The Boulevard Project

[Dakota79]

This is so exhausting how Culberson passed a bill that forbids any federal money to go for rail on Richmond and on Post Oak. Where does he think that money goes? I know - Dallas, Austin etc. None the less, Post Oak Bus project is restarting.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/Bogged-down-Uptown-bus-plan-proceeding-6046845.php?cmpid=gsa-chron-result

[Slick Vik]

The problem is the elevated lanes won't have structural reinforcement for future rail.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Slick Vik

[nativehoustonion]

We need somebody that can kick Culberson butt out of office.  I live just 4 blocks from Ted Poe's district which he is pro rail.  I think METRO needs to build light rail down Washington Ave over the Katy Freeway to connect to the Northwest Transit Center to avoid his area.  It is so hard to believe he gave Federal money to other cities.  This man will stay in office until he dies.  When the River Oaks District opens up Afton Oaks will see traffic like never before seen! 

[Luminare]

hmmm i think there is a solution to all these problems, and if I remember correctly it would a little something called term limits....oh wait. Someone on the Houston Mayor 2015 thread said that term limits are not needed....because you know democracy and things and because representative democracy is so flawless.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Luminare

[nativehoustonion]

You are right because Congress cannot do there job.  They really don't care about us.  They are making so much money not including they get all their frequent flyer miles.  Being paid off by lobbyists, and with term limits that would remove the of the trash they have!  Two 4 year terms and you are out!    

[DNAguy]

The problem is the elevated lanes won't have structural reinforcement for future rail.

 

Real question:

 

Are we sure? Can METRO pay the difference from a reinforced vs non reinforced design to ensure a future rail on the elevated sections? There's nothing to prevent over-engineering... is there?

[Luminare]

You are right because Congress cannot do there job.  They really don't care about us.  They are making so much money not including they get all their frequent flyer miles.  Being paid off by lobbyists, and with term limits that would remove the of the trash they have!  Two 4 year terms and you are out!    

 

Exactly. I've always been in favor for two 4 year terms for Congressmen and two 6 year terms for Senators and then kill the Electoral College in National elections so you eliminate the winner take all system and eliminate the winner take all system in Congressional elections as well. This means that even in Culberson's own district it would have to listen to all of his constituents instead of his base (this of course goes for everyone Rep. or Dem.)

 

That's a topic for another thread.

 

I don't really see how they could stop them from engineering the foundations for the BRT in a way from which it could be converted to rail at a later date.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Luminare

[mfastx]

It's a shame the politics are the way they are down here.  

 

Building this on a condition that it will never be upgraded to rail is like building a two lane highway with the condition that there will never be any more lanes added ever.  Just asinine and short-sighted.  

 

Not surprising at all though and Houston has a long history of dirty politics getting in the way of large scale public transportation projects, especially rail.  And it will continue to happen like this, Culberson will remain in office until he decides to step down, and someone will take his place with similar ideology.  

 

The only way Houston can improve it's transportation infrastructure is if METRO and the City of Houston get on the same page and we have a mayor who makes it a priority.  That is how LA did it, and it's the only way Houston will do it.  Hopefully it happens within my lifetime. 

[cloud713]

Just so we're clear, the thread title is no longer the case.. METRO slipped around the legislation with some clever clause(?), so it IS possible to upgrade the uptown line to LRT in the future.

[Slick Vik]

Just so we're clear, the thread title is no longer the case.. METRO slipped around the legislation with some clever clause(?), so it IS possible to upgrade the uptown line to LRT in the future.

Not really because Culberson put some language in a federal bill that said rail would never be built in that area. That would have to be reversed. And it's unclear that the elevated lanes will be built with LRT ready structural integrity but it seems like it won't have it.

[Dakota79]

It's a shame the politics are the way they are down here.

Building this on a condition that it will never be upgraded to rail is like building a two lane highway with the condition that there will never be any more lanes added ever. Just asinine and short-sighted.

Not surprising at all though and Houston has a long history of dirty politics getting in the way of large scale public transportation projects, especially rail. And it will continue to happen like this, Culberson will remain in office until he decides to step down, and someone will take his place with similar ideology.

The only way Houston can improve it's transportation infrastructure is if METRO and the City of Houston get on the same page and we have a mayor who makes it a priority. That is how LA did it, and it's the only way Houston will do it. Hopefully it happens within my lifetime.

I couldn't have said it better!

[towerjunkie]

I say we throw out Metro completely and establish "Houston Area Rapid Transit" complete with smart, talented, corruption free decision makers, I could see the slogan now.. "The HARTbeat of Houston" 

[MexAmerican_Moose]

i design bridges...why not make the trains less heavy and change the axle dimensions to match that of a hs-20 truck?

[Trae]

We need somebody that can kick Culberson butt out of office. I live just 4 blocks from Ted Poe's district which he is pro rail. I think METRO needs to build light rail down Washington Ave over the Katy Freeway to connect to the Northwest Transit Center to avoid his area. It is so hard to believe he gave Federal money to other cities. This man will stay in office until he dies. When the River Oaks District opens up Afton Oaks will see traffic like never before seen!

It is really frustrating. Houston continues to fall years behind its sunbelt counterparts like Atlanta, DFW, LA, Phoenix, etc., that continue to go through rail expansions. Their politicians, on both sides of the aisle, welcome rail. Meanwhile, we have an enigma here in Houston that does not mind seeing federal funds sent from his city to other cities to better progress their transit plans. Sad.

[cloud713]

oh. i thought this quote was saying METRO COULD upgrade in the future and used the 2003 LRT bill as an excuse. looks like some guy cleared METRO of being legally binded to the 2003 LRT bill, so METRO doesnt have to follow through with the LRT Post Oak promise.
am i getting that right?


Though supportive of an express bus project, state transportation officials last year stressed they didn't want to wade into the debate regarding light rail along Post Oak. Approving $25 million for the elevated lanes along Loop 610, Moseley stressed this was a bus project.

To ensure that, state transportation officials asked Metro to verify in writing that the project was not a precursor to rail.

Metro worried that a stronger promise would put them in conflict with the voter-approved 2003 referendum, in which Metro laid out plans for light rail on Post Oak. Transit officials ultimately acquiesced to the letter, but also sought via Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan an attorney general's opinion verifying they were not violating the referendum by signing the TxDOT agreement.

[mollusk]

Not really because Culberson put some language in a federal bill that said rail would never be built in that area. That would have to be reversed. And it's unclear that the elevated lanes will be built with LRT ready structural integrity but it seems like it won't have it.

 

It was the annual appropriation bill.  Which gets redone every year.  It's not some sort of double secret super permanent thing.  

[KinkaidAlum]

Term limits aren't the answer. They do nothing to clean up our Democracy.

 

What really needs to happen is for people to actually, you know, vote. We cannot complain when we do not vote. This past election cycle saw horrendous turnout. 

 

The one thing I would change is gerrymandering. Culbertson's District is insane. It was created for one reason; to keep Republicans in power by splitting likely Democratic voters. 

[nativehoustonion]

I think Culberson has stints in his brain and not in his heart!

[Luminare]

Term limits aren't the answer. They do nothing to clean up our Democracy.

 

What really needs to happen is for people to actually, you know, vote. We cannot complain when we do not vote. This past election cycle saw horrendous turnout. 

 

The one thing I would change is gerrymandering. Culbertson's District is insane. It was created for one reason; to keep Republicans in power by splitting likely Democratic voters. 

 

You are right, term limits wouldn't work in a Democracy, but if I remember correctly we aren't a pure democracy, nor should we be. We are a Federal Constitutional Republic in which the foundation is the proper representation by those we elect to represent everyone that they serve.

 

I'm sorry, but this is probably the most naive look at how to fix a very prevalent problem. You don't even offer any real solutions to the problem other than, this sucks and that sucks and that all you got to do is go out and vote......That's like yelling at someone who is fat to eat better by simply eating better food, but not putting in the proper infrastructure in place to insure that its consistent instead of a one time fix which is what you are championing.

 

It avoids the real work that is needed to retool the government in order for long lasting change. I remember sentiments, such as what you are generating, during the 2008 election which the whole push for change was to simply get out and vote and everything will be better. It over relied on the possible impact of one single person to solve everyones problems instead of proposing an infrastructure to create real change while also future proofing the fallibility of human governance which is the lust for power and the fact that power corrupts absolutely even for those who we think are "pure". What was the outcome of the election? Whether you think the President has done good work or not the simple fact of the matter is that Obama's presidency has been very underwhelming and is a textbook example of how the system can take you right in and spit you right out without having a proper plan in place to further change government and how voting isn't always the answer. Hell the answer isn't the perfect candidate either!

 

Now lets look at gerrymandering. How the hell do you think gerrymandering actually works! It's from people who have been in their way to long who have been able to carve up districts in order to.....you guessed it keep them in power! You are literally defeating your own logic. Oh the power to fix this problem is by voting, but if the district has been set up in such a way that the overwhelming majority is going to vote for the same person because of the district that has been drawn then you will see voter apathy because they know that voting is no longer the way to actively change the institution.

 

Unless you have a legitimate argument in against term limits then it stands that term limits are the best option in reining in politicians and their fundamental tendency to entrench and manipulate the process in order to stay in power which makes voting completely futile. Term limits is the most reasonable check on politicians who instead of going into Washington in order to get the job done and get the hell out or more inclined to make it a career.

 

This is already getting this thread way off topic, but I simply can't let this stand. I won't let such naivety jump in front of what real solutions can be made to fix the problem. There is no one fix all to this problem for sure. The Disney/Sunday school answer is to "fix voting" or "get more people out to vote". That's a surface evaluation of the problem and you know it. Term Limits is of course only a start and possible solution to the problem with many more solutions needed to back it up but its at least a real solution.

[Hasek]

Open or No Primaries

 

Independently drawn districts

 

American democracy, why I am a Monarchist....

You are right, term limits wouldn't work in a Democracy, but if I remember correctly we aren't a pure democracy, nor should we be. We are a Federal Constitutional Republic in which the foundation is the proper representation by those we elect to represent everyone that they serve.

 

I'm sorry, but this is probably the most naive look at how to fix a very prevalent problem. You don't even offer any real solutions to the problem other than, this sucks and that sucks and that all you got to do is go out and vote......That's like yelling at someone who is fat to eat better by simply eating better food, but not putting in the proper infrastructure in place to insure that its consistent instead of a one time fix which is what you are championing.

 

It avoids the real work that is needed to retool the government in order for long lasting change. I remember sentiments, such as what you are generating, during the 2008 election which the whole push for change was to simply get out and vote and everything will be better. It over relied on the possible impact of one single person to solve everyones problems instead of proposing an infrastructure to create real change while also future proofing the fallibility of human governance which is the lust for power and the fact that power corrupts absolutely even for those who we think are "pure". What was the outcome of the election? Whether you think the President has done good work or not the simple fact of the matter is that Obama's presidency has been very underwhelming and is a textbook example of how the system can take you right in and spit you right out without having a proper plan in place to further change government and how voting isn't always the answer. Hell the answer isn't the perfect candidate either!

 

Now lets look at gerrymandering. How the hell do you think gerrymandering actually works! It's from people who have been in their way to long who have been able to carve up districts in order to.....you guessed it keep them in power! You are literally defeating your own logic. Oh the power to fix this problem is by voting, but if the district has been set up in such a way that the overwhelming majority is going to vote for the same person because of the district that has been drawn then you will see voter apathy because they know that voting is no longer the way to actively change the institution.

 

Unless you have a legitimate argument in against term limits then it stands that term limits are the best option in reining in politicians and their fundamental tendency to entrench and manipulate the process in order to stay in power which makes voting completely futile. Term limits is the most reasonable check on politicians who instead of going into Washington in order to get the job done and get the hell out or more inclined to make it a career.

 

This is already getting this thread way off topic, but I simply can't let this stand. I won't let such naivety jump in front of what real solutions can be made to fix the problem. There is no one fix all to this problem for sure. The Disney/Sunday school answer is to "fix voting" or "get more people out to vote". That's a surface evaluation of the problem and you know it. Term Limits is of course only a start and possible solution to the problem with many more solutions needed to back it up but its at least a real solution.

 

[DNAguy]

What happened to this thread..?... 

[JLWM8609]

What happened to this thread..?... 

 

It went off the rails.

 

[Luminare]

[Luminare]

So I guess there is a significant reason why TXDOT is interested in if this will be a precursor to rail and that's because they will be building an elevated portion over 610 for these bus lanes! No wonder they were in such a tizzy. The other parts of the line you could engineer to have rail later on, but this bridge would have to be engineered for one or the other or for the bridge to later be converted to rail. Apparently from this article though they past one hurdle from a guy who wanted to review the project, but instead dropped it and it will now seek approval.

 

http://blog.chron.com/thehighwayman/2015/02/legal-opinion-delaying-uptown-bus-project-progress-pulled/

[DNAguy]

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Wall-Bus-lane-project-will-ruin-our-Rodeo-Drive-6107583.php

 

 

There's an unjustifiable project afoot in the city that's somewhat of a solution in search of a problem. The alleged problem: congestion on Post Oak Boulevard near the Galleria. I'm not saying there is no traffic congestion in the area. Any weekday at rush hour proves that there is. But traffic issues in the Galleria are largely caused by commuters trying to enter or leave Loop 610 - the problem is not too many cars on Post Oak Boulevard.

The plan to build dedicated bus lanes up the middle of Post Oak seemingly would alleviate the problem by relieving commuters of their cars. Look more closely, though, and you'll see that the solution being developed by the city and Metro is not well-considered and needs to be scrapped.

The Uptown TIRZ (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone) board estimates $200 million dollars will build dedicated bus lanes on Post Oak Boulevard. Plans show them running from the Northwest Mall at Hempstead Road and West Loop 610 to a Metro Park & Ride to be constructed on Westpark (presumably the site of Thompson Hanson nursery). It's being called the Guide Way. Various sources will fund the Guide Way. State transportation commissioners on Thursday approved the state's 10-year spending plan with $25 million for the bus lanes included and last month, the Houston City Council approved the TIRZ budget to acquire the necessary rights-of-way. But what's really known about objectives and details of the plan?

Ridership models developed by the Uptown TIRZ board project that the new bus route will carry 10,000 riders per day in 2018. This estimate is outrageously inflated, given that the more than 30-year-old Park & Ride system only carries 16,000 riders per day, most of whom are downtown-bound. This has been tried before. Since 1985, Metro has rolled out seven Park & Ride routes to the Galleria. Last month, they cancelled the sixth route (Kingsland to NW Transit to Uptown) due to low ridership. The sole surviving Park & Ride route to the Galleria (Kuykendahl to Greenway to Uptown) is classified as "poor-performing," carrying an average of only 220 people per day to both districts.

Major Galleria-area employer Apache, initially in favor of the project, now opposes it. The company surveyed its employees and asked how many would drive to the Northwest Mall and then board a bus to the Post Oak Central offices. Not one Apache employee was interested in doing so. Not one. Why has there never been a well-reasoned, comprehensive survey of Galleria employees as to their expected usage of such a project?

Parking in the Galleria is convenient, readily available and reasonably affordable. This is the complete opposite of the downtown area. Even in the parking-challenged downtown, over the past five years, Park & Ride participation rates are falling, from 38 percent to 28 percent. Metro's entire Park & Ride system consists of 29 lots. Despite a 30 year-plus operating history, 23 of its 29 lots operate at 55 percent or less of capacity.

What will this Guide Way project do to Post Oak, Houston's Rodeo Drive? I believe it will ruin it. Look what happened to the merchants on Main Street. Look what's happened to the Central Business District regarding crosstown traffic.

Why the rush to double down on a bad bet? The $37 million in the budget for eminent-domain "takings" will be woefully short, likely $100 million or more. Only one public meeting has been held by the city of Houston. When I directly asked the mayor's chief development officer, Andy Icken, who curiously was presenting the Uptown TIRZ's presentation, as to the size of the necessary takings, he responded, "It's not much, only 15,000 or 16,000 square feet." Preliminary estimates are over 160,000 square feet. That's 10 times larger. Project costs have been grossly understated.

Why the rush to get this project approved and an almost total lack of transparency? Why the failure to have open and honest town hall meetings?

Uptown, Metro and the city are talking about condemnation proceedings taking place before a final plan has been produced. This is par for the course. Another example of Metro's "Ready. Fire. Aim." approach: Recently, a long-known environmental hazard interrupted construction of the Harrisburg Line of light rail. Believe it or not, the meandering East Side Metro trains don't run the full length of the Harrisburg route. When did the poor planning method become an accepted standard?

I am convinced that people decide to work and (increasingly) live in the Galleria area due to the ease of access to retail, including restaurants and grocery stores. Completely dedicated bus lanes/guide ways make no sense to any student of public transportation unless they are of the BRT (bus rapid transit) variety. These lanes are definitely not, despite having been initially designated as such. BRT lanes are dedicated and do not stop for traffic.

Unfortunately, this project will cause long-term interruptions in east/west traffic flow on Richmond, West Alabama, Westheimer and San Felipe. This will cause congestion, which it was supposedly designed to cure.

When the mayor is finally acknowledging the decaying street infrastructure all over Houston by publicly recognizing the "pothole crisis," why would you want to tear up one of the few streets in Houston in good shape? It's an example of California-style bullet trains; i.e. projects certain to lose money, but beloved by politicians, pork-barreling interest groups and a handful of property owners masquerading as publicly spirited community servants.

I would argue that (collectively), they resemble booty-hungry pirates. Quite frankly, this will probably prove to be another example of "I told you so." But the damage will have been done. Merchants/restaurateurs will have been bankrupted and/or have moved, and our Rodeo Drive, perhaps Houston's best tourist attraction, will be no more.

 

Wall is a commercial real estate broker, specializing in tenant representation

 

[Luminare]

I stopped reading this when he suggested that this was our "Rodeo Drive" (of course Rodeo pronounced in the other way not the Houston Rodeo way). The whole article is very cynical, and reeks of sweaty palms and fear of change. I got news for him....Post Oak sucks to drive on! Period!

 

"Rodeo Drive, perhaps Houston's best tourist attraction, will be no more." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLL

 

Nasa...nope. Our fabulous museum district......nope. Downtown.....nope. Buffalo Bayou.....nope. A congested, mismanaged, poorly planned, over indulgent, strip mall flanked road.....yes. yes this is our best attraction!  Douchebag.

[Slick Vik]

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Wall-Bus-lane-project-will-ruin-our-Rodeo-Drive-6107583.php

Fear mongering at its best

[Dakota79]

I stopped reading this when he suggested that this was our "Rodeo Drive" (of course Rodeo pronounced in the other way not the Houston Rodeo way). The whole article is very cynical, and reeks of sweaty palms and fear of change. I got news for him....Post Oak sucks to drive on! Period!

"Rodeo Drive, perhaps Houston's best tourist attraction, will be no more." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLL

Nasa...nope. Our fabulous museum district......nope. Downtown.....nope. Buffalo Bayou.....nope. A congested, mismanaged, poorly planned, over indulgent, strip mall flanked road.....yes. yes this is our best attraction! Douchebag.

These mo'fo's don't understand we have to get mass trans! He needs to get out more.

[ArchFan]

Perhaps I haven't read far back enough, but I gotta comment on the long quote.  First off, I agree that the Rodeo Drive reference was lame.  I don't have the time right now to make a detailed well-though-out critique of that post, but my reaction was this:  (1)  better-than-average writing skills and (2) weak logic skills.  After a while, it gets depressing to see people who obviously have some intelligence give into the urge to decide first, then cherry-pick (or make up) some facts and then apply non-sequiturs to make an argument.  

 

And ... to be clear ... I'm not a big fan of the dedicated bus line plan.  I am a fan of the dedicated, grade-separated rail concept.  However, I would be a more of a fan if it were well-designed, such that in the long run it would be useful.  That's a big caveat.  Between Metro's past incompetence and the strong effort by some politicians to make it fail at any cost, it's hard to be optimistic.

Edited March 3, 2015 by ArchFan

[samagon]

Not really because Culberson put some language in a federal bill that said rail would never be built in that area. That would have to be reversed. And it's unclear that the elevated lanes will be built with LRT ready structural integrity but it seems like it won't have it.

 

No. He has a rider added to the budget every year that says federal money cannot be used on light rail in his district unless very specific conditions are met, which are fairly unattainable.

 

There is nothing stopping metro from building it, so long as it is funded locally.