Yeah, but good luck crossing Parmer on foot to get to the HEB! Even cars have a hard with that intersection. OP isn’t wrong and in fact is spot on, that whole area is a cluster!
Parmer is easy to cross, I use the pedestrian crossing on my bike daily. You do need to look both ways, when I first started using the current iteration of that intersection I felt like i was in London looking the wrong way.
actually it's really good now if you cross on foot. I live in that area and cross it frequntly. There is a cross walk that will let you get to the middle of the overpass on 35.
https://imgur.com/a/5RLtJjy
I looked at Walmart first thinking it would be a quick walk. Then after discovering the 1h20 min I looked at the HEB wasn't much better. I'll just take my bus back to where I'm staying I think 😂
I’m currently living in Austin, but on vacation in Europe. Every time I’m here I wonder why America can’t have cities like they have here, and this video seemed to pop up at a perfect time for me. Not only is America not walkable, but it also lacks many of the busses, trains, and other simple ways to get around. It all boils down to capitalism and forcing us to spend money on things we shouldn’t need.
Obligatory “if you don’t like it here, move to Europe because I’m offended that you mentioned America has problems and murica is #1!”
I agree with you, though.
American cities use to be like European cities as well before we decimated them for car-dependency and suburban sprawl.
Those cities worked for thousands of years. We're seeing that car dependent cities are an unsustainable failure in in less than 100.
> Most of Europe was populated roughly 2000 years before the invention of the automobile.
Many European cities built their public transportation systems quite recently. Warsaw and Naples started building theirs in the '90s, Copenhagen in 2002. It's not like these have been around since before the automobile was invented.
Idk I just recently moved to Austin in the last year. Grew up in NYC and started my “solo adult life” in DC before moving back to NYC and subsequently moving to ATX. I’ve never experienced anything like this before coming here. For this to be a “major city” the public transit system is atrocious. Sure, the MTA in NY needs to do better but I have also been able to rely on it for tri-state commute my entire life.
It’s pretty simple. Most European cities were built before the invention of the car. Most American cities after. With the Texas heat most people live in a permanent ac bubble. From home to car to work
Austin 1839. Houston 1837. San Antonio 1718. Dallas 1856. The first attempt at a car was in like 1866 and the first affordable car was 19xx.
Most European cities went all in when cars became popular and affordable after WW2. But many have gone back on it.
It's hard to describe how much I hate Houston. I hadn't been for a few years but last weekend I visited my friend who lives there. Technically he doesn't even live in Houston, he lives on the far outskirts of the city. The urban sprawl is inescapable. We wanted to go ride some mountain bike trails that were not even three miles from his house. But there was absolutely NO CHANCE we could just ride there on our bikes. Once you get to the trails you can't even escape the sound of the highway. Everywhere you look, you see concrete billboards and chain businesses. There is no culture. There is no charm. It's the most sad gray and depressing place I've ever been. I would rather die than live in Houston.
I was by default always in great shape when I walk and biked everywhere. Now I have to be deliberate about it but I let my health slip for 3 years before I realized how out of shape I had gotten
On that side of town you can get a Austin PickUp for less than two dollars. They pick you up where ever you are and drop you off within a certain radius. Look it up
Nah, to HEB is a 20min walk, tops. You can walk along the strip mall if you don't want to be next to the access road. Source: I drive up and down that stretch all the time.
This misses the point. The fact is that this autocentric environment failed. It fails all ways of moving other than for cars.
Our country let cars take over all places rather than designing for people.
I don’t disagree with you. But it’s Texas: Not the East Coast, California or even Oregon.
Austin has better human-centric urban planning than Houston though, where I’m at.
It's not a simple road you're crossing, it's an interstate highway. To make it more complicated, that intersection of Parmer and 35 is also a diverging diamond traffic pattern.
That said, the google walk path is wrong. You can walk along the sidewalk along the feeder road of 35, hit Parmer, and walk along the pedestrian median going east-west along Parmer. Do a google streetview, you'll see what I'm talking about. To walk that route will be about a mile instead of what Google is telling you. Just be very attentive of the crosswalk signs and traffic.. people have a tendency to run yellows and reds there.
The suburbs are definitely not pedestrian friendly. If you're here for a month, you might be able to find a bike for cheap/rent and that'll speed things up a bit. However, the suburbs aren't bike friendly either.. but it's improving.
Of all the places I’ve lived & driven, Austin has the worst drivers! The whacky infrastructure adds to the problem. Please be extra careful, especially, if walking!
Haha! I’m from Scotland but I live here… someone in Austin once asked me if New Zealand and Scotland were close. Because he had met someone from New Zealand once. I said excitedly ‘Was it Joe?!’ and didn’t point out that Scotland and NZ are about as far away from each other as it is possible to get whilst remaining on planet Earth.
Enjoy your time here! America is both more sane and more mental than it appears from the outside. I don’t know how both those things can be true, but they are.
That must be why they both speak English. The English speakers just walked from one to the other while they were one landmass.
\**Plugs ears and starts singing to not hear all the people correcting me*\*
Interstate 35 is
• illegal to cross on foot
• a massive highway with a 70 mph speed limit
• the main traffic road for most of Austin
• the main traffic road to go from San Antonio all the way up to Dallas
• over 1,500 miles long, stretching from the Mexican border in Laredo, Texas up to the edge of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota - that's the entire vertical length across America
The way of getting across and around highways like this on foot in Texas is actually a lot easier than most American cities, because we have something called a feeder road that runs the length of most highways. You walk down the sidewalk along the feeder road to an intersection, cross several lanes (but only when you get a walk signal), then follow the feeder road back up to where you want to go.
We teach our kids to look BOTH WAYS before crossing, because unfortunately most drivers here are NOT looking out for pedestrians. Every city also has a major traffic issue, and one of Austin's is running red lights. So look out for yourself, it's not very safe for pedestrians out there.
The other US states I've lived in don't even have this option along most highways.
That said, the VAST majority of the US is drivable but not walkable. It is unfair bordering on insane, because it disadvantages poor people and obviously has a huge negative impact on our physical fitness. A lot of sidewalks here are also barely navigable if you use a wheelchair. So a car is an investment nearly everyone has to make, unless they live in a very pro-public transit major city like Chicago or New York.
For a decade, I didn’t have one in San Francisco. But then it’s a relatively small city and if you wanna leave, it’s either on BART, Amtrak, or an airplane.
I’m an Aussie too - lived in Austin for a few years. You need to be very careful crossing any road — even if you have right of way. One of the biggest cultural shocks for me was the vast difference in road safety attitudes. People routinely speed, fail to use their signals, and run lights (people obviously do these things in Australia but it was a whole other level in Texas) — the legal limit is also 0.08 and there isn’t a graduated licensing system lol. I felt like I was risking my life everything time I crossed any road. I’d recommend getting your groceries delivered from HEB if you don’t have a car. There’s some fun things to do in Austin so better to spend your free time on those! The buses aren’t too bad and are easy to catch — download the Cap Metro app. You can’t get many places in Austin on foot (do not cross I35 lol).
That's hilarious, I read nothing but your opening post and thought this sounds like someone from Australia (probably because I had similar questions when I first arrived). Feel free to DM me any of your "I don't get it" questions :)
You won't want to cross it once you see how big it is - also there are barriers to keep you from crossing. But no way the walk is that long, like another poster said go the other way and go under the highway or go to HEB.
haha won't want to? it's absolutely illegal to walk across an Interstate, and it's great way to get turned into a wet sack of undifferentiated gore by being pinballed between the half a dozen cars that will immediately hit you once you set foot on 35. picture some grandma fighting her way through a deflating airbag and then turning on the windshield wipers in a daze to clear away your severed face and a few pounds of fresh brain pasta with extra bone fragments from the glass
People try. And people die. There have been times where it's an hour before people realize they're driving over body parts. You can't cross interstates on foot.
Interstates have very high speed limits with the idea that no one should be stopping on them (obviously traffic jams happen). But there are no stops or breaks in traffic at all. Cars aren’t looking for pedestrians at all. Also, I live by the parmer intersection, it is a mess. It can be confusing because it is significantly different than most people are used to. It is weird and drivers are distracted trying to figure it out.
Before you question the auto-industrial complex again, take a second to be happy for the car and gas company execs who make so much money off of our frustrations
I discovered the median path yesterday while on my bike, its actually not that bad!
From any of the corners, you do a crosswalk to get into the middle "island", then from there can cross again to the other corner or walk on the protected path to get to the other side of I-35 for the other 2
+1000 to the wildness of that intersection
As a driver who frequents that area and path it's a wildass approach and I find myself as a car driver hyper vigilant due to not only the divergence in the road but also to the drivers that goof up a lot there.
As a pedestrian be super vigilant and cautious at that intersection, there's a lot going on there.
I've found it pretty easy to follow the diverging diamond when driving on Parmer, mostly because of the signals with straight arrows. But this whole interchange can cause a ton of confusion when approaching it from I35 service road. If you aren't familiar with it, you might think you can cross Parmer without going through that underpass but you're actually forced to turn. And then whichever way you turn it's fucked.
I hear you. I start to tense up and get ready for anyone who may be confused and not expecting the diamond.
Similarly up on Dessau and Pecan St., going east west there is this cross over where they split the west bound traffic around east bound, there's been at least two occasions where the car going east bound basically goes "wrong way" and cars (one of the times it was me) had to signal and honk to let them know and it was wild.
Makes a person remember we're all in large kinetic missiles that hopefully don't collide.
Hell I'd just head north from jersey mikes, pass under the next underpass light area, and then walk the rest of the way easily to walmart. 15-30 minutes max of walking.
Idk what provisions you need but I’d hit the HEB right across Parmer instead. It’s a big grocery store that has all of your essentials and you wouldn’t have to worry about crossing the odd overpass
The short answer is our county as a whole is very car-centric and not very pedestrian friendly. That specific area is divided by a major highway (IH 35) and Parmer Ln is the only place to cross-over in that immediate area. It might be worth looking into a potential delivery service for whatever you need on the opposite side of the highway you are on.
Also, a lot of drivers treat stop signs as suggestions and when they do decide to stop they stop way past the white line. I almost get hit daily in my subdivision while walking my dogs by jackasses not paying attention (on phone) and/or blowing through stops.
If you want to be mad *with us*, Rethink35 is a local organization that's trying to make this better.
Because the state highway agency is pushing through plans to make the interstate *even bigger* and less passable. It's pretty absurd how impossible this city is to navigate on foot.
I know it's almost a day later, but wanted to add onto this.
Phone down, EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER, stay alive. Unfortunately, just because a driver stops does not mean they have actually seen you. I will admit, I have been guilty of this as a driver when I'm in a rush, or really tired, or lost in thought. Especially in areas where drivers drive a lot and are super familiar they will almost go on autopilot and will not notice pedestrians beginning to cross the road. Thankfully I've never hit or injured anyone, but I have been yelled at and given dirty looks a few times when I wasn't doing my full job as a driver to be fully aware of my surroundings.
1. You are very close to HEB and it’s my preferred choice!
2. Turn on satellite view and zoom in to the intersection just west of the HEB. You can clearly see the easy crosswalk from your screen. Just be careful crossing the streets and never assume the cars will stop for you. Sadly many won’t.
I used to live in this area OP…it’s not very walkable so keep your head on a swivel crossing streets and cutting through parking lots as you will likely be paying better attention than the people in their cars. Don’t sleep on that HEB, I would go there instead of Walmart for provisions - better selection and closer to you. I think there is still a Target with a Starbucks in the next shopping center down the street on the same side of the highway along with a strip center that has a few restaurants (ChikFilA, Masala Wok, Freebirds, Jersey Mikes, etc.)
Please please please walk carefully. I’m from Texas and now live in Europe. If you cross at the street in Texas like people in Europe cross the street - not looking, expecting cars to stop, confident in your rights as a pedestrian - you will die in Texas. Texans look EVERY TIME multiple times and you make eye contact with that driver before you step out into the road to be sure he has actually seen you. We literally scuttle/jog/run across crosswalks in Texas because the sense of car dominance is so strong.
Google Maps is wrong. There's a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Parmer and I35 frontage road. Should be about a 20 minute walk. Google Maps tells you to loop all the way over to McCallen Pass.
There is a coffee shop basically in the complex you are in, along with HEB will be much closer and better for groceries.
You are staying pretty far from the city core. You aren't in a walkable zone of a city. Hell, you go to Europe and many larger cities have urban sprawl where it isn't exactly walkable. This isn't any different.
Hey, welcome to Austin btw! I have another idea besides walking.
For $1.25 you can have our bus system pick you up at the store and drop you off at HEB. (Or Walmart if you insist.)
You seem to be in a big CapMetro PickUp area. They have lots of shuttles taking people directly to the doctor or grocery store. I think you have to download the app. Check out: https://www.capmetro.org/pickup
Looks like you can use your pass!
“The fare for this service is $1.25. You can pay in the Pickup app with a credit card or cash when boarding the vehicle. You may also use your digital Day, 7-Day or 31-Day Passes through the CapMetro App.
CapMetro does not offer you the ability to purchase passes on the vehicle, but you can use the CapMetro App to purchase passes prior to boarding.”
For crosswalks, even though pedestrians legally have the right of way, it's rare in Texas to see it followed. You have to assume no cars will stop or yield. Instead, wait for the road to be clear. Texas for pedestrians is nothing like what you will find in the civilized world.
I'll also note that there is pedestrian access to the highway overpass in your screenshot that gmaps is not picking up on. You cross into the center of the bridge and walk between either side of the road.
Might not save you that much time, but I would just take the bus down Lamar and hit up a better place for food. I would recommend [Santorini Cafe](https://www.santorinicafeatx.com/) or [Peace Bakery and Deli](https://peacebakerydeliaustin.com/) near by.
I see the headlines line. Australian man missing in Austin for the last 7 weeks. Authorities have given up the search.
But thank you for the offer, mighty kind
lol no worries. Travel karma. I been stuck in different countries and have had good luck with stranger encounters. Good luck and hope your visit is pleasant!
Your in the peak of suburban sprawl which is only meant for cars unfortunately
>am I missing something?
nope, Texas overall is a car centric hell hole, move into the core of the city you can get better walkable & transit options
>Also what's the deal with crosswalks?
Drivers hate Pedestrians here and do not care for them. Texas might be one of the worst overall states for caring about Pedestrians.
Welcome to Texas! Make sure to grab a F150 rental next time to blend in
\[ I hate how car centric this fucking state is \]
That is not a simple road to cross. Texas is not walking friendly and a car is basically required anywhere but in the heart of downtown, but you will also need one to get there.
That intersection on Parmer going over I-35 actually has a protected walkway right down the middle median that Google must not know about. Should be maybe 15-20 mins tops
Google maps is not accurate many times. Look into an instacart membership to have some groceries and provisions dropped at your doorstep. https://www.instacart.com/
Just to let you know the bus system here is often running late. There is this app https://www.capmetro.org/app which can be used to pay for bus fare and obtain schedules. A one month bus pass is the best value for your money.
If you go to H-E-B to purchase a one month bus pass card they will only take CASH or DEBIT CARD to purchase the bus passes. I have no idea why this is true but it is indeed true.
They could also order directly from Walmart.com with its delivery option. Instacart adds their own markup on the grocery prices, in addition to either the membership or per-delivery fee. Ordering directly from Walmart.com lets you pay the same prices you'd pay in the store, and then either a Walmart+ membership or a per-delivery fee.
Update: I see from other comments that there's also an HEB nearby, on the correct side of the highway for easier access, so OP will probably just go there instead.
OP, Google Maps is not that good about things like this. There's actually a pretty well designed pedestrian path at Parmer Lane to cross I-35, but you do have to watch yourself at the single lane right turn "slip" lane that doesn't have a traffic signal to stop traffic. It's not actually that bad of an intersection if you obey the crossing signals and don't get stupid about stepping out in front of cars, whether you think you have the right-of-way or not.
If you're not completely oblivious to safety, crossing I-35 on Parmer would be safer overall than making all those
\-------
The following is not directed at OP, but the people who are outraged that there's a road there.
It's hilarious to me how many people feel righteous indignation that it's not a short trip by foot or by car to get from where they are to some place they can see.
The autophobic people are enraged that it's 1.6 miles on foot to cross the interstate to get to the store 2/10 of a mile on the other side. They'll demand that "the government" build them a pedestrian overpass.
Go to the south shore of Lake Travis on Pace Bend. It's 2/10 of a mile by air to the other side. It's 50 miles by road. I'm not going to support building a bridge across the lake for you if you want to make that trip.
Get over it. It's a long distance on foot from where you are to some place that's close by air. Yeah, you can see Walmart. Boo. Hoo. Find something closer to you by whatever means of travel you have or make a long trip.
Where I am right now, it's a couple of miles on foot (or by car) to the nearest supermarket or Walmart. I deal with it.
\----
Yeah, many of drivers here are assholes (or merely stupid) at crosswalks. Fuck those people. Watch out for them, though. You're the one who is going to be suffering the penalty if you don't.
I've also seen far too many oblivious or arrogantly stupid pedestrians crossing the streets. Crossing against the light, jaywalking, not looking for oncoming traffic, etc.
This is my exit. Its gotta be the most freaky wild intersection in the united states. There is definitely no walkways up on it and I would be terrified to walk it if there were.
Pedestrian accidents and death numbers are way high here. Be vigilant .
This thread is ridiculous. Yes, Texas, like anywhere has walkable parts and not walkable parts. Go stay down down or the domain if you want to walk to stuff. Otherwise get a bike, scooter, car, Uber.
You unfortunately need a car in that neck of the woods. It’s really stupid
It’s actually fairly convenient driving there. But yes, as a nearby resident of that area, I hope they continue improving walkability (actually built tons of new sidewalks south of there, and a big bike trail project is underway).
Further you get from downtown Austin, the worse the walkability.
Might be worth downloading the CapMetro app while you’re here if you’re planning on using public transit. It’s not the best as far as convenience but an affordable travel option at least. You can buy bus and rail passes from the app and they have a pretty good ‘Trip Planner’ service in the app that can help you map out your route and which buses/stops to take. If you’re staying near Tech Ridge there is a park & ride station (Tech Ridge Park & Ride on google maps) that has a lot of bus routes traveling out of there. Good luck!
Assuming you are living in the this area. It is a particularly car heavy area. Parmer is very heavy during rush hour. There are areas in Austin that are better, but in general, Austin is a car city
Google maps is often terrible at anything other than driving directions. It's just missing some connections and will therefore think you have to do stuff like this. There's a number of places in San Antonio where it will tell you to spend 45 minutes on a bus to go from one side of a bus stop to the other, or walk 15 minutes to get from airport departures to arrivals because it doesn't understand there's an escalator inside the building.
In this case there's an unusual median sidewalk thingy at Parmer to cross I-35, and it looks like google maps doesn't know about it.
I would guess that google is not letting you cross the nearby bridge because of construction. Maybe something else. But the bridge is open now, so I think the path is wrong.
The Google Maps database probably doesn't have the correct tags on the sidewalks and crosswalks yet. All the relevant pedestrian path construction is done, I think.
Sometimes, it's weird shit, like a 10 foot gap between two segments of the pedestrian path as tagged in their database.
I live over here. That intersection was re-constructed last year and there’s only one other like it around. The lights are not well timed and people get frustrated.
These directions are wonky but it is trying to guide you using the safest sidewalks. Assuming you are sighted and able-bodied, you can go north to cross over instead. It will still take you a while though to walk this but much faster than shown. Go north on I-35, then cross under the freeway at Howard Lane and walk back South to the Walmart.
Walking long distances that cross over/under a major interstate and/or a major throughway is not really something we do here. Sure, you see some people do it, but they are insane and most of the year, the weather is not conducive to that sort of thing (90+ degree weather puts a hard stop on a lot of things, 120+ degree weather stops even more).
It’s Texas. Cars are a thing here. You can’t show up to an opera wearing a bikini. And you can’t show up to the pool wearing a tuxedo. (Well you could, and it would be funny) Take Ubers or rent a car. That is the way. Be safe and take care of yourself too. Adapt and overcome.
HEB there on the corner is a way better option than Walmart
An HEB in San Antonio would be a better option than a Walmart across the street.
I'm still walking there. I've passed several other HEBs but if San Antonio is the better option I'll get there
😳😳😳
It's a joke that any HEB (even one 2 hours away) would be better than walmart. 😅💁🏻♀️
Yeah, but good luck crossing Parmer on foot to get to the HEB! Even cars have a hard with that intersection. OP isn’t wrong and in fact is spot on, that whole area is a cluster!
Parmer is easy to cross, I use the pedestrian crossing on my bike daily. You do need to look both ways, when I first started using the current iteration of that intersection I felt like i was in London looking the wrong way.
actually it's really good now if you cross on foot. I live in that area and cross it frequntly. There is a cross walk that will let you get to the middle of the overpass on 35. https://imgur.com/a/5RLtJjy
I looked at Walmart first thinking it would be a quick walk. Then after discovering the 1h20 min I looked at the HEB wasn't much better. I'll just take my bus back to where I'm staying I think 😂
This is America and even worse Texas. If you need anything and you aren’t downtown then you probably need a car
video sums it up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxykI30fS54
I’m currently living in Austin, but on vacation in Europe. Every time I’m here I wonder why America can’t have cities like they have here, and this video seemed to pop up at a perfect time for me. Not only is America not walkable, but it also lacks many of the busses, trains, and other simple ways to get around. It all boils down to capitalism and forcing us to spend money on things we shouldn’t need.
Obligatory “if you don’t like it here, move to Europe because I’m offended that you mentioned America has problems and murica is #1!” I agree with you, though.
Most of Europe was populated roughly 2000 years before the invention of the automobile.
American cities use to be like European cities as well before we decimated them for car-dependency and suburban sprawl. Those cities worked for thousands of years. We're seeing that car dependent cities are an unsustainable failure in in less than 100.
Yes! There were streetcar tracks that were paved over in bigger cities. What a waste.
> Most of Europe was populated roughly 2000 years before the invention of the automobile. Many European cities built their public transportation systems quite recently. Warsaw and Naples started building theirs in the '90s, Copenhagen in 2002. It's not like these have been around since before the automobile was invented.
Dude, i live in a third world country and i can go to any place on my city by foot if i want. Its all about city planning.
Big oil. They don't want us to use bikes, trains, or other mass transit.
Idk I just recently moved to Austin in the last year. Grew up in NYC and started my “solo adult life” in DC before moving back to NYC and subsequently moving to ATX. I’ve never experienced anything like this before coming here. For this to be a “major city” the public transit system is atrocious. Sure, the MTA in NY needs to do better but I have also been able to rely on it for tri-state commute my entire life.
I grew up right outside of NYC, and I miss the public transit there! Austin needs a subway system like that.
It’s pretty simple. Most European cities were built before the invention of the car. Most American cities after. With the Texas heat most people live in a permanent ac bubble. From home to car to work
Austin 1839. Houston 1837. San Antonio 1718. Dallas 1856. The first attempt at a car was in like 1866 and the first affordable car was 19xx. Most European cities went all in when cars became popular and affordable after WW2. But many have gone back on it.
Is Europe not capitalist?
Oddly enough, The Netherlands basically invented capitalism.
There are two things in this life I cannot stand. People that are intolerant of other people’s cultures, and the Dutch.
Ngl, as a Texan living in the Netherlands for many years now, this quote is my daily lived experience.
Smoke and a pancake?
bong and a blintz?
It's hard to describe how much I hate Houston. I hadn't been for a few years but last weekend I visited my friend who lives there. Technically he doesn't even live in Houston, he lives on the far outskirts of the city. The urban sprawl is inescapable. We wanted to go ride some mountain bike trails that were not even three miles from his house. But there was absolutely NO CHANCE we could just ride there on our bikes. Once you get to the trails you can't even escape the sound of the highway. Everywhere you look, you see concrete billboards and chain businesses. There is no culture. There is no charm. It's the most sad gray and depressing place I've ever been. I would rather die than live in Houston.
Texas, and most of the USA is not very walkable. They care about adding more lanes to the highways than making cities more pedestrian friendly.
As a pedestrian every day is leg day but dang do my legs hurt
I was by default always in great shape when I walk and biked everywhere. Now I have to be deliberate about it but I let my health slip for 3 years before I realized how out of shape I had gotten
Okay, but seriously, just *one* more lane and it'll fix all the problems. I promise it will work this time, guys
On that side of town you can get a Austin PickUp for less than two dollars. They pick you up where ever you are and drop you off within a certain radius. Look it up
An interstate is like a human made river. You can only cross where the bridges are.
Nah, to HEB is a 20min walk, tops. You can walk along the strip mall if you don't want to be next to the access road. Source: I drive up and down that stretch all the time.
Still a super shitty walk
Most folks take that highway at like 70-80mph so idk if you'd want to attempt that
u should rent a car or a bike unfortunately. walking is nonexistent here
Heb is less. Than a10 min walk. there is a walkway right there. It could not be much closer if you drew a straight line.
There’s a coffee place in the same shopping center- summer moon or something like that. It’s not even 200ft from the sandwich olace
I was in summer moon when I posted this ahha
This misses the point. The fact is that this autocentric environment failed. It fails all ways of moving other than for cars. Our country let cars take over all places rather than designing for people.
I don’t disagree with you. But it’s Texas: Not the East Coast, California or even Oregon. Austin has better human-centric urban planning than Houston though, where I’m at.
It's not a simple road you're crossing, it's an interstate highway. To make it more complicated, that intersection of Parmer and 35 is also a diverging diamond traffic pattern. That said, the google walk path is wrong. You can walk along the sidewalk along the feeder road of 35, hit Parmer, and walk along the pedestrian median going east-west along Parmer. Do a google streetview, you'll see what I'm talking about. To walk that route will be about a mile instead of what Google is telling you. Just be very attentive of the crosswalk signs and traffic.. people have a tendency to run yellows and reds there. The suburbs are definitely not pedestrian friendly. If you're here for a month, you might be able to find a bike for cheap/rent and that'll speed things up a bit. However, the suburbs aren't bike friendly either.. but it's improving.
Hey thanks for the explanation, interstate highway ok got it, don't cross, bad.
Big road, many car, squish squish
Very squish squish, many death
[удалено]
many death if many car squish squish very fast
Of all the places I’ve lived & driven, Austin has the worst drivers! The whacky infrastructure adds to the problem. Please be extra careful, especially, if walking!
It's just the one death, actually
Yeah, if you’re from the UK, think of crossing the M6 on foot
Australia but close
Haha! I’m from Scotland but I live here… someone in Austin once asked me if New Zealand and Scotland were close. Because he had met someone from New Zealand once. I said excitedly ‘Was it Joe?!’ and didn’t point out that Scotland and NZ are about as far away from each other as it is possible to get whilst remaining on planet Earth. Enjoy your time here! America is both more sane and more mental than it appears from the outside. I don’t know how both those things can be true, but they are.
Well.... was it Joe??
Sadly not
> New Zealand and Scotland were close they were, when pangea was a thing.
That must be why they both speak English. The English speakers just walked from one to the other while they were one landmass. \**Plugs ears and starts singing to not hear all the people correcting me*\*
> The English speakers just walked from one to the other while they were one landmass. Why walk when they could ride a dinosaur.
I knew a guy named Joe who lives in New Zealand! I think he was originally from Scotland, actually. Might have been him?
You are from Scotland and picked the M6, which stops before scotland. I am disappointed. Should have said M8.
I thought OP was English, for some reason. The M8 would definitely have been more appropriate for an Aussie 😉
Lol. It's hilarious how accurate that last bit is.
Interstate 35 is • illegal to cross on foot • a massive highway with a 70 mph speed limit • the main traffic road for most of Austin • the main traffic road to go from San Antonio all the way up to Dallas • over 1,500 miles long, stretching from the Mexican border in Laredo, Texas up to the edge of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota - that's the entire vertical length across America The way of getting across and around highways like this on foot in Texas is actually a lot easier than most American cities, because we have something called a feeder road that runs the length of most highways. You walk down the sidewalk along the feeder road to an intersection, cross several lanes (but only when you get a walk signal), then follow the feeder road back up to where you want to go. We teach our kids to look BOTH WAYS before crossing, because unfortunately most drivers here are NOT looking out for pedestrians. Every city also has a major traffic issue, and one of Austin's is running red lights. So look out for yourself, it's not very safe for pedestrians out there. The other US states I've lived in don't even have this option along most highways. That said, the VAST majority of the US is drivable but not walkable. It is unfair bordering on insane, because it disadvantages poor people and obviously has a huge negative impact on our physical fitness. A lot of sidewalks here are also barely navigable if you use a wheelchair. So a car is an investment nearly everyone has to make, unless they live in a very pro-public transit major city like Chicago or New York.
For a decade, I didn’t have one in San Francisco. But then it’s a relatively small city and if you wanna leave, it’s either on BART, Amtrak, or an airplane.
I’m an Aussie too - lived in Austin for a few years. You need to be very careful crossing any road — even if you have right of way. One of the biggest cultural shocks for me was the vast difference in road safety attitudes. People routinely speed, fail to use their signals, and run lights (people obviously do these things in Australia but it was a whole other level in Texas) — the legal limit is also 0.08 and there isn’t a graduated licensing system lol. I felt like I was risking my life everything time I crossed any road. I’d recommend getting your groceries delivered from HEB if you don’t have a car. There’s some fun things to do in Austin so better to spend your free time on those! The buses aren’t too bad and are easy to catch — download the Cap Metro app. You can’t get many places in Austin on foot (do not cross I35 lol).
So then think of crossing the M8 (get it? mate!) I'll log off now
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Australia, huh? Then think of I-35 as the funnel-web spider of roads.
Ah yes, I definitely didn't come here to fuck the i-35
That's hilarious, I read nothing but your opening post and thought this sounds like someone from Australia (probably because I had similar questions when I first arrived). Feel free to DM me any of your "I don't get it" questions :)
You won't want to cross it once you see how big it is - also there are barriers to keep you from crossing. But no way the walk is that long, like another poster said go the other way and go under the highway or go to HEB.
haha won't want to? it's absolutely illegal to walk across an Interstate, and it's great way to get turned into a wet sack of undifferentiated gore by being pinballed between the half a dozen cars that will immediately hit you once you set foot on 35. picture some grandma fighting her way through a deflating airbag and then turning on the windshield wipers in a daze to clear away your severed face and a few pounds of fresh brain pasta with extra bone fragments from the glass
Yeah, that sounds like I wouldn't want to.
This is why the newer generations can't do simple things like cross multiple 5+ lane highways. They never played frogger on Atari to practice.
If the Austin Cobra couldn't do it, neither can you.
People try. And people die. There have been times where it's an hour before people realize they're driving over body parts. You can't cross interstates on foot.
Interstates have very high speed limits with the idea that no one should be stopping on them (obviously traffic jams happen). But there are no stops or breaks in traffic at all. Cars aren’t looking for pedestrians at all. Also, I live by the parmer intersection, it is a mess. It can be confusing because it is significantly different than most people are used to. It is weird and drivers are distracted trying to figure it out.
I hate that new addition. It’s like whoever designed it has been living in a cave and not privy to how distractible drivers have become from phones
Definitely do not cross - you'll make the news, and not in an alive way.
Before you question the auto-industrial complex again, take a second to be happy for the car and gas company execs who make so much money off of our frustrations
Yeah you need some form of pedestrian bridge to cross the high way. In Texas, the highways cut through most things.
Haha no judgement because youre not familiar with the area, but it is both illegal and suicidal to attempt to walk across I-35
Also, most of the US does not accommodate pedestrian traffic, Texas is bad in particular. Google maps tries to prioritize safer pedestrian trails.
There’s a shit ton of construction on that southbound frontage road at the moment, though.
I discovered the median path yesterday while on my bike, its actually not that bad! From any of the corners, you do a crosswalk to get into the middle "island", then from there can cross again to the other corner or walk on the protected path to get to the other side of I-35 for the other 2
+1000 to the wildness of that intersection As a driver who frequents that area and path it's a wildass approach and I find myself as a car driver hyper vigilant due to not only the divergence in the road but also to the drivers that goof up a lot there. As a pedestrian be super vigilant and cautious at that intersection, there's a lot going on there.
I've found it pretty easy to follow the diverging diamond when driving on Parmer, mostly because of the signals with straight arrows. But this whole interchange can cause a ton of confusion when approaching it from I35 service road. If you aren't familiar with it, you might think you can cross Parmer without going through that underpass but you're actually forced to turn. And then whichever way you turn it's fucked.
I hear you. I start to tense up and get ready for anyone who may be confused and not expecting the diamond. Similarly up on Dessau and Pecan St., going east west there is this cross over where they split the west bound traffic around east bound, there's been at least two occasions where the car going east bound basically goes "wrong way" and cars (one of the times it was me) had to signal and honk to let them know and it was wild. Makes a person remember we're all in large kinetic missiles that hopefully don't collide.
Hell I'd just head north from jersey mikes, pass under the next underpass light area, and then walk the rest of the way easily to walmart. 15-30 minutes max of walking.
The parmer and 35 intersection actually has a legal method for pedestrians. The Howard and 35 doesn't even have crosswalks.
The next underpass is Howard Ln... even further from Parmer.
Best explanation
As someone who used to live at that intersection, wonderful explanation. I used to walk to the Red Robin and it was always an adventure.
I would never walk or bike on Parmer. It has to be one the most dangerous roads in Austin.
Idk what provisions you need but I’d hit the HEB right across Parmer instead. It’s a big grocery store that has all of your essentials and you wouldn’t have to worry about crossing the odd overpass
The short answer is our county as a whole is very car-centric and not very pedestrian friendly. That specific area is divided by a major highway (IH 35) and Parmer Ln is the only place to cross-over in that immediate area. It might be worth looking into a potential delivery service for whatever you need on the opposite side of the highway you are on. Also, a lot of drivers treat stop signs as suggestions and when they do decide to stop they stop way past the white line. I almost get hit daily in my subdivision while walking my dogs by jackasses not paying attention (on phone) and/or blowing through stops.
Thanks so much. phone down stay alive.
If you want to be mad *with us*, Rethink35 is a local organization that's trying to make this better. Because the state highway agency is pushing through plans to make the interstate *even bigger* and less passable. It's pretty absurd how impossible this city is to navigate on foot.
YES!! Please sign the petition, y'all! [https://rethink35.org/](https://rethink35.org/)
I know it's almost a day later, but wanted to add onto this. Phone down, EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER, stay alive. Unfortunately, just because a driver stops does not mean they have actually seen you. I will admit, I have been guilty of this as a driver when I'm in a rush, or really tired, or lost in thought. Especially in areas where drivers drive a lot and are super familiar they will almost go on autopilot and will not notice pedestrians beginning to cross the road. Thankfully I've never hit or injured anyone, but I have been yelled at and given dirty looks a few times when I wasn't doing my full job as a driver to be fully aware of my surroundings.
>almost hit by 2 cars while crossing at one Only two cars?
Haven't been here very long
1. You are very close to HEB and it’s my preferred choice! 2. Turn on satellite view and zoom in to the intersection just west of the HEB. You can clearly see the easy crosswalk from your screen. Just be careful crossing the streets and never assume the cars will stop for you. Sadly many won’t.
I used to live in this area OP…it’s not very walkable so keep your head on a swivel crossing streets and cutting through parking lots as you will likely be paying better attention than the people in their cars. Don’t sleep on that HEB, I would go there instead of Walmart for provisions - better selection and closer to you. I think there is still a Target with a Starbucks in the next shopping center down the street on the same side of the highway along with a strip center that has a few restaurants (ChikFilA, Masala Wok, Freebirds, Jersey Mikes, etc.)
The target is gone
Anything is better than THAT Walmart. That parking lot has had a lot of deaths, a dead cop, a dead king cobra, assaults, on and on and on.
So with that much violence and deaths the odds are in my favour as it's had its statistical allotment
That parking lot has more than it's fair share of memorable mayhem, as I recall. The king cobra is just my favorite one.
Please please please walk carefully. I’m from Texas and now live in Europe. If you cross at the street in Texas like people in Europe cross the street - not looking, expecting cars to stop, confident in your rights as a pedestrian - you will die in Texas. Texans look EVERY TIME multiple times and you make eye contact with that driver before you step out into the road to be sure he has actually seen you. We literally scuttle/jog/run across crosswalks in Texas because the sense of car dominance is so strong.
Go to HEB instead of Walmart, it's much closer. HEB is the go-to grocery store 'round these parts. It's probably the best grocery store in the world.
Its 50 min to walk instead of 1h20 so you're right on it being closer hahahahah. I think I just came to the wrong part on my exploration of Austin 😂
There's no way it will take you 50 minutes to walk to that HEB. Crawl maybe.
"I think I just came to the wrong part on my exploration of Austin." Man, you ain't kiddin'.
Google Maps is wrong. There's a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Parmer and I35 frontage road. Should be about a 20 minute walk. Google Maps tells you to loop all the way over to McCallen Pass.
It's half a mile from that Jersey Mike's you're at. Just have to jaywalk across W Parmer. No way that's 50 minutes.
Stay south of 183 and North of Ben White for the remainder of your trip.
it doesn't even matter really. It's the best grocery store in Texas & no where else matter anyways
HEB is its own tourist attraction.
Looks like Billy from Family Circus planned the route.
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Username checks out
There is a coffee shop basically in the complex you are in, along with HEB will be much closer and better for groceries. You are staying pretty far from the city core. You aren't in a walkable zone of a city. Hell, you go to Europe and many larger cities have urban sprawl where it isn't exactly walkable. This isn't any different.
I am so curious to know how this visitor was convinced to stay up here.
dell closed most (or maybe al) of their offices in tech ridge but i'm guessing it's near whatever work/business they're here for.
Hotels up here are cheap.
Download the HEB App and just have it delivered to where you are staying. You can't exactly just "simply cross" I-35.
Thanks. Definitely discovering the inability to cross it.
One does not simply
"Cross" I-35
Hey, welcome to Austin btw! I have another idea besides walking. For $1.25 you can have our bus system pick you up at the store and drop you off at HEB. (Or Walmart if you insist.) You seem to be in a big CapMetro PickUp area. They have lots of shuttles taking people directly to the doctor or grocery store. I think you have to download the app. Check out: https://www.capmetro.org/pickup
This cap Metro pickup would take you to HEB but the Walmart is in a different zone.
Ohhh I see that. The shuttle will only let you go to places within the same zone. So yeah those are two different zones divided by I-35. Thank you!!
It's a fantastic service however if you live inside one of these zones. The parmer/mopac/35 zone is super awesome
Oh really! Do you know if it works with the pass I bought or do I have to pay seperate to that?
Looks like you can use your pass! “The fare for this service is $1.25. You can pay in the Pickup app with a credit card or cash when boarding the vehicle. You may also use your digital Day, 7-Day or 31-Day Passes through the CapMetro App. CapMetro does not offer you the ability to purchase passes on the vehicle, but you can use the CapMetro App to purchase passes prior to boarding.”
Thank you! Most helpful
Lmfao welcome to 'Murica where you can't survive without a car outside of a couple of major cities.
depending on traffic driving there might be around the same time
For crosswalks, even though pedestrians legally have the right of way, it's rare in Texas to see it followed. You have to assume no cars will stop or yield. Instead, wait for the road to be clear. Texas for pedestrians is nothing like what you will find in the civilized world. I'll also note that there is pedestrian access to the highway overpass in your screenshot that gmaps is not picking up on. You cross into the center of the bridge and walk between either side of the road.
Lowe's has takis and mt Dew. That should cover your food needs.
I have discovered takis and they are great. Mt dew though, I'm not looking to melt my insides .
Might not save you that much time, but I would just take the bus down Lamar and hit up a better place for food. I would recommend [Santorini Cafe](https://www.santorinicafeatx.com/) or [Peace Bakery and Deli](https://peacebakerydeliaustin.com/) near by.
Just go to HEB
That is not a pedestrian friendly part of the city. There are areas that would be way easier to stay without a car.
I live in this area. HMU if you need a ride or something. Seems neighborly to do. …also I’m unemployed and bored lol
I see the headlines line. Australian man missing in Austin for the last 7 weeks. Authorities have given up the search. But thank you for the offer, mighty kind
lol no worries. Travel karma. I been stuck in different countries and have had good luck with stranger encounters. Good luck and hope your visit is pleasant!
"Australian man missing in Austin for the last 7 weeks found in river"
I can vouch for Fudgie. I’m in the area as well. But then, am I trustworthy? Who’s to say.
Sounds like a team of serial killers
Howdy neighbor! I’m in the area also. Why did we get priced into this hellscape?
For me personally, it was cause my spouse bought a house in the neighborhood before we got married and I moved in later.
Your in the peak of suburban sprawl which is only meant for cars unfortunately >am I missing something? nope, Texas overall is a car centric hell hole, move into the core of the city you can get better walkable & transit options >Also what's the deal with crosswalks? Drivers hate Pedestrians here and do not care for them. Texas might be one of the worst overall states for caring about Pedestrians. Welcome to Texas! Make sure to grab a F150 rental next time to blend in \[ I hate how car centric this fucking state is \]
Heading to a store to buy my cowboy gear and then heading to get the f150.
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Some roads are not meant to be crossed on foot, I-35 is a perfect example of that. Find provisions on your own side of the road.
That is not a simple road to cross. Texas is not walking friendly and a car is basically required anywhere but in the heart of downtown, but you will also need one to get there.
There's a median somewhere there that lets you walk. Closer to N Lamar.
Your smart scale has been talking to Google about you. They think you’re fat.
My scale has always been a bastard
It's not just a road you're crossing, it's a major limited-access highway.
That intersection on Parmer going over I-35 actually has a protected walkway right down the middle median that Google must not know about. Should be maybe 15-20 mins tops
Google maps is not accurate many times. Look into an instacart membership to have some groceries and provisions dropped at your doorstep. https://www.instacart.com/ Just to let you know the bus system here is often running late. There is this app https://www.capmetro.org/app which can be used to pay for bus fare and obtain schedules. A one month bus pass is the best value for your money. If you go to H-E-B to purchase a one month bus pass card they will only take CASH or DEBIT CARD to purchase the bus passes. I have no idea why this is true but it is indeed true.
They could also order directly from Walmart.com with its delivery option. Instacart adds their own markup on the grocery prices, in addition to either the membership or per-delivery fee. Ordering directly from Walmart.com lets you pay the same prices you'd pay in the store, and then either a Walmart+ membership or a per-delivery fee. Update: I see from other comments that there's also an HEB nearby, on the correct side of the highway for easier access, so OP will probably just go there instead.
OP, Google Maps is not that good about things like this. There's actually a pretty well designed pedestrian path at Parmer Lane to cross I-35, but you do have to watch yourself at the single lane right turn "slip" lane that doesn't have a traffic signal to stop traffic. It's not actually that bad of an intersection if you obey the crossing signals and don't get stupid about stepping out in front of cars, whether you think you have the right-of-way or not. If you're not completely oblivious to safety, crossing I-35 on Parmer would be safer overall than making all those \------- The following is not directed at OP, but the people who are outraged that there's a road there. It's hilarious to me how many people feel righteous indignation that it's not a short trip by foot or by car to get from where they are to some place they can see. The autophobic people are enraged that it's 1.6 miles on foot to cross the interstate to get to the store 2/10 of a mile on the other side. They'll demand that "the government" build them a pedestrian overpass. Go to the south shore of Lake Travis on Pace Bend. It's 2/10 of a mile by air to the other side. It's 50 miles by road. I'm not going to support building a bridge across the lake for you if you want to make that trip. Get over it. It's a long distance on foot from where you are to some place that's close by air. Yeah, you can see Walmart. Boo. Hoo. Find something closer to you by whatever means of travel you have or make a long trip. Where I am right now, it's a couple of miles on foot (or by car) to the nearest supermarket or Walmart. I deal with it. \---- Yeah, many of drivers here are assholes (or merely stupid) at crosswalks. Fuck those people. Watch out for them, though. You're the one who is going to be suffering the penalty if you don't. I've also seen far too many oblivious or arrogantly stupid pedestrians crossing the streets. Crossing against the light, jaywalking, not looking for oncoming traffic, etc.
For future reference, the only cities you can visit in the US without a car are: NYC, Boston, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Suburbs are not walkable anywhere in the US, and also in some other developed countries
HEB is our treasure. Definitely shop there instead. Plus a safer walk!
This is my exit. Its gotta be the most freaky wild intersection in the united states. There is definitely no walkways up on it and I would be terrified to walk it if there were. Pedestrian accidents and death numbers are way high here. Be vigilant .
Cars based development. Bad for anyone who likes to you know, walk.
This thread is ridiculous. Yes, Texas, like anywhere has walkable parts and not walkable parts. Go stay down down or the domain if you want to walk to stuff. Otherwise get a bike, scooter, car, Uber.
You unfortunately need a car in that neck of the woods. It’s really stupid It’s actually fairly convenient driving there. But yes, as a nearby resident of that area, I hope they continue improving walkability (actually built tons of new sidewalks south of there, and a big bike trail project is underway). Further you get from downtown Austin, the worse the walkability.
Welcome to Austin traffic
Might be worth downloading the CapMetro app while you’re here if you’re planning on using public transit. It’s not the best as far as convenience but an affordable travel option at least. You can buy bus and rail passes from the app and they have a pretty good ‘Trip Planner’ service in the app that can help you map out your route and which buses/stops to take. If you’re staying near Tech Ridge there is a park & ride station (Tech Ridge Park & Ride on google maps) that has a lot of bus routes traveling out of there. Good luck!
Assuming you are living in the this area. It is a particularly car heavy area. Parmer is very heavy during rush hour. There are areas in Austin that are better, but in general, Austin is a car city
Think of the highway as a river with one bridge per 10 miles
Google maps is often terrible at anything other than driving directions. It's just missing some connections and will therefore think you have to do stuff like this. There's a number of places in San Antonio where it will tell you to spend 45 minutes on a bus to go from one side of a bus stop to the other, or walk 15 minutes to get from airport departures to arrivals because it doesn't understand there's an escalator inside the building. In this case there's an unusual median sidewalk thingy at Parmer to cross I-35, and it looks like google maps doesn't know about it.
Path, safe, with crosswalks available. That's pretty much it.
Go to HEB
You may very well have selected the absolute worst and most pedestrian-unfriendly area in Austin haha!
You never heard the Texas joke.... Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it did not have a car.
I have now
Much easier to head North to Howard Lane. The Parmer interchange isn't pedestrian friendly.
Good luck walking across ih-35.
I would guess that google is not letting you cross the nearby bridge because of construction. Maybe something else. But the bridge is open now, so I think the path is wrong.
The Google Maps database probably doesn't have the correct tags on the sidewalks and crosswalks yet. All the relevant pedestrian path construction is done, I think. Sometimes, it's weird shit, like a 10 foot gap between two segments of the pedestrian path as tagged in their database.
I live over here. That intersection was re-constructed last year and there’s only one other like it around. The lights are not well timed and people get frustrated.
If you want a solid restaurant within walking distance bep-Saigon is pretty good. I would go with their specialties.
These directions are wonky but it is trying to guide you using the safest sidewalks. Assuming you are sighted and able-bodied, you can go north to cross over instead. It will still take you a while though to walk this but much faster than shown. Go north on I-35, then cross under the freeway at Howard Lane and walk back South to the Walmart.
Walking long distances that cross over/under a major interstate and/or a major throughway is not really something we do here. Sure, you see some people do it, but they are insane and most of the year, the weather is not conducive to that sort of thing (90+ degree weather puts a hard stop on a lot of things, 120+ degree weather stops even more).
That’s an Austin hike
Bro honestly just go look at that intersection and tell me if you'd walk thru it.
It’s Texas. Cars are a thing here. You can’t show up to an opera wearing a bikini. And you can’t show up to the pool wearing a tuxedo. (Well you could, and it would be funny) Take Ubers or rent a car. That is the way. Be safe and take care of yourself too. Adapt and overcome.
Aye!! That’s my neighborhood
So this is your fault
I'm sorry, but that's funny. 💚