02 June 2008
Mobility planning is great (unless METRO is involved)
The Chronicle's Rad Sallee checks in on the area's mobility planning process:
Transportation planning is both hugely important and often mind-numbing.
Houston, for example, has a Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP), an Urban Corridors plan and a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that includes streets and roads. Some of those also are included in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
And if that weren't enough, work started recently on a City of Houston Mobility Plan (CMP).
So, of course, a roomful of planners and interested others attended a Livable Houston luncheon last Wednesday about this latest effort to keep ahead of traffic.
The CMP, as Houston Planning Department Director Marlene Gafrick described it, is not so much a plan as "a tool for improving the other plans."
The latter are mainly lists of potential projects, with such nuts-and-bolts data as estimated costs, funding sources, start dates, etc., but they don't say much about the need for the listed facilities or their likely contributions to citywide mobility.
Now, when a project is proposed, "the mobility plan should allow us to analyze the impact on traffic, and where the traffic would go," Gafrick said.
Consultants led by Kimley-Horn & Associates and funded by $600,000 from the city, started work in April to create the tools by December, Gafrick said.
Imagine that -- when major projects are proposed, a quality mobility plan should consider the impact on traffic!
Can somebody tell METRO and Council about this revelation, because we are pretty sure this will be news to them!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/02/08 08:58 PM |
01 June 2008
New METRO service "improvements" begin today
METRO has posted a new listing of service changes effective June 1st -- today!
Just because METRO no longer calls them "service improvements" doesn't mean we can't continue to relive METRO's PR department's glory days, although some might argue that with a spokeswoman who likens stray current to a 9-volt battery, we are still in the PR department's glory days. But I digress.
Click "Read More" to see the latest improvements:
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/01/08 12:37 PM |
31 May 2008
Council committee dares to question METRO
Do you think METRO saw this coming?
For the second time in three weeks, a city council committee on Friday raised numerous questions and objections to an agreement that would give the Metropolitan Transit Authority permission to build five new light rail lines on Houston streets.
Several members of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Airports Committee said they want Metro to expand its rail system, but said they would have opposed the "consent agreement" had it come to a vote.
Among council members' concerns were sidewalks, street beautification, the impact of construction, the danger of trains operating in residential neighborhoods and uncertainties about routes. After more than two hours of discussion, committee chair Sue Lovell adjourned the meeting.
Recall that METRO President Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson wanted one consent agreement to cover the ENTIRE (remade) Solutions plan. That was optimistic!
After the disastrous way METRO built seven miles of downtown light rail, and the way METRO simply threw out the voter-approved original Solutions plan and came up with a new one, it's heartening to see local officials take a dim view of METRO's unending obfuscation, even if it's only temporary.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/08 12:31 PM |
27 May 2008
Even with rising gas prices, METRO's March ridership declined
Six weeks after METRO stopped collecting March data, METRO finally fulfilled Tom Bazan's TxPIA request for March ridership numbers.
Guess what? Ridership declined, both for bus and light rail, when compared to data for March, 2007. Bus ridership was down almost nine percent, and train boardings were down four percent.
Unfortunately, METRO still doesn't provide convenient, timely service for most people, so even with gas prices rising, METRO just isn't a viable alternative.
RELATED: Checking out Houston on the tour bus (Tom Kirkendall); Houston METRO Touted as Model for Transit Solutions (Write on METRO)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/27/08 08:55 PM |
22 May 2008
Red light camera tickets increase dramatically in some locations
Matt Stiles has the latest figures from HPD's red light cameras, and this month he noticed something strange:
The latest numbers detailing the Houston Police Department's red-light camera program show significant increases in citations at several intersections.
Take northbound Wilcrest at the Southwest Freeway, for example. There were 140 citations in March and 1,261 in April -- an 800 percent increase. That's also a significant spike over the six-month average before April.
Other intersections saw dramatic increases, too, while numbers declined elsewhere. Overall, citations increased 10 percent from March to April. Here's a list of all monitored approaches, sorted by percentage increase.
We called Houston police, who said the numbers were accurate, but they aren't yet sure what caused the spike. We're hoping to hear back from them soon with a theory.
Hmmmmm. One intersection goes from 140 tickets to 1261 tickets in one month? Talk about odd!
From Stiles' list, I noticed the most heavily ticketed intersection (aside from the strange instance above) is the one at FM 1960 and the northbound 249 feeder road, over by Willowbrook Mall. I drive through that intersection most days, and there's a reason it's a problem: short green time, medium yellow time, longer red time -- I should try to time it one day. If a driver isn't familiar with that light, the driver stands a good chance of being caught unaware when the light turns red. Also, those "rolling red" right-turn tickets are probably a boon for the city at that intersection as people try to get onto 249.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/22/08 05:11 AM |
18 May 2008
Chron letters: METRO undercover cops harass downtown professional
From the Chronicle letter section comes another edition of METRO customer-service excellence:
On May 9, I exited the Metro train at the TMC Transit Center station and a man called out to me asking me to stop. I looked at him, saw that he was dressed in a University of Houston jersey, and thought he was trying to hand out information or advertise something. I turned away from him to continue down the platform so I could go to work. He ran up to me before I reached the end of the platform, screamed at me and grabbed my arm. It was only at this time that I recognized him as a plain-clothed Metro police officer.
The only form of identification he had was a badge hanging on his neck that previously was not visible because of the crowd. Even when he identified himself, he shoved me toward the center of the platform where his partner in harassment, dressed in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, verbally berated me as well. This rude behavior from an officer in plain clothes is needless to verify that I, a 34-year-old man in professional dress, paid a dollar to ride the train.
This whole incident could have been avoided if the men were in uniform and clearly identified as Metro police.
CHRISTOPHER DONOHOE
Tomball
Were these undercover members of METRO's elite counterterror unit? We'll probably never know. But if you're riding METRO and someone in a Cougar or Steelers jersey acts belligerently, better snap to attention -- you wouldn't want to get Tasered by Tom Lambert's finest!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/08 07:50 PM |
15 May 2008
Kirby Drive project oops (updated)
The Chron's Jennifer Friedberg reports that the Kirby Drive expansion has run into a problem:
A design error could set back the start date for half of Segment 4 from Bissonnet to U.S. 59 by about two years, possibly costing the city an extra $1 million or more and involving a 15-foot condemnation of businesses on the east side or both sides of Kirby.
With Segment 3 from Swift to Robinhood in progress and Segment 4 from Robinhood to U.S. 59 in the design phase, design engineer firm Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. realized several months ago it had miscalculated the amount of land the city of Houston has and what it needs to finish off the project.
Specifically, the snafu was that Brown & Gay believed Houston had a 100-foot right of way to work with from Bissonnet north to U.S. 59.
That assumption was off by 15 feet in five spots on Kirby, with designers believing the city owned a uniform 15-foot segment between the curb and business property lines.
The areas where Houston does not own that 15 feet include the land in front of Helfman River Oaks Chrysler Jeep, Charisma Car Wash, Burger King, Goode Company Barbecue, and a sliver of land between Goode Co. and the Burger King.
So now Segment 4 is being divided into Phases A and B, breaking at Bissonnet. Phase B is being redesigned.
UPDATE: I'm amused: A reader notes that the West U and River Oaks Examiners carried this story on April 29th, so the Chron was actually reporting some serious "olds."
And of course, then there's me posting on the olds and not having been aware of when it was news. Ah well.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/15/08 04:54 AM |
11 May 2008
METRO Consent Agreement up for discussion this week
This Tuesday, City Council's Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee will discuss an important topic:
AGENDA
May 13, 2008
10:00 a.m.City Council Chambers
901 Bagby, 2nd FloorI. Welcome – Council Member Sue Lovell, Chair
II. METRO Consent Agreement
III. Public Comments
Action may be taken on any of the above items. For special needs or information about this committee, please contact Ryan Leach 832-393-3013.
The posted agenda is a tad light on details, so it's not clear if this is related to one line, five lines, or all of METRO Solutions. You may recall an interview Mary Sit conducted with METRO CEO Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson during which it was stated that Mayor White wants one consent agreement to cover all five rail lines, but Wilson wants one consent agreement to cover the entire METRO Solutions program.
Of course, since these meetings are always held on weekdays during traditional work hours, most of us can't attend. But if you're lucky enough to have some flexibility, you might want to mosey on down there and see what's going on.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/11/08 07:21 AM |
10 May 2008
Randal O'Toole is coming to Houston
Barry Klein passes along this email announcement from Randal O'Toole:
Last week, the Cato Institute released my report on rail transit and the environment. The report shows that most light-rail lines use as much energy per passenger mile as an SUV and emit as much greenhouse gases as the average automobile. I conclude that cities that want to save energy or minimize greenhouse gas emissions should not build rail transit, but should instead take steps to reduce emissions from automobiles by relieving congestion.
You can download the full report from http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-615.pdf
I will present this report at the 2008 Preserving the American Dream conference in Houston this May 16-18. The conference will also feature speakers on the environmental impacts of various land uses and residential densities as well as many other topics. Plus this will be an unparalleled opportunity to see what life is like in a major city without zoning. For more information, go to http://americandreamcoalition.org/pad08.html
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/10/08 05:08 PM |
07 May 2008
Carol Alvarado's paperless trail
Back in April Tom Bazan filed a TxPIA request with METRO regarding Carol Alvarado's employment as a consultant:
I received the METRO contract [LA0800024] engaging Consultant Alvarado, and an invoice for services performed on behalf of METRO between January 14 through February 14, 2008. I also asked for a copy of her resume, any METRO RFQ, along with any letters, memos, notes, and/or consultant reports she has generated on behalf of METRO.
Thank you,
Tom Bazan
After a second request for a resume, a METRO RFQ, along with any letters, memos, notes, and/or consultant reports generated by Ms. Alvarado, Tom received a response from METRO:
Dear Mr. Bazan,
Regarding your request for a copy of Ms. Carol Alvarado's resume, METRO RFQ, along with any letters, memos, notes, and/or consultant reports Ms. Alvarado has generated on behalf of METRO, please be advised that while Ms. Alvarado has provided consultant services pursuant to the contract, there are no documents responsive to your specific request.
That's just priceless!
PREVIOUSLY: METRO pays Carol Alvarado $150 per hour!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/07/08 07:46 PM |
06 May 2008
Mapping METRORail
Christof Spieler has the latest on METRO's light rail alignments.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/06/08 08:28 PM |
05 May 2008
If METRO went where people needed to go...
...METRO wouldn't need to run an ad campaign.
And if it didn't take umpteen transfers and hours to complete a trip, maybe more people would find it convenient. As it is, METRO doesn't generally make it easy or convenient, celebrity endorsements notwithstanding.
Now, if METRO would focus more resources on its Park and Pillage, er, Ride service...
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/05/08 07:18 PM |
03 May 2008
Lunchtime with Frank
Mary Sit has posted the questions and answers from yesterday's lunchtime chat with METRO CEO Frank Wilson. Here are a few fun ones:
Q : If the rail running along Richmond and connecting Uof H, TSU and Richmond all the way west was a good idea, then why hasn't bus service been put on this route to show how valuable it would be.
A : Good suggestion. We might do it.
[snip]
Q : Why use split canopies at rail stops that leave part of the platform uncovered? When walking along the platform during a rainstorm (or even under the blazing summer sun), the uncovered gap is a nuisance.,
A : Careful design dictated that we cover the entry and exit ways to the rail cars and not the areas of the train that doesn't provide customer access. Yes, I am finding it hard to believe, as well, but that's what the METRO historians tell me.
I'll do my best to make sure that our new platforms have continuous shelters and people can stand wherever they choose while they wait to board our train.
[snip]
Q : Has any consideration been given to pressure washing the beautiful paving at the Metro Rail Stations? They are starting to look stained and dirty. Twice a year may help keep them from looking like NYC Subway stations.
A : I agree with you. But we already require our contractors to steam clean these stations approximately every two weeks. So we either need more steam or more cleaning.
Q : What is METRO's stance on the lawsuit filed yesterday by the Texas Medical Center regarding the stray current from the light rail?
A : We have been working with all the institutions and the utilities in the Medical Center area over the last three years. We have determined that there is no stray current problem, and the Medical Center itself through their own technical studies have determined that there's no stray current problem [not exactly, ed], that no building or utility sustained any damage as a result of stray current. Therefore, as you can imagine, we don't understand their lawsuit.
[snip]
Q : When will METRO hold a referendum to build rail to the suburbs?
A : It was done in 2003. The referendum in 2003 provided for rail into the suburbs.
And METRO disregarded the referendum and embarked on its own version of METRO Solutions!
As Kevin Whited once said regarding Chief Hurtt, "Every time that man opens his mouth, it's an adventure."
It works for Frank J. Wilson, too.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/08 12:49 PM |
01 May 2008
Med Center tries to get METRO's attention on stray current
On Thursday, the Texas Medical Center filed a lawsuit against Metro for the potential damage of electrical current leaking from Metro's rail line.
It is a story 11 News has been covering for more than two years now. A study commissioned by the Texas Medical Center confirms that as Metro's electrical light rail line passes through the area, it is emitting a stray current that travels through the ground.
As that current reaches underground pipes and other metal, it can speed up corrosion.
In the case of the miles of high-pressure steam and the chiller pipes that cool the Medical Center buildings, corrosion is not a good thing.
"It's like waves eroding a beach,” said Stephen Swinson, of Thermal Energy. “Over time it’s just going to get worse and worse and worse. The alarm system should not be steam's blowing out of the ground.”
But two years into this dispute, the statute of limitations, and patience is running out.
No agreement on a solution or even on monitoring the potential problem has been ironed out with Metro.
So, the Texas Medical Center and the Thermal Energy Corporation filed a lawsuit asking a judge to force Metro to act.
[snip]
The suit does not ask for money. It asks that Metro agree to an annual monitoring program, and that they come up with a plan to eliminate or minimize the problem or current leakage.
This Friday, another Metro Chat is scheduled, and this time the topic is open. Maybe this will come up.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/01/08 06:33 PM |
30 April 2008
METRO moves to second choice contractor; Solutions cost is a moving target
METRO is no longer negotiating with Washington Group International to build the revised Solutions plan (via the Chron's Rad Sallee):
Metropolitan Transit Authority officials announced Tuesday they have ended talks with Washington Group International to be prime contractor on four planned light rail lines, saying the two sides were "hundreds of millions" of dollars apart.
Metro now will try to reach an agreement with Parsons Transportation Group, which ranked second among three candidates for the job when WGI was chosen in January 2007, Metro President and CEO Frank Wilson said.
Wilson said WGI will be compensated $77 million for design and engineering work to date, most of which has been paid. He said Parsons will build on that head start, allowing the projects to move forward on schedule.
The Metro board last week approved paying Parsons up to $12 million for work it will perform through December.
Metro announced the change at a hastily called news conference.
Tom Barron, the company's executive vice president, said, "Our primary objective is to make sure the program doesn't miss a beat."
If talks with Parsons break down also, Metro could turn to Fluor Corp., whose proposal had been rated third. Wilson said all three companies are competent to do the job. Meanwhile, he said, WGI's subcontractors will remain on the job.
Wilson said Metro and WGI were "hundreds of millions" apart on the cost of the project and on how to share various risks that could affect costs — such as delays, inflation, governmental action and unforeseen environmental impacts. The two sides had been in negotiations for a year.
Then there's this:
Because of the negotiations, Wilson would not reveal what he described as the "constantly moving number" that Metro thinks is fair payment for a contractor to design, build, operate and maintain the North, Southeast, East End and Uptown lines. He also declined to reveal WGI's cost estimate for the four lines and another estimate prepared for Metro by a consultant, although he said both figures were made known to Parsons.
A financial capacity analysis prepared for Metro this month put the cost of the entire Metro Solutions Phase 2 plan at $2.6 billion. However, that includes a fifth light rail project, the University line, which is longer and likely to be more costly than the others.
It's like METRO's pulling numbers out of a hat. For the longest time we heard that METRO solutions would cost $1.2 billion; then it was $2 billion; then recently we learned that the FTA wants METRO to get real, so the number is probably closer to $4 billion (thanks to Neal Meyer's work on the calculator), and now a METRO report says $2.6 billion.
They have no idea what it's going to cost.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/30/08 05:00 AM |
27 April 2008
METRO extends deadline to transfer balances to Q Cards
The Chronicle's Rad Sallee reports that METRO has extended the deadline to transfer balances from the old stored-value cards to the new Q Cards:
Some Metropolitan Transit Authority riders who had unused balances when their stored-value fare cards expired March 31 will be able to transfer them to new Q Cards despite missing the deadline.
At Thursday's monthly board meeting, several members said users of the old cards ought not forfeit their unused balances just because they were late making the switch.
[snip]
Not everyone will qualify. Here are the guidelines:
• Riders must bring their stored value card. No transfers will be made if it has been lost or thrown away.
• No cash refunds. Unused balances will be loaded onto a Q Card.
• Customers who received stored value cards from employers or other ride sponsors should contact their sponsor, not Metro. This applies whether the sponsor provided the card free of charge or at a discount.[snip]
No new deadline has been set, but [METRO CFO Louise] Richman said Metro wants to complete the changeover as soon as possible.
In an earlier post, we had suggested that the cutoff was a little abrupt. Kudos to METRO for reconsidering, and extending the deadline.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/27/08 10:13 PM |
26 April 2008
Chief Lambert goes to Washington
The Chron's Washington, D.C. bureau finally found something to do: METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert traveled to our nation's capital to tell Congress that transit agencies need more money to fight transit terrorism:
Houston's transit system police chief urged Congress on Friday to boost security assistance to cities to combat the threat of terrorist attacks on public transportation that have claimed 452 lives in three foreign cities since 2004.
Communities such as Houston need more money and greater spending flexibility to protect the tens of millions of passengers nationwide who board subways, commuter rail trains, buses and ferries each day, Thomas Lambert, the chief of police for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, told a House Homeland Security subcommittee.
"Our transit systems are open to the public with many access points," Lambert said. "One can clearly see that our transit systems, left unsecured, are viable and attractive targets for terrorists."
Chief Lambert has covered Houston's 7.5 miles worth of "many access points" with METRO's elite counterterrorism unit. Bus riders, however, are still encouraged to protect themselves.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/26/08 09:20 AM |
21 April 2008
METRO balance transfer deadline raises questions
The Chronicle's Rad Sallee runs a sad story from a METRO patron who missed the transit organization's deadline for moving balances from the old stored value card to the Q card:
Karen Clark had a busy lunch hour on March 31, including a birthday and a doctor's appointment, so she put off a trip to a Metropolitan Transit Authority RideStore.
Unfortunately for her, it was the the last day that balances remaining on her stored-value fare cards from Metro could be transferred to a new Q Card.
The next morning, April Fools' Day, Clark received the traditional unpleasant surprise. After standing in line 45 minutes in the RideStore at 1001 Travis, she was told the transfer deadline had passed.
Three of her old cards, with a total of about $200 on them, had become as worthless as Cinderella's coach at midnight.
[The incident] raises an interesting legal question: When Metro sold the old cards, wasn't that an implicit promise to honor them until their balances were exhausted?
[snip]
We asked University of Houston law professor Richard Alderman, who specializes in consumer issues. This one, he said, is: "What were the terms of the contract when the cards were sold?"
Alderman said Clark may be out of luck "if there was something that said they were subject to change in X days' notice or expired at a certain time.
"But if people were led to believe they could use these for a reasonable period of time, such as six months or a year, then Metro could be in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act," he said. "Texas is a state where the fine print matters a lot."
Clark, who still has her old card, fished it out of her purse and read the fine print.
"This card is valid for payment of the base fare on all fixed route service until the value is used up," it reads.
The cutoff did seem a bit abrupt, even though METRO was forthcoming about it.
Here's an interesting question that the intrepid local media might want to investigate via public information request: Just how much money did METRO make from abandoned balances on the old stored value cards?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/21/08 10:16 PM |
16 April 2008
Press: Bus Q Card loaders don't take new five dollar bills
In this week's Houston Press, Rich Connelly reports that some of METRO's Q-Card loaders aren't capable of reading the new $5 bill:
Metro's new prepaid Q Cards are supposed to be the latest thing in convenience. You can even add money to your card while you're riding on the bus!
Unless, that is, you're using one of the new five-dollar bills. The fancy Q Card machines don't take the purple-tinted currency.
Didn't anyone at Metro realize the government was changing the five? It was in all the papers.
"We're aware of this issue," says Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts. "We have software that we're about to install to process the new bills and we should have it in place by May 1, which we understand is the day the new bills will truly hit the market."
(News flash: The bills have already "truly hit the market.")
Roberts says the bus "reloaders" are custom-made; the reloaders on the light-rail platform are not custom-made, and they take the new five-dollar bills just fine.
Buses (not the 7+ mile-long train line) cover the bulk of METRO's service area, so the fact that the loaders work on the train platforms really doesn't help most transit users.
That's our favorite regional transit organization in action!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/16/08 11:29 PM |
07 April 2008
Frank Wilson: We'll produce details after contract is signed
After we learned last week that the cost of METRO's proposed new light rail lines rose astronomically, the Chron's Rad Sallee asked METRO's President Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson for his reaction. In essence, Frank says, "Don't worry, be happy."
He does admit there was a bit of lowballing in the initial estimates, but it's nothing. Really.
Sallee worked the math and still came up with a staggering dollar figure -- $3.3 billion for five lines. Wilson's response?
Wilson was emphatic Friday that the five lines together will cost less than $3 billion, but he wouldn't say how much less.
[snip]
[...]the above does not touch on commuter rail or expanded bus service. Metro's resources would appear to fall short, but Wilson said the whole package can be done.
He said he'd produce the details after that contract is signed.
That sounds familiar. That's similar to Mayor White's response whenever he's asked for details about a soccer stadium.
Not that there's any mystery about how government REALLY works, but it's still rather surprising when pols slip and confirm what we suspect goes on all the time. Especially in METRO's case.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/07/08 05:16 AM |
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