The MetroRail in Austin is a thoughtful idea of how to reduce our carbon footprint by bringing down gas/exhaust emissions in Austin in hopes that people will opt to travel by way of the MetroRail instead of using their cars. It is fairly affordable and in theory is a great idea. However, in the grand scheme of the total number of residents in the metro area, not nearly enough people are taking advantage of the MetroRail for Austin to utilize more tax payer money to expand it.
I have seen talk that it will cost upwards of $14 million just for the investigative studies to decide whether or not this is a worth-while project for Austin to take on. Research that costs that much money just to investigate if the city should take on the project is not an efficient use of tax payer money. There are too many other problems amongst our community that need to be addressed to be spending that kind of outrageously high-dollar tax payer money on investigative research to expand the MetroRail.
In addition, the way the metroplex of Austin is set up, the MetroRail doesn't really make a whole lot of logistical sense. We aren't set up like New York City. This is not to say that the MetroRail hasn't helped our city and doesn't contribute to any good cause, it's just to say that in an area like this, the likelihood that the majority of the population in the Austin metroplex will actually jump on the MetroRail band wagon is very slim. In downtown Austin, the idea of the MetroRail is a lot more feasible because of the way the city was designed. But in the surrounding communities, not as much. And even so, in the downtown area where these services would more likely be used, there are a lot more people that are riding bikes and walking as many places as possible.
Austin is a very environmentally conscious community. There are a lot of "tree-huggers" and "hippies" in Austin. That is just the community of people that is drawn here. The MetroRail may be a positive addition to our community, but until there is a greater population of people taking advantage of its resources, even the discussion of expansion of the MetroRail in Austin is ridiculous.
The main goal of the MetroRail is first to reduce the traffic on I35 and Mopac and as a secondary motive to reduce the carbon footprint in Austin. Don’t make the mistake of switching the two. True, being environmentally friendly is very important in Austin but even Austinites hate the traffic on I35. It is necessary for us to get away from using our cars to get everywhere and start using public education. True, right now it is not being utilized as much as it can but like any new product it will be some time before the word spreads of the new service. I think Capital Metro needs to constantly be advertising the train route. People also need to spread the word and talk to people about their experience with the railway. I happened to be on the train 2 months ago and was happy to notice that every seat was taken. If Capital Metro expands this will allow businessmen and those who work in downtown to get to work without being stuck in traffic, therefore freeing up the highway for those who do not have the option of taking a train. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. It would be foolish not to invest in public transportation.
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