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I don't know if there's really more NIMBYism in Austin. NIMBYs opposing rail transit are overwhelmingly on the right and Austin is even further to the left of Dallas. If anything, Dallas would have more conservatives and therefore more anti transit NIMBYs.
I think it may have more to do with the fact that Dallas is flat, making it much easier to construct light rail vs. Austin's hilly terrain.
A bunch of points to consider:
1. NIMBYism isn't exclusive to the right. There are many affluent "liberals" that love the idea of public transit or multi-family housing, just as long as it's not in their neighborhoods. I sadly know many like that.
2. Dallas is NOT a conservative/red city or even a purple one. It doesn't matter if Austin is further left or not. Nor does that mean a left-leaning political orientation is one giant monolith. In fact, Dallas's DART was established in 1983 or 84, which was when both the city and suburbs were a lot more conservative. Today, you have a blue city proper with increasingly purple-ish suburbs. The suburbs of both Dallas and Atlanta are now political battlegrounds.
3. Dallas has been, for better or worse, a pro-growth oriented place much longer than Austin has. That means the city has historically embraced more highways AND public transit than Austin. The mentality
of Austin used to be (in a negative sense) "if you build it, they will come!" This goes back to the NIMBYism point.
4. Austin has similar terrain to Dallas on its northern side. In fact, growing North Austin is practically indistinguishable from North Dallas. Not all of Austin is Hill Country.
I don't know if there's really more NIMBYism in Austin. NIMBYs opposing rail transit are overwhelmingly on the right and Austin is even further to the left of Dallas. If anything, Dallas would have more conservatives and therefore more anti transit NIMBYs.
I think it may have more to do with the fact that Dallas is flat, making it much easier to construct light rail vs. Austin's hilly terrain.
Or maybe Dallas County is really more left leaning than Travis County after all.
Well, I'll be honest - based on living here, despite Austin's progressive vibe they still have a long way to go in the transit department. There is still alot of push back on improving its transportation system which is why the state often skips Austin when it comes to both road and transit improvements. What is funny is about 40 miles north of Austin, Temple TX recently renovated I-35 and has more lanes than Downtown Austin.. or for that matter probably anywhere in Austin's I-35 stretch.
As far as mass-transit, too many people here want a 1 time fix all solution and don't want taxes to increase for something that they will probably never use if it doesnt service their general vicinity. So when a rail proposition comes up and they see its not within 5 miles of their house, its an auto-non-starter for them. In a way I see their concern given Austin's property taxes are high enough as is (combine that with the high cost of housing, that adds up FAST) but at the same time, Rome wasn't biult in a day, especially in an age where rail improvements within this nation are very difficult to push to begin with due to the high costs. Then there are people who do want transit improvements but disagree upon how they should be implemented, such as more feasible BRT routes vs light rail implementation and do not want to see tax dollars go to waste.. ..in the end, it Austin transportation improvements typically end up in a ton of clashes and the ultimate result is nothing gets done... Texas then ends up spending the money on DFW and Houston instead.
1. NIMBYism isn't exclusive to the right. There are many affluent "liberals" that love the idea of public transit or multi-family housing, just as long as it's not in their neighborhoods. I sadly know many like that.
2. Dallas is NOT a conservative/red city or even a purple one. It doesn't matter if Austin is further left or not. Nor does that mean a left-leaning political orientation is one giant monolith. In fact, Dallas's DART was established in 1983 or 84, which was when both the city and suburbs were a lot more conservative. Today, you have a blue city proper with increasingly purple-ish suburbs. The suburbs of both Dallas and Atlanta are now political battlegrounds.
3. Dallas has been, for better or worse, a pro-growth oriented place much longer than Austin has. That means the city has historically embraced more highways AND public transit than Austin. The mentality
of Austin used to be (in a negative sense) "if you build it, they will come!" This goes back to the NIMBYism point.
4. Austin has similar terrain to Dallas on its northern side. In fact, growing North Austin is practically indistinguishable from North Dallas. Not all of Austin is Hill Country.
I know Eastern Austin is flat, but the fact that much of.the metro area is hilly is already a significant barrier to expansion to the Western part of the metro area. But I get what you're saying: why couldn't they at least build an actual light rail line on the Eastern side of Austin?
And I know that Dallas is solidly blue. It may well be the fact that Dallas itself is more leftist than Austin proper, but that is outweighed by conservative Collin County, Tarrant, and Denton Counties, while Austin suburbs are more moderate.
As for leftist NIMBYs--I have to disagree. I bet if you surveyed the Austin metro area, Central Austin would be in favor of a new light rail network while the more conservative suburbs would be home to the bulk of the anti transit NIMBYs. NIMBYism is by and large a suburban thing, and the suburbs are invariably more conservative than the central city. But more people live in the suburbs than the central city, so guess who wins?
I know Eastern Austin is flat, but the fact that much of.the metro area is hilly is already a significant barrier to expansion to the Western part of the metro area. But I get what you're saying: why couldn't they at least build an actual light rail line on the Eastern side of Austin?
And I know that Dallas is solidly blue. It may well be the fact that Dallas itself is more leftist than Austin proper, but that is outweighed by conservative Collin County, Tarrant, and Denton Counties, while Austin suburbs are more moderate.
As for leftist NIMBYs--I have to disagree. I bet if you surveyed the Austin metro area, Central Austin would be in favor of a new light rail network while the more conservative suburbs would be home to the bulk of the anti transit NIMBYs. NIMBYism is by and large a suburban thing, and the suburbs are invariably more conservative than the central city. But more people live in the suburbs than the central city, so guess who wins?
From actually living here, its a mixed bucket. Even leftists are opposing the new light rail plan. The reason people are so adamantly opposing rail transit in Austin is because property tax in Austin is sky high and people don't want to pay more taxes for something they may never even use (especially if it never comes to their area to begin with). Many transit referendums only include service to certain districts while alienating others yet 'everyone' has to pay their fair share and noone wants to put up the extra coin for it. Austin is so behind on transportation infrastructure that everyone wants an immediate one off plan fix EVERYTHING while costing as least as possible and thats just simply unrealistic but noone wants to pay the tax for the incremental improvements that will take several decades to complete.
The other issue is, the sheer costs. People here believe light rail costs way too much for what it offers and would prefer BRT / ART which costs significantly less, is more flexible, and offers near similar levels of service.
I personally am pro-transit and hope Austin gets the light rail but Im not holding my breath so to speak. I believe it will just go back and forth over debate like countless other debates for Austin's transportation improvements while the city continues to grow and TXDOT focuses on Dallas and Houston.
I know Eastern Austin is flat, but the fact that much of.the metro area is hilly is already a significant barrier to expansion to the Western part of the metro area. But I get what you're saying: why couldn't they at least build an actual light rail line on the Eastern side of Austin?
And I know that Dallas is solidly blue. It may well be the fact that Dallas itself is more leftist than Austin proper, but that is outweighed by conservative Collin County, Tarrant, and Denton Counties, while Austin suburbs are more moderate.
As for leftist NIMBYs--I have to disagree. I bet if you surveyed the Austin metro area, Central Austin would be in favor of a new light rail network while the more conservative suburbs would be home to the bulk of the anti transit NIMBYs. NIMBYism is by and large a suburban thing, and the suburbs are invariably more conservative than the central city. But more people live in the suburbs than the central city, so guess who wins?
I like Austin but weather is a bit warm
Lots of Californians there the culture has been altered
This is true, though recently a lot of east coast people have moved to Austin. I think San Diego is the most appealing city in California these days. Personally I would take San Diego over Austin as it has a more broad appeal IMO. Just wish the Chargers had stayed.
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