Texas State Senator Kirk Watson and Austin City CouncilMember Brewster McCracken have led the charge to change how we commute to within Central Austin.

After struggling with congession from our population growth, Mayor Will Wynn charged various groups, community leaders, transit experts and other residents to come up plans for a final vote in November.

Roma Design Group was hired as a consultant to the city to evaluate the dire situation and make a proposal. Roma’s final solution: place 14 miles of light rail line through Central Austin.

Top concerns for Central Austin light rail were:

1. Cost.

2. Whether light railcan actually solve our traffic problems.

3. Could light rail make the problems worse?

Cost. According to the Austin Statesman, Councilmember McCrackien sad, "We think it is possible to build this with no new taxes." He outlines a potential option in the plan. Rail would be paid for by revenue from Capital Metro’s 1 percent sales tax, government contributions, property taxes and, potentially, from airport bonds.

Will light rail work? I was involved in some of McCracken’s transit feedback sessions. After evaluating all of the options, I believed light rail to be the most viable long-term. Trolley’s, faster buses, and other modes of transit were cheaper alternatives, but they felt like bandaids that we’d outgrow within the next decade.

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Capmetro’s Transit Working Group (TWG) charge by Mayor Wynn

The Transit Working Group’s research, options and proposals.

Read the Full Story in the Statesman

Capmetro’s All Systems Go Plan Outlined