Commentary on "Congestion in Austin"

The issue of traffic congestion in the city of Austin has gotten out of hand in recent years. Before, traffic was a bother in Austin, but know it has become an intrinsic part of life in the city in a very negative way. People everywhere have to shape their lives in accordance to deal with the traffic. Things that go as complex as buying a home and getting a job to just being able to comfortably drive to a supermarket have become tasks that require complex planning. In my case, traffic has restricted the places where I look for a job, an apartment, and even the times that I get my classes for the semester. I must consider that my job has to be close to where I am at the time my classes end so I can make it in time because if I have to drive I will most certainly be late. I must also confine myself to an area to look for apartments so that I can manage to make it to campus on time in morning for my classes without having to get up three or more hours before the start of class. As you can see, the issue of traffic in Austin is very serious, and it is even more troubling because it will only continue to get worse.

               The blog post titles “Congestion in Austin” in the blog “Lonestar State of Affairs” brings much needed attention to the issue. Various plans that have been mentioned in regards to possible solutions to the issue of traffic are covered in the blog post but very briefly. One thing that caught my attention and would like to know more detail is the above ground rail system mentioned in the blog post. In my opinion this seems like a great idea, and I don’t fully understand the logic behind the explanation of why this idea was shut down. Also, another thing I think could be added that would give the blog post much more substance is the inclusion of some statistics regarding the vehicles in the city, the amount of people that move to the city, and the square footage of parking space that can be found in the downtown area of the city at any given point in the week. I think these numbers would help provide perspective and understanding as to how real an issue traffic is in the city of Austin.