DrLan34

Why would public appreciation for light rail (as implemented) increase on account of diminishing oil reserves? I would think that it would have more to do with fuel prices, which are related to but are not even remotely the same thing as oil reserves, be they proven, probable or possible. And as a driver, if fuel prices increase then I especially do not like light rail (as implemented) because it gets in my way and causes congestion by disrupting traffic flow. Congestion not only wastes the time of people whose jobs are so often to increase the availability of fuels, but it also lowers their fuel efficiency.

If we want to try to be a world class city or cosmopolitan, then I would submit to you that we need to stop worrying about keeping pace with whatever is the latest fad that other cities are into and that we just do what makes sense for our own unique circumstances. Grade-level light rail doesn't make sense precisely because it is not efficient mass transit. It is not practical now. It will not be practical as proposed.

People who live in Fairfield, way out on 290, are within the METRO service area. They're constituents and should get a say. People who live in Wharton County but that come into the city to do major shopping are paying the one cent METRO sales tax. That gives them a say, too, as far as I'm concerned. People who visit family in Houston a few times a year, pay into the sales tax, and use our roads also are stakeholders. They get a voice.

This does highlight an often overlooked problem with METRO. They aren't directly accountable to any kind of voter constituency.

haha you got an answer for everything

Do you think METRO would allow me to tote my 14' kayak aboard the light rail? If not, then LRT service to Allen's Landing is of no use to me.

As for the stadia, most everybody I've ever attended a game with has complained that I park too far away (at the courthouse). I do this because I'm cheap and don't want to have to actually pay for parking. But they'd throw a fit if we tried to walk a half mile to the light rail just to arrive downtown and have to walk another half mile.

I'm not. And I don't mean this in any kind of insulting way or as though there's anything wrong with it, but you are abnormal.

haha i guess but I desire a more walkable city so I walk when I can... I think Houstonians are so use to driving everywhere that walking just seems abnormal as stated by you.

I don't think people from any other major city in the US would think a walk from the rail to the Toyota center is far.

Last, you got me on the Kayak, Metro won't allow it. You should try it for everything else though...

Interesting development.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6270951.html

Makes me wonder whether they'll divert funding from the East End line, which didn't have a high enough rating to justify a federal contribution and was going to be financed entirely by METRO. I certainly hope so. It'd give the neighborhoods along Harrisburg an opportunity to organize and respond to METRO more effectively for better project implementation.

nice find.

Not especially. Sometimes I have to go to those places, but not because I want to. That includes my own place of residence for the last six and a half years, and it also includes the TMC because I only go there when I feel like crap, Downtown/Midtown/Montrose because I don't like paying ridiculous restaurant prices for mediocre food that leaves me feeling empty after only a couple hours much less hanging out in swanky bars drinking $8 wells and trying to hit on vapid materialistic chicks, Greenway Plaza because I have no business there, Uptown because the Galleria doesn't sell anything I like at a price that is acceptable, and Rice/UH/TSU because I'm not a college student.

I'm one of the <1% of Houstonians that live within a half-mile of the Red Line, yet I do not commute to any of those areas on any kind of a regular basis. On the rare (and often unpleasant) occasion that I make a trip to somewhere else along the Red Line, I drive. Driving is twice as fast (especially accounting for that I can take a more direct route), I don't have to wait for another vehicle to show up, and if the weather turns bad (meaning that it is too hot or too cold or too wet or too humid) I don't have to stand in it, much less walk around in it.

I've used the Red Line twice. The first time it was to see what it was like. It was painfully slow, it stopped frequently at intersections where it was supposed to have signal priority, and the fare quite frankly seemed high enough for so short a trip that gasoline costs would've probably been lower. The second time, I used it to park for free at Hermann Park so as to avoid expensive paid parking for a big event at MFAH. I netted out a few bucks of savings but the light rail wasn't efficient enough to entice me to do it again.

I attended UH for four years, but I always worked while going to school, and have never even worked inside the loop, much less within any kind of reasonable proximity to existing or proposed light rail lines. Even if light rail miraculously served one of my previous places of work, my place of schooling, and my place of residence, I wouldn't have used it. It was too slow to begin with, and when you add in that it isn't a direct point-to-point route and that I'd have to transfer once or twice to get where I was going, that would've just been miserably slow. As a wage slave, the lost time would've translated to fewer hours worked, lower income, and probably more student debt. Having said that, it also would've driven me nuts as a driver to have to put up with light rail's signal priority every fourth time I tried to drive across it.

As it so happens, I own properties to the north and south of both sides of where the Brown Line will be. I won't use the Brown Line to travel between them, however, because the total north/south walking distance between them is too far to justify using the east/west transit. I am seeking to acquire more, but I haven't seriously considered buying anything along Harrisburg--in spite of the fact that there are some awesome buildings along there--because METRO cannot tell me who will and will not have the ability to make left hand turns across Harrisburg, much less what the eminent domain takings are going to be. I myself am young enough that you could think of mine as Houston's newest generation entering the workforce; I buy properties and transform them into something useful for future generations of Houstonians; light rail gets in my way and it gets in the way of what I do for Houston.

I live two blocks from the red line in Midtown and I use it about twice a week to check out some really nice areas of Houston. It's great to hit up bars/clubs on main street, Houston Pavilions, Discovery Green, Angelica Thearter downtown, Museums, Hermann Park, Allan's Landing when they have boat rides, Toyota Center, Minutemaid, I even walked to Rice Village from the Med Center stop (although it took about 15 minutes) etc... It's also good if you want to take some pictures and stumble along places you have never seen before while walking to/from the train line. I really can't wait for all the other lines to get started...

I aslo work outside the loop but it's still very useful to me. I think its really a great addition to the city and it just depends if you are willing to explore what you can do by foot.

Metro may be nearing deal on next 4 light rail lines

After two years of negotiations with two firms, the Metropolitan Transit Authority may be close to reaching a deal with a contractor to build and operate its next four light rail lines.

"We're in final negotiations," said George Smalley, a Metro spokesman. "In a negotiation, though, you never know until it's really over."

The pending breakthrough with Parsons Transportation Group comes three years before Metro has said all five of its additional rail lines will be complete. The fifth rail line, the University line, remains in preliminary stages of development; another agreement will have to reached on that line.

Despite the tight time frame for the new lines, Metro officials say they are sticking to the 2012 target date.

Metro's Red Line, which runs along Main Street, has been operational since 2004.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority's board has to approve the contract, which will likely appear on this week's agenda, Smalley said.

full article

This a great find! Thanks for the update. I think the rail lines will really change Houston and put it closer to Chicago, NY, and LA... The lines will spur more development at a faster pace I'm sure.

Excellent. Although, it looks like the east end line can't tie into the red line until the southeast line is built too... Is that right? Do you know if the southeast line has started construction yet too? Hopefully we get another line up and running by late 2009 or the beginning of 2010.

Great, thanks for the reply. If anyone has any inside info on the timeline for each stage in opening the rail lines I would love to know. Maybe someone can ask during the meto online chat if they get a chance...

I was thinking that lucky stike along with HOB were going to be the two major things that will really make Houston Pavilions a huge success... damn. I guess the wine bars will be the next best thing after HOB.

I was wondering if it was possible for each of the lines to open individually once each one is complete or do we have to wait till 2012 to be able to ride any new of the new 4 proposed rail lines ???

hi

Thanks for the pic

Same here

me too, a little frustrating

Turbines... why not? I think it will be badass to boast something different in our city. We all know this city was built on oil money so it's nice that they are using wind turbines....

Houston is badass and the discovery green park is nicer than I expected!