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Originally Posted by Komeht
You mistake the purpose of doing this. It's about creating a great city and to a small extent reclaiming what should have been, not moving the most amount of traffic. A substantial amount of traffic on IH35 could and should be rerouted onto 183 and SH130 - running a interstate through the center of downtown was a terrible idea to begin with.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by migol24
Agree.
I don't get why the majority of people in Texas just can't seem to wrap their minds around using public transportation. All the cities, including Austin, had it going very well before everyone started using cars. All my family are the same way. They can't envision their lives without owning a vehicle. I find that insane. This city or any city shouldn't revolve around vehicles, imo. It should revolve around using smart space and effectively getting people to where they need to go. When I lived in Austin, I owned a car but rarely drove it around. I feel you get to appreciate Austin more that way.
But that was something they should've thought about long before they started building freeways. The damage has already been done too long ago. I am very excited to see what Austin is envisioning for itself. I hope it all works out.
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I agree.
The interstate is here and most folk traveling thru Central Austin will not take the bypasses. 183 does not even have a connection to the north on IH35. It could be built; however, TXDOT does not want to build one. People traveling thru Austin know the interstate and will stay on the interstate.
The history of American capitalism and law continues to favor the single family home warehouse districts that keep getting funded and built. These auto dependant districts are what get built. History has favored auto dependant development over long term societal benefit. If and When the cost of developing these developments is added to the purchase price of each new home/unit,...THEN these sprawl developments will stop being built. We all pay for the new roads, water lines, schools etc.
People in America drive autos. We mostly do not have options. Our cities and burbs are designed and built without travel options. I do not like it either. Even Austin has yielded to short term money/profit. The city has failed to insist that new developments have some sort of grid street system, connect to existing and future developments, have a mix of housing options, etc. The money interests have squashed nearly all far sighted changes to existing sprawl.
We must ATEMPT to accommodate more future traffic on the interstate...otherwise we are creating another short term mess. Four lanes in each direction downtown is simply "stupid" if we have the room to build six in each direction underground. Why do folk in Texas and especially in Austin keep spending big bucks on the wrong solutions only to create more problems and forgo the societies (social) long term health?!? Perhaps..."corporations are people too" and money driven elections are biting us. We the people and corporations with the money........