Implemented almost three years ago, the Austin MetroRail
system has been a reliable transport for people who don’t have a car. After
being a successful service for this long I think that a big expansions to the
system would cause a spike in popularity among Austenite’s and the MetroRail
system could become a primary mode of transportation for many. The problem is
that there are currently only nine stations in Leander and Austin making it inconvenient
for people not near a station. Austin is the kind of city where people would go
slightly out of their way to do this kind of thing. If they built many more
stations around Austin and particularly in traffic heavy areas, people would be
more inclined to use them. Austin is known for having a lot of bicyclists and
to me this seems like a group of people that would support expansion. Biking is
becoming more and more dangerous as traffic increases and the MetroRail system
would be perfect for navigating downtown. If the service continued to be cheap
and reliable like it has, then the MetroRail system would be a great environmental
and economic alternative to having a car. The
rails are pretty quick and almost always on time as well as always very clean.
Bigger MetroRail systems have become popular in other parts of the country and
with Austin being one of the quickest growing cities; a MetroRail system could
have many benefits.
Referring to the Austin Metrorail System, my classmate talks about there being an inconvenience. They bring up the fact that there are only nine stations which is not enough to cater to the growing population along with growing tourists.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this because I have personally seen the trouble it can cause some people. I actually rode the Metrorail this past Sunday. It doesn't usually run on Sundays but there being a special event makes this an exception. I see the popularity it has but once we got off the stop downtown, several people still had to get on there bikes ,as I overheard one of them say that they still have about a 30 minute ride to get to their destination. With this special event and only one stop downtown, biking can get dangerous. Also to mention that some people still need a cab to get where they are going which adds to the traffic. If the MetroRail expanded, then people can get to their destination quicker along with reducing traffic.
After reading your blog addressing the Austin Metro system, I couldn’t agree more on your opinion. The idea of the metro system to save citizens gas and time sitting in traffic is brilliant, don’t get me wrong. The fact that many people in Austin that ride the metro downtown for their job still have to ride there bike to their destination. If there were more metro stations rather than just nine in the whole Austin area, it would make it much easier and efficient for many people living in the Austin area. If the city of Austin is going to spend all that money for the metro, in my opinion there should be more stops throughout the city.
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