samagon

@Houston19514do you have data from before the expansion that corresponds to data from after the expansion that refutes the NYT article?

fair enough, I admit I didn't see that very important nugget, and yeah, that would be comparing apples and chickens. the statement is still true though, if you are going to accuse them of lying, you need to provide the proof. whether it's a topic seen by 10 people or 10,000 people (which might get NYT attention), it is a very serious accusation and you absolutely need to deliver proof. I'm not a subscriber of the NYT, but maybe since Editor is (and a longstanding subscriber) perhaps he can ask them to site the references for their sources of the data from prior to the expansion.

am I taking crazy pills? this is what you said: prior to expansion peak travel times were around 30 minutes (data from the chron article I posted). 5 years after expansion peak travel times not only were worse, but they were up to (and over) 50 minutes (data confirmed from multiple sources including transtar). what am I missing? now, if you have any concrete evidence that the NYT lied (which is a libelous statement by the way without actual facts to back up your claim, I'm not sure what the actual number of readers is on this thread, but it's probably not enough for the NYT to even lift a finger), it really needs to be shared. at the moment this isn't a good look for you.

wahoo, I found some published data, and bonus, not behind a paywall... https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Expanded-Katy-Freeway-shaves-minutes-from-commute-3941203.php so there we go, prior to expansion, commute times from Barker Cypress to Taylor took 33 minutes prior to expansion. and there's even data on the reverse commute. they state that the actual winner was off-peak hours, which at the time were better. I think now they are probably just as bad (remembering my own experience with I10 before the expansion). anyway, so maybe now we can all agree that the article isn't lying.

the roundabout will be at Jensen, Runnels, Navigation intersection (blue outline). this is where Navigation goes under the rail line, and then Commerce and Hutchins intersect (red outline). my guess would be Hutchins will not be invited to the party, and Commerce would be an underpass and a signaled intersection under the track will be a thing. also I suspect Bastrop will no longer intersect Commerce.

how do you know they didn't look at pre-expansion travel times?

it is also a fact that those cities are far more populous than Houston. could you imagine what a Houston with the population of either of those cities might have to look like with our current transit options? or another way, could you imagine either of those cities without mass transit? so I thought I'd update this post with some information, so it's not just questions without some facts to have in your mind when you're thinking about the questions. 39% of New Yorkers use the subway. 80% of Londoners take mass transit. in contrast, 80% of Houstonians are driving alone in their cars. for sources, I pulled these numbers from wikipedia.

you forgot the rest of this statement. ....traffic volumes increase when no other reliable transit options exist.

I believe the BRT is included, but I don't think the BOOST is. so yeah, get ready for more density in the Galleria area, and also once the University BRT is built, that will spur density too. and sure it's not the specific topic of highways don't fix traffic, but the only way to continue to grow population in a region is to increase ways for increased population to move around, so if you aren't creating more roads for more pollution, you need to create alternatives, and then change the rules near those alternatives.

but this is happening! not to long ago Houston passed some reduced parking requirements within specific distances of mass transit. https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/docs_pdfs/User's Guide for WP and TOD report_2020-10-01.pdf even before that happened, the amount of density created around the red line is inspiring. the other lines are getting similar treatment. there's density creeping into the east end along the green line. right now it really extends out to Scott street. it's no coincidence that this is right on a rail stop. now that these restrictions have been lifted, we're going to see more and faster.

thanks for sharing, I lived in Broadmoor for 14 years, so I'm familiar with how weird Telephone is in that area, and I'm sure it will be a challenge. and yeah, there's actually 2 other projects for Telephone road, one is the Federal grant project which goes from Lawndale to 610, but there's another that the TIRZ 8 (gulfgate) is going to push, which will go from 610 out to Reveille street. https://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/2022/telephone-road-project-grant.html#:~:text=The Telephone Road project is,2.8 miles to Interstate 610. https://www.tirz8telephoneroad.com/ I can't find the particulars I had once found for the federal project, but hopefully the Lawndale intersection gets redone, since it is the edge of both the EETIRZ and Federal projects, it scares me that this intersection will stay in its current configuration even after this is all done with both parties pointing at the other saying that it wasn't their responsibility.

I haven't seen anything to demonstrate this is a party line driven issue. do you have any meaningful data as a source for your claims?

exactly. this intersection intrudes into the walking areas. a protected intersection lets the walking area intrude into the intersection. for an example a lot closer to home of a protected street, Bagby in midtown is for the most part, very pedestrian friendly, and still manages to carry a lot of traffic.

what a timely post! Not Just Bikes released this video. sure the channel is an advocate for other forms of travel than cars, but wow that video really just shows that the same exact arguments are being thrown out today. I love driving, but I am very conscious that our reliance on cars is not by choice, it is by design from half a century of marketing products to the public, and lobbying our government.

it was actually a very reasonable price, I paid extra, but I got ceramic coating, tint, non-transferable extended warranty, non-transferable unlimited oil changes, which are all things I value.

this is awesome news, did they provide any timelines? are there any more specifics regarding design?

I can say without hesitation (IMO) that this was the greatest loss our city suffered from Covid. I'm still searching for a Thai restaurant that compares. so far this one is the closest: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Street+Food+Thai+Market/@29.8095858,-95.4029166,14.58z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc0c06c0a6ed1e5b2!8m2!3d29.8041619!4d-95.3851422

the part of Westpark from 59 to Gessner is a mess, am I 3 lanes in each direction? am I 2 lanes in each direction? oooh, look, now I have a right turn lane only! if ever there was a road in Houston that encouraged drivers to go faster than is safe, that's one of them.

family life means I had to trade in the 2 door BRZ on a 4 door. I opted for a 4 door hatchback Corolla. it says GR in front of that though, so I feel like I'm parenting correctly 😁

with full understanding that you've only ever had gorditas in one other place other than when you make them

that's great! the wife always loves going to Memorial park, I might take her up on this weekend!

I have never noticed on my drives by the place (probably because I'm only ever looking East as I drive on Jensen, but on the west side of Jensen, next to the Bayou they are turning dirt there too. is that the city doing work to extend a path along the bayou, or part of another project?

great article in the Chronicle detailing Hines' effect on Houston. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/real-estate/hines-timeline/

is the noise from that scrap yard a problem after business hours? for 12 years I lived directly behind a commercial building. during business hours on a weekday, it was noisy, if I was in the backyard, it was obnoxious, but in the house, windows closed, it was no worse than the freeway noise was in the same house (home was about 750 yards from i45), or the random noises that would echo from the railyard when two trains were connecting with more than a normal level of violence (and always that was at night). anyway, most of the sound issues from commercial sites are only a problem during normal business hours, and certainly, in a building that is 90 years newer, will do a much better job of filtering out the noise from entering the living spaces. double paned glass, tighter seals for thermal efficiency will also make better sound quality in the home.

I'm pretty sure I've seen that car parked in his shop on Leeland, if it's the same place, he has a few nice classic Mercs.