Quote:
Originally Posted by gillynova
^^ Beautiful. Just wow
Couple more questions for locals, how is traffic like in Austin? Is it really bad, bearable? Is the city safe? What areas should I avoid?
(Planning to move in maybe a couple of years. I'll definitely keep watch of this thread)
Edit: I saw someone commented that Austin is known to be a very safe city so I'm glad to hear that!
Now I'm wondering is the transportation in the city. Is there a reliable public transportation going in and out of the city that's not a bus?
Sorry for asking a lot of questions haha. I hope you all have a nice weekend!
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To add a few thoughts to this... Traffic depends on your choices. If you're trying to be a single occupant driver and come in and out of downtown you're not helping anyone and you'll be stuck in traffic (pretty true for any great city when trying to lug a 3,000 pound machine around). We're going big on a huge transit bond in 2020. We're currently working on Austin's Strategic Mobility Plan that really looks to move the needle on transit dedicated lanes and the like. I live in East Austin and don't own a car and there are more like me by the day.
There is a strong but fading NIMBY front. They have theirs and they don't want anyone else to be their neighbor. We're doing our best to help them keep losing.
One of the single best things about Austin and what sets it apart from so many cities is the single interstate running through it. We got lucky. Had there been a few more interstates ripping the grid apart and killing the ~100 acres around where an interstate hits an interstate this city would be a very different place. As a result, it's pretty easy to keep urban fabric when leaving DT in all directions. Really a game changer.
As for where to live--within three miles of DT--you pick! We're working to rewrite our 1984 land development code and just so happen to have the best city council we've had in recent memory. Hope is that they'll be able to get the work done that gives us a code that welcomes Compact and Connected development in central Austin as called for by our comprehensive plan--Imagine Austin.
An oddity is that our most urban district is "represented" by someone who abhors urbanism and walkability. We hope to show her the exit door soon enough...