AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by slippi

Just absurd TxDOT / CAMPO keep pumping money into inducing traffic in the year 2020. This one intersection will cost $24 million, which is equal to 7% of Cap Metro's 2020 budget.

these diverging diamonds are pretty appropriate for highway hellscapes like the Parmer/I-35 area. i'm trying to imagine what it would be like to try to cross that bridge as a pedestrian - somehow it looks even scarier than the current configuration

[We vs us]

Yeah those DDI's completely mess with my muscle memory. Something about how they look and what they force you to do is completely anathema to my lizard brain (which, coincidentally, is the part that drives the car). I get the logic behind them, but that doesn't help my lesser brain parts do the steering and the braking.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Novacek

Uh, most of the cuts were in North Austin (at least north of the river)
Add: South Austin is dropping (for now) 4 miles at the end of the Orange Line(SCTC to Slaughter).
North Austin is losing >4 miles of the orange line (NLTC to Tech Ridge). AND North Austin is losing the _entire_ gold line (it's no longer even BRT).
South Austin is getting two light rail lines. North Austin is getting only 1.
This despite the fact that the majority of Austin lives north!

As usual, your "South Austin gets screwed" schtick is complete bullshit.
Edit 2: Make that South Austin is losing <3 miles. Looks like the phase 1 plan is to take the Orange Line all the way down to Stassney.
North Austin is getting screwed!.

Neither side would be getting screwed if they took an entirely different approach to building new transit projects. Have the taxpayers approve an overall plan - then build the plan to the best of your ability. If it does not get completely built, ie cuts must be made, build it out piecemeal, that discovery is made after the election - not before.
Neither Houston or Dallas light rail projects were completed all at once, both were built piecemeal one phase at a time. Both have had to make cuts and delay portions of their overall plans. But I guess little Austin is too stubborn to ever learn from its bigger sisters.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by electricron

Neither side would be getting screwed if they took an entirely different approach to building new transit projects. Have the taxpayers approve an overall plan - then build the plan to the best of your ability.

That's literally what's happening.

The overall plan is still the plan. It's still the LPA. The entire plan, including what's in later phases, would undergo NEPA.

Voters are being asked to approve the whole thing.

And if their ability ends up being more (for instance, more federal money ends up being available) more of the system will be built out.

Originally Posted by electricron

If it does not get completely built, ie cuts must be made, build it out piecemeal, that discovery is made after the election - not before.

So it's better to lie to the voters, and tell them a particular tax/bond is enough to build out the full system when everyone knows it's not, and it's trivially easy to show it's not?

That's a good way to get crucified by attack ads.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by electricron

Neither side would be getting screwed if they took an entirely different approach to building new transit projects. Have the taxpayers approve an overall plan - then build the plan to the best of your ability. If it does not get completely built, ie cuts must be made, build it out piecemeal, that discovery is made after the election - not before.
Neither Houston or Dallas light rail projects were completed all at once, both were built piecemeal one phase at a time. Both have had to make cuts and delay portions of their overall plans. But I guess little Austin is too stubborn to ever learn from its bigger sisters.

That is precisely what is being done. The Council and Cap Metro Board approved Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) is the $10 B package. The Tax Rate Election (TRE) called yesterday is enough to finance the first $7 B. If voters approve the TRE, the project will advance through Preliminary Engineering (PE) so that they can apply for FTA funding. If (when) the PE indicates the costs are higher than currently anticipated, and / or the amount of Federal funding becomes more clear, the scale of the initial investment and/or phasing will be adjusted as needed. The full LPA remains the long term master plan until a new plan is needed (either because voters reject this one, or circumstances change enough to need to rethink the plan).

Other cities have followed a similar route, but typically the initial investment is a single light rail line, followed years / decades later by extensions and additional lines. That hasn't worked in the past in Austin, because voters could not see the benefits to them of a single line remote from them. To be fair, previous planning efforts developed a master plan to justify a single line investment. This time they did the opposite. They developed a master plan and then determined the priorities for initial investment. It is a bold strategy to bite off such a large initial investment, but I think it is what is needed, because the general sentiment is that we should have done this 20 years ago and badly need to play catch up.

[KevinFromTexas]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/aust...ement-efforts/
Proposed Project Connect funding plan includes $300 million for anti-displacement efforts

by: Yoojin Cho
Posted: Jul 28, 2020 / 02:12 PM CDT / Updated: Jul 28, 2020 / 05:39 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro’s Project Connect is one step closer to being on the November ballot. Monday, Austin City Council voted to approve a $7.1 billion initial investment plan, which would mean an 8.75 cent tax rate increase for homeowners.

Originally, CapMetro presented two choices:

A $7 billion initial investment plan that would’ve led to a 8.5 cent tax rate increase
A $10 billion investment plan for which the tax rate increase would’ve been 11 cents

The University of Texas at Austin School of Law Professor Heather Way looked at research done by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies. She said, in a Minnesota city, home values skyrocketed after a new light rail line was built.

[llamaorama]

$300 million could buy a lot of improvements to public services and civic amenities in outlying areas that working class people can afford in a post-gentrification era, as well as boosts to suburban transit routes. This would benefit many future generations to come and it would be building new places which are better.

Wouldn't spending money on subsidizing housing in gentrifying neighborhoods be a largely reactive measure that benefits only certain constituencies only in the short term?

Originally Posted by Novacek

Traffic being slightly (and temporarily) being reduced due to Covid is meaningless to this planning, especially since any construction wouldn't be taking place for years.

Maybe the predictions made with data collected during an unprecedented boom are flawed? Maybe the 2000's and 2010's will never be repeated for downtown Austin?

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

Maybe the predictions made with data collected during an unprecedented boom are flawed? Maybe the 2000's and 2010's will never be repeated for downtown Austin?

"Unprecedented"?

Austin has doubled in size basically every 20-25 years for its entire existence.


The 2000's 20% increase ended up as Austin's slowest growth since the 19-teens (though the 2010's showed that slowing isn't a trend).

It seems extraordinarily risky to assume/rely on an absence of growth in Austin (which would be what's entirely "unprecedented" in its history).

[atxsnail]

The Cap Metro instagram account (@capmetroatx) put up a teaser video of one of the newly built electric buses rolling off the AZ assembly line. They show a closeup of what I guess is the charging interface at the top of the bus.

It's also mildly interesting that the livery is the regular blue Metrobus branding but the vehicle shown was a 60 foot articulated bus. I suppose this is in anticipation of a successful November vote for Project Connect and a movement away from Metrorapid branding for the L/G corridor. At least the electrics will be easy to spot for the early part of the rollout (under my assumption that the 801 is the only line with the 60 foot buses).

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

It's also mildly interesting that the livery is the regular blue Metrobus branding but the vehicle shown was a 60 foot articulated bus. I suppose this is in anticipation of a successful November vote for Project Connect and a movement away from Metrorapid branding for the L/G corridor. At least the electrics will be easy to spot for the early part of the rollout (under my assumption that the 801 is the only line with the 60 foot buses).

I'm wondering if that's an indication that CapMetro wants to try out the buses on shorter routes first, rather than the 801 (which is one of the longest in the system). They did testing before buying them, but it would still be good to run them for an extended period (in all seasons and conditions) to be sure of the range they're going to get from them.


They've sometimes used a 60 footer on the 803 line before, for particular peak periods. I'm not sure if they've ever sub'ed one onto a non-rapid line, but I know that post-remap some of the other lines have gotten pretty crowded at times.

[freerover]

Almost official for Prop A in November for Project Connect. Exciting time.

[freerover]

Supporter PAC is live.

https://www.transitnowatx.com/

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by freerover

Supporter PAC is live.

https://www.transitnowatx.com/

So far it seems like the endorsement from the Travis County Democratic Party in favor of both Prop A (Project Connect) and Prop B (Active Transportation) is the most impactful. The Chamber I guess has some sway with a certain group of people but I don't think they move the needle really.

Alison Alter is not listed as a supporter of this group for some reason. As far as I can remember she supports Project Connect. Maybe they mean financial supporters? The other CMs and the Mayor are listed.

I don't think most people would take their council member's support into consideration when they vote anyway but a lot of tax-averse Austin NIMBYs would think twice before voting against the Travis County Dems.

I'm assuming Statesman and Chronicle will both be for Prop A. I'm feeling really optimistic about Project Connect winning in Nov. Less so about Prop B though I think it will still pass, just by a smaller margin.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

So far it seems like the endorsement from the Travis County Democratic Party in favor of both Prop A (Project Connect) and Prop B (Active Transportation) is the most impactful. The Chamber I guess has some sway with a certain group of people but I don't think they move the needle really.

Alison Alter is not listed as a supporter of this group for some reason. As far as I can remember she supports Project Connect. Maybe they mean financial supporters? The other CMs and the Mayor are listed.

I don't think most people would take their council member's support into consideration when they vote anyway but a lot of tax-averse Austin NIMBYs would think twice before voting against the Travis County Dems.

I'm assuming Statesman and Chronicle will both be for Prop A. I'm feeling really optimistic about Project Connect winning in Nov. Less so about Prop B though I think it will still pass, just by a smaller margin.

IIRC, Alison Alter abstained on the vote for Project Connect.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by H2O

IIRC, Alison Alter abstained on the vote for Project Connect.

I believe all the project connect votes have passed unanimously on the city's side (I think there was one against on the most recent CM vote).

[We vs us]

Kinda cool -- the temporary bike lanes on Congress Ave will become permanent starting this month:

The temporary bike lanes installed on Congress Ave. earlier this summer will be made permanent to keep Austinites walking, rolling, and driving through downtown safely! Austin Transportation will install permanent bicycle lanes on Congress Ave. between Riverside Dr. and 11th St. and will be protected using flexible delineator posts and parking stops. The permanent changes will also address significant existing crash patterns along Congress Avenue.

Installation is set to begin between September 20 and September 25. The protected bike lanes currently in place will remain on the street until the permanent bicycle lanes replace the temporary installation. Access to all driveways and on-street parking will remain in place.

From a Downtown Austin Alliance email update https://mailchi.mp/downtownaustin/sep-15

[freerover]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Kinda cool -- the temporary bike lanes on Congress Ave will become permanent starting this month:



From a Downtown Austin Alliance email update https://mailchi.mp/downtownaustin/sep-15

Prop B would fund the renovation of Congress Ave from the capital to Riverside. It's real nice. I've posted it before in this thread.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by freerover

Prop B would fund the renovation of Congress Ave from the capital to Riverside. It's real nice. I've posted it before in this thread.

Yeah, I remembered that vaguely . . . and was assuming this was a half-step towards those plans. Good use of pandemic emergency measures if you ask me.

[lonewolf]

bike lanes are laughably dangerous and waste of funds. american city grids were built to the automobile scale, not the human scale. bikes do not mix with cars. bikes do not mix with pedestrians. bikes do not transport more than 1 person at a time but require berths equal to three people.

i am staunchly anti urban bikes. widen the sidewalks. bring back rollerblades.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by lonewolf

bike lanes are laughably dangerous and waste of funds. american city grids were built to the automobile scale, not the human scale. bikes do not mix with cars. bikes do not mix with pedestrians. bikes do not transport more than 1 person at a time but require berths equal to three people.

i am staunchly anti urban bikes. widen the sidewalks. bring back rollerblades.

You’ve always been one of my favorites, even though you’re a crazy mofo and that doesn’t make any sense. Ramble on, my dude!