[The views and thoughts expressed here are my own. They in no way represent any other members of the Austin Music Commission nor do they reflect opinions of City Council members or City staff although I happen to think it'd be a lot cooler (for Austin) if they did.]
If the NY Subway System says so, who am I to disagree?
Which means that Austin sucks.
But we all know that's not true.
We don't, however, know whether or not it's true that a city is only as good as its transit system. I'm here to prove that it is true, and that the greatest challenge (this is 1, this is 1A) facing the City of Austin for the next 5 to 50 years will be its ability to develop a transit system that outshines those of other great American cities and rivals those of great world cities.
Point #1: Transit fits into the ideals of what makes Austin a great city.
What would Europe be without its trains?
Its people. Its location. Its ideals. In that order.
The people here are creative, educated, friendly, healthy, music-loving and passionate about living a quality life. The city's location in Central Texas offers the perfect backdrop for those people because it isn't Houston, Dallas or San Antonio but still offers the city elements that young professionals and families want; there are natural features such as the lakes that accommodate outdoor activity; the university community is strong; live music is everywhere; businesses, both large and small, thrive here; and people don't move here because they have to, which is untrue in pretty much every city in America from a professional standpoint.
To that last point, think about this: people in politics live in DC, people in fashion or finance live in New York, people in film and entertainment live in LA, people in manufacturing and consumer products live in the Midwest, people in other cities live there because their job is there. Austin is one of the top cities in the country, if not the top city, for people who could honestly get paid more or have more job opportunities elsewhere, but choose to live here instead.
That speaks to the ideals of people here. We aren't here for money or fame or notoriety or glamour...we're here to live a fair and balanced, open and honest, friendly and fun, cost-effective and hassle-free lifestyle.
A formidable public transit system enables our people to get to the places they so desire with ease and efficiency while protecting the environment, saving the economy in the long-term and continuing to promote openness and friendliness amongst their fellow residents.
Point #2: We don't have a choice.
I won't say this often, but perhaps Austin should take a cue from D.C.
So now we know a little about who lives here and why they live here. Now think about this: Austin's population doubled twice in the last 50 years. Going from nearly 200,000 in 1961 to 800,000 this year. That growth is part of the reason why this city has gone from the college town and capitol city to one of the top tech regions in the country, one of the best economic regions in the country, the live music capital of the world and the number one city in America for people aged 25-to-34 to move to.
The only problem is, going from 800k to 3.2 million (assuming the same growth rate) or even half the rate, would mean we'll need our roads to handle 1.6 million residents. It's just not gonna happen without significantly hurting our environment (which greatly impacts our ideals), dismantling important public and private spaces (which negatively affects our location) along the highways and spending way too much money and resources for something that requires way too much upkeep (which hinders the economy that is what offsets people's desire to make more money and have more professional opportunities in key sectors elsewhere).
Here are some city comparisons that indicate what kind of traffic Austin would be setting itself up for if this transit system is built properly: Boston: city population 620,000, light rail traffic 220,000; San Francisco: city population 800,000, light rail traffic 150,000; Portland: city population 580,000, light rail traffic 120,000. Hope that helps. If not, how about this: a 2002 Brookings/American Enterprise Fund study found that public transit uses less fuel and puts out less carbon dioxide and monoxide and other pollutants.
A formidable public transit system enables Austin to grow to scale both based on population and existing resources while also planning for the future, a future that doesn't limit Austin's growth and level of stature to that set forth by Texas' other major cities...the ones that lack true public transit infrastructure.
Point #3: This is what the silent majority wants.
We'll need something built into the fabric of the city similar to the T in Boston.
I know that there will be a very loud and vocal minority against any type of funding of a light rail system. They'd prefer we not spend a dime. We not increase taxes at all. We spend the money on Mopac and I-35 improvements instead.
But the more vocal they are, the more we harp on the reality that the majority of Austinites are begging for an easier way to navigate the city and get to and from work without spending hundreds of dollars on gas each month, spending hours and hours in traffic each week and spewing harmful fumes into the environment at the same time. We also want a more efficient way to get in and out of Downtown during SXSW or UT football games and a more cost-effective to see our favorite bands and musicians play now that those parking spots aren't free anymore.
If you think it's bad in 2011, wait until 2016 when we're looking at weekend after weekend of South by Southwest, Texas Relays, ROT Rally, Marley Fest, Pachanga, Formula One (which I support) and a slew of other events that attracts thousands of people to the Downtown area.
Portland's events are much easier to get to than Austin's.
And the weekday commuter traffic is nothing compared to where we're headed if we don't come up with some solution for the shit show experienced on I-35 and Mopac for the people who live more than 5 miles outside of the Downtown area. This city was not built for this, so we have to build something for this city!
A formidable public transit system enables Austin to cater to the kind of growth that has made this city what it is today. People move here to start businesses, go to school, share new ideas, find people to collaborate with, be creative, raise families, get away from the rat race without sacrificing all their professional ambitions and, most importantly, to be somewhere different. Austin is different from the rest of Texas in so many awesome ways, but when it comes to public transit we just fall in line and get quiet...sort of like what we do when mayoral elections come around...but we have to chart a new path.
And that's going to mean carving out some new dollars, laying some new tracks, building some new infastructure, educating people in a new way, making tough decisions today so life is easier tomorrow.
I keep using the word "formidable" when referring to the public transit system this city so desperately needs because the definition of the word is: "Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable."
Well Texas' seemingly long-standing hatred of public transit is a mighty opponent and we'll have to inspire fear in our elected officials and city leadership (and ourselves) in order to get the type of gutsy political decision making (and financial backing, which may include taxing ourselves) needed to support public transit from idea to implementation.
We're not quite Japanese bullet train ready, but we have to start somewhere.
From the fear will come respect, respect for Austin as a city that truly cares about the environment and its people, respect from our Texas neighbors and fellow great American cities and respect from those who decried the building of such a transit system only until they started using it everyday.
Additional reading material: We aren't going to be the "best managed city in America" without public transit, Q: What came first, the chicken or the egg; A: public transportation.
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