Transportation tidbits
There were a couple of interesting snippets in Rad Sallee's transportation column today.
First was METRO's explanation of why public hearings were cancelled recently:
Last week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority abruptly canceled two public meetings on proposed changes in 59 of its 85 bus routes, six of which were set for elimination.
But Metro says protests from the public were not the reason.
"Of course we did get e-mails and phone calls when we posted the changes," said spokesman George Smalley. But the meetings were canceled for three other reasons, he said.
First, combined bus and rail ridership was up nearly 15 percent in October over the same month in 2004. Smalley said Metro wants to find out why, and assess whether the rise is likely to be permanent, before making service changes.
Metro also wants to simplify its complicated fare structure, which some at the agency believe has turned off potential customers, Smalley said.
Third, Metro is waiting to see the results of a poll by the mayor's office, asking whether residents would rather have the agency deal with high fuel prices by cutting service or by raising fares for the first time since 1994.
Hmm, let's see... what might explain an increase in ridership in October? Oh yeah, lots of hurricane refugees using the city's public transit (for free) not to mention two World Series games. METRO should hire us as consultants, and overpay us.
Next was this criticism of METRO:
Speaking of bus service, Gonzalo Camacho criticizes Metro for investing in joint developments with private companies to build and lease office and retail space at two transit facilities.
"Instead of focusing on providing good transit service to its current transit users and expand on that, Metro is getting into a new business," Camacho wrote.
"At this rate, with the replacement of inexpensive bus transit routes with expensive bus rapid transit and light rail, and new development, my prediction is that transit ridership will continue to decrease while costs for operation and maintenance will continue to increase," he said.
Metro spokesman Ken Connaughton said that the joint projects cost Metro and taxpayers nothing and will actually produce revenue. "They will also add value to the riders' transit experience and are expected to further increase ridership," he said.
To further INCREASE ridership? We weren't aware it had been increasing, aside from October's numbers.
The column does not identify Gonzalo Camacho, who is a local civil engineer who specializes in transportation. Camacho has been a strong advocate of expanding I-45 via a tunnel system.
RELATED: Complaints about METRO's joint developments (Owen Courreges, Lone Star Times).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/14/05 10:57 PM | Print | Comments (0)
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