I just read an article on The Daily Texan talking about a
possible vote on a new urban railroad line that will connect with MetroRail. As
of right now the proposal is that the railroad would connect with UT’s West
Campus, UT, and downtown (on routes San Jacinto Boulevard and Lavaca Street).
The problem with is, city council hasn’t really decided on it. They planned to
vote on this proposal the coming fall.
I
really hope that City Council will go through with this, because it would
really help downtown clutter. Another thing is that it will also provide UT
students another form of transportation to school; we would hopefully see fewer
cars on the road at 7-9am in the morning. Not to mention that it is also a
cheaper way to travel, as of right now gas prices are on the rise. For me it
cost about $50 dollars (sometimes more) to fill up every week, (if I was a UT
student) but it I was riding the Metro I could definitely save a lot of money. The
question is how much will I be saving? Well as of right now each month is about
roughly $200 dollars for gas. MetrolRail rates are $64 for a 31 days pass, $32
for reduced price pas, and free for UT/ACC students. That’s 200 dollars I could
possible save if I used the metro, even If I wasn’t a student that’s still $136
dollars in my pocket.
I think
that community could make use of the MetroRail, if they extended their hours
during the weekends. The reason why I say this is because everyone parties
during the weekends; some people don’t want to drive downtown because it hard
to find a good parking spot. The MetroRail could also be used as a tool to keep
drunk drivers off the road during the closing hours of bars. Thus in the end
would benefit the community in terms of safety, economy, and not to mention
reducing CO2 emissions.
As someone who rolls around town in her Grandmother’s hand-me-down, 1989 Cadillac Deville (which most likely guzzles gas at the rate of a Hummer, and costs at least $50 to fill up) I found common ground with Johnson Nguyen’s May 1, 2012 blog post in favor of the installation of an Urban Rail system in Central Austin. Similarly to Mr. Nguyen’s fuel costs, my Caddy sucks up around $200 per month, and I would welcome the opportunity to shed that bill through utilization of the Urban Rail’s free pass for students. I also agree with Mr. Nguyen’s argument that, since the Urban Rail would link to stops on the University of Texas Campus, it could reduce the heavy burden of Austin traffic at peak travel times, and potentially make the commutes of those who do opt to drive more convenient and safe. Mr. Nguyen’s proposal advocating access to the Urban Rail around bar closing time on the weekends was another excellent point. Had one too many on East 6th Street, but, not willing to spring for the cost of a cab? Why, just hop on the train, save yourself some cash, and relieve the community of the possibly deadly travesty of alcohol infused driving. With the benefits of lower fuel expenditures, less traffic, and fewer intoxicated drivers, the Urban Rail appears to be an excellent solution to several key dilemmas plaguing Austin’s residents.
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