrictions of development that people on this thread seem to want. If you want to change it -- focus your energy on the state. Yelling about CoA or Travis County is beyond useless.

[riaelise]

actually traffic is great outside of the Austin city limits, which I'm sure is due to the suburban cities' planning. Round Rock and Wilco have widened many congested roads to improve traffic in their areas. How are either of those entities (municipal and county) supposed to cure the Austin road problems? Blaming suburban residents, cities, and counties is ludicrous. Many people work downtown because they don't have a choice - I work in the legal industry, and have been for the past 20 years, and my base will always be nearby the Travis County Courthouse and Western District of Texas. There are also many who do not work downtown, so carpooling is not an option where I live. I work late at times, so again, carpooling is not an option. In fact, most of the people in my neighborhood telecommute or work in Wilco/North Austin and don't take those clogged roads. Fellow Austin residents who don't live centrally contribute to traffic woes as well. Congestion happens usually the moment you hit North Austin.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by earthisle

If you build it they will come. Sprawl doesn't just manifest itself, those houses have to be approved and built. The counties should have planned, rather than doing zero planning. They either didn't realize traffic would become a problem, or they assumed Austin would turn itself into Houston with massive highways crisscrossing the city and destroying every neighborhood. Or maybe they just didn't care because they saw dollar signs from tax revenue

Please tell me how these counties can resolve the I35 congestion problem? They fix the problems within their own borders. I never knew Cedar Park or Round Rock should figure out how to deal with Austin's traffic. As I mentioned before, traffic becomes an issue the moment you reach North Austin. I'm sure the poobahs of Wilco know all about the effect that their increased size has on traffic but that isn't something they must or can address.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

I cut through downtown today, traffic was thicker than usual but my 20 minute trip on 35/local roads was only extended five minutes by relying strictly on local streets.

This is Texas! Pretty much the last place on earth where government-mandated carpooling would fly! A managed toll lane on 35 is in the planning stages but it won't be a quick fix and will cause short-term pain. My family long ago traded in the idea of a big garage, big house on a big lot for a smaller home very close in. For us, this pays off everyday. Our location in combination with flexible working hours and working from home at least 20% of the time keeps our exposure to Austin traffic at manageable levels

that's great that you have flexible working hours and the ability to telecommute. many don't. i have to be in the office all of the time and my husband, a manager, has to as well, most of the time. what you have is a perk. maybe if employers offered employees such perks things would improve.

and wrecks mess everything up, regardless of where you live. my colleague lives across the bridge and it took an hour to go six miles.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

This is a bit silly, really - people keep moving here, despite that traffic, so why improve it? I mean, a lot of whining but no action (move away, work elsewhere, telecommute, elect someone different, etc). And when someone mentions cost, half the people scream 'its a scam to raise our taxes!'. About this point in time, I am about to get on board with the 'screw it' and wait until the traffic actually stops people from moving here.

That's what happened to me. Like they say, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

[another_hot-day]

Originally Posted by eqshadimar

Well maybe they are starting to listen. Posted in our Nextdoor group:


Laters,
Jeff

Maybe for the folks that live on the North side of the lake (Jonestown/Lago Vista) who have to commute to the South side (Lakeway/Bee cave) area? I know some people have been going on about it. I don't know what they will do once they are off the Ferry and and the North/South side shore.