04 April 2008
METRO's expensive blogger lauds new search engine; users disagree
METRO's expensive blogger recently commented on the redesign of the transit organization's website, lauding one feature in particular:
Perhaps the biggest feature you'll appreciate is the search engine we've incorporated. Want to look up the next Board of Directors meeting date? Enter key words in the search window and let the computer find it for you.
As is often the case with METRO, actual user experience deviates somewhat from the celebratory press releases. Here are the first two comments on the post:
John said:
What ever happened to MetroLink? That service that sent you alerts of certain streets were going to be closed and route changes, etc. I can't find it anywhere on the site. Try searching for it on that searching for it and the links provided all went to the standard 404 not there page..
# April 3, 2008 5:39 PM
Elizabeth said:
John, it took some digging, but here's a working link for MetroLink:
http://www.ridemetro.org/News/METROLink/content/default.asp
# April 3, 2008 8:12 PM
The 404 message* seems appropriate for METRO, actually.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/04/08 07:48 PM |
31 March 2008
FTA forces METRO to get realistic about new lines' cost
Rad Sallee's Move It! column is devoted to the news that METRO has been given approval to go ahead with preliminary work on the North and Southeast lines.
However, the Federal Transit Administration also told METRO their cost projections needed to be updated...dramatically:
The Federal Transit Administration, using data provided by Metro, said in its letters that the estimated cost of the North line, which would run 5.5 miles from north of downtown to Northline Mall, has risen to $677 million, from $276 million. The Southeast Line, 6.8 miles from downtown to Palm Center, has risen to $664 million, from $158 million, the FTA said.
By comparison, the 7.5-mile Main Street line cost $324 million and needs $104 million in new rail cars and improvements.
The FTA also sent a review of Metro's proposals that attributes the increases largely to the higher costs of light rail than BRT, which uses special buses running on guideways. The increases also reflect light rail's higher ridership projections, extended through 2030, which would require 29 new rail cars and other infrastructure.
Then there are the rising costs of fuel, labor and construction materials. Although Metro's estimates assume 3.5 percent annual inflation, the FTA reviews describe this as optimistic and say Metro should "refine and update" its figures.
Wow! That's quite the underestimating!
You may recall what METRO asked for in the original 2003 referendum:
1. Metro wants to issue $640 million in bonds to accelerate construction of the next 22 miles of light rail on five segments. These would open between 2008 and 2012. Metro says the bond issue will not result in a tax increase. State law does not allow the transit authority to raise its 1-cent sales tax.
Shoot, that won't even cover one line now. But that's how taxpayers have been stuck with these boondoggle rail systems -- wildly underestimated costs, and as Sallee notes toward the end of his column:
But just remember that transit, unlike some toll roads, loses money. Little if any of this would come from profits from transit service itself.
It's all taxpayer-funded.
Also in Sallee's column is a breakdown of METRO's resources. And since there are no funding guarantees from the FTA, METRO's resources are critical.
What a waste of money. METRO would better serve residents of Houston and surrounding communities by focusing on bus service.
UPDATE: As noted in the forum, Neal Meyer has written a post about the new cost projections. Neal crunches the numbers and discovers that METRO Solutions light rail will now cost $4 billion!
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Off the Kuff, Houston Strategies.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/31/08 05:13 AM |
30 March 2008
It's surprising Chief Lambert didn't come down and Taser her!
Carolyn Wright writes a letter to the Chronicle about her recent experience on METRO's transit backbone:
On March 12, I had a court appearance at 9 a.m. At Fannin South station, I tried to purchase a ticket for Metro's rail. None of the four ticket machines were working. No attendant was on duty and no instructions were posted.
On the trip downtown, a Metro policeman began collecting tickets. I tried to explain that I had no ticket because the machines weren't working. He became very offensive. He said in an extremely hateful tone, "We have passed at least 10 ticket machines since Fannin South — you should have gotten off the train, purchased a ticket and boarded the next train!" I told him I had no idea about this procedure — this was only the second time I had ridden, and no instructions were posted anywhere.
At the next stop, he told me and another woman to get off the train. He began talking very loudly and belligerently. He said he was only giving us a "warning" but threatened that this "better not happen again."
This situation might explain why Metro gets a bad reputation. People traveling by train on an occasional basis have no way of knowing the "rules"! Instructions of what to do should be posted somewhere around the ticket machines.
CAROLYN WRIGHT
Kemah
Neither customer service nor transparency are strengths of METRO.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/30/08 08:36 PM |
28 March 2008
A rail impasse
The Chron's Rad Sallee notes there seems to be a bit of a problem with METRO's East End light rail line:
Metro board chairman David Wolff said Thursday that the roadblock is the former Houston Belt & Terminal Railway tracks, now owned by Union Pacific Railroad. The crossing, on Harrisburg between 65th and Oldham, is familiar to motorists and pedestrians delayed by freight trains.
Wolff said Metro had considered crossing the double tracks at street level.
"But it doesn't seem the railroad is too enthusiastic about that."
Metro spokeswoman Sandra Salazar later said UP would not agree to share its right of way with Metro trains.
UP officials could not be reached for comment, but the railroad often has cited the dangers of mixing freight operations with street traffic and pedestrians.
A Danger Train and a freight train...hard to figure out why Union Pacific is queasy about that pairing.
Sallee asked METRO why this problem was just now coming to light. METRO's answer is classic METRO:
Metro has been planning the line almost since voters approved it in a 2003 referendum. Asked why the issue is surfacing now, Salazar said Metro initially hoped to obtain permission from the railroad for a street-level crossing.
In 2003, when Metro changed its plans from light rail to Bus Rapid Transit, thinking that was necessary to qualify for federal funding, the issue was moot because the buses would cross the tracks with other street traffic.
"The issue became critical again in 2007 when we changed back to light rail," Salazar said.
Because METRO's plans are ever-changing! But METRO chairman David Wolff has a plan -- Houston taxpayers will help bail out the transit agency:
Wolff said he hoped the city of Houston would build an overpass at the tracks. That may enable Metro to extend the line to the transit center within two to four years after its scheduled completion in 2012. Until then, he said, Metro would bridge the gap with a bus shuttle.
An overpass for street traffic is recommended in the Texas Department of Transportation's Houston Region Freight Rail Study, which estimates the cost at $14 million.
However, the study does not mention light rail sharing the crossing, which could require a longer and stronger span, raising the cost sharply.
That's no problem for METRO -- it's flush these days.
Wolff said he thought the city will build an overpass "at some point" and added, "We'd rather go over the bridge with the city than build our own bridge."
Frank Michel, spokesman for Mayor Bill White, said the city and Metro have not discussed an overpass yet, nor is funding for such a project in the city's current five-year capital improvement plan. "But shortly, we are going to start a major mobility study and we could consider a grade separation at that point," Michel said.
There's hope!
And then the most revealing part of the story is one sentence toward the end:
Wolff revealed the possible change after Thursday's monthly board meeting.
That's the METRO-way. Just ask Tom Bazan.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Intermodality, Houston Politics.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/28/08 04:52 AM |
21 March 2008
METRO blogger interviews METRO chief for new METRO talk show
METRO's blogger announced that the transit agency has launched a new "talk show" which will air on Houston's public access channel. Mary Sit says, "It's a new way for us to communicate with you." The first guest was (drumroll) METRO President Frank J. "Procurement Disaster" Wilson.
Here are some (rapidly scribbled) notes from the interview:
-- New Baytown service: There is no cost to METRO. County pays all costs, and Wilson said this area really needs to be a part of METRO's service area. (Contrast that with folks who DO pay into METRO but get no service whatsoever.)
-- METRO needs consent agreements with City of Houston to proceed with rail lines, and Mayor White wants one consent agreement to cover all five lines. Wilson says he wants one consent agreement to cover all of METRO Solutions.
-- METRO will be launching a new bus service to IAH. Cost will be $15 and will run every thirty minutes between IAH and the Downtown Transit Center. (See here for an entertaining look at a past experience with an IAH Express Bus Route.)
-- New "signature bus service" called Quick Line is a precursor to light rail, as buses will provide quicker service and be able to go through traffic signals. UH OH!!
-- Q Card: Standard usage at other transit agencies is 2-10%. In the first two months of METRO's Q Card program, usage is 44%. (Visit Laurence Simon for an alternative view of the Q Card program.)
-- What is METRO CEO's biggest challenge? "We need more time."
-- METRO is "committed to remaking the face of Houston."
-- "Growth is great, but must be managed."
-- Frank thinks pretty highly of himself -- he told Mary Sit twice that he was a very special guest to have on her new show, and after he talked on and on, he said that she hadn't asked him certain questions, but he'd answer them anyway.
Were there any other unasked questions? Why yes! Mary Sit didn't ask him about his "rich experience in both the public and private sectors," and she didn't ask him about his $1,000 per month car allowance.
But it was kind of hard for her to get a word in edge-wise.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/21/08 09:31 AM |
17 March 2008
The "rich experience" of METRO's Frank J. Wilson
If you've nothing else to do Thursday morning, you can go hear METRO President Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson talk about the future of mobility:
Frank Wilson, our March guest, will speak about the upcoming plans METRO has to take Houston into the next decade. With METRO making headlines throughout the entire City of Houston, the Starbucks Breakfast Speaker Series is a great time to get the information straight from the top. With rich experience in both the public and private sectors, Mr. Wilson will describe how commuting to Downtown Houston and mobility for the entire region will be transformed by infrastructure investments that go beyond rail and bus.
As Houston continues its dramatic growth, how can mobility improve without adding more lanes of roadway and worsening air pollution? Answers to these questions and others about METRO’s $2 billion expansion program will be addressed.
Houston Downtown Alliance invites all to submit questions to Mr. Wilson at downtownhouston.org.
The actual email address to submit questions is: [email protected]
As for the first bolded part, that's pretty interesting wording: "rich experience in the public and private sectors." Let's take a look back at Wilson's "rich experience" in the public sector:
[...]the Commission found that the procurement unfolded against the backdrop of events and circumstances that evidence the taint of multiple conflicts of interest. On one level, then-NJDOT Commissioner Frank J. Wilson engaged in private-sector employment discussions with companies doing business with the state, including two with corporate links to the procurement, one of which hired Wilson. Though he signed a letter purportedly recusing himself from the procurement process at the time, an examination of the full record suggests he violated the terms of that recusal at a critical stage in the vendor-selection process.
And let's recall Wilson's "rich experience" at hiring cronies to well-paying consultant positions:
Mr. Wilson stipulated in the contract he awarded to Mr. Russo that he would make $1 million over the first two years of his employment with Metro, at a rate of $300 per hour. The contract was amended this past April, where Mr. Wilson bumped up Russo's pay by $10 per hour and increased the contract ceiling to $1.1 million.
So what have Mr. Wilson and Mr. Russo done to earn such pay? Mr. Wilson and Mr. Russo have been together for a very long time, indeed Mr. Russo has been following Mr. Wilson around even before the people up in New Jersey salted them up before sending them down to Houston, much as Mr. Wilson's predecessor Shirley Delibero was before him.
So, by all means, soak up Wilson's "rich experience" as he talks about "investments that go beyond bus and rail." He knows of what he speaks!
RELATED: METRO CEO to Speak at Starbucks Breakfast Series (METRO's blog)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/17/08 06:47 PM |
27 February 2008
Another example of Metro's "transparency"
Tom Bazan sent out a heads up today about an easy open records request he has made of METRO that is inexplicably being dragged out.
You'll recall last week's news that the Texas Medical Center was still looking into how the Main Street Rail Line's stray current was impacting its buildings. The Chronicle story explained that METRO President Frank J. Wilson has been authorized to "execute a tolling agreement":
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board has approved plans to negotiate with the Texas Medical Center to extend the time that it can sue Metro over "stray" electrical current leaking from the light rail tracks.
The item was described on Metro's monthly board agenda Thursday as authorizing President and CEO Frank Wilson to "execute a tolling agreement," causing some observers to think it was about planned high occupancy-toll lanes on the Katy Freeway.
Instead, as Medical Center President and CEO Richard Wainerdi explained, a tolling agreement "extends the time in which a party has a right to any kind of remedy or action" to recover damages in court.
"In this case, the law is two years," he said.
Tom requested a copy of the "tolling agreement." Today METRO replied:
Type of Request:
Requesting the tolling agreement between METRO and the Texas Medical Center.The Legal Department at METRO has received the above-referenced request. Please be advised that the requested records are in the process of being located. METRO has up to 10 business days to notify you of one (or more) of the below-referenced actions:
a)the requested records have been compiled and can be made available for inspection and/or copying;
b)additional time is needed in order to compile the requested records;
c)the cost to make the records available will be more than $40;
d) that METRO is requesting an Attorney General opinion with regard to your request;
e)that NO records were located.
You will receive a letter notifying you of one of the above-referenced actions (post-dated) by no later than:
3/11/2008[signed]
Jacqueline Maldonado, Paralegal
As Tom notes in his email, the tolling agreement was discussed in a board meeting just last week, and there's a local news story about the agreement. And yet, the records "are in the process of being located." How hard could it possibly be to locate a copy of the tolling agreement that was just the subject of a Chronicle story AND was the subject of a board meeting discussion?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/27/08 08:10 PM |
24 February 2008
Lucy ads are much more fun than actually promoting transit usage
Local blogger Christof Spieler posts some useful ideas on how METRO could better promote its services to the public:
[T]ransit still works in a world where documents — bus schedules, system maps, and brochures — are printed in large, one-size-fits-all, runs.
Consider an office building: several hundred people, all of whom need to get to work and get home every day. They should know what their transit options are. But a system map posted in the lobby won’t do the trick: it shows too much information, and that’s intimidating. But a custom map ... showing just the routes that stop nearby, would.
The technology is not difficult. The time involved is not prohibitive. And, once the map exists, it’s easy to convert for posting on a web site, printing in an employee manual, and otherwise making it available to people whom it would help. It would be entirely possible to put one of these in every large office building lobby, in every hospital and in every university in Houston.
It’s not good enough to simply provide transit. One has to make people aware it exists. And transit agencies ought to be using every tool they can to do that.
That's a very sensible proposal.
Unfortunately, as is the case all too often with METRO, the stylistic takes precedence over the substantive. People win awards, after all, for neat posters advertising museum exhibits (or was it advertising transit?), and not necessarily for customized transit brochures/maps that might actually boost disappointing ridership.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/24/08 10:52 PM |
23 February 2008
Of failed federal guidelines and 9-volt batteries
Poor METRO. How many years has the Main Street Rail line been running, and still we are learning how poorly constructed it was:
Every year - in either March, April or May - METRO tests our 7.5-mile railroad track with a device called a track geometry vehicle.
This machine glides along the rails and employs ultrasonic testing to discover cracks or other flaws. It will detect warps, gage issues, curves, elevations and speed limitations, says Scott Grogan, senior director of rail operations.
"The most recent testing resulted in a permanent speed restriction of 15 mph, implemented at old Main northbound," said Grogan. Geometry testing revealed that the curve at Fannin and old Main did not meet the federal guidelines for allowable speed at that curve because of the elevation of the outside rail. That curve met the federal criteria for a Class 1 speed of 15 mph.
"It should have been 15 mph from the get-go," said Grogan.
Better late than never to figure that out, eh?
And Rad Sallee has an update on The Medical Center's battle with METRO over stray current:
Metro maintains that the current has caused no damage to structures along the 7.5-mile route. However, Metro and Siemens have repaired bridge anchors and other track facilities where corrosion was found or current leakage was unacceptably high.
A report by a Medical Center consultant, Corrpro, based on monitoring 161 locations at 13 facilities in the medical complex in 2006-2007, found three with current high enough to deserve continued monitoring. Two sites were underground pipes and the third was the Meyer Building of Texas Children's Hospital, 1919 Braeswood at Greenbriar, which houses administrative offices.
Who knew a 9-volt battery could wreak such havoc?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/08 05:15 PM |
13 February 2008
"Simple human error" shortchanges METRO customers
Did you see this KHOU-11 story earlier in the week, about METRO's fare boxes overcharging customers?
Anita Hamilton said her Q card was getting charged double to ride the 108 North Shepherd Park-and-Ride. She said she pays $1 in the morning, but then she noticed in evening commute that she was being charged $3.
"I was told that there were other people who were experiencing the same problem, the same bus I was riding, they were also being charged three dollars," Hamilton said.
Hamilton contacted Metro, and she said they're refunding the overcharges and giving her an extra $5 for her troubles.
"What we discovered is it wasn't actually her Q card that was the problem -- it was that the fare box hadn't been reset, which was simple human error," Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts said.
As usual, Laurence Simon called it perfectly: Bandit boxes on the buses.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/13/08 08:22 PM |
12 February 2008
KPRC: Danger Train driver who struck bicyclist ignored stop signal
Remember that bicyclist who was hit by the Danger Train a few days ago, dragged 50 feet, and trapped under the train?
The original notion here was that cycling, iPods, and the Danger Train are a bad combination -- but as KPRC-2's Elizabeth Scarborough reports, one should add "METRO driver error" to that mix:
A METRORail driver may have been responsible for a collision between a train and a cyclist, KPRC Local 2 reported.
A source close to the investigation said the on-board camera video was played at a high level post-incident meeting Monday afternoon. The source said the video showed the rail operator ran the light, while pedestrians in the crosswalk had a walk signal.
"Until we've come to a total conclusion on that, I'm not prepared to say what actually transpired," METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert said.
The cyclist was hit as she crossed the tracks on Fannin Street near Macgregor Drive shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.
Rail operators follow their own set of lights, which are white lines. Vertical means go and horizontal means stop.
The video showed the rail approaching the intersection with the light already horizontal. The cyclist was seen looking up at the train just before she disappeared under it. She was trapped until rescuers cut her bike apart.
Just after the collision, police said the 29-year-old physician riding her bike appeared to be at fault.
"We know that she was wearing headphones," Lambert said, "She was riding bike, not looking to what happened."
Lambert said Monday that he was no longer positive that the cyclist was at fault.
"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that," he said.
The METRO footage shown in the video version of the story posted on the KPRC website clearly shows a horizontal bar (the signal to stop), the bicyclist beginning to cross on what she probably assumed was a valid crossing signal, and the bicyclist disappearing under the train. The Danger Train driver seems clearly to be at fault for ignoring the stop signal.
And this brings us to a point that we emphasize frequently here: When you lay at-grade rail down already congested and busy streets, you leave little room for operator error (by pedestrians and by drivers of trains, auto vehicles, wheelchairs, and bikes -- as we've seen frequently). In contrast, rail that is segregated from vehicular and pedestrian traffic is going to be safer than rail that is not. We're not sure why pointing this out tends to agitate some people so much -- but we are pretty sure that we'll be posting similar sorts of stories when the same at-grade-rail mistakes are repeated down busy Richmond.
UPDATE: Well, what do you know -- the Chronicle decided to do its job and cover this story too (and there's even some additional information):
A video of the accident, taken from cameras on the train and released by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, shows the track signal displaying a horizontal line, which means the operator is not to proceed. Metro released a statement Monday saying the accident was "preventable" and that investigation is continuing.
The Chronicle has filed an open records request for the identities of the cyclist and the train operator — information Metro has routinely released in the past but declined to reveal about this accident.
The passenger, Mark Vance, said he was in the second seat from the front left of the train and could see both the cyclist and several pedestrians in the crosswalk ahead as the train edged forward.
"There were a lot of people, and I also saw this girl on the bicycle and keeping up with the people in the crosswalk," Vance said.
"The train was not stopping," he said. "Never did she (the operator) toot her horn, and never applied the brakes."
[snip]
Vance said he offered to give information after the accident to a police officer at the scene but was told that would not be necessary because police had witnessed it. Vance said he could not recall the officer's name or department.
[snip]
Early reports said the woman was wearing headphones and not paying attention as the train approached, but Vance said it appeared that she and the pedestrians had the right of way.
He said he did not see any headphones.
METRO's not releasing information? That doesn't seem consistent with Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson's pronouncement about running the organization in a "in a completely transparent manner."
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: What an incredible display of arrogance by METRO in handling this accident. METRO Police Chief Lambert immediately blamed the victim, then was forced to backtrack when local media pursued the tapes. Now we learn there was a witness who wanted to tell METRO Police what he saw, but he was turned down! Have you EVER heard of a police department that refuses to take an eyewitness report?? Unless there was something to hide, of course.
THEN Sallee's story notes that wasn't the first accident of the day! How many accidents are still occurring? Good grief. What a mess. Just wait 'til that at-grade rail is running up and down Richmond.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/12/08 12:04 PM |
11 February 2008
Former Kemah mayor proposes METRO transit giveaway
In Sunday's Chronicle, Bill King, the former mayor mayor of Kemah and a pol said to be planning a run for Houston mayor, put forth one of the more entertaining local transit proposals we've seen lately:
Just about everyone involved in Houston's mobility dialogue agrees that an increase in transit ridership would be a good thing. Yet, for years our transit programs have been trapped in the box of a "rail versus freeway" debate that has left motorists facing ever rising congestion and transit riders with few options. I believe that one way out of this box may be to get rid of the fare box.
One need not go much further than this -- and certainly one doesn't need to spend this much time debunking the particulars and then correcting the errors in the original debunking -- before dismissing the premise behind this article, which seems to be: The direct, fare-box cost to passengers using transit in Houston significantly dampens utilization.
Until the recent Q-Card "service improvements," METRO's fare structure had been flat for years. Yet despite our area's phenomenal growth, there has been no accompanying growth in system utilization even with fares that have been flat -- and extremely low, compared to the base fares charged by many transit systems across the country. We would suggest that it is not the fare structure that is responsible for METRO's declining transit system utilization (relative to the population), but the fact that the system as currently designed isn't USEFUL to more potential riders.
But hey, if the former mayor of Kemah is all excited about a transit giveaway, we urge him to think locally (since we're told all politics is local) -- how about talking Tilman and associates (or even Kemah taxpayers!) into giving free train rides at the Boardwalk! The kiddies will love it (which has to be worth something), and we suspect it will have about the same (negligible) impact on mass transit utilization in the METRO service area.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/08 10:46 PM |
KHOU: METRO, City close to Richmond/utilities consent agreement
Back in October 2007, Richmond-rail opponents held a press conference to raise concerns over a water main located under Richmond, and the problem that might result if the proposed Richmond line were to have the same stray-current issues as the Main Street line. METRO and even one public works official downplayed the concerns.
We haven't heard much about this topic lately, which is why this snippet from a KHOU-11 story by Lee McGuire tonight caught my eye:
Under Richmond, there’s a 60 inch high-pressure water main.
There’s also a 12-inch gas line.
Metro says neither would be affected by a rail line, but city leaders have worried if they ever broke, there’d be no way to repair them.
Now sources close to the negotiations tell 11 News the two sides are close to a so-called consent agreement.
It would involve Metro moving the gas line and giving the city access if the water line ever needed repairs.
If the water line ever needs repairs, it's going to be a mess for METRO's "transit backbone" (which doesn't much like water).
Presumably, this is a topic that will be taken up by City Council's Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee tomorrow. Here's the agenda:
AGENDA
February 12, 2008
10:00 a.m.
City Council Chambers
901 Bagby, 2nd Floor
Houston, TexasI. Welcome – Council Member Sue Lovell, Chair
II. Discussion of the METRO Consent Agreement
III. Public CommentsAction may be taken on any of the above items. For special needs or information about this committee, please contact Ryan Leach 713-247-2013.
Perhaps the local media should cover this meeting. It sounds kind of important.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/11/08 10:08 PM |
10 February 2008
Metro's transparency in action (cont'd)
In January, Tom Bazan filed a TxPIA request with Metro for the FY2007 report. When he made this request, he informed Metro that he was unlikely to be as patient this year as he was last year. In that case, Metro made Tom wait four months to see the FY2006 report.
This past Friday, Tom sent out an emergency email blast noting that Metro had notified him that he could view the report on February 21st at 4 p.m. The problem? Metro's monthly board meeting (where the report would be presented) is scheduled for February 21st at 1 p.m.
That's right: Metro wasn't going to show Tom the report until after the board meeting so he could not comment on the report at the meeting. Talk about transparency in action!
Three hours after Tom sent the email notifying everyone on his list that Metro was stonewalling him, he received another email from Metro's legal department, telling him that he could view the report Monday (tomorrow!) at 10 a.m. That was a fast stand-down!
Why the change? I don't know, but Tom has received favorable rulings from the Texas Attorney General's office on TxPIA requests. The latest is a request that Metro still refuses to release to him -- all information relating to Metro PD's light rail fare blitzes, something Mary Sit publicized on her blog. Texas AG Greg Abbott ruled in Tom's favor that Metro must release the information, but he's still waiting.
Maybe a local media person got wind of Metro's refusal to let the report be viewed -- and it is public information -- and put in a request to see the report. Who knows?
Anyway, remember this as another example of Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson's transparency.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/10/08 04:41 PM |
08 February 2008
Danger Train hits, drags cyclist
Unbeknownst to one Houstonian, it's unwise to ride a bike near the Danger Train while listening to an Ipod (via KHOU-11):
The victim for a time was stuck under the train in the 6400 block of Fannin in front of Memorial Hermann Hospital. The victim is a female bicyclist whose leg was caught under the train, emergency officials told 11 News.
Houston fire emergency crews had to pull the woman from under the train and treated her for unknown injuries. An emergency official said was dragged about 50 feet after being struck by the train.
Investigators on scene said it appeared that the woman was unaware the train was approaching because she was wearing headphones and couldn't hear the train's warning horn.
The woman, who is in her late 20s, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where she was in serious, but stable condition.
Operation of the light rail was suspended, but service resumed about 5:15 p.m.
Bicyclists should note that the train will not impede their Saturday morning ride between the Fannin South and Wheeler stations as Metro's transit backbone will be shut down for repairs. However, buses will (as always) pick up the train's slack, so a watchful eye (and ear!) is still warranted.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Do cities with rail lines that are segregated from vehicular and pedestrian traffic have nearly so many instances of their trains striking cars, wheelchairs, pedestrians, and bicyclists?
RELATED: KTRK-13
UPDATE (02-12-2008): KPRC-2 reports that METRO video clearly shows that the Danger Train driver ignored a stop signal before hitting the bicyclist (a 29-year-old physician). Details here.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/08/08 07:45 PM |
02 February 2008
Metro's backward Solutions
This story in the Katy Times is (unintentionally) enlightening about the widening gulf between what Metro officials want vs. what Metro customers/taxpayers need:
On Monday, Metro opened its 222 Grand Parkway Park and Ride in the Cinemark Movie Theater parking lot.
The facility's impact was immediate.
"We had 392 boardings, which was our second highest first day boardings," Rosie Torres, Metro spokeswoman said.
Only the Cypress park-and-ride had more first day boardings, 478, when it opened in January 2007.
The park-and-ride can be found in a designated area at the Cinemark Movie theater lot, 1030 W. Grand Parkway North. Metro has a long-term lease on 500 spaces in the theater's lot. Torres said additional spaces could be added should the need arise.
The need for the new facility stems from a word commonly heard in Katy - growth.
"The park-and-ride at Kingsland seems to get filled-up all the time," Torres said. Torres said the new lot also helps Metro fulfil its mission to reduce traffic congestion along the areas major arteries.
The new lot will provide direct service between the Grand Parkway and downtown Houston. Buses will depart every 15 minutes between 5:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. and return every 15 minutes between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
For patrons transferring, a one block connection to Metro's light rail will be available from a stop adjacent to the Downtown Transit Center in the mornings and afternoons. "This makes it easy for people traveling to the medical center and other places along the light rail," Torres said.
Talk about illustrating the need for commuter rail. Instead, Metro has focused on creating a heavily subsidized, world-class, inner-loop taxi service. So now Metro has had to open new Park and Ride lots (that use buses!!) in areas that should be getting commuter rail lines. The very last quote is the most ridiculous of all when the Metro spokeswoman says transfers to light rail will be easy for all those stops along the 7.5 miles of light rail. Wow! That was surely a half billion dollars well-spent.
As we've suggested before, Metro did this whole thing backwards: Commuter rail should have been built first, ending at a transit center near downtown, where customers could then catch buses to their final destinations. Buses have much greater flexibility to get customers closer to where they need to go, but Metro and rail supporters frown on buses, and buses aren't as cool as light rail trains.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/02/08 11:47 AM |
31 January 2008
Pretty silver buses coming to METROpia soon!
Today, METRO's expensive blogger reported that METRO will "soon" be offering a new type of express bus service ("soon" meaning August) along three routes.
Christof Spieler had already covered this development (for free!) several days ago.
The development of express bus service is a welcome, overdue development in Houston (but will Yellow Cab allow a true Airport Express route eventually? As one local blogger likes to say, stay tuned).
We were amused by this bit of cheerleading from Spieler:
There’s been some concern that METRO’s focus on expanding rail might cause the bus system to be neglected. Until recently, METRO’s silence about the bus improvements promised in the 2003 referendum justified that concern. These announcements indicate otherwise, but they’re only a start.
Might cause? One's head really has to be in the sand to ignore the significant cuts in bus service (dubbed "service improvements" by METRO) since the 2003 referendum, a referendum that promised a 50% increase in bus service. Three express routes and pretty silver paint for the buses that will run them don't exactly negate all the bus service reductions that we've seen in recent years (except perhaps in the happy fun land known as METROpia!).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/08 11:01 PM |
29 January 2008
METRO dispatches "queens" to hug frustrated customers
METRO's expensive blogger today described how the transit organization is coping with extra customers at its RideStore, as people purchase Q cards, transfer value from other cards, and engage in other transactions related to the big switchover:
To help get our message out and ease the Q Card transition, three of our best Ask Me team members have been stationed at the RideStore, where lines have sometimes been long, as people wait to get their Q Cards.
At one point in the afternoon, the line was 45 people deep. Those at the top of the line said they had been waiting 45 minutes to an hour. The METRO staff behind the glass windows worked rapidly to process each client.
But among the bored faces, three angels draped in red vests weaved their way through the crowd, each with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. Call them the Ask Me queens. That's what one customer today dubbed the three ladies - part of the 100-member team METRO has dispensed to the rail platforms, transit centers and RideStores to help in our transition to the Q Card.
With the lines 45 people deep, it sounds like METRO should have had fewer "queens" and more people actually helping customers. This rollout has only taken years, so it's not like METRO should have been caught by surprise.
Too bad the "queens" were not dispensing scratch-off cards to customers whose time was being wasted. That would have been a nice touch.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/08 09:23 PM |
24 January 2008
METRO blogger: Q Card rollout is swell!
It may have rolled out weeks months years behind schedule, but the Q Card is a major success!
At least that's what METRO's expensive blogger is proclaiming:
It's been three weeks after we officially launched the Q Card. How are we doing?
Despite some of the glitches a few of you have written about on this blog, the system is working, outreach efforts are working, and cards are getting into the hands of our riders.
How exciting for METRO! We hope Rad Sallee and the neighborhood sections of the Chronicle report this as quickly as possible. Maybe they can even include the METRO blogger's cool graphic!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 11:41 PM |
20 January 2008
More on Metro's online chat
Last week Metro CEO Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson participated in an online chat. I had the same experience as a commenter on Metro's blog -- unable to participate, showing no users online -- but apparently some folks were able to get in on it.
Mary Sit has posted follow-ups here, here, here, and here, as well as the transcript of the Q & A session (pdf).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/08 06:21 PM |
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