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The "To Do List" for the City of Houston


citykid09

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Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States has an abundance of problems. From the dated city streets (potholes), to the huge littering problem and the unattractiveness of many of the city's main corridors, many issues exist. So what do you want the next mayor and other city leaders to focus on?

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Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States has an abundance of problems. From the dated city streets (potholes), to the huge littering problem and the unattractiveness of many of the city's main corridors, many issues exist. So what do you want the next mayor and other city leaders to focus on?

BARC

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Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States has an abundance of problems. From the dated city streets (potholes), to the huge littering problem and the unattractiveness of many of the city's main corridors, many issues exist. So what do you want the next mayor and other city leaders to focus on?

Charging admission to outsiders who complain about us.

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Awareness of our issues and campaigns, public service announcements to stop bad habits (litter, etc.). Houston Proud of the 80's was lame, but basically a public awareness program, if properly executed, could get more people involved.

...and to ban negative posts of our fair city on HAIF. :P:lol:

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Judging by you guys responses, you don't like to face the truth. Houston does have a huge littering problem and problems with its streets among many other problems. Why wouldn't any city or its citizens want to cleanup and and improve even if its just a little bit.

Driving down I-45 North yesterday, and down some of the near by streets I realized that it was all just a big mess! Potholes for miles, trash lining the medians, sidewalk areas and parking lots, buildings covered in wave tin and chipped up paint. Whats with these make shift businesses plastering their signs over the signs of a business that was previously in that location and you can still see both? What that hell has Houston become? The American version of a 3rd world city? Its like there is no pride in the city and people just care about making money. And its not just I-45North, its just one of the worst, its pretty much the whole damn city! Where is all of the tax money going?

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Driving down I-45 North yesterday, and down some of the near by streets I realized that it was all just a big mess! Potholes for miles, trash lining the medians, sidewalk areas and parking lots, buildings covered in wave tin and chipped up paint. Whats with these make shift businesses plastering their signs over the signs of a business that was previously in that location and you can still see both? What that hell has Houston become? The American version of a 3rd world city? Its like there is no pride in the city and people just care about making money. And its not just I-45North, its just one of the worst, its pretty much the whole damn city! Where is all of the tax money going?

FWIW, I have to cross three streets that are being repaved just to get out of my neighborhood. That's not counting the two that are already repaved, or the two slated to be repaved soon. I have no pothole complaints. I also drive up and down I-45 twice a day. The litter problem...except for the 18 wheeler treads that occasionally fall off the tires...is not nearly as bad as your overly dramatic post. I see the street cleaners out on a regular basis as well.

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I don't see any litter problems on the Katy Freeway and 45N has always been that way, but is definitely a lot better.

Though Citykid, the Houston expert, please do tell of the other freeways just like 45N.

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I don't see any litter problems on the Katy Freeway and 45N has always been that way, but is definitely a lot better.

Though Citykid, the Houston expert, please do tell of the other freeways just like 45N.

59 from (from 610 (really further back) all the way to Sugarland)

290

45 south (Gulf freeway)

I'm sure I could name more. Its not just freeways, its city streets as well.

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Sounds like one of our HAIFers has been visiting our lovely crackhouses on the North Side. Don't they have crackhouses in Bryan? Do you have to drive to Houston to feed your habit?

FWIW, I have to cross three streets that are being repaved just to get out of my neighborhood. That's not counting the two that are already repaved, or the two slated to be repaved soon. I have no pothole complaints. I also drive up and down I-45 twice a day. The litter problem...except for the 18 wheeler treads that occasionally fall off the tires...is not nearly as bad as your overly dramatic post. I see the street cleaners out on a regular basis as well.

Frankly, citykid, you have become nothing more than a troll. Every couple of days you start up a new thread with the same tired stuff. "Houston sux!" "Atlanta's great!" "Why can't you guys be like Dallas?" You add nothing to the discussion. Why don't you just go away? Really.

Street cleaners? LOL...in 10 years here in Houston the only time I've seen street cleaners is in one of the parades downtown.

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R409.jpg

I'll vote for the candidate that I believe would make this happen. Lighted signage would do more for public safety than all the hauling of cars off the freeways and automated red light cameras combined. Unfortunately they represent a cost center not a revenue center.

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I'll start small and doable: Spend some money on that horrible 311 online complaint form. It's truly an amateur job. And while they are at it, add a way to find out the status of your complaint without having to call 311 and bother them about it.

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Being ugly can wait to be honest, there are infrastructure issues this city needs to address.

Pollution is out of control in this city. Not just in the air but also the water.

Getting rid of Metro for one and retooling the entire mass transit system. We are the 4th largest city in this country and we have a half-a$$ system.

Better cycling system for people who wish to ride to work (I know this is a very small minority, but hey you have to start somewhere). This city is large enough to have a very good size population of cyclists. Give some kind of incentive for businesses to have facilities for cyclists.

Correct roads with potholes. Not just fill them in; figure out what caused them in the first place in prone areas and correct the problem.

Tear down every condemned building and home unless it is of historical value, if so refurbish it.

Look into zoning laws again ! ! !

(This one is on a personal note since it is my neighborhood) Somehow revamp downtown. I am not sure if the city can afford to give some incentives for businesses to move into downtown, but that might help. A grocery store at least! -- Downtown Madison and Downtown Portland are good examples of what I am talking about.

As for "esthetics":

Our freeway systems are butt ugly, there has to be a way to make them look nicer. Plant plants/trees on the side of the freeways and in-between north and south, east and west bound lanes. This would do two things:

1) hide the adult video stores, abandoned car lots and "massage" parlors (this is really bad on 45 north) and

2) not slow down traffic when there is an accident on the other side of the freeway (people always slow down to watch). Dallas has some pretty nice freeways if I must say.

I don't really see the litter problem, but I rarely am outside of the loop, so maybe it is bad outside the loop.

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Infrastructure, (esp. drainage projects) code enforcement, and overhaul of METRO. And in a perfect world, I would like to see much more money spent on public parks/ green belts and bikeways--but a lot of this can be accomplished in the context of infrastucture and drainage.

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Tell Gene Locke if he wins to build some hills, we're too dern flat to compete with Atlanta. :D

But seriously, I suppose this would go under infrastructure. When they repave a road, make them repave the intersections as well. It sucks to drive down a nicely paved road then get to an intersection and have the car nearly rattle apart before getting back on smooth pavement again. It just looks lazy as well.

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You all complain too much.

If the next mayor will just take my advice and "Legalize It", you'll all forget all your problems...as well as forgetting where you were going with that story.

As RedScare pointed out, it's "good for asthma"...which means we can step back from costly pollution measures that could drive our prime industry out of town.

Also, goats love to play with it...so we could diversify our economic base with goat ranching.

Doctors smoke it. We'll keep expanding the TMC...with THC!

Once we legalize it, they will advertise it...look for all those hot NYC ad agencies will be heading for Downtown H-Town.

Only downside I foresee: it's good for umara composis.

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I think there needs to be more emphasis on putting recorded deed restrictions online. This information needs to be made available to the general public, as well as the city officials in code enforcement and plan review. Facilitating access to these documents would aid in enforcement, and it might prevent some of the misunderstandings that arise when uninformed owners attempt to make improvements that are in violation of their property restrictions.

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How about city sponsored design competitions? Juried by a mix of local professionals and elected officials. I'd start with the what to do with the Astrodome (although that is owned by the county). It would be interesting to see what the international community could do for Houston.

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You all complain too much.

If the next mayor will just take my advice and "Legalize It", you'll all forget all your problems...as well as forgetting where you were going with that story.

As RedScare pointed out, it's "good for asthma"...which means we can step back from costly pollution measures that could drive our prime industry out of town.

Also, goats love to play with it...so we could diversify our economic base with goat ranching.

Doctors smoke it. We'll keep expanding the TMC...with THC!

Once we legalize it, they will advertise it...look for all those hot NYC ad agencies will be heading for Downtown H-Town.

Only downside I foresee: it's good for umara composis.

It sounds like everyone in this meandering thread is high.

You guys haven't been to LA...The freeways are ugly, dirty...etc. We need to get these "lights" timed properly...It took 6 mins to drive from one side of downtown to the other.

The downtown traffic lights worked well when the lights down a given street were synchronized. I used to be able to zig-zag through DT and only occasionally catch them red (usually when traffic was heavier). I would support going back to that system.

Judging by you guys responses, you don't like to face the truth. Houston does have a huge littering problem and problems with its streets among many other problems. Why wouldn't any city or its citizens want to cleanup and and improve even if its just a little bit.

Driving down I-45 North yesterday, and down some of the near by streets I realized that it was all just a big mess! Potholes for miles, trash lining the medians, sidewalk areas and parking lots, buildings covered in wave tin and chipped up paint. Whats with these make shift businesses plastering their signs over the signs of a business that was previously in that location and you can still see both? What that hell has Houston become? The American version of a 3rd world city? Its like there is no pride in the city and people just care about making money. And its not just I-45North, its just one of the worst, its pretty much the whole damn city! Where is all of the tax money going?

I'll agree that there are too many potholes and generally rough roads. I guess I haven't noticed the litter issue, but I don't venture outside the loop that often. From your description, it sounds like it's a bigger issue outside the core of the city.

Getting rid of Metro for one and retooling the entire mass transit system. We are the 4th largest city in this country and we have a half-a$$ system.

How is getting rid of the mass transit system going to improve mass transit?

Better cycling system for people who wish to ride to work (I know this is a very small minority, but hey you have to start somewhere). This city is large enough to have a very good size population of cyclists. Give some kind of incentive for businesses to have facilities for cyclists.

Yes, I would love to see more bike lanes. Although the thought isn't as enticing when it's 98 degrees.

Our freeway systems are butt ugly, there has to be a way to make them look nicer. Plant plants/trees on the side of the freeways and in-between north and south, east and west bound lanes. This would do two things:

1) hide the adult video stores, abandoned car lots and "massage" parlors (this is really bad on 45 north) and

2) not slow down traffic when there is an accident on the other side of the freeway (people always slow down to watch). Dallas has some pretty nice freeways if I must say.

Trees for Houston has done a commendable job sprucing up many of the freeway corridors. You can volunteer or donate money to help. http://www.treesforhouston.org/Plant/Volunteer/Index.aqf

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Trees for Houston has done a commendable job sprucing up many of the freeway corridors. You can volunteer or donate money to help. http://www.treesforhouston.org/Plant/Volunteer/Index.aqf

Is it me or does it seem like the trees planet along the freeways aren't growing? They look about the same height as when they planted the years ago.

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Is it me or does it seem like the trees planet along the freeways aren't growing? They look about the same height as when they planted the years ago.

Possibly. I remember hearing some criticism against TxDOT for planting trees too closely, which in turn would not allow them to grow fully or something like that.

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