Trae

Are the screens for sure not happening?

The screens were approved, and are for sure happening.

We have threads for each line I believe. We need a new start for the University Line thread though. That thing is a mess.

So the vote passed 13-2. Nice.

Good.

go to europe sometime, we're not that bad off.

Yeah, Europe's gas prices are a lot higher, but you know they have better overall transportation options than us.

Since you are Downtown and near the rail line, take the light rail to Northpark. Get some pictures of the subway .

I kind of want to see this thing. How long will it be in MG?

Glad Continental didn't merge with United.

the walk from the nearest freight rail tracks to the dome would be a big one. it's not like they can leave you in the parking lot ala P&R.

since when are HOVs closed on the weekends? last time i went to austin, i took the i-10 one coming in to town on sunday afternoon. the gulf freeway one used to be open too for galveston traffic.

How hard would it be to take the Red Line to the Reliant Station? Not hard at all. The South Fannin Station would be a big transfer point. And I-10 is the only HOV lane that I know of that is open on the weekends.

I sometimes get stuck in weekend congestion briefly on the Gulf Freeway or on the Pierce Elevated, or where there is construction. Also at the Bolivar Ferry. Otherwise, I never have any weekend problems on freeways. And it doesn't matter that HOVs are closed when the main lanes aren't congested.

That's nice. If some people want to drive in, let them. But if there is an option to take commuter rail down the middle of I-10 (just saying), then I bet you anything people would use it to go into town.

It is harder to setup P&R on the weekends, than it would be to setup commuter rail on the weekends.

And if the mainlanes aren't congested, who the hell is going to use the Katy Tollway? Did they only build that thing for rush hour traffic?

The LRT system serving Reliant Park provides insufficient capacity to handle big events as it is. I'm not sure that funneling people onto it from commuter trains is a good solution.

More trains (so more frequent service) would help.

You have no evidence that they would run on weekends, the destinations you suggest are not even close to any existing or proposed trackage, and since the most likely routes would not have airport connections, it doesn't really make a very compelling case.

I don't, you're right. I'm just assuming. And yes, I know that. IF you read my post, I said I'm just going to have wishful thinking and pretend I-10 had a commuter rail in the middle instead of a tollway.

Moreover, weekend freeway congestion is minimal and origin and destination points for trips are far more decentralized and chaotic. With lower weekend ridership, there would be fewer passengers around which to spread high fixed costs, and it would very easily get to the point that a weekend commuter rail service would be more expensive per passenger mile (at taxpayer expense) than would for people just to use their own vehicles (at their own expense). If other cities are doing it, perhaps they should reconsider.

I don't know about you, but there is a ton of weekend traffic. Sometimes it flows, but it does get bumper to bumper. Weekend ridership would obviously be lower than weekday ridership, but who is to say how low it would get? You never know.

But it would normally just be for Saturday. I don't think many commuter rail services operate on Sunday. Saturday ridership levels won't be low I don't think. Always something to do in the city.

In fact, those cities would be well-advised to take a page from our playbook and implement P&R bus service to large events, just like we do with the HLS&R and various other events. And that demonstrates the flexible nature of P&R over commuter rail, in that the same lots can be utilized for service to recreational destinations on the weekends as are used for workplace destinations on weekdays.

Uh...commuter rail could be used in the exact same way for those event. In fact, a commuter rail train can carry a lot more passengers than many buses would. HOV's are closed on the weekends, too, so we have to use freeways and side roads.

Ummm...Trae...could you provide a link to the schedule of the commuter rail that we don't have?

Commuter Rail is almost always run on weekends (at least Saturdays) in cities that have it. Houston would be no different. It is harder to run P&R on the weekends, as no one works Downtown (at least not like the work week). Commuter Rail, with stations at key points (let me just have wishful thinking and pretend it is placed on I-10), you have Grand Parkway, Highway 6, Memorial City, the Marq* E area, then onto Downtown. With the right schedule, people will use it to get to those areas during the weekend. Especially the Memorial City/City Centre, and Marq*E areas.

And building a rail line is the most cost effective solution to rectifying this?

Just another bullet point to the list.

Houston METRORail Timeline:

1988 - Voters approve plan to construct twenty miles of light rail.

1992 - New Mayor Bob Lanier kills light rail plan and proceeds to spend $500 million set aside for light rail on the Metro police force and fixing potholes.

Oh bitchass named Bob Lanier. I never knew light rail was approved over 20 years ago in Houston. Wonder what the plans looked like.

Commuter rail is also good because it is run on weekends. P&R isn't. For example, this past Saturday, me and some friends wanted to go to The Galleria. It would have been a lot cheaper to just take the commuter rail to say the Northwest Transit Center, then the Uptown Line on into The Galleria (dumb Katy Tollway takes that option away). Instead, we had to drive in on I-10. No other option except for the 82 Westheimer (I think that's the one that goes to The Galleria), but we didn't want to ride the bus.

The inner city that would be the greater beneficiary. Without effective spokes out to the suburbs (regardless of whether they are handling single-occupant autos, carpools, vanpools, P&R busses, or trains) it makes more sense for most companies to move to where their people are than to expect that their people will relocate to where the company is.

But you're missing my point. As we've been discussing extensively in another thread, commuter rail really and truely has only sparse advantages over far less expensive alternatives such as P&R service. Also, Sugar Land is no longer really in the running for commuter rail service.

That Southwest Line is suppose to go to at least Missouri City, so not too far away from Sugar Land.

I'm not sure. I thought he might have been since someone behind Jurassic Park was.

Stan Winston, the guy behind Jurassic Park, died yesterday. He was 62.

Don't talk utter nonsense. I am not working for NewMark.

I bought a home from NewMark and I thought I write what I experienced. This is what I feel and writed on this forum (which I find when I search ST, unfortunately).

Now I feel bad because may I get neighbours like "dizzyedge" means, verybad...

Also I won't be here anymore... That's it...

No need to get all angry.

As Paris Hilton would say... "that's hot."

This place is really nice. I drove by it Saturday on a way to a party. I don't know why people think it won't be a success.

I remember several years back Walmart had a big sales initiative about it selling more products made in the USA than any other discounter. What a bunch of hooee that was. Kmart actually had more products for sale that were made in the USA at the time (some kind of JD Powers survey proved it). Rednecks loved it though and flocked to Walmart like it was the most patriotic thing to due.

Target is a chick store: try and find the sporting goods department, hardware or automotive. Two or three counters is all you get.

Kroger was my main grocery place until they started with all that self check out crap. If you can't provide checkers, then I go elsewhere. Their is a small grocery chain I now shop at, "Big Chief". They have checkers waiting to help you, plastic or paper, and they carry the bags to your car. The baggers all wear white shirts and ties. The prices are competitive and they take Triple Coupons for those that do that stuff.

That is like how this grocery store called "Minyards" is in DFW. They carried it out to your car and bagged it for us.

But I like those self-checkout things.

You never know. With EarthQuest and Snow Mountain (hopefully) going in near each other, and with Galveston/The Beach/Attractions on and around the Island, Houston could definitely go up a lot in the tourism ranks.

Houston gets more visitors than SA. It is a region of nearly 6 million people with no major theme park. This is the area in Texas that needs a theme park cluster.

Hahahahaha. Times Square is awesome.

I don't know. Houston and Orlando weather are basically the same. Orlando is even more humid.

I agree... I am surprised Texas doesn't have more. Add to all of this a warm climate, great economy and rapidly growing population... just seems like Texas would be the next "california" or "florida'.

I think this is what is happening. I would take Texas weather over Florida weather, too.