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Photo of laura a.

Elite '08

92

466

10/24/2006 laura "bring back south end vibez" a. says:

yes, yet another moving-to-austin thread - although this one is purely speculative (i'm applying to UT for graduate school).

how hard would it be to live in austin without a car, or with just one car between two people? how realistic would it be to take buses around to, say, commute to work? the previous times i've visited austin, i've always had a car. i'm sure this would depend on where in the city you lived -- are there certain neighborhoods that are more connected to the bus system than others?

any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
Photo of Clarisa R.

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10/24/2006 Clarisa R. says:

To answer your last question, certain neighborhoods ARE more effective than others when traveling by bus. Buses here come every 10 to 20 minutes, depending on where you are. You're better off living in Hyde Park (close to campus) or around South Congress if you want to take the bus. I live sorta near Hancock Center, so I take my bike there and take the bus. All of the busses have bike carriers, which is convenient.
I know a lot of people who don't have cars and bike everywhere, but it's a drag crossing the highway, so I'd live west of it if I could. I think you'll be fine without a car, but do bring a couple of rain-jackets...
Photo of laura a.

Elite '08

92

466

10/24/2006 laura "bring back south end vibez" a. says:

cool. thanks so much for your thoughts. where i live now i belong to a car-sharing program and ride my bike around a lot, and i'm glad that the city sounds bike-friendly (you actually can't take bikes on the buses in boston). it sounds like car-sharing would be a great addition to austin! (or maybe there already is something similar to zipcar there?)
Photo of badass P.

0

35

10/25/2006 badass P. says:

Well, this city has a long standing war between bicyclists and car drivers.  Sidewalks are illegal to ride on, yet riding on the roads is completely insane (but there aren't any other options).  The bus system is better here than in, say, Houston, but it is far from perfect.  We approved light-rail.  The jury is still out on whether or not light rail will be an effective alternative to driving downtown.
If you really want to ride your bike and use public transportation,and you are a grad student, your best bet is to find a place in Hyde Park (hahahaha...inside joke) or East Austin around Manor Rd.
Austin's public transportation war will ultimately help decide the direction of growth of the city.
Photo of Jackson R.

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257

10/25/2006 Jackson R. says:

I lived in Austin without  a car for 7 years.  That said, I spent a lot of time waiting in 110 degree heat for a bus that wasn't coming for a while.  Also, grocery shopping is a hassle, as is laundry.

I would suggest living on the 1 or 27 route. (These buses run most often.)  If you can get on a 'Dillo route that's great too.  Those buses run most often.  A bus pass is only $10 a month for unlimited rides and that's an incredible deal.  I still take the bus to work every day.

Here's the link to Capital Metro, who runs our public transportation:
http://www.capmetro.org/
Photo of Grady A.

7

2

12/14/2006 Grady A. says:

You really don't need a car if you live within.... 4-5 miles of downtown.  I'd say the following means of transportation can meet your needs like so:

Bus: 50% and requires a lot of patience/time.
Bike: 70%

and my personal favorite:

Scooter: 95%. $5/week in gas (tops), you can go almost anywhere a car can, and parking is easy.

I have a car but I have almost no use for it.  Comes in handy for groceries once in a great while.  Even that isn't too true since I like to shop a little at a time at Wheatsville.

Almost forgot: Austin now has carsharing. http://www.austincarsh.../

If you (or anyone) ride(s) a bike and need a car once in a while I might be able to help you out.

I never understood why some people say "You must have a car in Austin.  It's impossible to bike."  I know people here who go years without having a car.

The key is not living in Round Rock or working 20 miles away, of course.

Hope this helps!
Photo of Corinne R.

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12/14/2006 Corinne R. says:

PS: Grad students (all UT students) ride the city buses for free!
Photo of Laura R.

Elite '08

66

132

12/17/2006 Laura R. says:

I've known people who have done austin car-free but I wouldn't suggest it. I think you will be fine sharing one car though. Your best bet will be living in north campus/hyde park because you'll be able to bike/bus to campus as well of lots of businesses including several grocery stores. As far as commuting to work it's kind of crapshoot on where you work. The austin bus system is alright for getting around campus/downtown area but there are many many businesses that you won't be able to without a very long walk, if at all. (In austin most businesses aren't downtown they're in office complexes many of which are very far south or north.)

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