j_cuevas713 Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 1 hour ago, samagon said: so from Shepherd to Montrose? maybe all the way to the spur? That's being handled by Montrose TIRZ. I live right on the border of UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 3 hours ago, samagon said: so from Shepherd to Montrose? maybe all the way to the spur? Phase 2 is from Buffalo Spwy to Shepherd and Phase 3 will be Shepherd to the Spur. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 https://communityimpact.com/austin/central-austin/transportation/2022/12/13/texas-department-of-transportation-allocates-250m-for-walking-biking-in-2023/ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) when I look at this amount compared to the bigger picture, TXDoT has a 30 billion annual budget https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/fin/funding-brochure2021.pdf and they are tossing 0.8% for pedestrian and cycling? I feel slighted, but then I start start to feel like I've got Stockholm syndrome and am grateful they are doing anything for transportation other than just single occupancy vehicles. this money is allocated from the federal level specifically for pedestrian and cycling, so it's not like TXDoT is doing anything other than making funds that someone else is providing available for use by local municipalities. ugh, I am glad that money is being allocated, no matter how much/little it is, or where it's from. Edited December 15, 2022 by samagon 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Just a general question but are there any future plans to rebuild Westpark Dr? It’s hideous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
004n063 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 5 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: Just a general question but are there any future plans to rebuild Westpark Dr? It’s hideous Yes, it's part of the MetroRapid plan. But that's optimistically set for a 2028 opening. Meanwhile dozens of construction workers are biking in the dark and dozens of kids are still walking to and from school (there are at least 4 on the worst part of WP) on desire paths next to 50+ mph traffic, and crossing the godawful intersection at 59. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 the part of Westpark from 59 to Gessner is a mess, am I 3 lanes in each direction? am I 2 lanes in each direction? oooh, look, now I have a right turn lane only! if ever there was a road in Houston that encouraged drivers to go faster than is safe, that's one of them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
004n063 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 10 hours ago, samagon said: the part of Westpark from 59 to Gessner is a mess, am I 3 lanes in each direction? am I 2 lanes in each direction? oooh, look, now I have a right turn lane only! if ever there was a road in Houston that encouraged drivers to go faster than is safe, that's one of them. It's the most dangerous type of stroad: the 75% road, 25% street kind. It feels like a highway, and drivers treat it as such. Except people also make left turns onto it from perpendicular side streets and business/school driveways. Also people, including children, walk along and across it at near-peak traffic times. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Almost 40 years ago, 'Repo Man' got it right. "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcresMansions Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 9/18/2022 at 12:07 PM, BEES?! said: New transportation app released the other day, it’s called Houston ConnectSmart https://www.houstonconnectsmart.com I’ve been playing around with it. I really like the carpool group feature. You can see traffic cameras on the map. It lists all BCycle stations and how many bikes are available at each one. The bike route comfort levels is a neat feature too, and is nice for a less-confident cyclist like myself. I think it would be nice if they had a layer that made bus route info a bit easier to understand. You can see the names of the stops, but it’s not immediately clear to which numbered route they belong. If they could fix that somehow, that would be very helpful. I've been using it exclusively for a couple months now because of the rewards system. I want to make it my ONE transportation app but there's currently a few issues I have with it. -changing the walking speed settings does nothing to the estimated travel times and this makes the application offer me weird routes because it thinks i walk slower than a senior citizen with a walker and I won't make it to the bus stop on time to take a more common-sense route. -for that matter changing the prefered cycling speed also does nothing to the estimated travel times and that also feeds into the issue of suggesting bus routes i could reach on bicycle. Have you had the same or similar issues, and is this still an app you use or have you reverted to another app, i'm curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-sidewalk-construction-fee-developers-17735966.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcresMansions Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) 6 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-sidewalk-construction-fee-developers-17735966.php The sidewalk in lieu fee received a heated reaction from me and the rest during the October meeting of the Acres Home mobility study. Acres Homes' south side is rapidly filling up with 16-piece townhome developments on acre lots where previously there was only one ranch-style home. I'm not against more housing of any kind, but I'm very upset the developers think they can plop down as many of these gated multi-family developments and not even put in a sidewalk. Acres Home is not that kind of community, we take care of our own. Historically Acres home was sort of a black Wall Street-esque town before it was annexed and things went to shit. Further, I think it's stupid that in the age of hyperinflation the city thinks it can manage a common fund and leverage economies of scale to get a sidewalk built "somewhere down the line" when a developer decides it's prohibitively expensive for them. We all told the planning department they need to make it mandatory, Acres Home needs sidewalks, bicycle lanes and the developers need to give something back when they come in and take up sub 100k lots to build 1.5mm+ in shoddy cookie-cutter townhomes. Edited January 24 by AcresMansions 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 6 minutes ago, AcresMansions said: The sidewalk in lieu fee for a heated reaction from me and the rest during the October meeting of the Acres Home mobility study. I think it's stupid that in the age of hyperinflation the city thinks it can manage a common fund and leverage economies of scale to get a sidewalk built when a developer decides it's prohibitively expensive for them. We all told the planning department they need to make it mandatory, acres home needs sidewalks. Yep because all that's going to happen is developers are going to make excuses not to build sidewalks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) On 1/24/2023 at 12:42 PM, j_cuevas713 said: Yep because all that's going to happen is developers are going to make excuses not to build sidewalks If the fee costs more than building sidewalks or even a similar amount, why would they do that? Further the allowed "excuses" are pretty limited. This seems like a reasonable accommodation to reality. There are some neighborhoods that do not want sidewalks. (My former neighborhood is among them - in fact it's in the deed covenants, IIRC.) It is a waste to require builders to install sidewalks on new builds in that neighborhood when they will never be connected to anything. Why not take that money and install additional sidewalks where they can provide further pedestrian connectivity. The draft ordinance from last year has the following allowed "excuses" (which, remember allows the builder/developer to pay to the city an amount approximately the same as he would otherwise have had to spend building sidewalks) - these may have been adjusted somewhat in this year's draft but probably not significantly): (1) construction of new single-family residential . . . ; AND it is on a lot that has not been part ofd a subdivision plat created after October 1, 2020; AND the lot fronts a local street that is not a walkable place street or TOD street; AND the lot is not a corner lot . . . ; AND the lot makes up 20% or less of the linear length of the blockface; AND the lot is on a blockface where no existing sidewalk is located or no existing sidewalk is located within 500 feet of the lot along the same blockface; AND there is no school located on the same block. OR (2) they can file under Section 40-561 which require an application, a sidewalk plan, a non-refundable fee, and documentation to support the request, after which the planning officials must give notice of the request to the district council member, each relevant neighborhood association, the sidewalk committee, and other entities as determined by the planning official. THEN, the sidewalk committee may approve the request IF construction of the sidewalk is infeasible due to existing physical conditions at the project site; OR construction of the sidewalk may create an unsafe condition or be otherwise contrary to sound public policy; OR there is an approved public street or sidewalk project at 60% or more of the design stage on the blockface; OR the required sidewalk construction . . . would adversely impact an approved public street project or other construction project by a governmental entity, political subdivision, transit authority, or local government corporation. And again, gaining this exclusion only allows them the ability to pay the approximate cost of building the sidewalks they would otherwise be required to build. Edited January 25 by Houston19514 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcresMansions Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 4 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: Yep because all that's going to happen is developers are going to make excuses not to build sidewalks The more common excuses shared by Lindsey from Houston Planning & Development is that it was going to be very expensive for them to curb the trenches, but why would the city be able to do it in say, 4 years, cheaper than the developer can do it now? Inflation remains high, the Fed is going to continue to normalize rates, and this small window of opportunity while people sit around and wait to be pikachu-faced after the next fed meeting when they hike is all anyone is going to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 22 hours ago, AcresMansions said: The more common excuses shared by Lindsey from Houston Planning & Development is that it was going to be very expensive for them to curb the trenches, but why would the city be able to do it in say, 4 years, cheaper than the developer can do it now? Inflation remains high, the Fed is going to continue to normalize rates, and this small window of opportunity while people sit around and wait to be pikachu-faced after the next fed meeting when they hike is all anyone is going to get. Not sure what you are talking about... curb the trenches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcresMansions Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 2 minutes ago, Houston19514 said: Not sure what you are talking about... curb the trenches? hell maybe i don't even know what I'm talking about. I thought that's what it was called when you build a curb and sidewalk over the trench and convert it to in-ground drainage as opposed to an open ditch. what's that called? bc as it stands many streets in Acres Home have very narrow streets and in cases where perhaps you might want to put in a sidewalk where there isn't one, you would have to build it over the trench, instead of narrowing the street even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Looks like this was approved. I'm not against the plan, I do see the benefit of it helping us build continuous sidewalks in the city. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-oks-sidewalk-fee-and-buffering-rules-17740765.php 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 This has also been approved. Metro is taking over the bike share program https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/bike-share-houston-metro-transit-bikehouston-17744012.php 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/25/2023 at 8:50 PM, j_cuevas713 said: Looks like this was approved. I'm not against the plan, I do see the benefit of it helping us build continuous sidewalks in the city. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-oks-sidewalk-fee-and-buffering-rules-17740765.php great idea on the sidewalk part, although the fee needs to be set to an average price for pouring a sidewalk. right now $12psf is the high end of a sidewalk install psf, (at least according to top results from Google), but at some point the cost is going to go up, and it'll be cheaper to pay than to put in a sidewalk, which may counter the intended purpose. as for the other mention in that article, looks like Ashby highrise haters have made density more difficult city wide. good job for them. I hope the developer builds as large as he possibly can and makes it 100% low income housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 57 minutes ago, samagon said: great idea on the sidewalk part, although the fee needs to be set to an average price for pouring a sidewalk. right now $12psf is the high end of a sidewalk install psf, (at least according to top results from Google), but at some point the cost is going to go up, and it'll be cheaper to pay than to put in a sidewalk, which may counter the intended purpose. as for the other mention in that article, looks like Ashby highrise haters have made density more difficult city wide. good job for them. I hope the developer builds as large as he possibly can and makes it 100% low income housing. The $12 psf fee is the current fee. The amount of the Fee in Lieu of Sidewalk Construction will be established based on the estimated material and labor cost of the sidewalk projects constructed by the City on an annual basis. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 2 hours ago, samagon said: great idea on the sidewalk part, although the fee needs to be set to an average price for pouring a sidewalk. right now $12psf is the high end of a sidewalk install psf, (at least according to top results from Google), but at some point the cost is going to go up, and it'll be cheaper to pay than to put in a sidewalk, which may counter the intended purpose. as for the other mention in that article, looks like Ashby highrise haters have made density more difficult city wide. good job for them. I hope the developer builds as large as he possibly can and makes it 100% low income housing. From what I've heard, third party contractors in Houston are a bit above the $12/price, but it is somewhat in line with what developers pay before concrete prices spiked before COVID. They do still have to get approval and meet criteria to pay the $12/sf fee, so it isn't completely discretionary on their part. Currently the city is approving a few hundred sidewalk modifications per year that haven't been paying anything more than the $1000ish application fee. 1 hour ago, Houston19514 said: The $12 psf fee is the current fee. The amount of the Fee in Lieu of Sidewalk Construction will be established based on the estimated material and labor cost of the sidewalk projects constructed by the City on an annual basis. Exactly, they can modify it. Time will tell home much they'll be able to do, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/federal-road-safety-grant-awarded-houston-17756791.php 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcresMansions Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Metro CEO Tom Lambert retiring at the end of the year (houstonchronicle.com) I would've preferred for them to promote from within, I think Sanjay Ramabhadran would bring dedicated leadership, but they've decided to hire a firm to find a new CEO. Idk anything about Tom, but maybe a change in leadership would impulse more investment into METRO. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 How is this not a hit and run? https://abc13.com/bicyclist-killed-deadly-hit-and-run-bike-stuck-under-car-bicycle-beneath-vehicle/12904169/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
004n063 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 6 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: How is this not a hit and run? https://abc13.com/bicyclist-killed-deadly-hit-and-run-bike-stuck-under-car-bicycle-beneath-vehicle/12904169/ Sounds like it was? The article refers to it as a hit and run several times. They haven't charged him yet, but one has to assume they will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 15 hours ago, 004n063 said: Sounds like it was? The article refers to it as a hit and run several times. They haven't charged him yet, but one has to assume they will. Yeah the article makes it clear but the police for some reason had a hard time coming to the same conclusion. But yeah you're right, they'll be charged eventually. I'm just super sensitive on the subject after seeing people I know get seriously hurt or killed. The kid in Waller got 6 felonies for his stunt. I have yet to hear anything about the little boy who died riding his bike in his neighborhood. The last I heard, the lady that was driving admitted to being distracted by a sandwich she was eating. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 more construction to come for i45 (north of BW8 up to loop 336). https://communityimpact.com/houston/conroe-montgomery/development/2023/03/15/txdot-to-transform-i-45-corridor-north-to-conroe/ this article links back to another with 3 proposals. Quote Alternative 1: The first design proposal would use the existing paved roadway and restripe it to create one high-occupancy vehicle lane and five main lines in both directions. The project would not require additional right-of-way, according to TxDOT, but it would use a portion of the shoulders on the freeway to create the additional lanes. This plan does not make any improvements or changes to the frontage roads. Alternative 2: The second proposal would require additional right-of-way along I-45 in order to widen the freeway and make way for two HOV lanes as well as four to five main lanes north and south. It would also require full reconstruction of the frontage roads and ramps, but it would keep the same number of lanes. This would also add a shared-use path in place of sidewalks along the frontage. Alternative 3: The third proposal would require some additional right-of-way, but it would require a significant amount of construction to create two elevated HOV lanes going north and south. This would leave the same number of main and frontage lanes which currently exist and also create a shared-use path. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I know this isn't "transit news' but it is important to note that the BBB has revoked Centerpoint Energy for a year. I hope they address the terrible job they do keeping the pedestrian realm clean after they do a job. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/bbb-revokes-centerpoint-accreditation-17845648.php 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 (edited) Please tell me they’re building sidewalk here 🤦🏻♂️ This is in front of the Pappa’s Seafood that’s being remodeled. It looks like it was filled with mulch. Edited April 7 by j_cuevas713 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/downtown-houston-parking-one-quarter-area-17888647.php 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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