AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[KevinFromTexas]

I doubt they'd mind either. It is funny being on those bridges, though, and feeling them wiggle. It's actually enough wiggle to blur night time photos.

We see bats here flying around the street light. And we have an owl that lives in our palm tree. You can hear it singing most night when you're outside.

[Scott Wood]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I doubt urban rail could be added to the Ann Richards/Congress Bridge. I mentioned this before, but the bridge has national historic designation. The City of Austin actually gets federal money for maintaining the bridge. I believe the terms are they only get the money if the bridge is in its original condition. So if they added lanes (widened the bridge) or overhead wires with pylons, the City would lose that funding. I'm not sure what the annual total is, but it's one reason they were considering building a completely new rail bridge east of Congress. It would also be nice to get the buses off Congress Avenue and put them on that new rail bridge, as well as having pedestrian and bike use on that new bridge.

Congress Ave. has had an electric streetcar in the past (http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...ra-328995.html), so technically wouldn't it be historical restoration (the overhead wires, not widening), assuming it could be done in a way that looks enough like the original?

That said, a new bridge to the east seems like a better option, as long as the cost isn't prohibitive.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by Scott Wood

Congress Ave. has had an electric streetcar in the past (http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...ra-328995.html), so technically wouldn't it be historical restoration (the overhead wires, not widening), assuming it could be done in a way that looks enough like the original?

That said, a new bridge to the east seems like a better option, as long as the cost isn't prohibitive.

Scott, that is a fantastic point! Why waste money building another bridge, when you can run it over Congress. Whats the difference with a street car running over Congress bridge, vs. bus or line of auto's. They all hold up traffic one way or the other.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by JAM

Scott, that is a fantastic point! Why waste money building another bridge, when you can run it over Congress. Whats the difference with a street car running over Congress bridge, vs. bus or line of auto's. They all hold up traffic one way or the other.

That wasn't his point. Anyway, a new bridge would be better.

[electricron]

Here's the map of Austin's historic streetcar system.

Yes, Congress was used, it ran deeper into south Austin than Riverside. My point was for it to be politically acceptable to south Austin commuters for the streetcar to use the Congress bridge, it should run further south on Congress than Riverside. Otherwise, it's a slap in the face to them....

[KevinFromTexas]

I thought I'd post this here. Performance Bike is having their reopening on South Lamar in the Brodie Oaks shopping center. They moved there from a mile away from their old location. Anyway, they're having a sale on bike stuff. If you go to this link and print out this coupon they'll give you 15 percent off your purchase. Also if you bring in up to 3 bike tubes they'll give you $15 in money cards apparently. I'm going this weekend.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...098GO194207369

[electricron]

I bet Performance Bike will like the free advertising.

Let's turn this forum into the web's yellow pages.

[KevinFromTexas]

Not advertising, just coupons for people who ride. At least I didn't post where to find the cheapest gas prices (I'm looking at you Fox7).

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Not advertising, just coupons for people who ride. At least I didn't post where to find the cheapest gas prices (I'm looking at you Fox7).

Anyone who has a smart phone can get an app that tells you where the closest cheap gas is...

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.austin360.com/recreation/...inglePage=true

Austin fosters growing cycling community with infrastructure, events

Pam LeBlanc, Fit City

Updated: 9:17 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2011
Published: 9:14 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2011

If you've pedaled a bicycle around Austin lately, you might have noticed something: You're not alone.

But exactly how many people are cycling? We can guess by looking around that it's more than 10 or 20 years ago, but we've never really know by how much.

Until now.

Last fall, as part of a $100,000 study funded by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the city of Austin, the Texas Transportation Institute purchased and installed two permanent bicycle and pedestrian counters - one on the Lance Armstrong Bikeway bridge over Shoal Creek and another at the Lance Armstrong Bikeway bridge over Waller Creek.

Those counters, which count passersby automatically with infrared sensors, show that on average, a total of more than 1,100 bicyclists cross those two bridges daily, with peak traffic on Saturdays - numbers so high that they surprised even Greg Griffin, a senior planner at CAMPO. Numbers spiked to about 5,000 bicyclists per day during the music festival portion of South by Southwest. Toss in pedestrians and the daily average doubles.

"There are city streets that don't have that many cars in a day," Griffin said.

[KevinFromTexas]

Austin360's Pamela Leblanc tries out San Antonio's new bike share program.

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/conte...rk=RTR_1168346

Trying out San Antonio B-cycle

By Pam LeBlanc | Friday, April 15, 2011, 04:41 PM

I headed to San Antonio last week to check out the city’s new bike share program. Austin is looking at getting something similar, and I wanted to try it myself.

Here’s how it works: If you buy a yearly membership ($25 a year now, soon to go up to $60 a year) to San Antonio B-cycle, you get a swipe card that you can take to any of 14 bike stations around downtown. You use the card to check out a bike, and have 30 minutes to ride it before you check it back in to any of the other stations. If you keep a bike longer than 30 minutes at a time, you pay an extra $2 every half hour.
You can also use a credit card to buy a $10 day pass.

We stopped by The Hub in Hemisfair Plaza, where operations for San Antonio B-cycle are headquartered. We met the folks who run and maintain the system, which opened in late March. Then we all hopped on big gray B-cycles and started pedaling.

[electricron]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...r-1428830.html
Experience in other cities with established light rail systems indicates that, at minimum, a successful initial line needs to run between a place with a lot of residents and a place where many of them want to go on a regular basis.
None of this is likely to be possible, however, without landing a hefty grant from the Federal Transit Administration's "New Starts" program. Which won't be easy or quick.
Spillar said federal rules require that at least half of the local share be locked down before a project is eligible for a New Starts grant, so the city really has no choice but to ask voters for money first.

It took DART and METRO around 10 years to get final approval and funds from the FTA "New Starts" program upon initiating the environmental impact studies. And that assumes the FTA "New Starts" program survives budget cuts.
They could save at least $60 million if they didn't cross Lady Bird Lake. But so far the only site they have found for a maintenance barn is on the south side. A brand new bridge across the lake will cost at least $130 million.
The routing I like the best for a starter line is Hancock Center south on Red River and San Jacinto to 4th Street, without necessarily using Congress or crossing the lake. Estimated costs around $237.2 Million.
Math = 178 + 31.5 + 27.7 = 237.2
At least you tie in some residential with the university, capitol, and downtown, so it should attract some riders. You will have to add the costs for the maintenance barn that probably wasn't included on these specific segments, assuming they can find a proper location for it on the north side.
Another choice I like second best is running from 4th Street up Guadalupe and Lavaca as far as $237 million will go. Again you will have to find a site for the maintenance barn.
The map indicate costs up to $92.3 Million.
Math = 52.4 +7.7 + 32.2 = 92.3
But that's before turning on 4th and running to the Convention Center, which indicates another $11.1 Million. Not sure running on 4th is really needed initially. Never-the-less, that leaves $144.7 Million or $11.1 less to extend the line further up Guadalupe and Lavaca.
Without Federal matching funds, there's no guarantees with FTA "New Starts" program, bridging Lady Bird Lake might be too expensive to do for a starter line.....

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/..._comments_list

Picking rail's first piece more than a matter of money
Changing course, city says federal funding probably needed for first segment of urban rail.

By Ben Wear
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 10:50 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2011
Published: 10:42 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2011

How much "urban rail" can you buy for $200 million ?

Not very much, according to City of Austin figures, and certainly not enough to make a success of what might be the area's sophomore foray into rail transit. With that and other considerations in mind, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and city transportation officials now say substantial federal transit funding almost surely will be needed for urban rail's first segment.

That would be a change from what city officials had said over the past couple of years: Austin would probably build a first piece of rail with roughly $200 million from voter-approved bonds and whatever else it could raise through other local means, and then use primarily federal funds years later for outlying sections of the proposed 16.5-mile , double-tracked system. But local money alone would pay for little more than a downtown circuit comparable to the Dillo bus lines that stopped running two years ago for lack of riders.

[KevinFromTexas]

Statesman commuter rail news page.

http://www.statesman.com/special/top...ail_in_Austin/

[JAM]

Originally Posted by electricron

They could save at least $60 million if they didn't cross Lady Bird Lake. But so far the only site they have found for a maintenance barn is on the south side. A brand new bridge across the lake will cost at least $130 million.

The map seems skwed in its representation of UT. If you run the line up Lavaca/Guadalupe at stop at MLK you get the entire UT campus within walking distance - not that those kids should be straying away from the Library anyway. If you add up costs for that Guad/Lav route and cross Congress bridge you get the starter line for 52.4+60= 112.4, all for less than the price of building a new bridge. Seems to make the most financial sense to me. Running up and down Guad/Lav puts you within walking distance of pretty much anywhere you want to go in the downtown area. I really can't think of anything more special about running on the east side of the capital vs the west side.

[BevoLJ]

Running on the Lavaca/Guadalupe looks better to me too. Not sure on what times this will run, but guessing not to late so Red River isn't really as big a reason to have it run east and while Brackenridge does serve a large number of people I don't see much need for transit from there to Downtown. Would maybe be nice having that route for the 100k plus going to the football games but that is what... 8 afternoons/evenings a year? Also I still don't see any reason why Lavaca/Guadalupe part can't have its own lane. Why not 1st bridge? What is the problem from having it cross on 1st? Seems like if they did the Guad/Lav route they could cross 1st very easy by city hall and the maint building is right there on the south side of the river. Is there something about the bridge that makes that a bad idea? They are both 3 lanes each way if I remember right.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Running on the Lavaca/Guadalupe looks better to me too. Not sure on what times this will run, but guessing not to late so Red River isn't really as big a reason to have it run east and while Brackenridge does serve a large number of people I don't see much need for transit from there to Downtown. Would maybe be nice having that route for the 100k plus going to the football games but that is what... 8 afternoons/evenings a year? Also I still don't see any reason why Lavaca/Guadalupe part can't have its own lane. Why not 1st bridge? What is the problem from having it cross on 1st? Seems like if they did the Guad/Lav route they could cross 1st very easy by city hall and the maint building is right there on the south side of the river. Is there something about the bridge that makes that a bad idea? They are both 3 lanes each way if I remember right.

The one advantage of using the one way couplets (Lavaca & Gualalupe) is that you could dedicate one lane to the streetcars on each street (preferrably the right most lane). The disadvantage of using them is what do you do when the one way couplets end? There certainly isn't room to dedicate two lanes on a street north of that rather quick end.
I'm thinking the 1st Street bridge wasn't built strong enough to support the streetcars because it seems to have been nixed very early in all the studies. Usually there's an engineering reason for an early nix.
I'm still thinking they're going to have to build a longer initial streetcar system than just between downtown and UT. You need to get some students and downtown workers commuting from and to home if you're going to get many riders.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by electricron

I'm still thinking they're going to have to build a longer initial streetcar system than just between downtown and UT. You need to get some students and downtown workers commuting from and to home if you're going to get many riders.

That could very well be true. The Dallas street car that ran around McKinney area never seemed more than a novelty, but we did use it frequently when we lived there and it did seem to get full at times. It ran right past our apartment balcony on Cole Ave so I did sort of monitor it - not very scientifically mind you. The Houston light rail starter line was pretty cool, and a lot of people thought it didn't really go anywhere, but it sure hit most of the major Houston attractions and was pretty successful.

Once you get past UT there isn't much for a to see, but I guess you may pick up a few riders. But the price of such an initial line sure is a lot of bang for the buck and it must certainly be weighing on the minds of the decision makers. I'm sure the tax spenders would love to build a new bridge, get some experience running such a project, and all the connections it running a project provides, but all that fatty pork doesn't seem to make financial sense in this era of cut backs. I'm actually sort of surprised that the Town Lake Nimby's haven't come out in droves against the new bridge proposal.

In stead of spending all that money for the bridge, you could run the rails right up S. Congress and pick up lots of riders and provide a nice destination to boot. It seems S. Congress has plenty of lanes and could give up some of that real-estate. If I was a biz owner a long S. Congress I would welcome the street car system.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by JAM

If I was a biz owner a long S. Congress I would welcome the street car system.

I hear ya... BUT>>>>>>
ironically, Rob Lippincott, the owner of Guero's was a MAJOR opponent of Light Rail in the 2001 election. Wonder if he has changed his mind?

[migol24]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

I hear ya... BUT>>>>>>
ironically, Rob Lippincott, the owner of Guero's was a MAJOR opponent of Light Rail in the 2001 election. Wonder if he has changed his mind?

Why did he oppose the Light Rail?