White Announces Way Cleared For Fed Transit $

[MontroseNeighborhoodCafe]

June 14, 2005, 6:16AM

New transit plan is leaning more toward buses

Culberson and DeLay sign on to seek federal funds for a phase that uses special buses

By RAD SALLEE

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

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[UrbaNerd]

I have a much better feeling about this plan. It seems more realistic, and feasible. It will do for now, and in the future, can be upgraded, anyway. If this is the way things are going to be, then as stated, we may be able to get even more of these lines. That rapid bus thingy looks kinda cool, too.

[2112]

The intermodal terminal, which the article says is planned somewhere around Burnette Street, is right on the north side of the main street tunnel that goes underneath existing rail tracks, just north of UHD, in the near-northside area just on the otherside of downtown. That's great news. This is the terminal that has been invisioned for some time, which should include Greyhound, Amtrack, lightrail, and commuter rail, in addition to bus rapid-transit and other long-haul bus lines. This could be Houston's very own version of the famed port authority bus terminal (PABT). Except ours will have everything, not just busses. I hope the damn thing is huge, gaudy, and impressive!

[kjb434]

TVoUO: The 290 corridor was planning on a Toll Road before the US 290 Expansion. The commuter rail and the Toll Road will probably provide enough capacity to buy TxDOT some time before US 290 gets rebuilt and widened.

US 290 is lucky since it has enough right of way to handle expansion. No crazy ROW acquisitions like in the Katy Freeway.

Overall the plan is good plan for METRO.

It may be hard for some of you to believe, Delay has been working on this for a while with the Highway bill. The senate and the house passed their highway bills (which includes transit money) last week. Metro has taken what is promised to them and planned out ways to spend it.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

This is truly exciting news for Houston! Did I read the Chronicle right this morning, that the proposed improvements will be completed by 2012? If so, that's fantastic.

Also, a question for "VoxUO"...I think the Wheeler/Richmond alignment is great, but what will be the route between TSU and UH, since Wheeler isn't continuous through the TSU campus? Will it go around to Alabama or Blodgett?

I would assume the rail line MUST touch the TSU campus, therefore Cleburne or Blodgett would be preferable to Alabama, which is a few blocks from TSU.

I'd like to see the line go along Wheeler across the length of UH, all the way to Calhoun and across Brays Bayou to connect to beautiful MacGregor Park. Maybe that's getting a little ahead of myself.

As a resident of South Union, roughly a mile south of the proposed rail line at Scott and Griggs, I'm very happy to hear about this, especially the cross-town route from UH to the Galleria. I'll now have rail access to downtown, UH, Midtown, the Shepherd Square area, Montrose, the East End, Greenway Plaza (or more accurately, Edwards Theater for the wife)...basically everywhere I travel today.

Very cool stuff. Especially the expedited construction schedule.

[VelvetJ]

Hey can someone answer my question about the numbers on the Sugarland commuter rail? With the completion of the 90A Super Road, the opening of the new Ft. Bend toll road, and the completion of the most congested portion of the the Southwest Freeway through Stafford, Missouri City and on to Sugarland, what are any opinions on commuter rail going down 90A so soon.

I am most excited about the light rail east west line going to the Galleria and the commuter line going up 290. The only freeway in Houston that needed commuter worse than 290 was of course the Katy Freeway. I am so happy for those that use 290 because that Freeway's traffic is INSANE. Congrats to them.

Now, that article stated all of this could be done in 7 years if we get the funding. How soon after the 7 years would Houstonians be able to go to the polls to approve expansion of the rest of the plan in terms of taking commuter out the Gulf Freeway, and possibly converting some of the guided buses to LRV?

Lastly, for some reason, I totally see this making room for a High Speed Maglev type train from Intercontinental Airport to the new Transportation Module north of Downtown in the eventual future.

*note- I also hope this new Transportation Hub has some creativitiy in it's design. I know we are limited in funds but I sure pray Houston's ONLY objective is simply not to get what is cheapest. I hope the design has some form of artistic intergrity instead of a gigantic beige box.

And please add some form of art that represents our city, like statues or something of a Astronaut, a Oil Well, the AstroDome, our Skyline, and a Cowboy. I don't know.....just something that has a little excitement to it.

[RedScare]

Here's a pic of Ft. Worth's Intermodal -

http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/ftw/itcfront.jpg

And, here's a link to a site about it -

http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/itcstation.html

[shasta]

Am I correct in interpreting the new plan as having NO CONNECTIONS to either of the airports (Bush or Hobby)?

This should be a priority.

[kjb434]

Currently metro doesn't have ridership numbers that go to the airports to suggest switching from any existing bus lines to rail. This is Metro's methodology. I would love to see a faster moving express line to the airports.

[GovernorAggie]

Yes you are correct that there are no connections to the airports, but this was the case even before the changes were made. Remember, this is Phase 1 of Metro Solutions. When the voters come back to the polls in 7-8 years, then we will vote on (and likely approve by a much larger margin) the other extensions, including to the airports (which could coincide with a switch to LRVs in the North and Southeast lines).

[skwatra]

Currently metro doesn't have ridership numbers that go to the airports to suggest switching from any existing bus lines to rail.  This is Metro's methodology.  I would love to see a faster moving express line to the airports.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

of course they don't have ridership numbers. i would never ask my friend coming in to iah to take a city bus to downtown that takes over an hour, when i can drive him in less than half that time. an express rail to the airports would be so nice, and i would think would be utilized much more the the current airport "express" 101 and 102. when i mention these to people who live here, they didn't even know they exist.

[houstonsemipro]

I just love to new look on the buses. They made them just like the monorail. Wow! Pretty neat.

[ssullivan]

They are great.  They are really called trolley buses because they run just like light rail but on wheels.  I always wondered why American cities do not build more of these except for light rail.  It is a lot cheaper except for tearing up the lanes for a rail.  They're all over Europe.

Houston's fixed guideway buses won't be tolley buses. Part of the cost savings in this plan is not putting up overhead wires and not building out the power generation system for these lines. Also, by "fixed guideway" the plan means buses that run on their own right of way, with boarding platforms like what the light rail uses and very limited stops. Trolley buses, which can also be found in Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and a couple of other US cities, do have a fixed guideway (based on the limitation of only being able to operate on streets/routes with an overhead transit power supply system) but often operate as local buses, stopping at regular bus stops every couple of blocks.

[kjb434]

skwatra,

that's my point. Metro has all along been planning light rail to consolidate and replace existing bus lines that have high ridership. Metro is going after customers they already have to ensure the rail lines are successful. The commuterlines are there to replace the HOV buses. As soon as a commuter line is built parallel to US 290 along hempstead, you'll see the HOV lane removed. Actually, if HCTRA builds their companion tollroad along Hempstead (leaving room for rail options) the HOV lane will be removed.

When Metro, HCTRA, and any properly operating transit agency plan for the future, it's based on customer usage. The agencies are equivalent to a big business. Actually, Metro operates this way already with our tax dollars as a subsidy.

Anyway, Metro is intent on building something out to the airports eventually. I think that the commuter line to Galveston should stop by Hobby airport instead of light rail. It may be a little costly though since most commuter lines will use existing rail facilities.

[ssullivan]

5. The signature express buses proposed by the plan will be similar to those operated in Los Angeles in other cities. They won't be as capital-intensive as "full" BRT (for example, they'll operate in mixed traffic, as opposed to dedicated lanes) but they'll still provide "better bus" service by having fewer stops, signal pre-emption systems, and the like. These were proposed along OST, Bellaire, Westheimer, Gessner and Tidwell in the voter-approved plan but it looks like Bellaire and Westheimer won't be part of this revised initial plan. I really like the proposed signature express line that appears to run west of 610 down Chimney Rock or South Rice to the 90A Commuter rail line. It wasn't part of the original METROSolutions plan, although it always made sense to me because of the high volumes of transit-dependent people in the "Gulfton Ghetto."

After seeing the map in today's Chronicle, it does appear that the Westheimer and Bellaire/Holcombe signature express lines are no longer there. I think this is a big mistake, as the 2, 82, and 53 bus routes are some of Metro's most crowded. These routes are also plagued with delays due to heavy traffic and the number of stops that have to be made. The Westheimer and Bellaire/Holcombe corridors are long, east-west, crosstown corridors that connect multiple shopping, office, and residential areas, and could really benefit from additional bus capacity with more limited stops.

Today's Chronicle does give some more details into the plan, which I like overall. As I said yesterday in my initial post on this subject, my biggest concern is that the rails will be laid down, then covered over with asphalt for the BRT lines, and we'll never see the rails actually used. The best case scenario is that the lines are fully built with EVERYTHING but the overhead power supply and that the ridership numbers will quickly demonstrate the need for full light rail service on these routes.

[2112]

After seeing the map in today's Chronicle, it does appear that the Westheimer and Bellaire/Holcombe signature express lines are no longer there. I think this is a big mistake, as the 2, 82, and 53 bus routes are some of Metro's most crowded. These routes are also plagued with delays due to heavy traffic and the number of stops that have to be made. The Westheimer and Bellaire/Holcombe corridors are long, east-west, crosstown corridors that connect multiple shopping, office, and residential areas, and could really benefit from additional bus capacity with more limited stops.

Today's Chronicle does give some more details into the plan, which I like overall. As I said yesterday in my initial post on this subject, my biggest concern is that the rails will be laid down, then covered over with asphalt for the BRT lines, and we'll never see the rails actually used. The best case scenario is that the lines are fully built with EVERYTHING but the overhead power supply and that the ridership numbers will quickly demonstrate the need for full light rail service on these routes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They are planning on putting rail down now? On the BRT lines? I guess I missed something. I thought it was ASPHALT dedicated lanes now, with stations, and then in the future replace the asphast with rail, plust the electrical overhead power.

[ssullivan]

No the articles in the Chronicle both yesterday and today indicate that the only part that won't be built on the north, southeast, and Harrisburg lines is the overhead power supply system and actual LRVs. The tracks will be laid down but covered over for the buses to drive on.

This only applies to the BRT lines that are being proposed as interim replacements for full light rail service. The BRT lines outside 610 that run in corridors like Post Oak, Gessner, S. Rice, etc. are planned at this point as bus only and will not involve putting rails in the street.

See this quote from today's Chronicle:

Wilson said the 20 miles of bus rapid transit in the North, Southeast, Harrisburg and Uptown corridors would run on roadbed like that of the seven-mile Main Street light rail line and would stop at similar boarding platforms. Only the electric power system and train cars would be missing. He said the rails would be laid and covered up, ready for use when ridership justifies using them.

[The Great Hizzy!]

As soon as a commuter line is built parallel to US 290 along hempstead, you'll see the HOV lane removed. Actually, if HCTRA builds their companion tollroad along Hempstead (leaving room for rail options) the HOV lane will be removed.

The HOV lanes would more than likely be replaced by the toll lanes that you see being built on the Katy Freeway. METRO has every intention of preserving their Park & Ride service, which is the most successful of its kind for any metro south of Washington and east of Los Angeles. In fact, you should expect to see a new Cypress Park & Ride lot off of 290 in the not so distant future. The new funding will also go to the construction of a new P&R lot near Katy and in Clear Lake.

[UrbaNerd]

Here are some pics of BRT in other places:

[kjb434]

Hizzy,

I'm just relaying the what Mike Strech (head of HCTRA) has told me and what was the concept presented before for US 290. The HOV lanes will be removed from US 290 ass soon as a Toll Road is completed. The park-n-ride concepts will still be employed, but on the Tollway. This will leave US290 free for TxDOT to rebuild as they wish without having the HOV lane in the way. It will also have TxDOT in the position of not needing to buy any new right-of-way.

Hey, those BRT pics look good.

[J.A.S.O.N.]

The city of Galveston is currently testing four hybrid trolley buses (they look very similar to the trolley cars themselves), to transport tourists from their hotels to the city's tourist attractions. They are doing this instead of laying down more tracks. The city is doing this for the tourist's convenience and to ease traffic around the city.

It would be nice if the city of Houston would choose a bus design closer to the metro light rail car's design.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Hizzy,

I'm just relaying the what Mike Strech (head of HCTRA) has told me and what was the concept presented before for US 290.

[citykid09]

Here is a qouat from Shasta

THey tried this in Boston. The new Silver Line of the T system is a bus. People are pissed for several reasons...

#1 The bus is supposed to have several miles of travel in a dedicated lane. However, people double park, drive in, and illegally use that lane all the time. I can only imagine what drivers in Houston will do...

#2 The bus gets stopped by traffic jams, red lights, pedestrians, etc...and during the peak travel times, it gets packed. I have waited before for several buses before I could enter one because of the reduced capacity of a bus compared to a train.

#3 It's a bus. People simply do not like buses as much as rail.

[RedScare]

I saw pictures of the Boston bus and it's in the middle of the street. Given that the plan here is to run a bus over the track, and given that Metro is probably trying to keep trains and cars separate as much as possible (given our horrid driving), I would expect there to be some seapration between the two, such as a curb between rail and street...similar to some of those photos.

Plus, it was described as a fixed guideway, which seems to suggest some sort of separation as well.

[UrbaNerd]

And just like rail, we'll probably hear about cars getting into accidents with these BRTs

[ssullivan]

I saw pictures of the Boston bus and it's in the middle of the street.  Given that the plan here is to run a bus over the track, and given that Metro is probably trying to keep trains and cars separate as much as possible (given our horrid driving), I would expect there to be some seapration between the two, such as a curb between rail and street...similar to some of those photos.

Plus, it was described as a fixed guideway, which seems to suggest some sort of separation as well.

Boston's Silver Line, which they claim to be a BRT system, is a mix of buses in dedicated rights of way and tunnels with buses on regular streets. The only thing that really is uniform across the Silver Line is that the buses are special equipment purchased just for that line, and there aren't very many stops. Downtown the buses run on regular streets, mixed with other traffic. This is not what I interpret the BRT lines in Houston that are being built for future upgrade to light rail to be. However, it is like what the other BRT "signature express" lines will be like here.

BRT is a very loosely defined term, and in some cities it may be very much like rail, while in others it may just be a regular bus on a regular street that doesn't make that many stops.

[citykid09]

Here is one of the BRT systems

[GovernorAggie]

That's the French-built Civis bus and my favorite of the BRT buses. This bus is currently in use in Las Vegas. When I worked in Charlotte, on of the Civis buses was on display at the government center for the pblic to see and the two main things that I noticed was

1. It's a really, really long bus and

2. It's really, really tall. The pictures don't accurately represent it.

The Civis is also capable of being automatically steered using optical sensors that read specific street markings. There's been Las Vegas demos of street markings heading toward brick walls and then making sudden 90 degree turns. The bus followed the markings and made the turn on a dime--without driver assistance. The bus is also powered by four independent motors at the wheels instead of one big motor.

The reason that this bus was on tour in Charlotte was because busways were initially selected for Charlotte's Southeast and West transit corridors. The people in those areas were upset and felt like they were being treated unfairly by the city and wanted rail just like the other 3 corridors. After the bus came, the council reps from those districts and people from those districts felt better about using the technology--but still preferred rail.

I think that seeking this type of technology will ensure that Houston gets its money, because the FTA has been pretty aggressive in marketing BRT as a choice instead of LRT. Houston would have been in even better position if it was BRT test city like Charlotte is. Maybe it's not too late to become one.

However, as a fan of Civis, I must let it be known that I have seen the dissenters over on SSP of the bus in Las Vegas, basically calling it "just another bus" that basically wasn't good enough and a waste of money. Of course it was in comparison to rail. On the other hand, I've learned to take SSP has opinions just like everyone has butts and they all stink when it's about any city outside of Chicago, NYC, SF, Miami, Denver, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.

[Guest danax]

However, as a fan of Civis, I must let it be known that I have seen the dissenters over on SSP of the bus in Las Vegas, basically calling it "just another bus" that basically wasn't good enough and a waste of money.  Of course it was in comparison to rail.  On the other hand, I've learned to take SSP has opinions just like everyone has butts and they all stink when it's about any city outside of Chicago, NYC, SF, Miami, Denver, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't the main difference between real buses and light rail image? Yes, smoother ride and the pollution aspect but in terms of what attracts riders I think its the look and urban feel of rail.

So, I'm thinking that, if ridership levels must be proven before these BRTs convert to LRTs, then they might not ever hit the anticipated levels because people will be less likely to ride as they will be perceived as buses not trains. Kind of a chicken/egg situation.

However, I realize that they will still attract more riders than buses because of the beautiful stations and tracks. And they'd better chose designs as close to train-like as possible. Also, maybe the politicians realized that they could get away with BRT in the poorer sections, not only because there would be less griping but because the riders who ride out of necessity will ride anything whereas West of Downtown riders won't jump on glorified buses. Although, the Westpark line will be BRT too.

Just some quick thoughts.

[713 To 214]

Question #1. Why would any MetroRail supporter be happy about the new plan, considering it's not what the voters approved last November?

Question #2. Why would any MetroRail supporter be happy about the new plan, considering much of it is geared toward serving Tom Delay's community (Remember, he has been MetroRail's chief critic for the past 10 years)? It seems like now he's getting a reward for all of his criticisims and efforts to stop rail in Houston.

Question #3. Why would any MetroRail supporter be happy about replacing trains with buses?

Question #4. Why would any MetroRail Supporter be happy about a new plan that fails to serve at least 1 of Houston's 2 airports?

Question #5. Will a new election on the "new plan" be required before it can actually be implimented?

Question #6. Are any MetroRail supporters going to call the politicians involved in this "behind the scenes compromise" of their tax dollars, and express their dissatisfaction with the change in plan?

Question #7. How long do you think it will take before rasil cars replace buses on the newly proposed routes?