Now is not a good time for Austin to expand its Metro rail system. Someday? Sure, it'd be great to provide people with a better, more environmentally friendly transportation option. However, there are many reasons why we should hold off on the expansion.
First, transit rails are a very expensive form of transportation. Texas' projected budget shortfall for 2012-2013 is $27 billion. Right now, we should be focused on cutting spending, and raising revenue, not expanding a transit system that relies on state funding. Although the transit would charge relatively high fees to use, it will not even come close to paying for itself.
These hard economic times are also felt by the people of Austin, which means they are less likely to use the transit system because driving is a cheaper option for most. According to this article by examiner.com, the transit only averages 450-500 riders per day, and numbers aren't expected to increase anytime soon. The Metro rail system should first have to prove that it's useful before we even think about expanding it.
I understand that with our growing population, some changes must be made to make transportation easier. I just don't see what's wrong with building more good old fashion roads, at least until our economy gets back on its feet. This would be a cheaper option, and right now, driving on roads is the preferred mode of transportation for our citizens.
I recently commented on a post written by Cynthia Oviedo saying that I agreed with her in supporting the expansion of the MetroRail bus route. However, I just learned that the state is experiencing an approximate $27 billion financial shortfall. Texas is experiencing very difficult times in determining our new budget. This new information as well as Allison Garrett’s post has led me to change my mind about the MetroRail bus route expansion.
ReplyDeleteAllison starts by quickly making her stance on the issue very clear. She is in support of the expansion but puts emphasis on strategic timing. Allison then continues by mentioning that with our financial shortfall Texas “should be focused on cutting spending, and raising revenue, not expanding a transit system that relies on state funding.” I appreciate that she quickly chose her side of the fence on the issue because it helps me and other readers to grasp her opinions more easily. Also, her opinion is important because it helps me to understand her point of view as I continue reading and then allows me to choose to support or oppose her thoughts.
Allison mentions that “the transit would charge relatively high fees to use” but doesn’t provide an exact or estimated dollar-amount. I understand that exact numbers would be difficult to provide but if she would have provided estimates or old reports then it would have made her opinion more credible. It would have also helped to grasp the reader’s attention because numerical data always stands out.
Also, she mentions that driving is a cheaper option and I really do not agree with her here. Perhaps commuting may be cheaper for drivers of small and economic vehicles but that isn’t the case for all Austinites. Allison should have thought her statement out better to realize that the bus is a cheaper option for drivers of larger, gas-guzzling vehicles. This more-inclusive statement would illustrate that she has taken the time to think about the issue and has considered different points of view.
When Allison mentions that “the transit only averages 450-500 riders per day…” she took the time to provide a link to her source of information. I really appreciate this because it adds to her credibility and makes her opinion more dependable.
I definitely agree with Allison’s overall opinion that Texas should wait for our economy to stabilize before forking out millions of dollars to expand the MetroRail bus route. However, there were certainly statements that should have been better-worded to show that she considered different scenarios. However, I do wish that she would have provided me with more numerical data when mentioning the cost to board the bus to help me visualize the impact of our American dollar. Allison’s editorial was very interesting to read and she made very valid points in which she brought the budget to my attention when I had supposedly already decided to support the expansion.