More Roads Won't Solve Traffic Problems

Dear Editor,
   The CTRMA "mobility plan" was only designed to generate a new source of revenue for TxDOT to waste on more toll roads ["Road Foes: Down, but Not Out?," News, July 23]. They finally admitted it. It's not about solving traffic congestion (seven years of orange barrels and detours only make things worse), it's about raising an obscene amount of money (billions), very fast, without the hassles of checks and balances.
   The toll towers are an offensive intrusion we don't need.
   What really galls me is that more roads lanes will never solve our traffic congestion. We know this after 30 years of frantic road building in Austin – it just doesn't work! New turnpikes only get cars to the choke points faster and make the lines there even longer.
   Perhaps Council Member Brewster McCracken summed it up when someone at CAMPO shouted out, "We just need more buses," and McCracken yelled back, "No, this is about cars!".
   Well, it is about cars – it's about the ridiculous and inefficient use of private automobiles. The solutions to Austin's traffic congestion begin with taking more cars off the roads, and mass transportation is one of the best ways to do that.
   New, safer, and dedicated bike lanes are needed, too! Bikes are great, but they are never safe sharing the road with a car or truck. Let's work on expanding the bike system – it's cheap and easy to do with all of the existing right-of-ways Austin has.