kdog08

Yet Uptown is trying to add BRT and a drive through McDonalds is being rebuilt. This is a perfect example of the need for some sort of balance between planning and free market.

So how low we talking 'bout?

.... add some wifi and you're golden.

So what was the solution to our state bridge situation in the OP and to a lesser extent the overall infrastructure in our rapidly growing state? Status quo..... or......?

I agree with the u-line and uptown line. However, I think Houston should focus on local and park&ride (commuter bus) and a "brain train" commuter rail from UTMB at Galveston to TAMU in college station. However, if we are doing an entire highway expansion we should seriously look at rail, 290 and 288 are coming up. I think next major ones after that will be 59S inside the beltway and 45S.

We certainly need to improve our system but in terms of hosting events I would argue we have a very underrated transit system. We will soon have all of our major sports venues connected to rail and hotels and night life. We could open up the park&ride and make flexible bus schedules to accommodate events, like this superbowl. Then us Houstonians can leave our cars at the park&ride or carpool to the P&R. We certainly need to improve our system but in terms of hosting events I would argue we have a very underrated transit system. We will soon have all of our major sports venues connected to rail and hotels and night life. We could open up the park&ride and make flexible bus schedules to accommodate events, like this superbowl. Then us Houstonians can leave our cars at the park&ride or carpool to the P&R.

OTC and Rodeo don't really compare to the Superbowl. The Superbowl is a large party that will be spread across many of Houston's scenes that will involve not only out of towners but a large crowd drawn from Houston's 6 million peeps.

Go on......

I certainly still support the U-Line and Uptown Line, but fiscal realities may still have that postponed for the superbowl. However, the rodeo really isn't a comparable event. The Superbowl may have 100K (please correct me if I am wrong) as the stadium will seat 70-80K plus extra for events around the stadium. I would imagine a far greater amount will be in places like Downtown, Uptown, Midtown, and Washington Ave (maybe east end comes alive?). Therefore, I agree that a temporary solution should involve express bus. We could run it down Memorial like someone mentioned or downtown via 59 to wheeler (could add a kirby ave stop as that area seems booming). I think the bigger question is what kind of scene we will have down the Main St line. Midtown will (hopefully) have filled many of the large gaps alongside the rail as land finally started becoming scare and downtown after the residential incentives and hotels. I think we can agree a few more projects will be announced in these areas from what we know now and in between. Good God, we may have a true transit oriented part of town and it will only have taken 16 and some odd years.... I dunno..... it could be done in time.

Park?

Certainly helped by approximately 1000 apartment units and 1500 hotel units coming online in the next few years.

We don't need zoning, we just need better urban infrastructure (streets, sidewalks, bike paths, parks, mass transit) and tweaks to parking requirements and setbacks.

Something about this tower makes it fit in with the rest of the galleria residential towers.

Smoggy

I think downtown will incrementally get better, as it has too much competition from nearby hot spots such as Midtown, 4th ward, Montrose, Upper Kirby, East end. Hopefully the current incentives will spur a few more residential projects pretty soon. We got several hotel renovations and a 1000 unit convention hotel in the works. We got some pretty good parks in downtown, along with the Buffalo Bayou greenbelt getting a major ~$50 million makeover that connects to downtown's west end. Lots of stuff to be excited and hopeful about for a more complete downtown. In the end, it will be adding a good mix of more residential and hotel over time, along with at least an office tower or two every five years that will make downtown a more live/work/play environment.

Which is why it sucks and carries a pathetic percentage of commuters. But again you don't understand how transit works..... It's not your fault if Houston METRO is all you've known. So your logic is Houston transit represents mass transit in general.....?

.... you don't understand how transit systems work?

Well yes..... but as cities grow and evolve they continue to expand their bus systems and add additional modes of transit for capacity purposes.... NYC's Grand Central isn't serving everyone by bus...

Most US cities? I clearly said the world, expand your horizon yo. And Dallas is not Houston. Dallas doesn't have employment centers as big and as dense as our Uptown, Greenway Plaza, TMC, and DT conveniently along our proposed lines all within 5 miles of our DT.... Not to mention it doesn't have as many college and university campus conventiently along a rail.... Or the amount of visual and performing arts.... Or museums.... So no, I don't think DART has been successful. As I said originally, mass transit isn't the issue, it's the implementation.

Wow we get to rebuild the 610/59 interchange after how many years? Wow people live outside of the loop? I'm sure they only want to arrive by car? Oh and building rail out to the suburbs.... come on....stop putting straw into some sort of man..... But wait,.... I must have missed all those new buses that are on our highways... please link all the new P&R routes that have opened up. Seriously, how many of y'all own stock in cement companies?

Because most major cities' (over 5 million in a metro) buses are connected to some higher capacity transit vehicle..... But hey we can continue to discuss how our city's cheapo's, er Libertarians or conservative leaning folks' phobia of spending money can help our METRO's bus system in any significant way. Simultaneously... we can discuss how the cheapos have offered no real alternatives to alleviating congestion that involves the private sector or magical flying elephants or whatever.... In conclusion, Houston will keep growing while we continue to debate BRT alignment and become more congested.... But please continue.....

Houston smack? Please.... Sometimes you just have to step back and realize your city is hot mess when it comes to METRO and planning for the future in this city. Maybe you don't get outside of the city, state, and national boundaries but there is a whole world out there..... At some point when you continue to grow by a million people per decade, maybe you'll realize that "being cheap" (cost of living, housing, infrastructure, etc) can turn in turn into negative. MOST major cities around the world do have rail in its core, not because it is cool or hip, because it is useful and is part of building a system for growing metro. You people here act like Houston couldn't support rail which is either just LAZY thinking or ignorant thinking. Rail is just ONE SOLUTION among many to build a SYSTEM. Do y'all know what a system is? It contains different types of buses working with different types of rail to move people, Houston doesn't need a system the includes heavy rail or subway, but putting light rail in the core is a pretty good next evolution for this blossoming metro of 6.3 million and growing. And about that core. Hmmm, let's see.... our proposed light rail would have connected Houston's 4 largest AND densest employment centers, it's major educational centers, 4 professional sports stadiums, ballparks, arenas, several major parks, and it's major cultural offerings. Those things listed are the anti-thesis of what good systems would want..... And back to the P&R ride, while it may not produce 4X the ridership it could certainly double if down properly. The buses ALL don't have to occupy the grade separated lanes, the ones that don't get in those lanes could have their price reduced as an example. Furthermore, I've always wondered why a "private" solution hasn't become commonplace among the larger and more successful MPCs. For example Sienna Plantation could run private buses during rush hour to the Med Center (Downtown and Uptown if its feasible). Maybe they do and I'm just unaware. I think based on our realities "rebuilding our bus system" is a good place to start. If we can't get support in the Houston metro for expanding our road and mass transit infrastructure then we should seriously look at more BRT, P&R, and better local bus service. However, realize it is akin to putting a bandaid over a major gash along a major artery. Well then the ridership should be higher than I initially believe.

Careful now, the transit will need to take them where they want to go. I doubt too many of them will need to go downtown for work every day.

That looks looks like McDuffie near Richmond.....

Of course you eliminate parallel bus lines, redundancy isn't important here. Where METRO and this city dropped the ball was not providing the right amount of perpendicular lines to feed into the rail. That was my point. Park and ride can certainly be used to feed into the rail lines, some 25-33% of rail riders got there from P&R. The rail provides the last stop for many suburban commuters. And lastly, the P&R system is currently setup to serve Greenway, Downtown, and the TMC; that is 3 out 4 employment centers alongside the proposed rail lines. The lines under the construction will be more for the working class and students, no doubt. You are also correct about the ridership. I would imagine that will be used to justify not building the other lines. All the while another decade will be wasted and we will add another million people in the metro..... Lastly, you asked what option I would do for a city this size and I told you. If you want to move the goal posts, by all means.