Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron
A short subway or aerial guideway circulator system will not be as expensive as a longer, system wide, all the same, unified project. How about a monorail circulator, north to Keeton, west to Guadalupe, south to Chavez, east to Trinity? If UT objects to the monorail on campus, use MLK instead.
They need to get the costs down for there to be any chance it will pass in a referendum. I believe "sticker shock" is one of the major reasons the past referendums have failed. Spend a little extra in the central core, spend as little as possible elsewhere I believe is the path that will pass.
|
I really like the way you're thinking about this. Something like monorail or gondolas in the highest-trafficked core of the city would provide benefits well beyond the pragmatic achievement of moving people from place to place. Unfortunately I don't know many people who take such ideas seriously. When it comes to serious business like public infrastructure, people seem to have an aversion to any proposal that involves fun, play, experimentation and novelty.
I honestly believe that a futuristic and/or fun and attention-grabbing transit system would pay off in terms of providing a tipping point for attracting more of what we're already starting to attract, big events such as the Grand Prix and X-Games. In the future, it could tip the scales toward choosing Austin for pro sports expansion teams, TV and movie location, certain types of corporate HQs, and a destination for visitors. It would boost top-of-mind awareness of the city because there would be one more thing that stands out about it, relative to other places. In short, it would be good for economic development, and it would be fun, and without fun then economic development just leads to generic urbanization.