How can we in Austin reduce our dependence on oil? (Post: best city, condo)

[CptnRn]

What kind of gas milage does a Harley get? They are bigger and easier to see.

Actually a scooter would probably be fine in my residential area, for quick runs to the store and back. There are some electric scooters around that would be perfect for those kinds of short trips.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Actually, scooter are mostly used for Short to Medium trips, and most everywhere else in the world has roads that accomodate them.

I have an English friend that rides a scooter to work, she says, but she only has a 5 mile jaunt. Basically, just far enough that she can't walk it, but not too far that she would be stuck on a scooter for hours a day. She says riding a scooter for more than 30 minutes at a time is an "aquired" taste, and hard to do if she has to wear buisness casual clothing.

I can see scooters in Austin downtown, but for someone in Round Rock to commute to William Cannon? I don't see a scooter as being a viable option. It wouldn't be safe on I35. Remember when you say almost everyone else in the world uses them, that's because they can take back roads or alleyways to get where they are going. They dont need to hop on and drive down I35 and compete with semis for road space.

I had a boss that on nice days would drive his silly little motorcycle from Round Rock to Westlake for work. But he had to wear a suit and tie, which meant changing clothes when he got to work, which meant he had to leave earlier. And hope that he didn't hit bad weather. And hope that a crazy Austin driver didn't mow him down. It just wasn't feasible to do everyday.

Long trips are tough on scooters, and really, isn't that what drives the most traffic? People living north and working south, or vice versa? Do we have a breakdown of Austin traffic patterns? I would like to see it.

I dont think Americans scoff at scooters b/c they are dinky looking. I think they just aren't feasible for most people. Even for me, I have no kids, but I do go shopping and buy things for my house. I can't put 4 40lb bags of salt for my water softener on a scooter. Especially considering that there are so many hybrid options out there that may not get 100miles a gallon, but still do pretty well on gas mileage.

That is really the crux of the problem isn't it. that too many people choose places to live that are too far from where they work to make light vehicles practical for their commute. We really do need to try harder to live near work, to develop walkable neighborhoods. And to spread our work places around the community instead of concentrating so many downtown.

[eepstein]

There are people who give a damn about how much oil we use in Austin?? Hmmm, ok i'll bite. Here are some tips that most other cities in the country have already done, but Austin lags far behind. (what else is new)

1.) For starters, encourage people to buy small fuel efficient vehicles, and penalize those who don't (through higher taxes).
2.) Put some money into public transportation that people can actually use. (and build car pool/HOV lanes)
3.) Spend some money on the road system to prevent Austin from having the worst traffic congestion, and if im not mistaken, some of the worst air quality for a medium size city.
4.) Start building some affordable housing and condos toward the center part of the city where people might actually work.
5.) Stop claiming that you are a "Green city" and do something to back up that claim.

No city ingores "Green living" quite the way Austin does. It continues to reward rich people by building them lavish, high dollar condos downtown and in the central part of the city. There are NO plans to expand/improve the road system, no HOV lanes, and no rewards for carpooling. Still ranks number 1 in traffic congestion from medium size citys. Oh wait, those are only middle income and poor people sitting in traffic, so the city doesn't care. Pretty pathetic indeed.

Originally Posted by CptnRn

The Oil Spill Tracker thread prompted me to start this one. Share your ideas.

I was going to suggest using paper bags rather then plastic, but after researching it I found this article which says plastic may be a better choice when all of the environmental impacts are considered.

Paper or Plastic — what’s the greener choice?




Some of the things we could do are obvious, yet hardly anyone does them. Such as car pool to and from work. It requires a little extra inconvenience and time in our daily lives but can save us quite a bit of money, not only in gas but in the cost of owning and maintaining our cars.

Why don't you car pool?

I car pooled for part of my career before I retired. That was when I spent most of my time designing and drafting architectural projects. I had to stop carpooling when I started doing construction administration and project management. I had to drive to construction sites all over town and needed a car. I would not have had to do that if my company provided us with a car pool vehicle for those job site visits.

I'm semi-retired now and drive very little, around 3,000 miles last year, so I have few opportunities to car pool. I do however drive clear up to North Austin every two weeks to my allergy doctor, 26 miles round trip, that is 676 miles per year I could reduce most of that if I found a Doctor closer to my house. I will look into that. Too bad I like the Dr. in North Austin.

[orngkat]

I saw an article (NY Times?) about how the city of Seattle or was it Portland is allowing 1 BR cottages to be built in center city neighborhood backyards. I would love to be able to do that in my backyard since without kids, big dogs or gardens, I am not sure what purpose big yards serve anyway other than to raise my property taxes. It just seems like a lot of wasted close-in real estate in these times.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by orngkat

I saw an article (NY Times?) about how the city of Seattle or was it Portland is allowing 1 BR cottages to be built in center city neighborhood backyards.

That would give me a place to stick my parents. I'm going to hell for that.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by jobert

That would give me a place to stick my parents. I'm going to hell for that.

That is often what they are used for.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by jobert

That would give me a place to stick my parents. I'm going to hell for that.

Meh. Parents need to go somewhere. It's not like you are putting them on a chain and setting out a water bowl.

[jobert]

haha!! Good to know that I'm not the only irreverent bastard here.

[CptnRn]

You really should try to inform yourself better before posting inaccurate rants such as this. Austin already does almost everything you have complained about here with everything from rebates and incentive programs to development ordinances and restrictions to curb these problems.

The State of Texas is responsible for most building and paying for most of the highway design in Texas. In case you hadn't noticed they have run out of money so many projects that are planned such as the regional mobility plan for work on IH-35, Loop 1 and 183, including HOV lanes and more lanes on all of those have been put on hold until funding is available.

Austin has been recognize nationally for being a leader in green cities. I understand that you don't like Austin, but is telling bald faced lies about it really accomplishing anything for you? Quite honestly, you are part of the problem, you moved your family here and chose to live in an expensive subdivision way out in the hill country, and now you are complaining of the difficulties of commuting into town. You are paying for your choices and doing nothing to help the rest of us solve the problems that you helped create. You are part of the problem, do you ever intend to be part of the solution?

Originally Posted by eepstein

There are people who give a damn about how much oil we use in Austin?? Hmmm, ok i'll bite. Here are some tips that most other cities in the country have already done, but Austin lags far behind. (what else is new)

1.) For starters, encourage people to buy small fuel efficient vehicles, and penalize those who don't (through higher taxes).
2.) Put some money into public transportation that people can actually use. (and build car pool/HOV lanes)
3.) Spend some money on the road system to prevent Austin from having the worst traffic congestion, and if im not mistaken, some of the worst air quality for a medium size city.
4.) Start building some affordable housing and condos toward the center part of the city where people might actually work.
5.) Stop claiming that you are a "Green city" and do something to back up that claim.

No city ingores "Green living" quite the way Austin does. It continues to reward rich people by building them lavish, high dollar condos downtown and in the central part of the city. There are NO plans to expand/improve the road system, no HOV lanes, and no rewards for carpooling. Still ranks number 1 in traffic congestion from medium size citys. Oh wait, those are only middle income and poor people sitting in traffic, so the city doesn't care. Pretty pathetic indeed.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by jobert

haha!! Good to know that I'm not the only irreverent bastard here.

Is there another one?!?!