A new city task force came together Monday night to tackle transportation problems created by a growing downtown and special events. 

Events like the AT&T Austin Marathon have some people who live, work and worship downtown upset.

"There is construction on every street you turn down. Something is blocked off, which is kind of painful," said downtown worker Marti Ruby.

Those affected say there are too many events going on closing too many streets.

Over the past three year, the number of races and festivals has increased.  In 2005 there were 110. In 2006 that number jumped to 122, and last year there were 145 races and festivals.

Jennifer Stuart said it's a complete nightmare. The First United Methodist Church membership chairman said there is a dramatic drop in the number of people going to church on race days.

"I can tell you for sure we lose 40 percent, but some of the other ones it's much worse," she said.

Add that to more people living downtown, the construction and the traffic delays. Getting around downtown on weekends can be a hassle. 

"It's just a matter of planning, where you get feedback from the overall community, especially the downtown community," said Corey Forte.

But Austin Mayor Will Wynn wants to fix the problem. "I think there's a way to merge all this," said Wynn.

So he and his council colleagues set up the Downtown Street Event Closure Task Force which met Monday night for their first meeting.

The task force is made up of business owners, neighbors, non-profits and churches all looking to strike a balance.  Chairman and business owner Paul Corrozza is hopeful.

"There are a lot of events for Austin and now that the density of downtown has increased we got to figure out how to sort it out and make it meaningful for everybody," he said.

The next meeting is set for July 14th.