ig2ba

Quick question: does anyone know why there's a new bridge being constructed between the Capitol and Rusk bridges at I-45 and Buffalo Bayou? Is it a new pedestrian bridge? Are the widening Rusk/Capitol? (And if so, why?) I wasn't able to find anything on TxDOT's project tracker and the COH website is not working now.

Way to respond to a claim that nobody made!

Thought this was relevant: http://www.houstontomorrow.org/livability/story/coh-study-calls-for-wide-sidewalks-and-new-street-classifications/ Direct link: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopRegs/mobility/InnerWestLoop.html Personally, I think most of the improvements they proposed are band-aids, and will not be that helpful overall. No added lanes and no grade separation is proposed. Not even any redesigned intersections. Thinking about the next couple decades, I think we have to start talking about these things in the Neartown and Upper Kirby areas if want congestion to be manageable in 20 years.

In addition to the less centralized nature of DFW, it's interesting to look at their job centers vs. Houston's. Houston has 4 of its 7 major job centers within a 3.5 mile radius of Greenway Plaza. Dallas has its Uptown and Downtown pretty close to each other ... and then that's it. Houston is able to connect these four job centers with only parts of two lines: the western half of the University Line and the southern half (the part that's already built) of the Red Line. 11 miles on two lines connects all four job centers (assuming you leave at the part south of Holcombe). It looks like about 9 miles of line simply to connect Walnut Hill Lane with downtown. Wanna connect to TI? That's another 3 miles of line? Dallas Galleria area? Even more. Plano? Still more. Plus, the layout of job clusters in Dallas seem to be different. Besides Dallas's uptown/downtown, the next closest job cluster on the North Central Expressway is a very linear, very low-density corridor of office buildings 5+ miles long all directly next to the freeway (couple exceptions at Walnut Hill). Houston's Galleria is the most spread out of Houston's "inner four", but it is still much more compact (<2.5 miles long) than the job center along U.S. 75. So essentially, Dallas HAD TO build lots of rail miles simply to connect its job centers. Houston doesn't have to.

Sorry, I know it's not the central topic here, but I had to nitpick about something. I believe that without circumferential freeways, Houston would be even <i>more</i> spread out. Instead of development filling in the spaces between the arterials, it would simply spread out along the arterials like fingers. You can see this pattern somewhat in Atlanta (though their loop is slightly further out than Houston's). They lack a second loop or beltway. On the south side west of Fayetteville, there is not a ton of development and on the west side between I-20 and I-85, there is very little outside of 15 miles from downtown. With rail, maybe it's also the same thing you describe. Houston is trying to develop an inner network first and avoiding the "fingers" pattern.

I'm not sure how you can conclude that about METRO, but I do think that's a fine straw man you've put together. METRO is constructing 2 new lines as we speak, constructing an extension on the existing Red Line, and has (albeit delayed) plans for two more lines. ROW along Westpark Tollway is reserved for possible future rail by METRO. At the same time, bus ridership has declined and service has been cut since the Red Line started. About the only increase in expenditure related to bus service I can think of is the Blue Line on Bellaire. Am I missing something?

So the majority of automobiles are trucks and buses? Hmmm... I think it's more like a quarter of vehicles or less. Momentarily assuming that that is the case, it still doesn't matter since they are also inconvenienced by slow-moving roadblocks (e.g., Critical Mass) and use the same streets as cars.

I don't think the argument is that ANY biking on Heights is inconsiderate, but that inconsiderate biking on Heights is considerate and inconsiderate biking on larger streets inconveniences more people. And also that people who are unable to be at least somewhat considerate of others have other biking and non-biking options available to them. You might well be a considerate bicylclist on Heights; I have no idea one way or the other. I rode my bike on Heights for short distances before and I am certainly not one who derives pleasure by getting in other peoples' way. I'm sure I've gotten in a motorist's way before, but I dislike doing so for any longer than is needed, since aggravating people for extended periods increases the chances one will be involved in a conflict.

Not too long ago, I would've joined you out there. It would be very gratifying for at least a few minutes.

Forgot who posted this (http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/images/infographics/transportation_big.jpg), but the figure 400 million automobiles in the world struck me as a very lowball estimate. A simple search on Wikipedia shows that there are over 1 billion automobiles in the world today. Even as early as 1986, there were already 500 million. So maybe the 400 million mark was passed in 1980? It'd be nice, as a starting point, to use only stats which aren't older than any of our HAIFers.

That doesn't logically from what's been said here. Others have suggested that bicyclists biking on X are inconsiderate, and if they should try to Y or Z instead, or possibly bike on streets A or B or C since they are more appropriate for cars, with several alternatives suggested. "Cars should try A or B or C" is a non-sequitur. I don't disagree on the trash cans. Sounds like a problem that can be addressed in isolation from the larger courtesy vs. rights argument. Solutions can range from the tempting but juvenile kicking down of all trash cans in the bike lanes ... to more sophisticated involvement of media to petitioning HPD to write tickets. Since it's only the landowners/renters that would suffer these consequences (as opposed to random vehicles driving through), I would expect behavior to change VERY quickly. Does anyone have any pictures of this that they can share? I haven't seen this myself, but don't doubt it exists.

Feigning ignorance is not winning you any converts. And what you're proposing (facetiously or not) - gathering a group of people to converge on a small area to enforce their will - is also known as a mob. Critical Mass tactics. I see no car drivers (or pedestrians, bus riders, etc. for that matter) proposing similar action or even mentioning that such a childish thing should be done. In matters of safety and security, the majority ought to account for the minority so that everyone is safe and protected. In matters of individual rights - things that the government cannot constitutionally prohibit - the focus should be on minority groups, since it is easy for a society to slip into a pattern of denying minority group rights. In matters of convenience and common courtesy, it's the majority that should be deferred to. What is so difficult about this concept?

Well, let's get it started. I just hope they have a good plan of what to do with northbound traffic when it reaches downtown. That interchange is already inadequate and you can encounter bumper to bumper traffic trying to exit to I-45 northbound any Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the year. There are already 11 NB lanes entering the interchange (4 from 288, 3 from 59, 4 from 45) and only 7 NB leaving the interchange. With this construction project, they need to add at least as many northbound lanes to the interchange as they add to the 288 express lanes. Dumping all of the 288 express lanes onto Chenevert is not going to cut it.

Yes, I think the probability of that happening is much higher than is the Texas leg increasing state gasoline taxes to cover the funding shortfall.

You guys are really missing the big picture. The most important reason for building this 80-mile fortress around Houston is when the Rage Virus hits. All indications are that it will start in the UK, so as long as you're an Inner Looper, you'll be safe.

I don't expect anyone to place nice on the internet. I lurk here for the bickering too, just not partisan bickering.

I would add to your list: San Francisco is pioneering variable pricing for street parking. The free market determines what parking rates should be and more sought-after spots are increased. San Francisco is by far the least conservative major city in the U.S. Variable pricing for toll express lanes developed in southern California. This area really hasn't been a conservative area in 20+ years. It's fair to have people pay for the goods/services that they use (public roads or public streets). Stereotypically, leftists would call the above "gouging" or some other populist term. But these areas are going ahead with free market-oriented approaches anyway, regardless of what epithets are hurled at them. To call someone a Republican or communist or whatever because they don't support your particular routing and particular train car built on a particular schedule is counterproductive and alienates the people you're trying to "convince".

Actually the center of population for the City of Houston according to the 2010 Census is approximately here: 29.750825°, -95.419170°, right on the east side of River Oaks. It surprised me, since I thought it would be further west. The center of population for Harris County in 2010 was: 29.807477°, -95.417517°, on W 24th west of Durham in the Heights. As for the center of Greater Houston (10-county area), I don't know, but it can be calculated from the U.S. Census data too if anyone has a lot of spare time. Of course there are slight approximations, but since COH census tracts are usually very small, the numbers should be accurate to within 500-1000 ft.

From your source: "Future volumes can be accommodated in three through lanes" "Bagby will be designed so that a third lane can be added if volumes warrant it in the future" For all the talk here about walkability, it's interesting to see that they are at least leaving the option open for later expansion for more cars.

Sorry, I can't tell which part you're saying is slow. The eastbound I-10 exit ramp to BW8 southbound? Is it just the exit ramp or other parts?

IronTiger and VelvetJ, The traffic Katy Freeway is nothing like it used to be before it was expanded, if that's what you're trying to imply. Ten years ago, you could count on driving 20 mph from Washington St. to Highway 6, even outside of core rush hours, e.g. 3pm. It's much faster now. Oh, and we've added more than 1.3 million people to the area since then, most of them on the west and north sides of downtown. What would you expect? An empty highway?

Southwest Freeway used to be the busiest in the country. Considering its drop, I wouldn't be surprised if one of LA's freeways has now taken the title. Of course the North America winner is the Ontario 401.

By traffic count, it's 1. Southwest Freeway (just outside the Loop): <u>329,000 vpd</u> down from 380,000 in 2001. 2. North Frewway (just outside the Loop): <u>317,000 vpd</u>, up from 292,000 in 2001. 3. West Loop (between Katy and Southwest Freeways): <u>288,000 vpd</u>, down from 293,000 in 2001. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Houston_highways By average speed, it's a little different picture: AM: Longest and slowest rush hour: Tie between Inbound 290 and Inbound North Freeway from BW8 to downtown Worst peak rush hour: Gulf Freeway, inbound, BW8 to downtown PM: Longest and slowest rush hour: <i>Of course</i> Southwest Freeway inbound from I-610 to downtown Worst peak rush hour: Northbound West Loop http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/hist/hist_traveltimes_menu.html Important to note that this an average for the West Loop, and obviously the worst part is between I-10 and U.S. 59, so the average speed for those parts is probably even lower. It's interesting though how much worse the West Loop is in the afternoon rush than the morning rush -- in either direction: NB: 43 mph morning, 18 mph afternoon; SB: 39 mph morning, 22 mph afternoon.

I just heard that there will be construction (deconstruction?) starting next week at the old YMCA site. Has anyone heard what the latest plan or schedule is for this site?

Just heard that there were reports of falling glass from this building. Today maybe? Apparently glass has fallen from this building several times before in the last few months. I was walking by there today before I heard this info and did several glass panes missing. Is it demolition activities that caused this? Or the wind? I could believe the wind was at least a factor because I also saw small-ish tree a 2 blocks away that was snapped at the trunk. Be careful out there.