Mark Nemir, the owner of Dirty Martin's in Austin, said implementing Light Rail systems across intersections poses traffic disruption concerns, especially if Guadalupe Street closes to vehicles, emphasizing the practical challenges and population density around the University of Texas. Aleshire was a guest on a recent episode of the Texas Talks Podcast.

"As far as Light Rail goes, can you imagine these north-south lines everywhere?" said Aleshire on a recent edition of the Texas Talks Podcast. "There's an East-West intersection like Congress Avenue, like, what are some other ones? 183 and Ben White don't really count because you can go above or below those things. But everywhere there's Gates, and so every time these trains, light rails coming, you're now stopping vehicular traffic. These are my observations and my personal opinions about these things."

“As far as closing down Guadalupe Street to vehicular traffic and just having bicycles and scooters, which are the most dangerous things on the planet, and, buses and Light Rail, it doesn't make any sense to me," said Aleshire. “University of Texas, that the west campus area has to be the most highly densely populated place in Travis County."

Nemir, the owner of Dirty Martin's near the UT campus, is part of a lawsuit against the City of Austin over Project Connect. The lawsuit challenges the city's handling of the project's implementation and funding, which threatens the displacement of over 302,000 Austin residents and numerous businesses. To address concerns, Nemir and others advocate for legislative action, proposing the "No Blank Checks Act" to mandate voter oversight and full disclosure of Project Connect's costs and impacts.

Texas Talks podcast is hosted by Brad Swail. The weekly show is focused on public policy in the state of Texas, with insights from the people and organizations that influence it.

The podcast is available on Simple Cast and YouTube.