Comments on: PHP #1: Austin, TX (USA) http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/ A blog about carfree living. Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:35:25 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: enkerli http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-26 enkerli Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:22:43 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-26 @Silvia Thanks for dropping by! I don't live in Austin anymore, but I've been trying to share any insight I might have. SoCo (South Congress) is as pedestrian-friendly as Austin can be, from Riverside (about 600) to Oltorf (about 2400). Personally, I didn't spend that much time South of Ben White but I remember that section to be less pedestrian-friendly than the 600-2400 range. One advantage of SoCo, though, is that busses run fairly frequently and they go directly downtown (most Capital Metro bus routes go through Congress, from Cesar Chavez to the Texas Capitol). We were living on South 1st, just South of Riverside and Barton Springs Rd. A pedestrian's dream come true: walking distance from downtown (and a really nice walk at that), from the fun part of SoCo, from Zilker park, from the HEB on SoCo and Oltorf, from nice cafés, restaurants, and pubs... At the time we chose an apartment, I hadn't been to Austin and I also used Google Earth. But what is even better now is Google Street View. I just used it on 3809 South Congress and I can directly see that it's not the most pedestrian-friendly part of town. It's also not that bad, and there are some nice things in that part of town. But, as a compulsive pedestrian, it wouldn't be my first choice. One neighbourhood which is quite pedestrian-friendly is the one just North of UT campus (can't remember how locals call it). Not necessarily that easy to get a place in, but quite nice for pedestrians. @Silvia Thanks for dropping by!
I don’t live in Austin anymore, but I’ve been trying to share any insight I might have.
SoCo (South Congress) is as pedestrian-friendly as Austin can be, from Riverside (about 600) to Oltorf (about 2400). Personally, I didn’t spend that much time South of Ben White but I remember that section to be less pedestrian-friendly than the 600-2400 range.
One advantage of SoCo, though, is that busses run fairly frequently and they go directly downtown (most Capital Metro bus routes go through Congress, from Cesar Chavez to the Texas Capitol).
We were living on South 1st, just South of Riverside and Barton Springs Rd. A pedestrian’s dream come true: walking distance from downtown (and a really nice walk at that), from the fun part of SoCo, from Zilker park, from the HEB on SoCo and Oltorf, from nice cafés, restaurants, and pubs…
At the time we chose an apartment, I hadn’t been to Austin and I also used Google Earth. But what is even better now is Google Street View. I just used it on 3809 South Congress and I can directly see that it’s not the most pedestrian-friendly part of town. It’s also not that bad, and there are some nice things in that part of town. But, as a compulsive pedestrian, it wouldn’t be my first choice.

One neighbourhood which is quite pedestrian-friendly is the one just North of UT campus (can’t remember how locals call it). Not necessarily that easy to get a place in, but quite nice for pedestrians.

]]> By: Silvia http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-25 Silvia Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:48:43 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-25 Great and useful article! I am moving with my boyfriend moving in Austin next month and we are trying to find a place to live before we get there. I researched the neighborhoods. I do not have a car, (neither want to have one)and I love to be able to have short everyday walks to get around. I really hate the "car living". I would hate to be locked in my apartment and not be able to "do some things around". What neighborhood would you recommend? We are currently considering a place on 3809 South Congress, and I tried to find out if I will be able to get around walking to simple stuff to do during the day. It's 3 miles from downtown, but I am wondering if those 3 miles are pedestrian friendly??? I tried Google on Earth, but I can't really see much. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your answer! Thanks, Silvia Great and useful article!
I am moving with my boyfriend moving in Austin next month and we are trying to find a place to live before we get there. I researched the neighborhoods. I do not have a car, (neither want to have one)and I love to be able to have short everyday walks to get around. I really hate the “car living”. I would hate to be locked in my apartment and not be able to “do some things around”.
What neighborhood would you recommend?
We are currently considering a place on 3809 South Congress, and I tried to find out if I will be able to get around walking to simple stuff to do during the day.
It’s 3 miles from downtown, but I am wondering if those 3 miles are pedestrian friendly??? I tried Google on Earth, but I can’t really see much.
Thank you so much!
I really appreciate your answer!
Thanks,
Silvia

]]> By: enkerli http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-23 enkerli Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:44:52 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-23 @Marco Thanks for the input! I never went that far South in Italy but I guess I can see what you mean based on my limited experience in Milan. Siena was quite pedestrian-friendly. Florence also seemed fairly friendly to pedestrians. And I could imagine carfree living in other parts of Northern Italy I've visited. But Milan felt like a difficult place not to have a car. One thing I guess I'm doing with those lists is realizing that the difference between a pedestrian-hostile and a pedestrian-friendly place has little to do with isolated factors like city size, student population, or even Europe vs. North America. Sometimes, outside of my simplistic dichotomy, there can be perceived differences between cities which have some connections with one another. For instance, I'd say Lausanne felt more pedestrian-friendly than Geneva. I didn't live in Geneva but my time there didn't leave with as positive an impression of pedestrian-friendliness than Lausanne. And I did live in Nyon which also seemed less pedestrian-friendly than Lausanne. Montreux was very pedestrian-friendly, probably more than Lausanne (my grand-mother lived in Territet until 1991). I never really spent that much time in Vevey but it felt less pedestrian-friendly than other places around Leman Lake. Still, I miss Europe. @Marco Thanks for the input! I never went that far South in Italy but I guess I can see what you mean based on my limited experience in Milan. Siena was quite pedestrian-friendly. Florence also seemed fairly friendly to pedestrians. And I could imagine carfree living in other parts of Northern Italy I’ve visited. But Milan felt like a difficult place not to have a car.
One thing I guess I’m doing with those lists is realizing that the difference between a pedestrian-hostile and a pedestrian-friendly place has little to do with isolated factors like city size, student population, or even Europe vs. North America.
Sometimes, outside of my simplistic dichotomy, there can be perceived differences between cities which have some connections with one another.
For instance, I’d say Lausanne felt more pedestrian-friendly than Geneva. I didn’t live in Geneva but my time there didn’t leave with as positive an impression of pedestrian-friendliness than Lausanne. And I did live in Nyon which also seemed less pedestrian-friendly than Lausanne. Montreux was very pedestrian-friendly, probably more than Lausanne (my grand-mother lived in Territet until 1991). I never really spent that much time in Vevey but it felt less pedestrian-friendly than other places around Leman Lake.
Still, I miss Europe.

]]> By: marco http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-22 marco Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:44:18 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-22 Most of the problems you say about Austin are quite similar to the ones I've found in Rome: although Rome spent lots of money in public transport improvement (Commuter rails, metro, tramways, BRT), road pattern, unrealiability of public transports, aggressivity of drivers, urban sprawl and car-centric attitude of people make it quite a pedestrian-hostile place! Most of the problems you say about Austin are quite similar to the ones I’ve found in Rome: although Rome spent lots of money in public transport improvement (Commuter rails, metro, tramways, BRT), road pattern, unrealiability of public transports, aggressivity of drivers, urban sprawl and car-centric attitude of people make it quite a pedestrian-hostile place!

]]> By: enkerli http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-18 enkerli Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:10:17 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-18 @austingirl Thanks for the insight. Obviously, my perspective is quite different as I didn't live anywhere else in Texas and I rarely spent time in exurbia. So it's nice to have different perspectives. @austingirl
Thanks for the insight. Obviously, my perspective is quite different as I didn’t live anywhere else in Texas and I rarely spent time in exurbia. So it’s nice to have different perspectives.

]]> By: austingirl http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-17 austingirl Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:49:29 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-17 When you live in a state as big as Texas for 40+ years, (as I have) living a 'carfree' lifestyle seems a bit extreme. Most of my life, I have lived in a rural or semi-rural area. Meaning...10+ miles to the nearest convenience store, where the prices are jacked-up so high it's worth driving the extra 5 or so miles to a grocery store. Rural or semi-rural areas have little or no public transportation at all. Even in a city the size of Waco (100,000+ population), the public transportation system is completely inadequate. I find Austin to be very pedestrian/cyclist friendly, at least compared to many Texas cities. When you live in a state as big as Texas for 40+ years, (as I have) living a ‘carfree’ lifestyle seems a bit extreme. Most of my life, I have lived in a rural or semi-rural area. Meaning…10+ miles to the nearest convenience store, where the prices are jacked-up so high it’s worth driving the extra 5 or so miles to a grocery store. Rural or semi-rural areas have little or no public transportation at all. Even in a city the size of Waco (100,000+ population), the public transportation system is completely inadequate. I find Austin to be very pedestrian/cyclist friendly, at least compared to many Texas cities.

]]> By: enkerli http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-16 enkerli Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:49:10 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-16 LauraTex's <a href="http://austinative.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/austin-pedestrians-and-cyclists-sol/" rel="nofollow">piece, there</a> is quite insightful and provides perspective. Especially on the context for discussion on carfree living in Austin. One thing I realize but that I might not change is how divisive my terminology has been. "Carfree," "carbound," "carpeople," "compulsive pedestrians"... I do this out of my strange sense of comic effect but it might be counterproductive. Most people are neither completely carfree nor completely carbound. I don't mean to divide people into groups. At the same time, this is my way to make people react and, hopefully, understand that a completely carfree lifestyle is possible, in different parts of the world. LauraTex’s piece, there is quite insightful and provides perspective. Especially on the context for discussion on carfree living in Austin.
One thing I realize but that I might not change is how divisive my terminology has been. “Carfree,” “carbound,” “carpeople,” “compulsive pedestrians”…
I do this out of my strange sense of comic effect but it might be counterproductive. Most people are neither completely carfree nor completely carbound. I don’t mean to divide people into groups. At the same time, this is my way to make people react and, hopefully, understand that a completely carfree lifestyle is possible, in different parts of the world.

]]> By: Austin Pedestrians and Cyclists - SOL? « AUSTINative http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-15 Austin Pedestrians and Cyclists - SOL? « AUSTINative Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:15:36 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-15 [...] to hear what new residents of our town have to say about their choices - especially someone like Alexandre, the Compulsive Pedestrian. But I’m here to say that some things have gotten better since the ’80s and early [...] [...] to hear what new residents of our town have to say about their choices – especially someone like Alexandre, the Compulsive Pedestrian. But I’m here to say that some things have gotten better since the ’80s and early [...]

]]> By: enkerli http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-14 enkerli Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:28:41 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-14 @M1EK Thanks for the comment. Your blog does look interesting and I probably agree with you on several points. My perspective is a bit specific, as I'm not tied to Austin anymore. We'll see what happens with CapMetro and the rest of Austin's pedestrianism. @M1EK Thanks for the comment. Your blog does look interesting and I probably agree with you on several points. My perspective is a bit specific, as I’m not tied to Austin anymore.
We’ll see what happens with CapMetro and the rest of Austin’s pedestrianism.

]]> By: M1EK http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/php-1-austin-tx-usa/#comment-13 M1EK Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:50:42 +0000 http://compulsivepedestrian.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-13 Glad to see somebody else blogging about this stuff. Please check out my site for transportation stuff for Austin; I'll probably be linking you tomorrow once I get to my main machine. Glad to see somebody else blogging about this stuff. Please check out my site for transportation stuff for Austin; I’ll probably be linking you tomorrow once I get to my main machine.

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