Magnifisyncopathological

[Updates below.]

News8Austin: City to consider removing curb islands

In May, the city installed 35 curb islands along Shoal Creek Boulevard in the Allandale neighborhood to reduce traffic.

That's right; the City of Austin government tried to force traffic down in a neighborhood by making it more dangerous to drive there.

Residents have been questioning the effectiveness since then. Fay Martinson says they're a safety hazard.

"I'm so afraid that a bicyclist is going to fall in front of me ... [The city] should've done their research before they put them in," she said.

You don't need research to understand that it's dangerous to stick a three to four inch concrete step in the path of moving vehicles. What's the fucking point of having a median if there are obstacles imbedded in it?

Cyclists often ride close to traffic to avoid the curb islands. Neighbors worry the obstacles and speeding cars make a bad combination.

"This was a pilot project and I think there was intent to do something new and innovative and sometimes thinking outside of the box is a good thing and successful and other times it's not successful," Austin Public Works Director Sondra Creighton said.

According to James Keith's article, this experiment's "total cost is estimated at $236,000." If they are removed, Mr. Keith's sources say it might take two weeks to do the job. Undoubtedly, that'll add another dozen grand to the project cost.

"I just think it's a waste. The city has really made a mistake and wasted a lot of money," Martinson said.

Copyright ©2005TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

Austin's government wasted a lot of other people's money, Ma'am. The distinction is important to note.

That's primarily because that money isn't legitimately theirs so they don't have the natural desire of a property owner to put their funds to the most important uses. That's further compounded by the "ownership" the city government claims over the roadways.

I know this particular section of Austin fairly well because a good friend of mine used to live in the area and taking Shoal Creek was my favorite route to get from my apartment to his. It is (or was) one of the nicest and most pleasant urban drives in Austin, shaded almost totally by big trees and lined with interesting houses. I hope they don't screw it up.

But, then, I hope "they" will also give up the roadways for the neighborhoods and/or interested individuals to run and own by themselves. And that's about as likely as the chances that Austin city government will stop imposing taxes on us.

UPDATED 3/22/2006 1:35pm
News8Austin: North Austin curb islands removed. The process began yesterday and is expected to take two weeks.