Wheels again

It seems odd for the household to be rolling again. Just one small car, but its absence means that everything, although taken care of as usual, takes more planning and more time. People afoot, taking the bus, or hailing a cab see an Austin completely different from the town known to those enjoying personal wheels. There's a choice between carrying something small and light of weight on every foot trip or making one big weekly provisioning expedition and then having the checker summon a cab because the haul is too bulky or too heavy to make it home by foot or on the bus, even with two or more porters. Every incline, every one-way street, every too-short traffic signal is called forth from the mental database. I use my toy camera more when I'm moving on the ground or spending time waiting there. I talk more to strangers. Just as we've visited every library branch, perhaps we should ride the length of every bus line. We've hit them all for stretches, but only some for the entire grand circuit. I like it that the City website now shows the bus lines serving each library branch. What happened with combined precincts in this recent election was unconscionable for its effects upon those not getting their via personal powered transportation. It will be interesting to see whether any substantive responses are received. I think that these changes may have implications under the Voting Rights Act. For decades most precinct voting places have been as close to the center of the precinct as possible and easily within walking distance to all. This was far from the case this most recent time around. It should not be necessary for voters to pay for a taxicab ride in order to be able to vote.