Replies

I arrived in Austin in 1994 and folks were complaining then about the influx of Califonrians over the previous two years. I can remember traveling I-35 on almost any hour of the weekend and traffic was light. (During the bust of the early 90's, I can imagine it was next to nothing on Sundays.)

Anyway, the traffic is damned congested when not merely heavy almost any hour of the day. Folks are in such a hurry anymore, running red-lights by all manner of people is almost a daily topic of conversation.

Thanks to an influx of people from just about anywhere you can think of, Austin is rapidly ballooning into-- and picking up the problems of-- a Houston/Dallas/San Antonio. Austin is no longer 'weird.' It's wonky!

I started working here in 1973. There was no traffic to speak of. When I moved 34 miles NW of here in 1990, I could get to work in 35-40 minutes on 183. Back then, there were bumper stickers on cars that said,

"Pray for me. I drive 183".

Now, there is no way anyone can get hurt on 183, except from IH 35 to just north of Loop 360. It now takes 50 minutes to get to work and about 75-80 minutes to get home. Weekends, no problem getting anywhere back then. The worst thing about the traffic now, is the non timed traffic lights the city paid several million dollars to have syncronized. There was a joke. Don't know if you have ever gone to the KVET web site, but if you have a chance, look at the "Smoking Gun" (just do a search) about the memo circulated between Cap Metro and the City. They were blatant about making sure the lights were not syncronized. Cap Metro wanted to keep people in traffic jams, so the locals would vote FOR LIGHT RAIL in the next election.

Anyway, the traffic [in Austin] is damned congested when not merely heavy almost any hour of the day. Folks are in such a hurry anymore, running red-lights

Don't forget the I-35 'NAFTA Freeway' hasn't been expanded to handle the massive increase in Mexico traffic

and picking up the problems of-- a Houston/Dallas/San Antonio.

I read an article in the Austin [Real-e]Statesman some time ago, (back when I subscribed to such a thin leftist pamphlet of a newspaper) and they reported that the everage commute times were fewer than 20 seconds than that of a Dallas resident.

The city "planners" in Austin don't believe in building E/W and N/S corridors, but rather closed off community next to closed off community, forcing everyone to get on a freeway, or drive in complicated zig-zag paths. Even their highways are deliberately designed so that one waits at every possible traffic light no matter what time of day or density of traffic.