musicman

LOL obtaining it is the problem. if i know i'm leaving at a peak time, i do my grocery shopping and other errands prior to getting on the freeway so that i don't have to get in traffic. there are many things each of us can do to assuage the commute even if our employers don't allow a variation in schedule. ah so you don't have a problem with traffic?

an alternative could be to alter your work/school schedule so that worst can be avoided. have you tried that? and it doesn't cost a cent.

Union Pacific has stated their tracks are too busy for METRO's use. how will land be obtained for the new corridors you are proposing without affecting more people than it will serve? The issue with the bus in a dedicated lane is that limiting the lane to only buses wastes resources because their frequency is less i.e. there is too much unused capacity. all alternatives on the katy due to capacity issues have been exhausted. having 2 controlled lanes in each direction gives transtar, city/county more flexibility in offering longer term solutions because traffic in 1/3 of the lanes will be controlled vs. 1/7 now.

with multiple employment centers in houston, how cost effective will this be for everyone in the burbs? METRO's updated data offered an estimate of 133 million per mile for their light rail system.

not sure you can categorize all inner loopers as snobs. there are many places to live inside the loop that are affordable. they may choose not to live there, oh wait, that would make them snobs too.

little york

and the solution is?

your statement that i questioned was that expanding freeways doesn't help the congestion situation. you repliedI think the crux is that people avoid and plan around congested freeways to which i responded that (above) is common sense with the caveat that katy freeway has reached its critical mass and must be modified.

I don't think it is stupid however you will have to be sure you don't want a back yard. also be sure there is no easement in the rear which would prevent you from building. it is hard to guess, but many times altering a structure can be more work than doing an addition. as for privacy structures, i personally would be hesitant because it would block some of the breeze. in the summer evenings, stagnant air is hot.

it is only common sense that people will try and take the path of least resistance. however at the same time, a city must make continuing efforts to maintain traffic flow for most of day otherwise the local economy is affected. over the last 40 yrs, the city has basically done everything it could to keep traffic moving without a major reconstruction. It put in an HOV, installed metered entrances, limited who can be in HOV lane, built westpark tollway, etc. the city could severely meter the freeway so that fewer people could enter but it would cause havoc for all surrounding areas. at this point, we've reached a critical mass and now traffic is slow during many non rush hr periods. remember it was only designed to carry about 100k vehicles and is handling more than double that currently. txdot polled all the communities affected and concensus was no decking which meant widening the corridor. txdot's design added an additional feeder lane, main lane and 2 toll lanes in each direction. even more than that, merge lanes are being moved to ensure better flow, tolls can be varied realtime to ensure traffic flow is maintained, etc. minimizing congestion is more than removing cars from roads. it is also designing so that the opportunities for creating bottlenecks are minimzed. having multiple entities involved was also a new idea. getting the toll road authority involved helped the project along because more financing could be obtained to finish the project in a shorter period.

ah ok..thought that was your justification.

we are having differences in semantics because i've been to Assumption. for me, there's no comparison overall. I like the mural however there are many great religious symbols in churches throughout houston old and new. the chapel in the our lady of mt carmel rectory i always found to be very grand with its mid century design, yet it is small.

so that makes it ok?

I'm not sure if WE have come to any consensus. Where are the many, new, traditional churches in Houston located? I think we're having sematics differences.

why doesn't it?

it is

LOL....with these more accurate numbers do you think it will be? according to texas freeways....It is one of Houston's few remaining freeways in its as-constructed 1960's configuration.

in some parts of town it's art. a latin graffiti artist i know did the obama redition at the campaign office on travis.

At one time or another everything was new and the same statements were made then as you are making now. Your preference is for older design and i understand that however that doesn't make it a failure.

bad estimates on the part of METRO so as not to antagonize vocal opponents

No but you said attempts since Vatican II to be creative or "progressive" architecturally have failed. not sure i'd call it a failure.

:lol:

wait til you have to start paying your own bills.

that shouldn't be hard to replace. there will always be projects for you to do around the house. this is just another.

this isn't uncommon. how tall is it?