AFS Cinema
We Built This City ...
RECEIVED Thu., June 30, 2016
Dear Editor,
I was glad to see Columbus win the Smart City Challenge [see "Headlines," and "Point Austin: How Smart Are We?" News, June 24]. I moved to Austin after living in Columbus for six years. Columbus deserves it.
During my six years in Columbus, I was never in a traffic jam on a Sunday. I got into one traffic jam after 6pm. I also never saw a rollover accident. After my move here, my car insurance went up about 20%.
Both cities have a lot in common. They are state capitals with large universities. Both cities and metro areas have about the same number of people. And both have attracted many transplants.
Unlike Austin, they anticipated their needs and built roads to meet those needs. Their highways get wider as you get closer to the center. They also built limited-access highways with ramps, not four-lane roads with red lights like 360. Many main roads pass over or under railroads, instead of just crossing them at level. You can go from one freeway to another without going through red lights. Best of all, the roads are funded with gas taxes, not tolls.
The most positive result is that people don't mind living in suburbs and driving to a job in downtown Columbus. Commutes are tolerable, so suburbs are actually more expensive than some of the nice central neighborhoods because of "better schools." Even though Columbus is growing, it's still very affordable because they built the highways they needed. My place in Columbus was nicer than anything I've had in Austin.
It's sad that Austin's anti-car lobby has made the city virtually unlivable now, especially because it drives out creative people like actors, artists, and musicians. Those are the people who made the city "cool" after all.
I was glad to see Columbus win the Smart City Challenge [see "Headlines," and "Point Austin: How Smart Are We?" News, June 24]. I moved to Austin after living in Columbus for six years. Columbus deserves it.
During my six years in Columbus, I was never in a traffic jam on a Sunday. I got into one traffic jam after 6pm. I also never saw a rollover accident. After my move here, my car insurance went up about 20%.
Both cities have a lot in common. They are state capitals with large universities. Both cities and metro areas have about the same number of people. And both have attracted many transplants.
Unlike Austin, they anticipated their needs and built roads to meet those needs. Their highways get wider as you get closer to the center. They also built limited-access highways with ramps, not four-lane roads with red lights like 360. Many main roads pass over or under railroads, instead of just crossing them at level. You can go from one freeway to another without going through red lights. Best of all, the roads are funded with gas taxes, not tolls.
The most positive result is that people don't mind living in suburbs and driving to a job in downtown Columbus. Commutes are tolerable, so suburbs are actually more expensive than some of the nice central neighborhoods because of "better schools." Even though Columbus is growing, it's still very affordable because they built the highways they needed. My place in Columbus was nicer than anything I've had in Austin.
It's sad that Austin's anti-car lobby has made the city virtually unlivable now, especially because it drives out creative people like actors, artists, and musicians. Those are the people who made the city "cool" after all.
Chris Baker
