Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

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From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

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3 new light rail lines approved

Will increase property taxes an average of $358/year.  THAT's gonna be popular....

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city … or-austin/

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: 3 new light rail lines approved

Just noticed an op-ed in the Chronicle from August where the Project Connect proponent is talking about how many cars the new transit system will allegedly take off the road.

First of all, I doubt there will be any measurable decrease in traffic.  Since it's well-known that building more roadway lanes doesn't actually reduce traffic (because it increases demand on the suddenly less-congested roadways), I expect that the effect with transit on roadway traffic will be similar.  We can look at cities with massive transit systems (e.g., NYC, Los Angeles), and their streets are still choked with cars.

Second, transit advocates need to stop pushing rail as a way to reduce traffic because (a) it's not true, and (b) it's pandering.  I'm reminded of an old Onion article, "98 Percent Of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation For Others".  Excerpt:

"With traffic congestion, pollution, and oil shortages all getting worse, now is the time to shift to affordable, efficient public transportation," APTA director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, Americans have finally recognized the need for everyone else to do exactly that."

Of the study's 5,200 participants, 44 percent cited faster commutes as the primary reason to expand public transportation, followed closely by shorter lines at the gas station. Environmental and energy concerns ranked a distant third and fourth, respectively.

"Expanding mass transit isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity," Holland said. "My drive to work is unbelievable. I spend more than two hours stuck in 12 lanes of traffic. It's about time somebody did something to get some of these other cars off the road."

https://www.theonion.com/report-98-perc … 1819565837

Finally, transit should be promoted for what it actually is: a way to get around quickly and safely.  The point is not to reduce traffic (because it doesn't), the point is to provide an alternative to traffic for those willing to use it.