Last week I commuted to Orlando for Microsoft Tech-Ed. It wasn't actually a commute: I flew there on Sunday, mainly rode busses during the week, and flew back to Killeen on Friday.
As badly out-dated as Austin-area roads are, they do not compare to the under-engineering of the Orlando airport. It took 90 minutes for my checked baggage to be delivered to the baggage claim area, and when I asked American Airlines people if that were not unusual, they said, "No."
But the real evidence of an airport out of control came to light on Friday. I arrived at 7:00 A.M. for a 9:10 A.M. flight to Dallas. The only reason I made my flight is that it was delayed. A woman at the AA counter said "We advise travellers on summer weekends to arrive 4 hours before their scheduled departure."
I saw brutal things, including this episode which is burned into my mind: A crippled and retarded girl, perhaps 12 years old, in a wheel chair, was made to walk through the metal detector. She could hardly stand, but managed to stagger through. While the security people were talking to her obviously distraught mother, the girl wandered off with a tripping gait and a big grin on her face. Once of the Transportation Safety people tackled her and almost knocked her to the floor.
I don't think I'll fly to Orlando again. Maybe to Tampa and drive, but not even that if I can help it.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Saturday, June 9, 2007
More species
In my last post I neglected two humble species that occasionally make my commute more pleasant. The first is the Mexican Freetail Bat, _Tadarida_brasiliensis_. Probably the best known colony of these mammals lives under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin. In July, August and September, you can see about 1,200,000 individuals leave their homes in cracks underneath the bridge around dusk for a night of foraging on mosquitos and other insects. Less well known is the colony that lives under the I-35 railroad overpass in Round Rock; the numbers are less, probably no more than 700,000, but these bats don't mind getting up close and personal with commuters. If you cross the overpass at the right time, you are likely to see bats surfing the slipstream from your windshield. The bats heading up or down Brushy Creek look like long ropes: it is only when you get to the overpass that you see the individuals that make up the cloud.
The second species is the Western Box Turtle, _Terrapene_ornata_. This gentle reptile (gentle, unless you are a curious puppy with your nose in front of the carapce) starts moving in late spring. In May and June, I'm likely to see at least one daily trying to cross a road. A disturbing number don't make it. When my children were small, I used to stop to pick up one or two a year. I'd put it in a box for a while, then release it in the back yard. Most managed to dig under the fence and escape; those who stayed I eventually took back to the side of the road to which they were heading when I interrupted them.
The second species is the Western Box Turtle, _Terrapene_ornata_. This gentle reptile (gentle, unless you are a curious puppy with your nose in front of the carapce) starts moving in late spring. In May and June, I'm likely to see at least one daily trying to cross a road. A disturbing number don't make it. When my children were small, I used to stop to pick up one or two a year. I'd put it in a box for a while, then release it in the back yard. Most managed to dig under the fence and escape; those who stayed I eventually took back to the side of the road to which they were heading when I interrupted them.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Commuting outside Austin
There is a point in my homeward commute where it switches from stressful chore to stimulating pleasure. That point is north of Georgetown where I get off I-35 and onto series of state, county and local roads that eventually bring me to Killeen.
At this time of year, it's rare I will see fewer than 10 deer. It's also likely that I will come across feral hogs, wild turkey, quail, foxes, coyotes, possums, raccoons, jackrabbits, cotton-tails, armadillos, turtles, tortoises, frogs and snakes. Plus vultures, ravens, several varieties of hawk, cardinals, jays, redwing blackbirds, flycatchers, swallows, grackles, starlings, night-hawks (actually not a hawk, but a big sort of swallow), and an occasional eagle. I saw a rattler slinking across a county road last night and carefully steered around it.
It is the custom on these roads to raise one or two fingers in greeting when you encounter certain vehicles in the opposite lane. The protcol is a bit tricky. A pickup, regardless of driver, gets two fingers. Other non-commercial vehicles with male drivers usually get just an index finger raised slightly from the 12 o'clock position on the steering wheel. As for commercial vehicles, the local limestone trucks get one or two fingers depending on how much of the road they are taking up. Sheriff's and Highway Patrol vehicles are never acknowledged.
I don't claim to have a particularly stressful job, and I-35 is only occasionaly Hell's Highway, but the relaxation I find beyond the exurban fringe is still a noticeable contrast and one of the reasons I can keep doing this.
At this time of year, it's rare I will see fewer than 10 deer. It's also likely that I will come across feral hogs, wild turkey, quail, foxes, coyotes, possums, raccoons, jackrabbits, cotton-tails, armadillos, turtles, tortoises, frogs and snakes. Plus vultures, ravens, several varieties of hawk, cardinals, jays, redwing blackbirds, flycatchers, swallows, grackles, starlings, night-hawks (actually not a hawk, but a big sort of swallow), and an occasional eagle. I saw a rattler slinking across a county road last night and carefully steered around it.
It is the custom on these roads to raise one or two fingers in greeting when you encounter certain vehicles in the opposite lane. The protcol is a bit tricky. A pickup, regardless of driver, gets two fingers. Other non-commercial vehicles with male drivers usually get just an index finger raised slightly from the 12 o'clock position on the steering wheel. As for commercial vehicles, the local limestone trucks get one or two fingers depending on how much of the road they are taking up. Sheriff's and Highway Patrol vehicles are never acknowledged.
I don't claim to have a particularly stressful job, and I-35 is only occasionaly Hell's Highway, but the relaxation I find beyond the exurban fringe is still a noticeable contrast and one of the reasons I can keep doing this.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Economics of Austin Commuting
I was talking to a friend today about the economics of commuting from Killeen to Austin. It made me put pencil to paper (so to speak).
First, what's the motivation for driving 75 miles to go to work, anyway? Well, I calculate I make about $50,000 more per year in Austin than I could make in Killeen. And I have opportunities for advancement in Austin that would not be available in Killeen. So without doing any more arithmatic, I can justify commuting.
But what if I lived in Austin? My modest house in Kileen could be replaced within a 15-mile radius of my job in Austin for about $250,000. If I invested the equity I have in my paid-for Killeen house, my monthly payments would probaby be no more than $1,000. A gramd is far more than I spend in gas, so this looks like a non-starter as well. (I leave out the property tax situation: in Austin I would pay about 7 times the amount I pay in Killeen.)
But if I have to commute, why do I drive a gas-guzzling pickup truck (Ford F-150) rather than a more fuel-efficient vehicle? I've looked seriously at a VW Jetta, which gets 43 MPG. My truck gets around 18. A 43-MPG vehicle will cost about $25,000. It will last (with any luck) around 5 years or 250,000 miles. Amortizing the cost of the vehicle over 5 years, I get $5000/year. My cost for fuel in my paid-for truck is about $4000 per year. Even if I get more than twice the mileage with the Jetta, it doesn't come close to paying for itself.
So I'm stuck. The economists are right: it's going to take a huge increase in fuel costs to get me to change my behavior (at least for another 2.5 years until this truck wears out) because it doesn't make economic sense to change.
First, what's the motivation for driving 75 miles to go to work, anyway? Well, I calculate I make about $50,000 more per year in Austin than I could make in Killeen. And I have opportunities for advancement in Austin that would not be available in Killeen. So without doing any more arithmatic, I can justify commuting.
But what if I lived in Austin? My modest house in Kileen could be replaced within a 15-mile radius of my job in Austin for about $250,000. If I invested the equity I have in my paid-for Killeen house, my monthly payments would probaby be no more than $1,000. A gramd is far more than I spend in gas, so this looks like a non-starter as well. (I leave out the property tax situation: in Austin I would pay about 7 times the amount I pay in Killeen.)
But if I have to commute, why do I drive a gas-guzzling pickup truck (Ford F-150) rather than a more fuel-efficient vehicle? I've looked seriously at a VW Jetta, which gets 43 MPG. My truck gets around 18. A 43-MPG vehicle will cost about $25,000. It will last (with any luck) around 5 years or 250,000 miles. Amortizing the cost of the vehicle over 5 years, I get $5000/year. My cost for fuel in my paid-for truck is about $4000 per year. Even if I get more than twice the mileage with the Jetta, it doesn't come close to paying for itself.
So I'm stuck. The economists are right: it's going to take a huge increase in fuel costs to get me to change my behavior (at least for another 2.5 years until this truck wears out) because it doesn't make economic sense to change.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Commuting in the news
I saw two interesting things today. First, the Texas legislature, under threat of a summer session (which they hate even more than taxes) decided to fund some roads. They preserved the two-year stoppage on new toll roads, which makes sense given the governor's rush to give away the store, but at least they did not leave the entire transportation network unfunded. Of course it could all fall apart in the last hours of the Lege, but there's hope.
Second, I listened to part of the annual congressional hearing on gas prices while commuting this morning. I burned about 4 gallons of gas while experts told me that I should be glad a gallon costs only $3.00. Both government and non-government witnesses talked a lot about markets. They talked about them as if they believe they exist in the oil and gas business. I'm not sure. I see an industry with very few raw-material suppliers. The suppliers are so tightly intertwined with producers that no one can separate them. I see the same companies that produce the gas vending it. I see a flat demand curve, with commuters having no choice but to pay whatever is the going rate for gasoline. How market forces guarantee fair allocation of resources in such an environment is not at all clear to me. One telling thing about this alleged market is that, without exception, prices go down when congress holds hearings about them.
Second, I listened to part of the annual congressional hearing on gas prices while commuting this morning. I burned about 4 gallons of gas while experts told me that I should be glad a gallon costs only $3.00. Both government and non-government witnesses talked a lot about markets. They talked about them as if they believe they exist in the oil and gas business. I'm not sure. I see an industry with very few raw-material suppliers. The suppliers are so tightly intertwined with producers that no one can separate them. I see the same companies that produce the gas vending it. I see a flat demand curve, with commuters having no choice but to pay whatever is the going rate for gasoline. How market forces guarantee fair allocation of resources in such an environment is not at all clear to me. One telling thing about this alleged market is that, without exception, prices go down when congress holds hearings about them.
Friday, May 11, 2007
TX 130
TX 130 was crowded last night. Relatively so, anyway. It was still "set it on 75 and go", but I actually had to change lanes a couple of times.
I was on the toll road for the same reason many others were there, I suspect: there were two accidents blocking lanes of I-35. But even with tie-ups on the free route, it was still Sunday-morning traffic on the tollway. I'm not sure of the reasons, but i think these may be among them:
So there are reasons to think that TX-130 will remain lightly-travelled for some time to come. I'll enjoy it when I decide to spring for the luxury.
I was on the toll road for the same reason many others were there, I suspect: there were two accidents blocking lanes of I-35. But even with tie-ups on the free route, it was still Sunday-morning traffic on the tollway. I'm not sure of the reasons, but i think these may be among them:
- TX-130 doesn't go anywwhere. It starts just west of Manor and ends just north of Georgetown. It passes way east of Austin, Pflugerville, Round Rock and Georgetown. They only town it goes through is Hutto, which, while growing, is not a major population center. When the road is extended south to TX-71 east of the airport, there will be more reason to take it.
- The geography is wrong for freight trucks. If you're coming south on I-35 and heading for Houston, and you have a Tx-Tag, TX-130 is a time-saver and probably well worth the toll. But if you're headed south on I-35 at Georgetown and bound for Houston, you're probably lost. If you had started north of Salado, you had shorter and faster routes available. And there's almost nothing between Salado and Georgetown. When the road is extended to Sequin, at least it will take some of the traffic headed for San Antonio and the Valley.
- It can be slower than I-35 if you don't have a Tx-Tag. Pulling over to pay (and you have to do it twice between manor and Georgetown) is a nuisance, and I can't see anyone doing it twice.
- The toll seems high. It's $2.70 from Manor to I-35. That's more than 10 cents per mile, OK for days when I-35 is bad, but every day? That's 13.50 a week and over $700 per year.
- RIght now, it's a hassle to get on the tollway. Just for example, from Sematech in south Austin you have two main choices to go where I live:
- Drive east on Oltorf and get on I-35
- Take Montopolis north; get on US-183 (which can be tricky in traffic); exit east on MLK; take the second left onto Decker Lane; turn right at US-290; get on the TX-130 frontage road and wait a long time at the Parmer Lane intersection; and you're on your way: Bob's your uncle.
So there are reasons to think that TX-130 will remain lightly-travelled for some time to come. I'll enjoy it when I decide to spring for the luxury.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The Lege
The Texas state legislature has been an object of derision as long as I have lived here. I've known a couple of legislators, including a chairman of the House finance committee who was lucky to escape prosecution. The Lege has seldom deserved the scorn heaped on it as much as they deserve it in this session.
I've mentioned before that there are two broad ways of financing the roads I depend on to get to work: general and fuel taxes; and tolls. (There is a third: federal funding; fortunately we have never been foolish enough to rely on it.) This legislature has seen fit to reject any increase in general and fuel taxes, and to freeze construction of toll roads.
I have come to expect, and even approve, this kind of ostrich-like behavior in Austin. The people there have so befouled a once-beautiful nest that ignoring the situation is the only reasonable course. The Lege does not have that luxury: they have not yet trashed the whole state. They can't demand economic growth and high employment without being willing to fund the infrastructure that supports them. (I'm sorry, I said that wrong: Obviously they can; it's just that they are irresponsible to do so.)
The current governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is possibly the only public figure of less reputation than the legislature. This too is well-deserved. He has structured toll-road deals in ways that are opaque and almost certainly not in the interest of Texans. But he's right when he (or his handler) says that roads are infrastructure and that infrastructure must have reliable source of funding. I do not encourage the Lege to listen to the governor in many cases, but in this instance, they should.
I've mentioned before that there are two broad ways of financing the roads I depend on to get to work: general and fuel taxes; and tolls. (There is a third: federal funding; fortunately we have never been foolish enough to rely on it.) This legislature has seen fit to reject any increase in general and fuel taxes, and to freeze construction of toll roads.
I have come to expect, and even approve, this kind of ostrich-like behavior in Austin. The people there have so befouled a once-beautiful nest that ignoring the situation is the only reasonable course. The Lege does not have that luxury: they have not yet trashed the whole state. They can't demand economic growth and high employment without being willing to fund the infrastructure that supports them. (I'm sorry, I said that wrong: Obviously they can; it's just that they are irresponsible to do so.)
The current governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is possibly the only public figure of less reputation than the legislature. This too is well-deserved. He has structured toll-road deals in ways that are opaque and almost certainly not in the interest of Texans. But he's right when he (or his handler) says that roads are infrastructure and that infrastructure must have reliable source of funding. I do not encourage the Lege to listen to the governor in many cases, but in this instance, they should.
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