Texans for True Mobility Oppose METRO's Plan for Light Rail in Houston

Texans for True Mobility ^ | 9/25/03 | Chris Begala

[Dog Gone]

[Willie Green]

These metro systems need to be agressivly voted down. Its an effort to eliminate private cars.

That kind of anti-transit rhetoric is so patheticly stupid that it's hilarious.

[GOPcapitalist]

I think the light rail proposal preceded and was the excuse for the Metro we have today.

Metro was created to shove rail down our throats - no doubt about that. The problem is that they are the only authority who can do this without being held politically accountable. They are the epitome of an incompetant, thoroughly corrupt, and heavily bloated bureaucratic agency with significant unrestrained power and virtually no public oversight.

If we get rid of metro and liquidate its assets in a public auction the pro-rail people will still be there but they won't have a chokehold around the region's neck by way of undeserved political power. They'll be just another private interest group trying to get its issue passed in city hall.

[StockAyatollah]

The local politician-crooks in Orlando/Orange County FL are pushing a 1/2 cent sales tax to fund light rail among other boondoggles. There is a referendum next week which the sheeple will probably approve.

[polyiguana]

Houston's bus system is already one of the best in the world. (No joke.) Low fares, frequent service, and a good amount of transit centers and busways (carpool lanes) to speed people along.

What they need to do is build more stations and extend the busways further out into the suburbs (maybe allow people to drive them for a toll to help pay for them), keep the low bus fares, widen streets to give them a lane, and give the buses signal priority. All of this will be much cheaper and more comprehensive than running a light rail system to a city that has a weak center.

[redrac]

We were set up to do Monorail in Houston; quicker, cheaper and easier to setup. Until DS brown got elected, knowing that it was his last job and would need to skim some cash off of the top so he could retire; what a piece of trash he is, he has failed at every job he has ever had! I would never ride a bus or even rail, but I would ride on a monorail. I have been on one at Disney land and it was a lot of fun you could see and were up and away from the din at street level.
Monorail can be put up right over existing roadways is quick, quiet and cheap to operate. Plus you can't hit anything, it won't flood out and did I mention that it is quick and quiet? This downtown rail is the biggest fiasco and payoff for brown and metro. Worthless waste of cash/taxes.

[jimt]

An anti-rail Houstonian bump.

[38special]

On a side note, Metro just increased the tolls on the beltway 8. It's like rubbing salt in the wound. I try to avoid the toll road as much as possible.

[Frapster]

yeah - I got on the toll road for the first time in a long time over the weekend and was surprised to see it going up to $1.25.

[tx65]

I just came back from the polls...

What made my final decision was the direct mail piece I received yesterday from Metro.

What I saw was that by 2012, the only thing MetroRail intends to accomplish is connecting primarily low income areas to downtown and the current soon to open downtown - medical center - reliant center rail line. This 2012 phase does nothing to address Houston real transit problem - commuters from outside the Beltway getting to and from major business centers.

Looking further into the future, other then connecting to Bush or Hobby Airports and the Galleria, the plan does nothing but continue expansion to primarily low income areas. Of course, the question begs to be asked "How many business travelers, convention visitors or tourists would want to ride a train that take them from the airport to downtown with multiple stops in low income areas?" Answer is few if any will ride a train like this. This reasoning has nothing to do with the racial make up of these low income areas,,,it has to do only with the fact that these areas are ugly , run down and have high crime rates.

Only when looking at future rail extensions does Metro even begin to service suburban commuters going to and from Houston Business Centers. How many billions and more importantly how much time will be have passed by the time any of the future rail extensions come into operation that even begin to address Houston true transit problems?

My take is that I graduated from high school in Houston in 1983, I graduated from U of H in 1992, I am now 38 years old. Passage of this metro rail plan would mean that by the time rail offers true services to commuters I will be close to retirement.

Needless to say, I voted against Metro's plan. I am not against rail in any way, but I am against spending billions of tax dollars by an unelected entity on a rail system that does nothing to address Houston's real mobility problems.

My suggestion to gain my vote would be a two level plan with heavy commuter rail making use of exisiting and enhanced BNSF and UP rail lines combined with light rail operating in selected areas. Following, I have listed some of these ideas. Look at a map and see what you think.

Heavy Commuter Rail Lines -

Kingwood / Humble - Downtown
Conroe / Woodlands - Downtown
Tomball / Willowbrook - Downtown
Clear Lake - Downtown
Richmond / Sugarland - Downtown
Katy - Downtown
Fairfield / Copperfield - Downtown
Bush Airport - Downtown - Hobby Airport (Airport Link)
Pearland - Downtown

Heavy Commuter Rail Lines would have no stops closer to downtown then Beltway 8 before going to / from downtown other then at intersections of light rail lines inside of the Beltway as outline below.

I would like to add that the enhancement of BNSF and UP lines has a side benefit. During late night hours when heavy commuter trains dont run, the BNSF and UP freight railroads can use these tracks to move products in and out of Houston more efficiently strenghtening Houston from a business perspective.

Light Rail Lines

Downtown - Med Center - Reliant Center - Post Oak / Main Transit Center

Post Oak / Main Transit Center - Galleria - NW Transit Center

Downtown - U of H - Hobby Airport

Downtown - Greenway Plaza - Galleria

Northside Light Rail Line connecting Tomball Heavy Rail - Greenspoint - Woodlands Heavy Rail - Bush Airport - Kingwood Heavy Rail

Only when I see a true solution will Metro gain my support. I would also like to see Metro become an elected board rather then a club of appointees from Houston City Council and County Commissioner courts.

[meyer]

That kind of anti-transit rhetoric is so patheticly stupid that it's hilarious.

It may be all of those but it is also incredibly true. People don't want to ride around like cattle. Take those billions and build some roads.

[Willie Green]

People don't want to ride around like cattle.

Some do, some don't.
That's the whole idea behind providing alternatives from which people may choose.
It's arrogantly presumptuous to pretend that you know what everybody wants.