Page Two

Read Mike Clark-Madison's piece on SH 130 in this issue. Whether or not this road is built (and if so, where) will impact greatly on your future and this community's future. There are no easy answers -- from the route to the funding. Clark-Madison lays out the options. Traffic has become a central issue in our lives, and planning for growth has long been one. We are going to make decisions in the next few years that will impact on this community throughout the new century. Some argue that building roads encourages growth. Look around at all the areas where roads haven't been built that are being strangled by traffic. There aren't heroes and developers; this isn't a war between developers and environmentalists. It is us in our cars and how they're impacting the community. And every day there are more of us. I'm in favor of SH 130 if built along the eastern route, though I'm speaking only for myself here; I imagine others on the Politics staff think differently. Certainly over the next months you will read much discussion of it in these pages. But the strongest argument has to be for alternative forms of transportation. The city must commit itself to better bike routes and more efficient mass transit. It is time to stop talking and get the Austin-San Antonio commuter rail route going.

The most important thing is that we don't stick our heads in the sand, flail our arms about, and bemoan the traffic and the newcomers who have caused it (while many of us are also stuck in traffic). Visionary planning, which means looking forward while acknowledging what's come before, is needed to accommodate growth. Any plan is going to be flawed, so we shouldn't bury more ambitious plans because of their flaws. There aren't sides on this one; there is us, the greater Austin community, and we must work together if we want to grow into our future rather than be overwhelmed by it.

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This issue represents your last chance to enter your musical act in the 2000 Austin Chronicle Musicians Register. The register, with over 1,000 listings, will be published on Feb. 25 and inserted into SXSW Music bags. Copies of the register end up traveling all over the world and are used by music business folks all year long. Your entry is free. Check this issue for details.

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SXSW grows ever closer. One indication is the steady stream of communiques being issued from the building across the yard, SXSW World Headquarters. The cars now are there early in the morning and late at night. The number of meetings keeps increasing as does the traffic in and out of the building.

Another way we know it's close to SXSW time is The Austin Chronicle 2000 Music Poll ballots piling up as Kate Messer's merry band of interns opens the mail and records the votes. The music poll ballot and the end-of-the-decade ballot are available in this issue. Read them over, think about them, remember the music that matters (and mattered) to you, and vote. The Austin Chronicle Music Poll is the chance for your voice to be heard and your tastes to be recorded. We don't edit or shape the poll; we record your votes, weed out stuffers, and offer results. Remember, you the music fan are the lifeblood of the music community. Please vote. The more information we get and the more readers we get it from, the better the music poll is.

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We're entering into a baby season now with a lot of folks expanding their families. We are always excited about new additions to our extended family. Here's an excerpt from an e-mail we just received from Robert Bryce:

"Jacob Patrick Bryce was born at home at 2:43 this morning. He weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 2 ounces. Given his size, we're thinking he should skip school entirely and declare himself immediately eligible for the NFL draft. Lorin and baby are both doing fine."

We are thrilled that the Chronicle family has again expanded, and the whole staff's affection and best wishes go out to the Bryces.