Austin's Latest Harebrained Scheme: Pedestrian Plazas on Congress

Just when you thought downtown Austin couldn't get any more car-unfriendly, our fearless city leaders have cooked up another brilliant plan. They want to turn blocks of Congress Avenue into "walkable plazas." Because who needs cars when you can walk, right?

Thanks to this genius idea, driving and parking downtown will become even more of a nightmare. I already avoid downtown businesses because of the traffic and impossible parking. But hey, who cares about local businesses when you can have a shiny new pedestrian zone?

It's clear our city leaders are on a mission to either force us out of our cars or drive us out of the city altogether. But I'm sure the downtown high-rise dwellers will be thrilled with their new private park, paid for by the rest of us.

Rona Distenfeld, Austin