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> Nothing changes overnight but it allows for denser development esp. around existing public transit lines. The problem is there a barely any decent "existing

> Nothing changes overnight but it allows for denser development esp. around existing public transit lines. The problem is there a barely any decent "existing public transit lines" in Austin. Existing public transit line, singular, perhaps, and in a decade or so we'll get some more. In the meantime it just means traffic gets much shittier with no real alternatives.

Eisenstein 3y ago
> The problem is there a barely any decent "existing public transit lines" in Austin. Existing public transit line, singular, perhaps, and in a decade or so we'll get some more. In the meantime it just means traffic gets much shittier with no real alternatives. "Let's keep doing the same thing that doesn't work and complain when anyone decides to try something else".
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  Except there is no real sane plan to actually do something else. If they were, say, replacing street parking with light rail lines, I'd be onboard. This is basically just ignoring the problem and pretending like "alternative transportation methods" will magically spring up.
  - Eisenstein 3y ago
    You are basically saying that markets don't work and we should ignore them. If we let developers decide how much parking they can allocate why would they allocate less than would be needed to sell their properties? By making it less likely that places are further apart for no reason then the need for cars is reduced.
the_snooze 3y ago
I think you're assuming that mass transit is the only lever to improve traffic. Eliminating parking minimums allows businesses to pop up nearer to where people live, where they're accessible by foot or micromobility. If anything, plentiful parking in and of itself causes traffic to be shitty because driving becomes the only safe/comfortable way to get around; housing and businesses come to have huge paved deserts between them, completely hostile to non-car mobility.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  > Eliminating parking minimums allows businesses to pop up nearer to where people live, where they're accessible by foot or micromobility. This is just fantasyland thinking as it applies to Austin TX. These regulations largely impact downtown, which is already dense and already has services downtown.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - r00fus 3y ago
    You're ignoring emergent alternate modes of travel. Two big ones - electric bikes and app-based ride-sharing (Uber) would greatly benefit from a reduced sea of parking while also allowing transport. This code change will pretty much be focused on malls / shopping centers that currently have more parking space than store space. So new malls or changes to existing will result in a more rational balance than the ocean of tarmac we have now.

Eisenstein 3y ago

> The problem is there a barely any decent "existing public transit lines" in Austin. Existing public transit line, singular, perhaps, and in a decade or so we'll get some more. In the meantime it just means traffic gets much shittier with no real alternatives. "Let's keep doing the same thing that doesn't work and complain when anyone decides to try something else".

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
Except there is no real sane plan to actually do something else. If they were, say, replacing street parking with light rail lines, I'd be onboard. This is basically just ignoring the problem and pretending like "alternative transportation methods" will magically spring up.
- Eisenstein 3y ago
  You are basically saying that markets don't work and we should ignore them. If we let developers decide how much parking they can allocate why would they allocate less than would be needed to sell their properties? By making it less likely that places are further apart for no reason then the need for cars is reduced.

the_snooze 3y ago

I think you're assuming that mass transit is the only lever to improve traffic. Eliminating parking minimums allows businesses to pop up nearer to where people live, where they're accessible by foot or micromobility. If anything, plentiful parking in and of itself causes traffic to be shitty because driving becomes the only safe/comfortable way to get around; housing and businesses come to have huge paved deserts between them, completely hostile to non-car mobility.

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
> Eliminating parking minimums allows businesses to pop up nearer to where people live, where they're accessible by foot or micromobility. This is just fantasyland thinking as it applies to Austin TX. These regulations largely impact downtown, which is already dense and already has services downtown.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- r00fus 3y ago
  You're ignoring emergent alternate modes of travel. Two big ones - electric bikes and app-based ride-sharing (Uber) would greatly benefit from a reduced sea of parking while also allowing transport. This code change will pretty much be focused on malls / shopping centers that currently have more parking space than store space. So new malls or changes to existing will result in a more rational balance than the ocean of tarmac we have now.