Houston appears on track for 40 crashes in first year

Houston Chronicle ^ | January 28, 2004 | LUCAS WALL

[Dog Gone]

[Blood of Tyrants]

Here's an idea: STOP SUBSIDIZING LIGHT RAIL WITH MY TAX MONEY!

They have been trying to push light rail service east of Nashville for about 10 years despite the fact that ALL surveys show that it will NEVER even come close to paying for itself.

[Dog Gone]

The people who control Houston plan a 70 mile extension of this light rail line in the coming years. So we should expect about 400 cars a year to get demolished by the Death Trains.

And it will do nothing to alleviate the real traffic problem, which is suburban residents commuting to work. This megabillion fiasco will serve only the core of the city.

[Lonely NY Conservative]

Don't disagree with you about the economics of light rail systems, but....

A little Darwinian culling of the pool of drivers might not be such a bad thing.

[Dog Gone]

The first wreck involved a newsbabe for the local NBC television station. I got a kick out of that.

[par4]

I spent the last 4 months working in Houston and witessed the start-up of this debacle. It amazes me that any civil engineer would consider running a train through the middle of a large town, what with stop lights, crossing traffic etc.

If the politicians had made this train an elevated rail like that in parts of the NYC boroughs and Chicago, where the train runs over the street, all these traffic accidents might have been prevented.

[Bikers4Bush]

Is it just me or is there a common theme to the accidents?

[Bikers4Bush]

My guess is that the elevated option was far too expensive.

[girlscout]

Yesterday the total went up to 11. I have a solution for them. Get rid of the @%*$! train. It was bad enough trying to figure out where you can turn downtown and they've just made it worse. Glad I live and work in the burbs.

[blabs]

People who are always railing against the light rail have limited vision.

The city of Houston desperately needs new traffic planning, which metro is trying to do. Their long term plan will improve the traffic in this city, but the short term will provide numerous headaches and constant bickering. A lot of this planning involves "social engineering" - basically, trying to infuse the inner loop with mid-to-hi-rise living, providing a more dense metroplex that can be services by short bus routes and rail. Houston is way to spread out. Anyone who lives here can attest to a typical day in traffic - it is absolutely horrendous.

I've lived here for 26 years. The new downtown renovation and street projects are great. I work downtown and adjust to the headaches because I know that streets can't be put in overnight. Everyone in this town just bitches, like a bunch of fricking sissies. Get over it. The streets are being completely ripped out, and not just paved over. This hasn't happened since the early 1900's. They are finding old railroad relics buried in the soil. The new streets are very nice, solid concrete, and will last 20+ years.

I'm an optimist and see a better future for Houston. Until then, I'll put up with the headaches and the stupid drivers...

[Dog Anchor]

SEND IN THE SUV's

ATTACK...ATTACK

[Tijeras_Slim]

Left turn in front of oncoming.... except the cagers are on the backside of the physics curve in this instance. :)

[Xenalyte]

And why have you not joined any Houston Area Texans gatherings?

[Dog Gone]

Yes, utopians who love social engineering and who live in the innercity love the concept.

The rest of the people in the greater metropolitan area get to pay for it, but receive no benefit.

[Bikers4Bush]

Including the commuters who are being taxed without representation.

[Bikers4Bush]

Lol!

[Tijeras_Slim]

It is sorta sweet, ain't it?

[mewzilla]

Illegal left hand turns...

[Bikers4Bush]

Cracks me up.

[babble-on]

and it goes right past the airport, the one place where it might do some good, without stopping