Stone Oak Sucks!

[johnsmith]

Why are you blaming TXDOT? The whole area has been developed so there is no way to get anywhere except by a few major roads. WIdening them and toll roads are short-term fixes as more development will easily overload them again.

I'm blaming TxDot for not having the foresight to create a proper environmental impact study in order to build the first phase of the entire project which was the area of 281 from 1604 to Borgfield Rd. This would have alleviated the congestion on that stretch, which as anyone who enjoys this lovely commute on a daily basis can tell you it sucks ass.
Your solution then would be to leave the roads as they are and continue with the development? Bad news, the development won't stop either way and the roads have to be expanded.
Read the entire thread if you feel the need to comment.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

You say I fear change? In fact, building toll roads IS the status quo in huge TX metropoli these days. The brilliant people supporting toll roads are saying,
"Hmm. We keep getting thousands of more residents and drivers each year. These people are are congregating in the ex-urban neighboorhoods and clogging the existing large highways that were built to relieve this congestion in the first place. I GUESS WE NEED MORE ROADS!!!! That way we ENSURE that in ten years when our ex-urban population will have at least doubled, we'l have THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM and have to build EVEN MORE ROADS! We'll even be able to make people pay to drive on them when their tax monies paid for their construction in the first place! Awesome thinking on our part!!! On top of all that, this works out great for us because sheesh, the oil and gas companies are our biggest campaign contributors, the biggest lobbyers for highway developement, AND THE STRONGEST OPPONENT OF LIGHT RAIL. We'll keep getting re-elected and the oil and gas cos. will keep greasing our palms for more and more and more and more roads."

Fear change? I say let's support RADICAL CHANGE. If the existing infrastructure is bursting at the seams, let's change the status quo. No idiot would beleive that public transport "Caps population growth." what it can cap is the number of urban AND ex-urban drivers on our existing roadways. Does anyone expect gas prices to EVER fall below 2$ again? not in my lifetime, anyway. People WILL use metro and light rail. Ask Matt Bonner. the reason VIA is a joke mass-transit system is because there are too many huge highways that have caused sprawl. Visit a ANY major european city. , got to San Franciso or Boston. see how traffic congestion has been under way better control for the past 25 years. Then ask yourself, "what do all of those cities have in common?

[johnsmith]

You say I fear change? In fact, building toll roads IS the status quo in huge TX metropoli these days. The brilliant people supporting toll roads are saying,
"Hmm. We keep getting thousands of more residents and drivers each year. These people are are congregating in the ex-urban neighboorhoods and clogging the existing large highways that were built to relieve this congestion in the first place. I GUESS WE NEED MORE ROADS!!!! That way we ENSURE that in ten years when our ex-urban population will have at least doubled, we'l have THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM and have to build EVEN MORE ROADS! We'll even be able to make people pay to drive on them when their tax monies paid for their construction in the first place! Awesome thinking on our part!!! On top of all that, this works out great for us because sheesh, the oil and gas companies are our biggest campaign contributors, the biggest lobbyers for highway developement, AND THE STRONGEST OPPONENT OF LIGHT RAIL. We'll keep getting re-elected and the oil and gas cos. will keep greasing our palms for more and more and more and more roads."

Fear change? I say let's support RADICAL CHANGE. If the existing infrastructure is bursting at the seams, let's change the status quo. No idiot would beleive that public transport "Caps population growth." what it can cap is the number of urban AND ex-urban drivers on our existing roadways. Does anyone expect gas prices to EVER fall below 2$ again? not in my lifetime, anyway. People WILL use metro and light rail. Ask Matt Bonner. the reason VIA is a joke mass-transit system is because there are too many huge highways that have caused sprawl. Visit a ANY major european city. , got to San Franciso or Boston. see how traffic congestion has been under way better control for the past 25 years. Then ask yourself, "what do all of those cities have in common?

Easy there little fella. I never said I disagree with the concept of light rail. In fact, I would whole-heartedly support it. Fact is however, that city council as well as the "brilliant" voters around town have already turned that into just what it is, nothing but a concept for San Antonio. It won't happen in the near future, which is funny seeing as how light rail actually costs less then roads nowadays.

I can see what would happen though if a light rail were to be built in SA, Southsiders would immediately complain that it doesn't go into their neighborhoods and it only supports the northern residents of the city.

I'm not really necessarily FOR toll roads either, but I would love to have them if it meant getting rid of the congestion currently being dealt with on the north side of town. I also think most of these residents would agree.

The problem here is, light rails will not be built (that is a for sure) so what is the alternative? Obviously the answer is improved roads that actually are funded by a foriegn consortium (not taxpayers money, this is often said without actually checking the facts) in which revenues brought in by tolls make way for future highway development throughout the city.
So, while you dream of a day when the voters and city council members have the intelligence to build a light rail system (won't happen) we'll go ahead and just fix what we have. By the way, these roads are inevitable, the cry baby es that pe ion against them are beating a dead horse. Unfortunately for the residents of the area, they will have to wait an extra five years now.

[2Blonde]

at people that live in stone oak and think they are big . they just drive in big everyday of their miserable keep up with the jones' lives.

Why all the hate, Buck? Nobody in this topic said they were big , They said we're tired of driving in the increasing traffic up here. We live up here, pay our taxes, vote and have a right to about it if we like. BTW, everyone in my house drives small cars. When we moved out there 6 1/2 years ago there was hardly any traffic so I think we earned the right to comment on it. Even though the traffic sucks I will be sad to move next year because it's nice area and I love the neighborhood and my neighbors. Overall it's a great community with poorly planned roads.

Most of the people that have businesses in the Stone Oak area actually live in Stone Oak so they are invested in the community. It makes for a friendly atmosphere. There are businesses here where people bring their kids and dogs to work with them on a regular basis. That's not something you see much anymore.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

It's true that the voters are to blame for not having a light rail. , here in Austin, we ELECTED a city councilwoman who had already given us toll roads.

My beef with your line of thinking is that it is short-sighted to label "progressive" an expansion of the existing infrastructure. You see the benefit of a 10-15 minute reduction to your daily commute and say :"Let's PROGRESS!!" What you don't see is that adding highways to the existing infrastructure exacerbates the existing problem over the next 10-50 years. San Antonio is at a stage where L.A., Dallas and Houston were some years ago: faced with over-crowded roads because of ex-urban sprawl. My first hand experience in Dallas is that toll roads haven't eased congestion at all. They just can't keep up with the population explosion. Highways also push our communities farther and farther apart while polluting our drinking water and our air as more cars pack on to get to their new, uncrowded suburb built directly over the aquifer and 25, 50, 75 miles outside of the heart of the city.

Basically, you label the city planning model used in Los Angeles as "progressive." Irony at best. Devastating miscalculation at worst. If more people with good minds and good intentions like you really saw what increased highway construction brings in the long term, there would be AMPLE SUPPORT for a light rail. In the end, people like you are the cry baby es who say "let's just patch up what we have for the rest of my life and I don't care if it ruins this city because I'M PROGRESSIVE!"

[johnsmith]

It's true that the voters are to blame for not having a light rail. , here in Austin, we ELECTED a city councilwoman who had already given us toll roads.

My beef with your line of thinking is that it is short-sighted to label "progressive" an expansion of the existing infrastructure. You see the benefit of a 10-15 minute reduction to your daily commute and say :"Let's PROGRESS!!" What you don't see is that adding highways to the existing infrastructure exacerbates the existing problem over the next 10-50 years. San Antonio is at a stage where L.A., Dallas and Houston were some years ago: faced with over-crowded roads because of ex-urban sprawl. My first hand experience in Dallas is that toll roads haven't eased congestion at all. They just can't keep up with the population explosion. Highways also push our communities farther and farther apart while polluting our drinking water and our air as more cars pack on to get to their new, uncrowded suburb built directly over the aquifer and 25, 50, 75 miles outside of the heart of the city.

Basically, you label the city planning model used in Los Angeles as "progressive." Irony at best. Devastating miscalculation at worst. If more people with good minds and good intentions like you really saw what increased highway construction brings in the long term, there would be AMPLE SUPPORT for a light rail. In the end, people like you are the cry baby es who say "let's just patch up what we have for the rest of my life and I don't care if it ruins this city because I'M PROGRESSIVE!"

We aren't talking about building any new highways, just improving the old ones that are already here. How would that promote sprawl? Furthermore, I thought I made it abundantly clear that light rail is not an option here, period. (putting a period in front of a "." seems a little redundant to me, but you get the point). The only solution is to fix the problem as it is now because we have no other options, except to do what the whiners want us to do and that is absolutely nothing. I think honestly that you and I would probably agree if we were to discuss this in person because our arguments would come out a little more clear from each of us.

[johnsmith]

Also, it's less the voters fault then it is the narrow minded jackasses that run this city. Just thought I'd throw that in there to defend my good name as a voter.

[ObiwanGinobili]

I would live in stone oak if emo worked in stone oak. then we would never have to leave.

like when we lived in Leon valley, emo worked in Leon valley - right across the street actually. And I worked in leon valley, and my dr. was there, and HEB was around the corner etc etc.
Traffic was a mother lign . But everythign we needed for life was within a 5 block radius. We never went anywhere else in SA for 2 years.