Commuting Passenger rail: Austin
by Patrick
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Austin back in the passenger rail game
Promo image from Capital Metro
After a 70-year hiatus, much debate and then a yearlong delay, Austin will soon join American cities that have added passenger rail back into the commuting mix.
On March 22, Capital Metro will start running diesel trains on a 32-mile route with nine stops from Leander to downtown Austin, the agency recently announced. A one-way trip will last a little more than an hour and the regular fare will be $3.Â
Trains will come by every 35 minutes during peak travel times, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Nearly 200 people can fit in a car, including standing room.
To match the capacity of a highway lane, you’d have to hook up three cars at a time and run them every 15 minutes.Â
Metro shelled out $105 million for its rail system, a figure that doesn’t include some direct costs, the Statesman said. Still, at about $3.3 million a mile, using an old rail line, the city struck a bargain as far as rail projects go.
Commuting Passenger rail Roads Toll roads Transit: Broadway South Alamo Street streetcars U.S. 281
by Patrick
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Streetcar dreams: Now it’s time to talk money
Streetcar from VIA Metropolitan Transit report (looks like it's in Portland).
After starting the fiscal year by shaving $19 million in spending, including 330 jobs, the city is now being asked to kick in $17 million to build a two-mile streetcar line.
That’s just part of the bill to buy streetcars and lay rails along Broadway and South Alamo Street by 2014. The county, VIA Metropolitan Transit and the federal government could also pony up to help pay what would be an estimated $90 million.
City Council heard the pitch this afternoon.
“If there was any sticker shock … council members mostly kept it to themselves,” the Express-News wrote.
The city hasn’t made any commitments, at least not yet.
At $45 million a mile, the price tag is quite a bit cheaper than, say, turning U.S. 281 out by Stone Oak into a superhighway, or, I should say, tollway.
Ah, but already I’m talking apples and oranges. This quaint two-mile rail line wouldn’t be a wide commuter route helping connect San Antonio’s core to its fringes.
Nope, unlike U.S. 281’s role as an artery for sprawl, the rail line, if done well, would be a magnet for compact living, working and playing. The idea is to drive some growth to the inner city, by creating a place where people would gladly leave their cars behind more often. Tourists would love it too.
Nonetheless, critics and proponents will duke it out with such comparisons. And with so many angles on varying public and private costs, some visible and some not so visible, expect a debate that’s about as clear as mud.
Docs and links:
When cars came to San Antonio
The first San Antonio car dealership was a bike, photo and typewriter repair shop that started selling 1902 Curved Dash Oldsmobiles.
It’s amazing to see today’s rush of technologies, ragged edges and all, bump and grind in the marketplace in a race to reconfigure how we work and play.
But the dizzying pace really isn’t all that new. Consider the shock of the first horseless carriages rumbling over rutted streets more than a century ago, stirring up dust, dropping jaws and spooking horses. Â
Giving us a glimpse into those strange and heady times is “San Antonio on Wheels,” a book written by fellow OnTheMoveBlog.com blogger Hugh Hemphill.
Just as tech ventures come and go in a slippery market – producing epic battles among giants such as Netscape and Explorer, Google and Bing, iPhone and BlackBerry – so too did early auto experiments.
The dirty lowdown on hotels
I’ve stayed in my share of seedy, cheap hotels, at least proud that I saved some bucks. But now I know, it really could have been worse.
For instance, there’s the dirtiest hotel in the United States, as rated by traveler reviews posted on TripAdvisor.
This is a place where, one guest said, “The bugs are nicer than the people.”
Another ranted, “No one should ever walk into a hotel only to find prostitutes walking around the inside.”
Where is this? Why, San Francisco. In fact, three of the 10 worst hotels in the country happen to be in California. I have no idea what that means.
I know you’re wondering. And no, San Antonio is not on the list. Neither is Texas.
On the contrary, Texas has two hotels ranked among the 10 best. The Grand Hyatt VFW in Dallas placed fifth while the Houstonian in Houston came in ninth.
The best of all? Inn New York City. Sorry Texas — but know this, New York State managed to grab only one top spot.
The lists:
Construction and closures: I-35
by Patrick
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I-35 closed Saturday
A daylong blanket of wetness (I can still hear a soothing patter outside) has pushed a scheduled nighttime closure of Interstate 35 to a more traffic-heavy Saturday morning.
Crews will close all main lanes in both directions between AT&T Parkway and New Braunfels Avenue from 4 a.m. to as late as 2 p.m. so they can do bridge work, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Motorists should look for alternative routes such as Austin Highway and Broadway; or I-10 and Houston Street.
Also, watch out for the closure of three westbound Loop 410 lanes at San Pedro Avenue from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Could be rough. Work there includes culvert and bridge repairs.
The ultimate judge on whether the closures happen, of course, is the weather. The verdict for now, per the National Weather Service, forecasts a good chance for more showers Friday, followed by the sun coming out of hiding Saturday and Sunday.
Check out the latest:
Commuting Safety: flooding weather
by Patrick
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Wet and woolly weekend
With storms expected into the weekend, experts are sounding the warnings about the many dangers that can sneak up on motorists.
Tires can suddenly slip on a sheet of water. Rain splattering a windshield can blind you at a critical moment.
But the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Texas is flash flooding, according to state officials. Drivers often can’t tell how deep water is in low spots, and as little as six inches can sweep vehicles away, even pickups and SUVs.
The National Weather Service, forecasting heavy rain through Friday, has issued a flash flood warning in San Antonio and throughout South Texas.
The Texas Department of Transportation tonight released this flood advisory:
- Never walk, swim or drive through swift water.
- If you don’t heed No. 1, and your vehicle stalls in deep water, ditch the car and head to higher ground if you can do so safely.
And for those who can’t remember that, here goes: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
History: economy infrastructure politics ports rivers
by Patrick
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“The Geography of Recession”
Here’s an interesting take from an Austin intelligence firm on how geography shapes global infrastructure, politics and economies.
Navigable rivers and ports, arable land, borders, weather and other natural features play a big role in how available resources are tied up or freed up, according to Stratfor. Such givens influence how governments and economies organize to meet challenges and also how well they succeed.
Excerpt:
Taken together, the integrated transport network, large tracts of usable land and lack of a need for a standing military have one critical implication: The U.S. government tends to take a hands-off approach to economic management, because geography has not cursed the United States with any endemic problems. This may mean that the United States — and especially its government — comes across as disorganized, but it shifts massive amounts of labor and capital to the private sector, which for the most part allows resources to flow to wherever they will achieve the most efficient and productive results.
Laissez-faire capitalism has its flaws. Inequality and social stress are just two of many less-than-desirable side effects. The side effects most relevant to the current situation are, of course, the speculative bubbles that cause recessions when they pop. But in terms of long-term economic efficiency and growth, a free capital system is unrivaled. For the United States, the end result has proved clear: The United States has exited each decade since post-Civil War Reconstruction more powerful than it was when it entered it. While there are many forces in the modern world that threaten various aspects of U.S. economic standing, there is not one that actually threatens the U.S. base geographic advantages.
Travel: Christmas holiday New Year
by Patrick
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Holiday travelers feeling the spirit
Though millions of people still look for work, Americans are starting to spend and travel more as a hobbled economy appears to limp toward a long recovery.
Over the Christmas and New Year’s break, 87.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home, up 3.8 percent from last year’s bleak season and the largest jump in six years, according to AAA.
That means one in four U.S. residents will soon be on the roads, riding rails or in the air to see friends and family this season. Travelers budgeted an average of $1,009 per household for the holidays, with two-thirds expecting to spend at least as much as they did at this time last year, an AAA survey indicates.
I-35 closed this weekend
With some dozen announcements about construction and lane closures apparently wrapped up for the week, the biggest snag to watch for will be on Interstate 35 near Fort Sam Houston.
In about an hour, crews will shut down all southbound main lanes of I-35 from Walters Street to New Braunfels Avenue so they can do bridge work, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The lane closures could last to as late as 5 a.m. Monday, with motorists detoured to the frontage road.
Alternative routes include Rittiman Road to Austin Highway and then Broadway; or Coliseum Road to Houston Street.
To check current traffic conditions, go to TransGuide.
Construction and closures: Loop 410
by Patrick
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Loop 410 closed this weekend
About an hour ago, state officials announced that construction workers will close eastbound Loop 410 on the Northeast Side this Sunday.
Crews will shut down all main lanes between Starcrest and Perrin Beitel from 7 a.m. until sometime Monday morning so they can do bridge work, the Texas Department of Transportation said.
Worthy alternative routes include Austin Highway and Wurzbach Parkway.
Motorists should also watch out for various lane closures through next week on this part of the freeway and its intersecting roads. Check TransGuide before you head out.
Also in late this afternoon from TxDOT:
Have a great weekend everyone. Stay Warm!