Expanding Transportation Alternatives

   Something that is guaranteed in Austin is traffic everywhere in between MLK Jr. Blvd and Oltorf St, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. It is just absolutely insane that it takes 30 minutes to drive 6 miles. Austin traffic has has increased throughout the years and it doesn't look like its going to stop anytime now. The ridiculous amount of traffic is due to the fact that the government has not been able to amplify the transportation infrastructure in Austin and it's surrounding areas. According to USA Today Austin is ranked fourth place in the most congested cities in the United States. Austin continues to be the city with the fastest growing population in the US, coming in at a 3% population growth in 2014.

Implementing new alternatives of transportation is something that is very much needed for our city. Other Texan cities such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio also have this problem but those are cities that have a lot more territory and places to expand. Austin is growing at a rapid rate, but it is growing in only one spot, which is the downtown area. The lack of expandable territory has become a huge problem and who knows what will happen in the future.

    Local government should definitely consider investing in the expansion of the Metro Rail System. Riding the train is just so much more convenient compared to other transportation methods. Say you want to go to downtown but you don't want to deal with traffic and parking, your best option is to take the train.The Austin Metro Rail system currently has 9 stations across the Austin area. The route starts at downtown near the Austin Convention Center and goes north all the way up to Lakeline and Leander. The Austin Metro Rail system has been operating for 5 years now and each year the number of riders increases. I can say from personal experience that riding the rail is a very pleasing experience when compared to taking the bus or driving your own car during rush hour. The crowd that is mostly interested in this subject is probably people who work in or near downtown, such as myself.  The only factor that might not appeal to many people is the slightly higher price of a ticket when compared to the price of a regular bus ticket. A one ride pass is $3.50 and a "Day Pass" comes out to $7.00. More lines should be built, for example another route that goes north and south in another part of town. Also another line that goes east and west perhaps. There are plans of expanding but they are not yet near execution. Maybe if there is more support from Austinites, the process might be accelerated.

Austin Metro Rail Route