Downtown Austin Plan Survey - Take it Now!

Yes, after a lot of push-back from the city, the new plan includes elements of reserved guideway. It didn't, back when this plan was first floated (and this article first posted).

Vigilance is essential since ROMA sincerely believes in the streetcar fairy dust that makes it work even when it's stuck behind everybody else's car.

...for people who currently drive to work, it's basically no better and even sometimes worse than existing bus service...

My understanding from the recent public meeting held by the City's Downtown Planning team is that the streetcar might serve students and visitors in addition to workers.

There are two types of line - dedicated and shared. With the dedicated lines, there may be advantages in dependability over buses.

Thanks

Garreth

"I'm suggesting that downtown needs more condos."

Nah, pave the hill country!

I'm suggesting that downtown needs more condos.

"Perhaps a mime can dance about and annoy people."

It would make the San Franciscians feel more at home.

I'm recommending public plazas where people can sit and eat their lunch and kids can ride skateboards. Perhaps a mime can dance about and annoy people.

Seth

On streetcar versus bus

Guest #6:

Building streetcar won't get anybody else to ride since it doesn't do anything better than the bus (well, not entirely true, but for people who currently drive to work, it's basically no better and even sometimes worse than existing bus service).

Building a form of transit with a reserved guideway (like light rail, although others qualify) can and will get people to decide to leave their car at home.

Building a form of transit which requires 2 daily transfers to slow, stuck-in-traffic, shuttlebuses can and will teach people for a decade or more to come that "nobody will ever use public transit". Oops.

linked in the "links" section

They link to you? Must've missed that while I was taking the survey. you're a legend in your own mind.

mdahmus, if local residents used a streetcar that would mean that they're not driving so that actually would provide a benefit for traffic.

I'm not saying it's the solution.

Personally, as a 78703'er I walk or bike anyway.

Yeah, that was good. I put in my two cents that perhaps they should think about putting in high speed public transport to the places that use public transport (North Central, East, and South) before they run it up to Leander.

Thanks for the heads up, Austinist.

Argh. Despite the fact that they link to me, they apparently conflate streetcar with light rail (hint: streetcar is like a bus stuck on rails; it still shares a lane with the cars of all the people driving, and thus provides no real additional benefits for local residents - while light rail would run in its own lane and thus not get stuck in traffic).

They do need one more question though, "How do you feel about the proliferation of grackle shit on Congress Ave.?"

Awesome. That was a lot of fun.