Highways are a detriment to Texas' large cities... (Houston, Dallas: cost, land)

[JJG]

Originally Posted by curtbr72

I take it you never lived outsode of good 'ole Texas. I was born in Dallas and raised in Brooklyn now back in Dallas. In Oak Cliff, I-35 cut through neighborhoods, dividing the city in half.

Well this isn't Brooklyn. It's not the Northeast.

There's a reason why cities here are built they way they're built. I think you're exaggerating a little on how it "divides neighborhoods". And it's like I said before, several Interstates (loops, especially) didn't just cut right through the city. It just expanded over....

[BadJuju]

It is silly that they keep building these damn roads and highways. Petroleum is a limited resource and the price will only go higher over the long term. Until electric and hybrid vehicles have far higher market penetration, continuing to support an outdated model of development is absolutely idiotic.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by Spade

Out of your 16,000 plus posts, this is probably your best post on this forum and where I 100% agree with it. Now some may say that is a Eurocentric type of development. And I would say, it would have made our cities much better, more vibrant, and more cohesive than they are now. Europe doesn't do everything wrong and we don't do everything right. I'm glad DC didn't disect their city with freeways. I'm thinking many cities probably wish they didn't either.

You know all my posts are true.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by curtbr72

I hate freeways with a passion. They cut of neighborhoods and force people to get in their cars to drive three blocks to the grocery store. TXDOT should have invested some of that money toward mass transit.

Without freeways the Cities would not thrive or exist at all. They are the arteries carrying all of the life blood into and waste out of the Cities. No City in the world is self sustaining or self sufficient, they cannot survive without those arteries feeding them.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Spade

I can see why you would say that. I probably should have posted this photo to illustrate my point.

What photo? I don't see a photo?

[Spade]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

What photo? I don't see a photo?

I don't know why it was x'd out.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

I partially agree with the Original poster.

Where I agree is the point that highways eff-up the cores of cities. Where I disagree is the point that Texas does not need not highways.

I would rather the cores of cities be surrounded by a loop and that freeways join this loop but not go within it. As for outside the loop, freeways do an excellent job of connecting cities. Houston to Austin definitely needs an upgrade.

The highways in Houston should be like 290- dead end when they hit 610.

so- more freeways outside loops around the city, and none inside. People should take surface streets once they hit the loop.
I also believe that within the loop there should be urban transit and outside the loop there should be commuter rail.

I've seen this idea in Texas in actual practice. Best example I can think of off the top of my head is Beltline Road in Dallas, which used to be the "loop" WAAAAYYYYYY out of town. We used to visit my sister who lived in Dallas and we knew we were almost to Dallas when we passed Beltline because we could see the skyline way off in the distance but we still had quite a ways to go. Until "town" developed out past it and now it's in the middle of town and the highway that was going TO Dallas is also now IN Dallas.

Unless you know of a way to keep people from building along the roadways that are built, it's going to continue to happen.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Without freeways the Cities would not thrive or exist at all. They are the arteries carrying all of the life blood into and waste out of the Cities. No City in the world is self sustaining or self sufficient, they cannot survive without those arteries feeding them.

Truth.

[Caesarstl]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Without freeways the Cities would not thrive or exist at all. They are the arteries carrying all of the life blood into and waste out of the Cities. No City in the world is self sustaining or self sufficient, they cannot survive without those arteries feeding them.

Originally Posted by JJG

Truth.

I hope you mean the freeways only need to go to the cities and not in/through them; otherwise, you might want to check on European cities that seem to get by just fine...

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by JJG

..... instant ghettoizers? That's a new one.

Anyway, it's a bit too late for that and the reason for this is to get goods and passengers in and out of the city as quick as possible. I really don't see how much better a highway can even be designed. Also, there is the fact that some MAJOR highways were built outside the city, but the city expanded...

Look at any urban highway. Next to it is ghetto or at least very run down.