Texas State Capitol
When Will Austin Learn?
RECEIVED Thu., Aug. 23, 2007
Dear Editor,
It’s nice to think that someday Austin may have a bike-share program like the one in Paris. Unfortunately, Austin doesn’t even have sidewalks. In fact, Austin has "environmentalists" who support parking lots but oppose sidewalks.
Sept. 16-22 will be European Mobility Week, culminating in World Car Free Day on Sept. 22. The "mobility" in European Mobility Week refers primarily to walking and bicycling. When Austin officials, planners, and "environmentalists" say "mobility," they mean mainly cars and highways. When speaking of pedestrians and bicyclists, the Austin watch word is "safety." And the main strategy for keeping walkers and cyclists safe is to ban us from "dangerous" roads. Whether we can get from one place to another on foot doesn’t seem to matter to anyone in charge.
Now Austin is altering zoning rules in "walkable" neighborhoods, in order to increase the number of residents per street block. But there are no limits on the number of cars and construction vehicles per street block and no plans to increase pedestrian space. So it’s getting harder to walk around in these "walkable" neighborhoods. And the view is dominated by giant motor vehicles, exuding poison gases and particulate matter.
Walking is cheap, green transportation that makes people happy and healthy. Paris knows this. When will Austin learn?
It’s nice to think that someday Austin may have a bike-share program like the one in Paris. Unfortunately, Austin doesn’t even have sidewalks. In fact, Austin has "environmentalists" who support parking lots but oppose sidewalks.
Sept. 16-22 will be European Mobility Week, culminating in World Car Free Day on Sept. 22. The "mobility" in European Mobility Week refers primarily to walking and bicycling. When Austin officials, planners, and "environmentalists" say "mobility," they mean mainly cars and highways. When speaking of pedestrians and bicyclists, the Austin watch word is "safety." And the main strategy for keeping walkers and cyclists safe is to ban us from "dangerous" roads. Whether we can get from one place to another on foot doesn’t seem to matter to anyone in charge.
Now Austin is altering zoning rules in "walkable" neighborhoods, in order to increase the number of residents per street block. But there are no limits on the number of cars and construction vehicles per street block and no plans to increase pedestrian space. So it’s getting harder to walk around in these "walkable" neighborhoods. And the view is dominated by giant motor vehicles, exuding poison gases and particulate matter.
Walking is cheap, green transportation that makes people happy and healthy. Paris knows this. When will Austin learn?
Yours Truly,
Amy Babich
Amy Babich