The city of Austin desperately needs to modernize its public
transportation system before it collapses beneath the weight of the city’s ever
growing population, if it hasn’t already. The system of routes ran by city buses
is unnecessarily complicated and at many points redundant with many buses
covering identical lines over short periods of time. Attempting to determine
the appropriate bus to ride by looking at the map of the systems routes has
been known to cause headaches; the colorful lines on the map look more like an
abstract painting than a functioning system of buses. The recently instituted
MetroRail system was a novel idea and the perfect place to begin an overhaul of
the public transportation system, but as it stands currently the rails do not
cover enough of the city. The population of Austin has outgrown the city’s infrastructure.
We must look to the public
transportation systems of cities like New York City and Washington, D.C. whose
extensive rails can deliver you to anywhere in the city quickly and safely. An
underground rail system is the future of public transportation in Austin and
the sooner city officials realize it, the sooner we citizens can avoid spending
an hour stuck in a traffic jam on lovely interstate I-35. Periodic updates and
adaptations are desperately needed in order to avoid a colossal and expensive complete
overhaul; the route city official seem to have chosen.
Although I have not attempted to use public transportation here in Austin more than a couple of times, I can agree that the system is in need of major reform. In my experience, although minimal, using public transportation was much more of a headache than a convenience, and I felt very uncertain as to whether or not I had gotten on the correct bus and which stop it was that I was supposed to get off at. Christopher Pelletier’s analogy in his editorial, “Public Transportation in Austin”, comparing the colorful lines on the bus route map to an abstract painting is genius, I believe, because it is sadly quite accurate. He’s correct in saying that “the population of Austin has outgrown the city’s infrastructure”, as it is terribly evident every single morning and afternoon in rush hour traffic. I may not have had much experience with the public transportation system, but I have spent more than enough time sitting in a traffic jam in the middle of IH-35. Furthermore, not only does IH-35 get clogged every morning and afternoon, but Hwy 183, and Loop 1/Mopac as well. There really is no way to avoid traffic in the city as the infrastructure stands right now, but a possible solution, as Chris mentioned, would be integrating an underground rail system such as those that work so well in New York City, Washington D.C., and many other major cities across America. I’ve had a fair amount of experience navigating those systems, and not only are they convenient and easy to figure out, but fun and speedy as well. When will city officials finally realize that this is what we need, rather than a Metrorail that hardly takes us anywhere? I don’t know, but I hope that the time comes soon so that we can avoid a “colossal and expensive complete overhaul”, as Pelletier put it.
ReplyDeleteAustin really does need to come up with a new plan. Just as Christopher said, when I look at a map with all the colorful lines showing bus routes and more, it looks like a painting that has no connection to a map. I therefore try to avoid using Austin’s public transportation, such as the buses, and in fact, have only ridden on the city bus once in my life. Although people who are not as fortunate as me to have a car may look at me as a snobby girl who does not have to rely on public transportation, however, even if I did not own a car, I would always be looking to carpool with friends rather than taking the bus – that is how much I do not like public transportation in Austin. Furthermore, even though I agree with Christopher a lot, and would like Austin to someday have an underground rail system, I do not think that will happen in Austin anytime in the near future. Putting in an underground rail system will be very expensive, and as the majority of us Texans know, Texas is currently under a lot of debt that is causing them to cut expenditures. As a result, Texas does not have the money right now to be putting in an underground railroad in Austin. Therefore, the question still remains… if Texas does not have the money to be helping Austin’s public transportation, but yet the transportation system is awful, what should the city do? I believe the city should have certain lanes on the road that the buses are only allowed to drive it. This will allow cars to not be stuck in traffic due to a bus occupying every lane on the road. For example, if a bus were limited to the right lane only, cars would be able to pass the buses in the left lanes. Austin might even consider making more roads for buses only – not for cars to drive on, but solely for city buses to get around. This would make it easier for both the buses and cars. I realize this would obviously take money to build also, however it would not be as expensive as building a huge underground railway system in all of Austin – after all, Austin is a very big city.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the idea of an overhaul on public transportation in Austin. I have lived in Austin for three years now and have taken advantage of the bus system and occasionally a taxi. I believe the effectiveness of public transportation is apparent to those who have no other option such as a personal vehicle or carpool. The capital metro system is an effective although time consuming way to navigate Austin. For those who have the option to take a car, the public transportation system seems like a hassle when in fact, the capital metro system is not only already effective but also working to grow through the input of the community. The website is user friendly and even has a trip planner which uses starting points and destinations to give the user the ideal route and timing needed. This trip planning feature allows a bus rider to bypass colored maps which Christopher points out are sometimes difficult to interpret.
ReplyDeleteThe proposition that we look to New York as an example is like comparing apples to oranges. New York’s subway system is so developed and successful due to the tight concentration of people and businesses. Austin is a sprawling city; if you think the buses don’t reach enough of the city, an underground system would likely only be a straight strip through the middle, at least to start with. Christopher also mentions traffic jams which are frequent on I-35. These traffic jams are not a result of public transportation but a result of the quantity of people compared to lanes during rush hour and collision delays. Providing an underground system would not likely clear up the traffic on I-35 as Texas and Austin is a place where a great number of residents own a vehicle and therefore would not be part of the target population to benefit from growth in public transportation. I think that Austin is a city which effectively promotes carpooling, bike riding, and public transportation but a user of such methods must understand that just because it’s better for the environment does not mean that it will be easier or faster than commuting in a personal vehicle.