more money, more problems

Got a quarter? Extended downtown parking meter hours are in force

Plan on catching an evening show at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz this Friday or Saturday? How about getting some friends together for a trip to Dirty Sixth? Like many who are looking to have some downtown fun this weekend, patrons better be ready to have some extra pocket change for the downtown parking meters.

September 6th marked the implementation of the city’s revamped parking meter hours, with the biggest change being that free hours of parking downtown were significantly shaved off. They might just be enough to make Austin parkers go “Cool Hand Luke” on downtown meters.

From Monday through Wednesday, meters will only have an additional 30 minutes added to their hours of operation up to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday will have the bigger changes, with hours being increased to midnight. For Saturdays, which up until now were completely free, hours will now be from 11 a.m. to midnight. Sundays will still be completely free, meaning that the Sabbath will still be observed for downtown patrons.

These new hours apply to all street-side parking meters located between Cesar Chavez and 10th Street and from Lamar Boulevard to IH-35. All parking meters outside of this downtown area will have hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.

While the extended hours have already faced vehement criticisms since they were passed earlier this spring, city officials feel that the expanded hours will help to alleviate the parking congestion downtown and allow for more flow and turnovers in parking spots. The new plan also still compares favorably to the alternative of increasing hours and increasing the rate per hour. As of now, one dollar can still buy you an hour of parking, with three hours still being the limit.

In the current age of budget crunches, moves like these are inevitable. The added hours are seen as an easy stream of new revenue for the city, with $0.40 of every $1 going towards improving downtown amenities. New transportation initiatives will be funded, along with sidewalk improvements and street reconstruction.

So if you plan on getting drunk downtown this weekend, make sure you bring some extra change for the meters (and leave your car overnight). They also accept MasterCard, Visa and debit cards.

Or if you so choose, you can just move your party hours to Sunday nights. The bars are a little less crowded, too.

unspecified

WFH life

Austin plugs in as 2nd cheapest large U.S. city for remote workers

Photo by Lewis Guapo on Unsplash

Working remotely in Austin is far more affordable than many other U.S. cities.

Austin's thriving telework industry is already known for being among the most prominent in the country, and as it turns out, it's one of the most affordable, too. A recent study by online retailer The Perfect Rug has revealed Austin is the No. 2 cheapest U.S. city center for remote work.

The report ranked the top 10 largest U.S. cities based on population data, the number of coworking spaces and cafes per capita, statewide average internet speeds, average apartment rent prices, and more.

Austin falls second to the far west Texas city of El Paso (No. 1), and is followed by Houston in the No. 3 spot.

When it comes to finding the best place to work remotely, Austin has an abundance of options including coffee shops, coworking spaces, and local library branches. According to the report's data, there are about six coworking spaces and 26 cafes per capita in the city, but Austinites know best that there is a much wider variety of places to work from "home" than whatever number a study determines.

The average internet speed in Texas is 425.9 mbps (megabits per second), which is the fourth-highest internet speed out of the six total states (and the District of Columbia) mentioned in the study. Pennsylvania, Washington, and Washington, D.C. all have faster average internet speeds, at 430.8, 451, and 473.8 mpbs, respectively.

The Perfect Rug also calculated the average costs for meals, coffee, and monthly rent in Austin:

$1,467 per month – Average apartment rent cost in central Austin
$21 per hour – Average cost for a desk at a coworking space
$16.99 – Average cost for a meal
$5.36 – Average cost for a coffee

Furthermore, Austin-based remote workers are technically saving on fuel costs compared to those who have to commute into the city daily for their jobs.

A spokesperson for The Perfect Rug said Texas cities like El Paso, Austin, and Houston are far more popular for "budget-conscious" remote workers partially because rent costs are far lower in comparison to many other U.S. cities.

"On the other hand, cities like Washington, D.C., and Seattle, while more expensive, compensate with faster internet speeds and a higher density of workspaces, which can enhance the remote work experience," the spokesperson said. "Finding the right balance between cost and amenities is key for remote workers seeking both productivity and affordability."

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio ranked as the fifth most affordable city for teleworkers, followed by Dallas (No. 7).

The top 10 cheapest U.S. cities for remote workers are:

No. 1 – El Paso, Texas
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 6 – Washington, D.C.
No. 7 – Dallas, Texas
No. 8 – Denver, Colorado
No. 9 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 10 – Nashville, Tennessee

austin reports rankings remote work