Leander mayor calls for regional transportation plan, bond
Leander mayor calls for regional transportation plan, bond
Written by John D. Cowman, mayor of Leander Monday, 20 October 2008
Editor’s note: The following text is City of Leander Mayor John Cowman’s entire, unedited open letter to Central Texans.
Everyone seems to talk about Central Texas’ transportation issues. In downtown Austin many solutions have been offered: trolley cars, parking garages, rubber tires and/or steel wheels and the like. We treat traffic congestion like the weather; we act as if we have no control over it. I offer the following approach to solve our regional transportation issues.
I do not know if it’s best to dedicate lanes, synchronize traffic lights, go with steel wheels or rubber-tires, or implement some combination of the aforementioned. I do know for sure the traffic problem in downtown Austin is not solely Austin’s problem. Downtown Austin’s traffic problem is the region’s traffic problem.
Most Central Texans come into downtown Austin to work and play. You can see this daily migration on the southbound lanes of North Mopac and northbound lanes of South IH 35. Downtown Austin is where we all seem to end up; Austin is the hub for the region.
Capital Metro’s MetroRail begins operation from Leander to downtown Austin March 30, 2009. This will be a great day for Leander and Austin as well as the region as I am sure the system will be enjoyed by eager commuters finally getting an alternative to their daily grind of driving and fighting traffic. When these commuters arrive in Austin and disembark, they will reach their final destination by foot, by bike, by Dillo or other local bus, or by a specially-designated circulator bus that will be ready and waiting for train passengers. This is a great interim solution and will work on a temporary basis, but these commuters will be hungry for better access, for a system that connects them to all places they need and want to go—for a system that links our region.
What we need is a regional transit system; one that connects all areas of our region; one that uses the right system for the connections, whether commuter rail, light rail, ultra light rail, streetcars, trolleys, express buses, bus rapid transit, or local bus.
We need to come together as regional partners and fix this regional problem that is affecting downtown Austin and all of us. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin Community College, all cities from our five-county area, Williamson, Hays, Travis, Bastrop and Caldwell County; we should all come together to call a “Regional Referendum” for our 25-year transportation needs. We need regional leaders who are willing to make the best decisions for our region. We need Leadership. No more single projects; we need a regional plan. I am challenging all entities within the five-county area to come together as a group and develop a transportation plan for the next 25 years. We need leaders and professionals like you to step up. Now.
First, a regional bond program to create and maintain a downtown Austin transit system. Second, we could use existing rail lines to build the Elgin/Manor to Austin commuter rail line. Third, we could use the existing Mokan right-of way to build a Georgetown/Round Rock to Austin commuter link, and finally, an Austin to Austin-Bergstrom Airport link. We also need to be planning the Buda/Kyle corridor as well as Oak Hill and beyond, connecting ultimately with San Marcos, New Braunfels, and San Antonio.
As Mayor of the City of Leander, I recognize that we have a regional problem that affects us all. No matter where the problem is, I am willing to invest my share in helping Georgetown, or Oak Hill, or Elgin just as long as long as I know that we are working together as a region to solve our regional problems together. I am willing to step up. I am challenging all city councils, college Board of Regents, commissions, commissioners, neighborhood groups and the like to push in the same direction. Remember, a region divided cannot stand.
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