AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by lonewolf

this thread is a lot more fun to read when you're not engaged in an argument over mass transit

No it isn't.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by lonewolf
this thread is a lot more fun to read when you're not engaged in an argument over mass transit

The closest thing to the exact opposite of this forum that I'm aware of is the Austin city-data forum. I just browsed their Project Connect thread, which is mostly right-wing cranks vigorously agreeing with one another. The 25% tax increase thing is never challenged, and I even saw a Soros scaremonger in there. It's not particularly interesting.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

The closest thing to the exact opposite of this forum that I'm aware of is the Austin city-data forum. I just browsed their Project Connect thread, which is mostly right-wing cranks vigorously agreeing with one another. The 25% tax increase thing is never challenged, and I even saw a Soros scaremonger in there. It's not particularly interesting.

That place sucks. All they ever talk about is renaming 130 to 35. I posted the link to the Travis County Tesla email were you can send in your support for the project and this is what happened:

[drummer]

Haha, it's no small thing to wield power like that on a forum, I guess.

No offense to our Austin admins...you guys are pretty great. Don't ban me, please.

[Sigaven]

Luckily most of the comments on Austin's reddit page are pro Prop-A and they get the most upvotes. Not too much opposition there, and Austin's subreddit isn't known for being very optimistic about anything or development-friendly.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by nixcity

You post this which shows the lack of funding on a national level for infrastructure and transportation yet your desire is for less funding.....Ok, got it. Can you point to one, just one, country run in the libertarian dream world with unchecked capitalism allowing businesses to step in and provide everything a person/community needs?

my point was it was a pile of dung, when someone was trying to point out how great it was. had nothing about funding. there is a lot more to a quality mass transit system than the number of people being moved. As far as funding goes, I'd bet if you dig into it, NY was trying to cut the budget statewide, and this was a big, easy pile of money to cut. they need to get their financial house in order because the entire state is a financial disaster - pre covid. covid just made it worse.

so now they have crap roads and crap subway in NYC. Taxi driver told me the only time they work on the roads there is where there is an election. after the election they send the crews home. his words, not mine. kind of funny, and probably some truth to it.

Here is one from Nov 2019
https://www.democratandchronicle.com...QPNMSb5w3vaDOE

[JAM]

Originally Posted by freerover

That place sucks. All they ever talk about is renaming 130 to 35. I posted the link to the Travis County Tesla email were you can send in your support for the project and this is what happened:

I did nothing more than present an alternate point of view and your behavior became abrasive, non-tolerant and included insults among other things. Maybe some self reflection is in order.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

LOL. Point taken, but I think technically most of what we do is complain about other people's complaints about what others do with their property.

Funny, good point.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by M1EK

Last one, I promise, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/20...-a-slow-start/

"When MetroRapid opened, it essentially replaced two routes along the same stretch of road. The new rapid option costs more, with less frequent stops, and as a result ridership on the new route has been weak. Comparing average weekday ridership between those two routes and the MetroRapid route (and an additional feeder route) in the spring months between the years 2013 and 2014, ridership has actually fallen 11 percent."

This was a disproprotionate drop at the time.

http://kut.org/post/after-ridership-...pid-bus-system

"The rapid buses, however, started on time and under budget. But six months after the launch of the first rapid line, ridership in its corridor is down 16 percent from two years ago during the same period. (You can view the ridership numbers obtained by KUT below.)

"We certainly didn't want that to happen. We hoped that wouldn’t happen. But it did happen," says Todd Hemingson, Vice President of strategic planning and development with Capital Metro.

So why, after premiering shiny new buses with plenty of features, did ridership go down in the corridor?"

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/...e-shuffle-bus/

I was quoted for that story, by the way. I put my name on things, and am accountable for them. At the time Novacek actually attempted to claim in response something along the lines of that Cap Metro must have left out the 275 (even though they themselves did not argue with the numbers presented).

It's also important to note that Cap Metro's own PR people, when presented with ample opportunities to defend their agency by claiming that the drop was not disproportionate, did not do so. In none of the instances above, when interviewed by friendly people who very much wanted to find a better answer, none was supplied.

Again, I am not going to get back in this forum on a regular basis unless I am assured the rules have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as I feel I'm attacked, so please enjoy Novacek from here on out.

Your pal,
M1EK

What happened to M1EK? I'd like to hear his thoughts on Project Connect. This person does know what he is talking about.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by JAM

What happened to M1EK? I'd like to hear his thoughts on Project Connect. This person does know what he is talking about.

He's already voted in favor of Prop A per his twitter

[nixcity]

they need to get their financial house in order because the entire state is a financial disaster - pre covid. covid just made it worse.

You sure about that??? States like New York have to consistently pay out of their coffers for the hillbilly states that think meth should be their number one contributor to GDP.

https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/re...it-gets-return

This is what happens, if New York was allowed to keep its' own money (or if the feds didn't love dropping bombs, handing out subsidies to big oil, and would actually tax the richest of our corporations like the rest of the free world) then their infrastructure would obviously be better. Still waiting to hear about that GOP style run country.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

He's already voted in favor of Prop A per his twitter

I'd guess he did. Would like to hear his thoughts on routing and spending. He was pretty accurate about our commuter rail on many points.

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by JAM

I'd guess he did. Would like to hear his thoughts on routing and spending. He was pretty accurate about our commuter rail on many points.

Not gonna happen, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by M1EK

Not gonna happen, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

Don’t you have AURA offices to light on fire?

[kingkirbythe....]

Originally Posted by M1EK

Not gonna happen, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

There he is!

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by M1EK

Not gonna happen, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

when elk's attack!

[JAM]

Originally Posted by M1EK

Not gonna happen, unless I get assurances the rules here have changed to allow me to respond as vigorously as Novacek and his ilk attack.

LOL - he does seem to have difficulties with opinions other than his own. I'm all ears when your ready.

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by JAM

LOL - he does seem to have difficulties with opinions other than his own. I'm all ears when your ready.

To be frank, it's not your opinions that are problematic. It's the counterfactual claims.

"I think it costs too much" is a perfectly rational and logically defensible position. "Cars can carry more people" is not. Also while he occupies a different part of the urbanist spectrum than most others on this forum, I don't think you'll particularly like what he would say about waiting for electric robot cars and roundabouts to save us.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

To be frank, it's not your opinions that are problematic. It's the counterfactual claims.

"I think it costs too much" is a perfectly rational and logically defensible position. "Cars can carry more people" is not.

First, there are ways to have an adult discussion while proving claims are not true. I don't see how that explains rude, board bully behavior.

2nd, you should go back and read the study I presented. Not the Austin prop A one, the other one. Trains crammed with 200 pp/car doesn't sound real pleasant to me, and is just as counter factual. I can guarantee you when it arrives with 200 pp in the car, my wife will be demanding we leave the station and call and Uber.

3rd. Austin only has 1 or so million people to move. I think new technology can make that happen just fine. We are not talking about a city of 10 or 20 million people. Think we are going to get to 10 million, I wonder where the water will come from?

4th. If it gets approved, my life will go on. geeze, lets have a discussion.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by JAM

First, there are ways to have an adult discussion while proving claims are not true. I don't see how that explains rude, board bully behavior.

2nd, you should go back and read the study I presented. Not the Austin prop A one, the other one. Trains crammed with 200 pp/car doesn't sound real pleasant to me, and is just as counter factual. I can guarantee you when it arrives with 200 pp in the car, my wife will be demanding we leave the station and call and Uber.

3rd. Austin only has 1 or so million people to move. I think new technology can make that happen just fine. We are not talking about a city of 10 or 20 million people. Think we are going to get to 10 million, I wonder where the water will come from?

4th. If it gets approved, my life will go on. geeze, lets have a discussion.

Stop calling the ramblings of an English Major trying to defeat mass transit at the behest of auto and oil industry exes a "study".