20 November 2008
Outstanding red-light camera ticket? No car registration for you!
City Council has approved MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's latest plan to get red light runners to pay their tickets:
The City Council on Wednesday approved a measure that will allow the state to deny vehicle registration to drivers who do not pay their red-light camera tickets after repeated warnings.
As many as 25 percent of those who receive the $75 citation never pay up. Until now, there was nothing the city could do about it.
Under the measure approved Wednesday, if a driver does not pay after 85 days, the city can get the Texas Department of Transportation to put a "hold'' on the vehicle owner's registration that cannot be cleared until the ticket is paid.
"It's not complex,'' Mayor Bill White said. "If you get a citation when you're running the red light, then you pay the citation. Or, if you think there's some mistaken identity, then you go and contest it. It's pretty simple. But what you don't have an option to do is just ignore the citation."
Yeah, if you want to contest a ticket, all you have to do is take time off work, arrange daycare for the kids, drive all the way to downtown, pay for parking, etc, etc. Simple.
Despite Mayor White's assertion that "it's not complex," there are concerns from other quarters:
Not so fast, said George Hammerlein, who handles local governmental affairs for Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt's office.
Because that office administers registration renewals, the city would have to reach an interlocal agreement with the county, a step for which there still were a number of hurdles, Hammerlein said.
"We had a meeting and identified a series of areas we had concerns about before we could even think about going forward, and they haven't addressed them all yet," he said.
Hammerlein said a primary concern is customer service. If 100,000 people a year fail to pay red-light tickets, he said, that would mean 100,000 people could end up waiting in long lines at county offices to get new registrations, only to be turned away.
"That has a big impact on our lines and the overall customer service level that we strive for," he said.
And Councilman Sullivan wasn't sold on the plan:
Sullivan said he was skeptical of the ordinance for a number of reasons: What if a couple goes through a divorce and the notice of a ticket goes to the wrong address? What if someone gives away a vehicle as a gift? He also cast doubt on whether the process would be fluid, given that it involves the city; a private contractor that administers the cameras; the county, which handles vehicle registration renewals; and the state, which would apply the holds.
What could possibly go wrong?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/20/08 05:38 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (11)
12 November 2008
Another Houston driver takes on Danger Train, loses
In a rare bit of reporting on the topic, the Chron notes that a Danger Train crash took place earlier:
Three passengers on a MetroRail train were taken to a hospital this morning after the train collided with a car at a downtown intersection.
The accident occurred about 9:20 a.m. as the driver of the car attempted an illegal left turn at Main and Leeland, said Metro spoieswoman Raequel Roberts.
The passengers were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center with injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening, Roberts said.
The car was traveling on Leeland when it crossed the northbound train's path and was struck on the driver's side, Roberts said.
The driver, who was not injured, was cited by police for turning illegally, she said.
Northbound train service resumed about 10:50 a.m.
So, the Danger Train, METRO's "transit backbone," was out of service for an hour-and-a-half because at-grade light rail and bad Houston drivers continue to be a bad mix.
Imagine how well the coming at-grade rail lines in busy corridors like Richmond (which is how METRO and its sycophants translate "Westpark") will mix with Houston drivers!
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/08 02:18 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (9)
02 November 2008
Pasadena to get METRO service
Meanwhile, the outer reaches of Harris County still get nothing. Except taxed, of course.
The last Chron Move It! column had news of Pasadena's new service:
Metro approved a proposal to expand bus service to Pasadena beginning next year. Metro expects to run buses from Houston to Pasadena's Town Square Mall with a stop at the Monroe Park and Ride.
Similar service from the Monroe site is now available to Baytown.
Metro predicts an annual cost of $79,000. Harris County and federal funds are expected to cover the new route since it lies outside Metro's service area.
How nice for them.
Here's an idea: If METRO can expand its service to non-taxed areas by contract, how about if non-serviced areas have the ability to terminate their taxed contract with METRO?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/08 12:58 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
In anticipation of the the Grand Parkway's F-2 segment...
...a Dallas developer has bought a chunk of land at Spring Steubner and Kuykendahl for a new retail center:
The undeveloped land bought by Hopkins Commercial Real Estate Inc. is located at the southeast corner of Kuykendahl and Spring Stuebner, just north of Houston. The property was purchased last month from three separate owners for an undisclosed amount. Most of the property was previously earmarked for residential construction.
Steve Gregory, president of Dallas-based Hopkins Commercial, said the site is a long-term investment for a retail center that will be built, possibly in one to three years. The site is attractive to the company because a leg of the Grand Parkway that will start construction in late 2010 will go by the 56 acres.
Swell.
PREVIOUSLY: Grand Parkway archives
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/08 12:13 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
16 October 2008
As economy slows, METRO approves fare increase
KTRK-13 reports that METRO's well-publicized* fare increase was approved today:
Beginning next month, you will need a little extra change to ride METRO. For the first time in 14 years, the transit authority board has voted to raise the base fare.
It is up a quarter from $1.00 to $1.25. Prices go up from there. People who ride farther will see higher increases, as much as a dollar in some cases. Even though the move is unpopular with some riders, METRO board members consider the hike a necessity.
Remember the 2003 referendum that promised a 50% increase in bus service?
Instead, METRO bus riders get a fare increase and reduced service (err, service "improvements").
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
* There were public hearings right after the hurricane, when METRO services weren't operating, after all.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/16/08 10:14 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (11)
13 October 2008
What do METRO, Diana Ross, and an elephant all have in common?
Starting today, you'll see a giant elephant with sunglasses standing on the rail.
At least, you'll see this image in brochures on our buses and trains - and later this week, on posters at our Park & Ride lots and various shopping centers around town.
It's all part of our new anti-terrorism campaign that tells an important message without creating fear.
"We were looking for a way to get the terrorism message across but not be scary and intimidating to people," said Sydney Veeder, account executive and copywriter for the campaign. "We wanted something very eye-catching, above and beyond the normal visual. An elephant stands out a little bit on a rail platform."
The message is simple: If you see something, say something!
On the radio, you'll hear 60-second spots in both English and Spanish. The English spot features a Motown tune with lyrics penned by Veeder.
"I thought of Diana Ross and the Supremes and the sense of empowerment against outside forces that can't be controlled. That fit in perfectly with anti-terrorism," said Veeder, pictured on the right.
Motown, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and a sunglasses-wearing elephant fit in perfectly with METRO's anti-terrorism message?
That's our tax dollars at work.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/13/08 06:40 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
06 October 2008
METRO's advantage: tax dollars
In today's Move It! column (one of the last?), Rad Sallee talks about how Wall Street's problems affect local transportation entities. Here are a couple of excerpts:
County Judge Ed Emmett said the toll road authority has more than $800 million in the bank and, if necessary, could build two long-awaited projects, the northeast quadrant of the Sam Houston Tollway and the Hardy Toll Road extension to downtown, with that money alone. Both projects will break ground soon, he said.
And:
Metro has one advantage over the other two agencies: Its main revenue source is a 1-cent sales tax that rises with inflation and is based on a variety of goods, not just motor fuel or toll road use. The agency has collected $520 million from the sales tax in the past 12 months and has cash reserves of $134 million.
At present, Metro is "pretty much a cash business," said Wilson. Compared to its 2008 budget of about $800 million, he noted, current debt is $143 million.
But the debt will increase sharply next year when construction of five light rail lines and the rest of the Metro Solutions plan get under way.
[snip]
Under a 2003 transit referendum, no more than $640 million in bonds may be issued for Metro Solutions.
To cover the remaining cost — and some estimate the total well over $3 billion — it will need 50 percent federal funding and probably substantial help from private companies seeking joint developments with Metro around transit facilities.
What I find interesting is Sallee's characterization of the one-cent sales tax as an "advantage." HCTRA collects its revenues from tolls, and whether or not one agrees with toll roads, drivers make a decision to pay the toll and fund HCTRA. With METRO, EVERYONE within the taxing jurisdiction forks over money, when most of the taxpayers never even use the agency's services. Advantage: METRO. Screwed: taxpayers.
Of course, we know METRO funds itself through tax dollars, not through fare collection. Its (overall) transit offerings are so pathetic, it could never live off fares. Someday, perhaps a local pol will take on METRO, start standing up for those of us who get nothing as METRO takes our money, and put a dent in METRO's entitlement mentality. I can dream!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/06/08 06:29 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
26 September 2008
METRO bus driver kills woman; METRO investigates
Earlier this week, a METRO bus driver killed a woman who had just exited the bus. Both KRIV-26 (Fox) and KHOU-11 have stories that suggest METRO officials might not be able to blame this accident on the victim:
(Channel 26) Shawn Cunningham says, he was at the bus stop to pick up his mother, 61-year old Arrilla Carr. He says Carr stepped off the bus, which quickly lurched into a right-hand turn.
And after the bus passed by, he saw his mother crumpled on the pavement. "I looked and my mom was laying in the middle of the street, twisted up like a wrung-out towel."
Cunningham is a trucker by profession, who says the bus driver's turn was too sharp and too fast. He believes if the driver had checked his convex mirrors, he would have seen Carr walking alongside the bus.
And:
(Channel 11) Police say she had just gotten off the bus at Veterans Memorial and Pecan Drive in North Houston when the bus cut across the shoulder of the road. The back end of the bus went up on the curb where Carr was about to cross the street.
Fox's story notes that METRO is investigating (itself??), and that the bus driver has been "relieved of duty." And now, the victim's family has filed a lawsuit.
However, an award-winning Houston Press investigation two years ago uncovered how abominably METRO behaves in these situations:
The Houston Press has spent the last four months independently investigating Metro's bus operations. It took an appeal to the Attorney General of Texas's Open Records Division to open up Metro's records. In examining thousands of public documents and interviewing more than a dozen recent survivors of Metro accidents and families whose relatives were killed by Metro buses, the Press found repeated instances of the following:
• Metro rejecting the safety recommendations of its own investigators
• Metro offering bus accident victims much lower amounts to settle cases than what was recommended by its own claims committee
• Metro hounding victims to settle their cases, even approaching them to sign settlement forms as they lay in their hospital beds
• Metro not offering any form of apology to victims even when their bus drivers caused the accidents
• Metro creatively interpreting accident statistics in ways that enable it to misrepresent the actual number of bus crashes occurring each year
• Metro taking no responsibility for accidents incurred by First Transit, a private subcontractor that operates one-sixth of Metro's buses and consistently posts a higher accident rate.
Mrs. Cunningham's family will have to persevere if they hope to hold METRO to account.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/26/08 06:48 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
23 September 2008
METRO says "safety" prevents HOV-lane openings; Judge Emmett criticizes
A reader who resides in Clear Lake emailed us yesterday complaining that METRO continues to run its park-and-ride buses on the main lanes instead of the HOV lanes, turning her commute into a two hour ordeal.
A quick check of METRO's expensive blog turns up this bit of reasoning as to why the HOV lanes are not open:
Our Park & Ride service has been running on its normal schedule since yesterday.
However, all buses are operating in the main lanes. Several of you have e-mailed us, asking why aren't METRO buses using the HOV lanes?
METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert says it's for safety reasons.
"There's no power to operate the vertical gates and the electronic safety signage. Also, some static safety signs are missing. These signs are being made at this time," said Lambert. "We are also working closely with Centerpoint Energy to restore power to HOV gates. We will not open or operate HOVs until power is restored and all safety critical issues are addressed."
In other words, METRO has no sort of disaster plan for the HOV lanes, and no plan to operate them manually in the event of an extended power-loss event. Because of "safety." No solutions to real problems -- That's the customer-oriented attitude we have come to expect from METRO!
Mayor White, who seems to fancy himself an urban General Patton (really!), might consider directing a profanity or two towards METRO regarding their poor planning at some point. Or perhaps Judge Emmett could be dispatched simply to fix things; he seems actually to get results.
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/08 12:32 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (16)
22 September 2008
METRO's transit "backbone" up and running again
After taking more than a week off, the Danger Train will operate on its regular schedule today.
Good thing METRO had plenty of buses around as backup!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/22/08 04:50 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)
19 September 2008
METRO's "transit backbone" still offline; buses back in service
Barry Klein passed along and highlighted some information on METRO in this Chronicle story that ran in Thursday print editions:
Because of continuing electrical outages on the region's HOV-lane system, Metro cannot operate normal park-and-ride service today, the transit agency announced Wednesday.
Park-and-ride service will continue on an abbreviated schedule, with buses leaving on the hour and half-hour from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Buses will continue to operate in the main lanes.
MetroRail is under testing but because of continuing traffic-signal outages, Metro will have to continue running buses down the MetroRail corridor.
MetroLift will resume normal operations today.
Metro has been running normal local service since Wednesday, but because many traffic signals are down around the city, Metro asks that customers remain patient if their bus arrives late.
More info on METRO operations can be found here.
It's rather a good thing that METRO has such a large fleet of buses, no?
On the other hand, it seems rather less of a good thing that the Danger Train runs down busy streets, at grade, mixes with vehicular traffic, and is dependent upon traffic signals having power (instead of a segregated system with its own infrastructure, including power, if we are determined that we must have rail in our relatively low-density city). We make the point about the follies of at-grade light rail frequently here (which seems to make some METRO fans -- including some who pose as professional journalists and neighborhood/transit "advocates" -- frown), but here's one more illustration of the problems that can result when the pursuit of world-class-ness is poorly conceived. Again, thank goodness for the large fleet of buses!
Just for fun -- leave us your over/under on how many days total that you think the Transit Backbone will be offline.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/19/08 09:17 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
08 September 2008
METRO's not-yet-express bus service
Seems there's been a bit of a delay in rolling out METRO's much-anticipated Signature/Express/Quickline/Whatever bus service. You may recall back in January METRO's expensive blogger announced the exciting new transit offering:
METRO's Board of Directors approved last month a contract that calls for Signature Bus Service to be on our roads by mid-August. You may be noticing enhanced bus shelters and furnishings, which we're installing this month.
We'll initially offer this Quickline Signature Bus Service on three routes, totaling 18 miles: Bellaire,Texas Medical Center/Palm and Tidwell. Future plans call for 28 miles of Signature service on Westheimer and Gessner.
Fast forward past August, into September, and the Examiner's Michael Reed reports:
Metro had been advertising the Aug. 25 launch — and painted large, circular logos into the pavement along the Bellaire Boulevard route.
There was no notification, though, of the delays (see accompanying story).
One Metro spokeswoman Carolina Mendoza said the delay involved “development issues” involving elements of the special stops and not separate road construction along the roadway, which planners knew about in advance.
She said the line would be running “as soon as some of those issues are resolved.”
Another Metro spokeswoman, Raequel Roberts, also indicated the new bus service had been delayed by “some final construction work and tweaks to the system.
“Once we are satisfied everything is working to our satisfaction we’ll announce the start. Nothing major — just want to make sure it’s providing the service we want and that people understand completely how it works,” Roberts said in an e-mail.
But Bellaire City Manager Bernie Satterwhite received a timetable and a different reason from Metro.
“They say start will be in 30-60 days depending on the progress on Bellaire Boulevard in Southside Place,” said Satterwhite in an e-mail response to an Examiner query about what Metro was telling the city.
Typical METRO. METRO is so unburdened by having to provide quality customer service, the agency couldn't be bothered to notify riders:
Bellaire City Councilman Will Hickman was one Bellaire rider who tried to use the new service. Instead, Hickman complained at last week’s City Council meeting, he ended up on the old Bellaire No. 2 bus to the Medical Center.
It wasn’t the sleek, swift ride he had expected. Hickman complained that it took him more than an hour to get to work.
When he finally got to his office, Hickman said he checked Metro’s website. Sure enough, it said the Quickline service was scheduled to fly.
Metro updated its website Tuesday morning, announcing the new service was “coming soon.”
Good grief! All those handsomely paid people inside the Lee P. Brown Administration Building, and no one thought to update the website??!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/08/08 07:09 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
22 August 2008
This week at METRO: Frank Wilson gets a raise; bad bus drivers keep on driving
KPRC-2 has a story posted about how METRO's "Three Strikes, You're Out" rule for bus drivers is just more hot air from the transit agency that could power its own wind farm:
Motorists reported some startling behavior by bus drivers, including road rage, speeding through school zones, cutting off other drivers by swerving into lanes, aggressive lane changes, and nearly running people over in crosswalks.
"We play just like baseball," said METRO Vice President of Operations David Feeley. "Three strikes and you're out. If you have a particularly egregious situation, we say goodbye pretty quick."
Despite that policy, Local 2 Investigates found some drivers remaining behind the wheel with as many as nine or 12 strikes, including numerous complaints alleging the same sort of dangerous driving behavior.
Here's the best part:
Overall, [VP Feeley] said dangerous driving complaints are down 23.9 percent from last year.
"We're doing something right," he said.
And:
Hers was among 7,236 pages of complaints reviewed by Local 2 Investigates, starting from July 2007 and continuing through July of this year.
The 7,200 complaints is a declining trend -- woo!
In completely unrelated news, Rad Sallee reports METRO CEO Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson is getting a retroactive pay raise:
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board approved a 10 percent raise Thursday for president and CEO Frank Wilson, bringing his total compensation to more than $340,000.
Board member George DeMontrond said Wilson's annual performance review was "most satisfactory" and noted that he did not receive raises in 2005 or 2007. Wilson's new base pay will be $307,340.
DeMontrond said the increase in base pay — 21 percent since Wilson was hired May 3, 2004 — was "nominal" in view of inflation. The raise will be retroactive to May 3, 2008, said Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts.
[snip]
Although his new contract details were not immediately available, Wilson in 2006 also received $20,000 per year in salary deferred until retirement, a car allowance of $12,600 and membership in the Houston Club. Roberts said those items have not increased.
He still has his car allowance. Because he's too important to ride public transportation.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/22/08 06:11 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)
21 August 2008
Grand Parkway F-2 segment will require condemning many homes
Some new residents in Spring have just discovered what many of us have been railing against for a while now: The Grand Parkway F-2 segment is going to require the demolition of many homes (via the Chron):
Plans for the Grand Parkway have been on the books for 25 years, but only 28 of its proposed 185 miles have been built. Environmental and neighborhood groups have opposed the project.
It would include 11 segments traversing seven counties. The 12.1-mile Segment F2 would cut directly through the Lakes of Avalon Village, a subdivision with several hundred homes located on FM 2920 just west of Kuykendahl Road.
About 60 homes are in the right-of-way and would have to be demolished to make way for the parkway once construction began, Gornet said. Other homes, like Martin's, are just outside the right-of-way.
Houston's Planning Commission and Harris County's Public Infrastructure Department could not deny the developers the right to subdivide the land and sell houses on it because no government agency had committed to build the segment, officials said.
Developers sued the city in 1994 after they were denied the right to subdivide land that fell within a different section of the parkway's proposed alignment. They won $1.3 million in a case that was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The current F2 alignment was chosen in 2005 and was included in a draft environmental impact study the association published the following year, Gornet said. The developer applied to the Houston Planning Commission for the plat in late 2005 and received approval in 2006, he said.
Gornet said he met early last year with representatives from the Friendswood Development Company, a Lennar subsidiary that bought all the lots from Hudson, and told them the Grand Parkway would pose a problem for homes being built in its right-of-way.
The 60 homes mentioned in this story are only a portion of the homes in the way of the current F-2 alignment. There are many others, particularly in the Mossy Oaks subdivision, which will have to be demolished.
As for the developers, since the land was never bought up by TxDOT or HCTRA, there was no reason for developers to sit on perfectly usable land, waiting for something that might never happen. As the Chron's story notes, the current alignment was only chosen in 2005. While the subdivision in this story may not have been constructed then, there were many other homes in the way of the F-2 segment when the alignment was chosen. The Grand Parkway Association knows that and doesn't care.
And then there's the whole issue of whether or not this parkway is needed. Most of us who live in the Tomball/Spring/Klein area say no. Finish widening Kuykendahl, improve FM 2920, whatever. There are other options, rather than us having to sacrifice our communities.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/21/08 05:40 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (9)
18 August 2008
Frank Wilson: Go for the greed
As he was speaking to the Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce last week, Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson tried to encourage Asian business owners to get some of the $2 billion worth of business five new light rail lines are generating:
"If you've never ridden the train in your life, or if you don't even like the train, look at this from self-interest and greed," said Wilson. "This program is as real as it gets. It's the time for you to start focusing on how to get involved, not just as users."
Sheesh. Between Frank Wilson and Raequel "9-volt battery" Roberts, METRO sure has picked some winners.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/18/08 04:41 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
16 August 2008
Grand Parkway F-2 segment FEIS ready
The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Parkway's F-2 segment (the section that runs from SH-249 to I-45) is complete and comments are now being accepted.
Scroll down for the links on this page of the Grand Parkway's website.
PREVIOUSLY: Grand Parkway archives
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/16/08 07:21 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)
10 August 2008
Chron offers underrepresented view on METRO service; METRO complains
Several days ago, the Chronicle ran a surprising article by Leslie Casimir on the challenges faced by some named commuters who do not have cars, and who must rely upon METRO to get to/from various points that do not always include downtown or the Medical Center.
Various complaints raised by real METRO customers in the story include:
* Slow commute times (10 minute drives by private car can take 2 hours using METRO)
* Lack of service outside the loop
* Multiple transfers
* "Service improvements" that mean discontinuation of bus routes crucial to some customers
None of these complaints will be new to blogHOUSTON readers, as we have regularly questioned METRO's increasing focus on expensive light rail in our spread-out, low-density city, as well as its focus on inner-loop real-estate development -- and whether there are enough resources to build the sorts of world-class trinkets favored by comparatively affluent activists/bloggers and people in the industry while still serving the transportation needs of less affluent people spread all over the city who rely on transit to get to work and the doctor and the grocery store and elsewhere, and can't just hop in the minivan to pick up some veggies from the Discovery Green farmer's market when the whim strikes on any given Saturday.
Generally, however, that perspective is NOT one that we see in Rad Sallee's stories, or that we generally have seen from many of his colleagues at the Chronicle, who have generally been cheerleaders for expensive light rail that may not be in the best interests of many people who rely upon METRO. So the Chronicle deserves credit for finally presenting the perspective of real users of METRO that have long been underrepresented in Chron transit stories.
Interestingly, METRO media relations official Raequel Roberts is not at all pleased at this underrepresented perspective getting the play it did this one time in the newspaper. Her letter to the editor is reproduced below the [Read More] link (since it may disappear). If the Chronicle hadn't been a METRO cheerleader for so long, Roberts' concerns about balance might resonate more. However, given the frequency with which the Chronicle uncritically reports on METRO -- almost sounding as if Ms. Roberts is providing the copy -- and the fact that one rarely hears from everyday users of METRO and their problems with the service -- it's harder to take Ms. Roberts complaints about balance seriously. In a sense, Casimir's story is some needed, and overdue, balance.
Around the local blogosphere, Cory Crow has posted some sensible thoughts on METRO's core mission failures, Tory Gattis questions whether Houston has its transit priorities in order, and Neal Meyer suggests that jitneys could be one solution to some of our transit woes (if they were not so heavily regulated -- good luck getting Yellow Cab, er, Council to ease up on that). Please feel free to add your thoughts to the discussion.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/08 10:22 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (12)
26 July 2008
The joy of riding public transportation
We've noted before that most people who say they want more mass transit are hoping other people will use it. Ninety-five percent of the driving public has no intention of giving up their personal transportation freedom.
Recently Metro's blogger Mary Sit wrote a post about mass transit etiquette:
Once on board, move to the back when more commuters step on. Let exiting commuters disembark before you step on the train. Don't stand directly in front of the train doors - stand to the side of the doors to give room for those on the train to step off. There have been many times when I've tried to exit, and there are bodies standing directly in front of the doors, leaving me little space to walk off the train and onto the platform.
More suggestions from the Los Angeles Times reporter: Don't shout, don't shove, once on-board, step away from the doors. Don't swing a huge handbag or backpack around - it could hit someone. And offer your seat to the elderly, pregnant women or disabled.
Sounds like fun! Especially when one reads the post's comments. Here's a gem:
Another suggestion is to carry some hand sanitizer with you. I was riding a train a couple of weeks ago and a man put his hand down his rear end and then proceeded to go all through the car and wipe his excrement on all the handrails. Since then I started carrying a small bottle.
Which reminds me of a comment one of the guys at the Power Line blog recently made:
One of the liberals' favorite antidotes to high gas prices is public transportation. If we would only ride buses and subways, they say, we'd barely notice $4 a gallon prices. Besides, there is something about seeing people crammed together in equal discomfort on public transportation that liberals just like.
Maybe that explains why METRO CEO Frank J. Wilson has a $12,000 per year car allowance even though he lives near a Park and Pillage.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/26/08 07:21 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
10 July 2008
METRO: Why waste the brain cells?
This week's "Move It!" column in the Chronicle concluded with more useless filler than usual:
It's hard to get answers to some perfectly reasonable questions.
"I was wondering," writes Joel Santos Shepherd, "if Metro is denied federal funding to build a few of their next light rail lines, will they still continue with construction of the East End line, since they had planned to pay for that one out-of-pocket anyway?"
That a reasonable inference, but in such dire straits, Metro may re-evaluate its overall plan, compare the five planned lines against each other for costs and benefits, and rank them by priority. We asked, of course.
"Why speculate on something that likely won't happen? Waste of brain cells," Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts said. "Plus, the variations on the question are endless."
It's always nice when public representatives blow off legitimate questions from the public about the organization they represent.
One Chron.com commenter did have a nice response, though:
Perfect.
"Why waste the brain cells", needs to be adopted as Metro's Mission Statement. It is the attitude. Might as well be the logo. HAHAHA
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/10/08 10:01 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
01 July 2008
TMC to start Park and Ride service
Texas Medical Center employees will soon have a new transit option according to KHOU-11:
“Soon, Texas Medical Center employees could come to this AMC theater parking lot in Sugar Land, leave their cars and hop on a bus for a ride.”
“I’m definitely excited,” employee Dionne Flynn said. “I’m waiting for it to actually start working.”
Flynn and her fiancé work at the Medical Center and hope to take the park-and-ride.
Like so many employees surveyed, they say something’s got to give. and it isn’t gas prices. Eighty-one percent of employees said yes, and they’re about to get it: bus rides from fort bend county to the medical center.
“And it’s like door-to-door service,” park-and-rider user Percy Patel said. “I can’t ask for more, right?”
Sugar Land is the first proposed location, but the system will grow—paid for by the Medical Center’s parking garages. Spaces no longer used by employees will bring in more money. That’ll subsidize bus costs, and riders will shell out a few dollars.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Patel said.
There's no mention of Metro's "transit backbone."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/01/08 04:58 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (12)
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ACTIVE TOPICS
The threads above are the most recently active in the blogHOUSTON comments (RSS).
LOCAL BLOG TALK
This section is regularly updated with posts from local bloggers who add to the blogversation about Houston media, politics, and life. It is powered with a little help from Furl.
LOCAL BLOGS
- Pure Bloggers
- +A Certain Slant of Light
- +A Veneer of Certainty
- +Ain't Chicken
- +Around Town Houston
- +B.S. Houston ArtBlog
- +Baboon Pirates
- +Bayou City Madman
- +Beldar Blog
- +Blue Bayou
- +Boyd's Blog
- +Brazosport News
- +Business Unusual
- +By the Bayou
- +Chelsea Hotel No. 2
- +Chief Hurtt's Blog
- +Connections
- +Custos Fidei
- +Defending People (Mark Bennett)
- +Diana's Place
- +Dissonance
- +Down the Writer's Path
- +Fabulous Jen
- +Fireballs, Lightning Bolts and Hell Storms
- +Food In Houston
- +Greg's Opinion
- +H-Town Grooves
- +High Tech Texan
- +Houblog.com
- +Houston Calling
- +Houston Consigliere
- +Houston Photobloggers
- +Houston Strategies
- +Houston's Clear Thinkers
- +Houston, Hot and Humid
- +Houstonist
- +Houtopia
- +Intermodality
- +Jeff Balke
- +John Little
- +Laurence Simon
- +Laurie Kendrick
- +Liberty's Blog
- +Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center
- +Lone Star Times
- +Lose an Eye
- +Lou Minatti
- +Metroblogging Houston
- +Midtown Live
- +Misunderestimation
- +Off the Kuff
- +Perfectly Cromulent
- +Perry vs World
- +Polimom
- +Professors R-Squared
- +PubliusTX.net
- +Quaint Quiescence
- +Rant Fever
- +Red Ink: Texas
- +Rep. John Culberson's Blog
- +Right of Texas
- +Run Houston
- +She Eats
- +Sit, Ubu, Sit!
- +Slampo's Place
- +Stolen Thunder
- +Talk In Texas
- +Texas Liberal
- +Texas Safety Forum
- +Texas Yankee
- +The County Seat
- +The Light Bulb
- +Twelve Two Two Fondue
- +WILLisms
- +Write on METRO
- Journo Bloggers
- +Brent Clanton
- +HC: About Chron
- +HC: About Last Night
- +HC: Baseball
- +HC: Bayou City History
- +HC: Cook's Tour
- +HC: David Barron
- +HC: Hand Stamp
- +HC: Helpline
- +HC: Houston Departures
- +HC: Houston Politics
- +HC: Inside Central Houston
- +HC: Jerome Solomon
- +HC: John McClain/NFL
- +HC: Loren Steffy
- +HC: MeMo
- +HC: Nick Anderson
- +HC: School Zone
- +HC: SciGuy
- +HC: Sports Justice
- +HC: Sports Soup
- +HC: Tag's Baseball Plays
- +HC: Tech Blog
- +HC: Texas on the Potomac
- +HC: The Unofficial Scorer
- +HC: UH Cougars
- +HP: Eating Our Words
- +HP: HouStoned
- +HP: HouStoned Ballz
- +HP: HouStoned Rocks
- +Isiah Carey's Insite
- +KTRK: Consumer Blog
- +KTRK: Miya Shay
- +KTRK: Prof 13
- +KTRK: Roussel Report
- +KTRK: Tim Heller
- +Matt Lavine's Left Field News
- +Mike McGuff
The local blogs above cover topics of interest. Drop us a line if you blog about local topics and would like us to consider your blog. While a link back to blogHOUSTON is not required, it would be much appreciated.
LOCAL NEWS
+Examiner News
+Houston Business Journal
+Houston Chronicle
+Houston Community News
+Houston Forward Times
+Houston Press
+KPRC-2 (NBC)
+KHOU-11 (CBS)
+KTRK-13 (ABC)
+KRIV-26 (FOX)
+KTRH-740 AM
+KPRC-950 AM
+KUHF-88.7 FM (NPR)
LOCAL INFO
+AOL Cityguide
+B4-U-Eat
+Citysearch Houston
+Crime Maps & Stats
+Houston Architecture Info Forum
+Houston Chronicle Dining
+Houston Press Dining
+KPFT Music Calendar
+Links to Houston
+Pollstar (Houston)
+RadioInfo.com (Houston)
+Red Pub
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+Chron columnist Ken Hoffman
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+Slampo
"You harp and whine and snipe. I stopped reading weeks ago, but some guy still e-mails me bits, which I don't have the good sense not to read."
+Chron columnist Richard Justice
"Some of my colleagues probably refuse to click here, or say they refuse. It's not the kindest blog toward the Chronicle, but I don't mind."
+Former Chron columnist John Lopez
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+Ken Layne
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+Councilman Michael Berry
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+Laurence Simon
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+Rob Booth
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+Charles Kuffner
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+A prominent local PR official
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+Cindy Chaffin
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+Chris Elam
"... blogHouston.net looks *great*."
+Alex Whitlock
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+Vikk Simmons
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+A local news exec via email
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+Aziz H. Poonawalla
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+Greg Wythe
"[A] lot of public masturbation...."
+Bayou City Madman
"I am amazed that you ... have time to worry about things like this."
+Chron cartoonist Nick Anderson
"[I]t's clear your reality and facts are not one and the same."
+WOAI/San Antonio talker Joe Pags
[T]heir political commentary involves absolutely no analysis, ever.... It's hackery."
+Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
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