Everyone
has been talking about how bad Austin traffic has become. The number of cars is
increasing every day. It is almost impossible to go through the I-35 highway
without being delayed. The article “Time to unclog Austin’s traffic arteries”
from mystatesman.com uses an interesting comparison between the human
circulatory system and Austin's roads to address this current issue of heavy
traffic and clogged roads. Anna Wynne and Mercedes Feris, who are the
authors, work in the mobility industry. They have a good amount of knowledge
and experience on Austin’s traffic throughout the years. The problem of traffic
Austin is facing will lead to serious consequences in the future. It is like
the blood blocked in the arteries will cause a heart attack; the clogged
traffic will cause deadly accidents. The article states that there were 120
traffic fatalities in the previous year, and most of them happened on arterial
roads. The traffic has an impact on the gas money and car maintenance. The article
says:” Sitting on congested roadways costs the
average Austin driver roughly $1,000 a year in extra gas and lost productivity”.
Moreover, Austin’s lack of sidewalks is affecting the retail businesses. The
authors write:” Businesses along our major streets
suffer because unpleasant and unsafe walking environments depress foot traffic
— the lifeblood of retail shops.”
This
article is intended to convince voters to vote for prop 1 on November 8. Prop 1
is proposed by Austin mayor Steve Adler and the Austin city council. It will
put in 720 million dollars in critical improvements for the city. They state that
Prop 1 will provide renovation to major corridors
like North and South Lamar, Airport Boulevard, Slaughter Land and others.
Moreover, safety issues on outlying roads such as Anderson Mill Road and U.S.
183, Parmer Lane, RM 620, Spicewood Springs Road and Oak Hill Parkway Bridge will
also get addressed. In addition, a new signal technology system will be
installed to better time the traffic lights to keep cars moving.
I totally agree with the authors. I take I-35 to
work and to school. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to not meet any traffic in
the morning on the weekend. However, the five o’clock traffic is always the
same. My trip from point A to point B often gets delayed. I still think I am
lucky because my workplace and school are close to home. What about people that
live far away from their job or their school? I think it is a pain for them to
commute every day.
Jessica Pham
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