august948

On 12/24/2023 at 1:10 PM, BeerNut said:

It's going to be tough to increase market based parking inside the loop.  All of Midtown was supposed to be included but they got a carve out because so many people complained.  People have become accustomed to idea that street in front of their homes is their personal parking area.  

What would market based parking look like in front of someone's home?

33 minutes ago, Triton said:

Yup, we are losing connection on the Northside. The main route my son will need to take to get to his elementary school on the other side of the highway is being taken away. With that gone, I just hope we remain zoned to that school.

If they rezone you, talk to the district admin.  We had that happen when my oldest was in kindergarten and they grandfathered us in as long as we didn't need bus service (which we didn't).

7 hours ago, samagon said:

this is going to be a nightmare, and no less a nightmare because of the side of town on which they have chosen to realign the freeway. and this is a non-starter of an argument anyway, whenever anyone brings up how much of a nightmare this will be for people living near the freeway, it's brought up how short of a timeframe 10 years really is for the bliss that will happen after. so again, it comes back to the riches vs the poors and making someone else live with more of the nightmare than you.

yes, it's true, the city in particular has dumped on connectivity from the east end, which created the lack of development you speak of. so yeah, that's a perfect argument, the cities already destroyed the area by removing connectivity, may as well just add to it by removing more connectivity, and then point to the pretty park someone might make which does absolutely nothing for connectivity. developers look for people, that's how they decide where to build things. the more people there are in, or around a place the more likely development is to happen. when you remove the people by removing the connectivity, that's what drives non-development. I'm sure you played simcity at some point, this should have been made pretty clear through that.

as far as room, there is room in the current corridor, the only reason there isn't room to add enough lanes is because TXDoT has said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "we don't wanna". no double decker (they don't want to add height to any freeways, yet look at what's going to happen on the I-10 side), no trenching with a cantilevered Pierce street over the top of it. any solution that could be done to retain the current corridor was not up for consideration. so yeah, you're very right, they couldn't fit in the current corridor, but it's not because the options weren't there.

Let's not bring up other users like that. -Marc

Correct me if I'm wrong here but this is an expansion of existing roadways, is it not?  Something that happens along all freeway corridors at some point?  They aren't tearing up existing neighborhoods to create brand new roadways like was done when the highway system was established in the 50's. 

The Katy Freeway expansion project tore things up for years and, get this, runs through some of the wealthiest zip codes in town.  Could the difference be that this one affects east-enders more?

16 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

HLSR is around the corner! Anybody planning on going to this year's concerts or to the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest?

A little Houston secret is the chocolate chip cookies you can buy. So tasty, which means they're so bad for you.

https://www.rodeohouston.com/plan-your-visit/music-and-concerts/

https://www.rodeohouston.com/worlds-championship-bar-b-que/

When it comes to rodeo cookies, this one is still the champ both on the tasty and the really, really bad for you levels. 😜

14 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

Hard to believe, a 15-acre tract, in the middle of West University, has been on the market for 5 years.

This is prime, mixed-use development redevelopment in a high profile part of town.  I wonder if West University also has height restricts like Bellaire? I believe in the City of Belliare you cannot build over 3 or 4 stories?

My plan, easier said then done.

- Boutique office building mid-rise.

- Multifamily apartments.

- Retail buildings.

- Green space such as a park, or plaza.

As usual, does Hines or Hanover have a West University building? How about Hanover West University?

Google maps shows Bissonnet as West University's northern border so height shouldn't be an issue.  Could it be the asking price is prohibitive?

4 hours ago, BEES?! said:

I like to reply to political spammers and really get them going. Sometimes there’s a real person so you can get some entertainment out of it. 

I’m pretty sure I pissed someone’s election campaign off, though, because I get near-constant spam calls now rofl.

I do the same thing.  😜

Somehow my number got on Beto's call list back when he ran for Senate.  I've had a ball ever since trolling whoever spams me.  It's a guilty pleasure.

6 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

Will Sheila Jackson Lee make Mayor tomorrow?

Let's hope not.

10 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

she can always drive to New Mexico.
or get a second opinion. I trust doctors about as far as I can throw them these days

If she drives to New Mexico, or elsewhere, and has the abortion then she risks losing standing in the case.  The Texas Supreme Court already has a similar case in front of it and the state is arguing against the plaintiffs standing as their pregnancies have already ended one way or the other.  Interestingly, Paxton has already appealed this case to the Texas Supreme Court and asked them to expedite it.  Perhaps he's overplaying his hand or he thinks her standing won't matter.  Either the court is going to have to clarify what constitutes exceptions to the law.

On 11/2/2023 at 12:36 AM, hindesky said:

"The overwhelming task of getting to Memorial Park from Uptown by bike or on foot is poised to vastly improve, provided a $22 million project for a bridge across Buffalo Bayou and underpass of Loop 610 come to pass.

“The West Loop has always been this wall that makes getting to Memorial Park harder than it ought to be,” said John Breeding, president of Uptown Houston.

Uptown, acting as the area’s county improvement district, was awarded nearly $18.5 million last week for the project aimed at better non-motorized access to Memorial Park. As the park has added amenities and seen reinvestment in trails, running facilities and its eastern portion, use has grown and with it, the demand for safer and easier access to it without a car or truck. Hemmed in by Loop 610 to the west and Interstate 10 to the north, getting to Memorial Park can take some maneuvering, including where it isn’t bounded by a freeway."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/houston-committed-bike-ped-bridge-trail-memorial-18457959.php

It's a good project to do, but "overwhelming" is a bit of a reach.  I've walked it to and from Uptown Park and the Eastern Glades and crossing the access roads on 610 isn't that big of a deal.

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

Now I know what I'm doing on Sunday afternoon.

2 hours ago, Blue Dogs said:

Turner needs to SHUT UP.

He can't...this is the point where he has to do the back-scratching.

Sheila Jackson Lee tells Houston voters to go to polls – on the wrong day

https://www.chron.com/news/article/sheila-jackson-lee-houston-texas-18532403.php

Add another one to the gaff list...🤣🤣🤣

2 hours ago, editor said:

I wonder if that's a sign that the frosting is made with butter or lard or something else that's not stable at room temperature like artificial equivalents.

I'm a fan of Tim Bits.  I'll have to check this out the next time I'm in Katy.  But to be honest, I'm more likely to end up at a Tim's in Toronto before Katy.

I'll give the Tim Bits a try next time.  If nothing else, it's a place to get coffee and donuts at zero dark thirty, especially now that the Westheimer location is open. 

Anything else worth checking out?

Went to the one in Katy a few weeks ago.  The donuts and coffee were ok, not spectacular, but decent enough.  They keep their donuts cold and we discovered the next day that the frosting on the donuts left over melted at room temp.

On 4/13/2023 at 4:31 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:

September 2022 Street View of Karbach Brewing Co. at 2032 Karbach St. Street View screenshots also include the Karbach Pub and Biergarten.






 

Does it seem strange to anyone else that the bike rack is located so far away from the entrance in an apparently pristine patch of lawn, where you have to walk or ride your bike across the landscaping?

On 11/28/2023 at 12:19 PM, mattyt36 said:

I'm sure not a darned thing.  C'mon, augie, you know Turner and SJL are part of the "same" Democratic Party with a long history.  John Whitmire was essentially hand-picked by the State GOP.  Why on earth would Turner even think of endorsing him?  I thought you understood politics . . . 

One hand washing the other is probably one of the oldest elements of politics, my friend.  Let's see where Mayor Turner turns up next.

On 11/15/2023 at 12:22 PM, mattyt36 said:

The more important question, of course, is who she has endorsed, as I'm told it's all about endorsements.

It can be, not so much for the voters but for the endorsers.  I have to wonder what Mayor Turner was promised to induce him to endorse SJL.

First thought when I saw this thread...

2 hours ago, Ross said:

It can be as high as 9 feet below ground level, but is usually lower. The newer underground lines are typically bored through a clay formation that's impervious to water. Here's an article on underground water in London https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/May-2013/Troubled-waters

One advantage London has over Houston is that there have never been any oil wells drilled in London. There is a fairly high risk of hitting an unknown abandoned oil well bore here, depending on which part of town you are under.

My understanding has been that subways aren't feasible here due to the high water table combined with shifting clay soil and our frequent flood events.  Hadn't even considered the likelihood of abandoned well bores.

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

The externalities game is less favorable to autocentricity than you think.

Like the constraints, or lack thereof, I'm sure that varies widely from locale to locale.

4 hours ago, 004n063 said:

That movement worked in the Netherlands. They were starting to head down the same post-WWII "road" we took. The protests in the 1970s helped them reverse course.

Freeways are not a rational choice for cities. They may have seemed that way at one point, but the fiscal record on highways and other autocentric infrastructure is pretty clear at this point.

Does the fiscal record you're referring to take into account all the economic activity engendered by a road system?  Is there a study that compares the economic impact of maximum flexibility of movement vs constrained?

It's hard to beat a packet system for maximum flexibility.  Like I said, transit system choices are a product of local constraints.  The Netherlands has constraints that don't exist here, so in that light point-to-point fixed transit may have been their better option.

3 hours ago, Ross said:

That's from London in 1973. Earls Court was demolished a few years ago and the site is being redeveloped.

London has good public transport because the core was built over 100 years ago. The Metropolitan Line opened in 1863, and was built using cut and cover, which is hugely disruptive.

How's the water table in central London?

On 11/20/2023 at 10:27 PM, citykid09 said:

It’s frustrating when you see cities building these magnificent systems and all Houston goes for is world’s largest freeways and new toll roads that lead to a hour of copy and paste shopping centers featuring Ross, Marshals, nail shops and other junk. At least the city could build a subway that goes from downtown, Greenway Plaza, Uptown/galleria. Then it can come above ground on the way to Memorial City and City Center. A north south line that goes from Downtown to IAH and to Hobby. 
 

 

Transit systems are products of the local constraints, whether they be geographical, economic, political or architectural.  In places like Houston with few constraints, freeway systems are always going to be the logical choice.

As for subways, given how high our water table is you might have to run it as a submarine line.

On 11/19/2023 at 11:21 PM, citykid09 said:

Regardless, light rail as it is implemented in Houston (basically a trolly) is not adequate for a city with a population size of Houston. A rail system with its own right of way is what was needed. The red line is no better than BRT, sorry it’s the honest truth. Maybe when the olds/conservatives die off and the millennials/gen z take over Houston (and Texas cities all together) will finally get true mass transit. As of now Dallas is the only city that comes close. 

Millennials/Gen Z gonna change the world, eh?  We've heard that before...

...from the Boomers 🤣🤣🤣

tu fui ego eris

On 11/15/2023 at 8:00 AM, editor said:

You are correct.  Every time there's a big event, I see tourists clustered around the awful Q-Card machines trying to figure out what to do.  The process is absurd.

The key is for Metro to let people other than current Metro users know about the tap-to-pay phone integration.  On iPhone, you have to go into Settings to activate it.  I don't think infrequent transit users know that.

Metro must recognize this as the picture below is the first thing that shows up on their Fares page...

1 hour ago, mollusk said:

At least Jetero never caught on (although trying to name something after a typo is certainly Classic Houston).

I've always preferred "Intergalactic" for IAH.  🥷