Hooray for Light Rail
This is awesome. They’re proposing light rail through my neck of the woods.
Hopefully this won’t get killed by all the haters in the suburbs. Maybe by throwing them a bone in the case of commuter rail they’ll let those of us in central austin have light rail.
I’m actually hopeful about this. By going down Riverside there are no obstructionist Neighborhood Associations to get in the way, and a lot of new condo developers who would love this amenity. It will provide a quick and easy way for us to get to the long center (and the Dougherty Arts Center by proxy), the hike and bike trail, etc. And I’m sure they’ll rejigger a lot of the bus routes to meet up with it.
I know I shouldn’t get excited about it, but it would be a really good change for Austin. The last few times I’ve gone downtown at night I’ve noticed that parking is becoming a nightmare. The Long center costs $7/car. Which I suppose is normal if you’re seeing a $100 show. But if you’re seeing a $15 show in the small theater it’s a bit exorbitant. We really need something like this to keep people in downtown and the cars out.
Comments
Julie (www.juliesdramas.blogspot.com)
2008-04-22T19:04:00.000Z
Man, I read the comments on this story and I cannot believe all the suburbanites who shot it down on sight. “Why doesn’t it come to me, dammit?! This will only help out of towners and college kids who live on Riverside.” Huh? Because no one lives close to the city, yep, you’re totally right. And what about the fact that you could drive-in to somewhere close, leave your car and then take the light rail everywhere downtown. And having those out of towners, close-in livers and college kids off the roads will only help your commute! I have a little hope because Light Rail was only defeated the first time with a 51% majority because the anti-light railers had a catchy slogan. Hopefully this time the pro-light railers can come up with something catchy like: “Light Rail: we can’t afford not to.”
Tim (http://www.loadedguntheory.com/blog/director/listblog/tim.html)
2008-04-22T19:18:20.000Z
Yeah, that’s my hope too. Last time I don’t think there was enough pain. I think people are ready now to do ANYTHING to fix the problem. That said, there are a lot of people who hate CapMetro just because. Like Weiss who’s running for city council with a plan to transform the hated CapMetro into exactly what it is today. Ignorance is probably the biggest enemy here.
Kate (http://katiekatworld.blogspot.com)
2008-04-22T23:34:27.000Z
Looking on the bright side—it passed here. And although they forget that they shot it down before, the people in the burbs are now screaming for it. Plus, once it starts in the city center, there are possibilities for it to extend. There will always be haters. People still say that the light rail downtown is always empty. Except for every time I see it. It goes through the freaking medical center. Park and ride is a big deal—both in terms of time and parking. Parking is limited and $$$. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
