Off To A Running Start

[Sunstar]

From today's Chronicle. Can someone please tell me where the synchonized lights are, cause I haven't seen them.

[MidtownCoog]

I am in Midtown and Dowtown ever day, and the lights still have major problems. You can't just do it once, they need continual monitoring.

Fannin and San Jacinto are great, but they have been for over a year now.

That's why the traffic cameras do not make sense yet. Just think how neglected these things will be.

[The Great Hizzy!]

From my view, the traffic lights are still ridiculously ill-timed, Fannin and San Jacinto (and especially Fannin) being parts of the exception.

[suzerain]

From my view, the traffic lights are still ridiculously ill-timed, Fannin and San Jacinto (and especially Fannin) being parts of the exception.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The problem is they synchronize them once and think the job is done. Then someone else comes along and works on the lights, i.e. Midtown replacing the lightposts in Midtown, and they fail to reset the lights. Every time I lived there and I saw a light getting worked that was it for the timing. It worked well for about a month or two and then it was hard to tell they did anything at all.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[Houston19514]

Very interesting and impressive Glen. I've never enjoyed a 'rant' so much. ;-)

I noticed that all of the highest-paid departments work 52-53 hour weeks. How much of a pay raise is the Mayor proposing?

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[Lowbrow]

Very interesting info. I always wondered about the first responder being the fire truck. Out of the dozen or so instances that I've been involved in over the years they always were. I don't recall this being the case in SoCal growing up.

Keep us abreast of the situation. If theres ever a petition that needs signing or a vote that needs being cast let us know.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[MidtownCoog]

Brown or White, it's all the same.

Wonder why White continues to ignore problems at the crime lab?

And our new police chief is also a piece of weak work. Taser happy goofball.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[Guest danax]

Brown or White, it's all the same.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All I know is my neighborhood is being cleaned up in quick, noticeable fashion thanks to the Stop Trashing Houston campaign. Heavy trash violators are almost gone, bandits signs are being picked up and reported by us (the residents), with the backing of the city's own Bandit Sign liason, junk cars are getting ticketed, high weed lots are getting violation notices........it's making a noticeable difference.

We had a couple of HPD officers at our meeting Monday and they told us that they are being instructed to take "quality of life" crimes seriously and to use zero tolerance at all times.

It's just a few that bring a neighborhood down and when that little bit is improved it makes a large difference.

Mayor White, if this was mainly your idea.....I love you, man!

[The Great Hizzy!]

Where do you live, Danax, if I may ask?

[houstonsemipro]

What Bill White had accomplish so far as a mayor? My opinon, nothing. For the pass two years now he been concern all about traffic lights, and towing. At lease Lee Brown did build up downtown and created jobs. I think Bill White is wroster then Lee Brown. All Bill White did bought himself in the city hall.

[Guest danax]

Where do you live, Danax, if I may ask?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TG Hizzy, I live in Pecan Park Pecan Park website, on the East End between Mason Park and Gulfgate. In case you noticed in a previous post that I live in a 1908 house , where this neighborhood is from the 20s-40s, my house belonged to the son of the man who owned the land the neighborhood sits on. He died in '23 and lots went up for sale shortly thereafter.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Now that you mention it, Danax, I do recall you talking about Pecan Park in another thread. Slipped my mind.

I like the charm of that area and hope that some of the empty parcels are filled in as time goes on. Lots of potential there, IMO.

[debmartin]

"Secondly, we rank 176th* in the nation when it comes to pay. San Antonio ranks number 3 with Austin & Dallas ranking 87th & 88th respectively. We're not asking for the world or even the top 10 in pay scale rankings, but we should be at least be considered for something." (quote, tw2tyse7en)

i find these statistics disgusting but not shocking. houston has a history for this kind of thing and that is why we lose so many talented and irreplacable people. it's time for the voters to wake up and evaluate why vital public service professionals are devalued when compared to the private sector. maybe it's time to take another look at mayor white. about your pension, just because the firefighters have managed not to squander their pension money does not entitle anyone else to.

ps. its statistics like this that drove me away from teaching.

debmartin

[tw2ntyse7en]

...

[Parrothead]

Hi, I'm rather new, but when I saw this thread I knew I would have to jump in here because I think Bill White's running start has slowed to a crawl--much like traffic, road construction, and practically everything else in this city.

I live on the west side of Houston, across from Town & Country. Bill White, IMHO, hasn't done diddley squat. $6 savings for a $140K property owner? Gee, that means I'll have a tasty $4 savings or thereabouts on my condo. WOW! Let's go to McDonald's and celebrate! Cameras at intersections, smoking bans, the tow policy, and now talk of radar enforcing cameras all reek of Big Brother, but Houston deserves everything it gets because, after all, the city elected this man.

I agree with Coog that like Brown, White has lots of irons in the fire. Too many, if you ask me. White is derriere-deep in the pockets of Brown and those who came before him. Personally, I feel his style is a bit too communistic for my taste.

As for the light rail--what a joke. My husband works in the medical center and has seen absolutely NO improvement in traffic--if anything, it's WORSE! Houston has more track than most major cities--did anyone think to lease some commuter trains and test it out on the major corridors? Unless tracks are built--and quickly--where people will actually USE it...MetroRail is going to be a casualty of the SuperBowl and if anything, a budget-sucking second-rate tourist attraction. Give me something I can USE, please...

[debmartin]

"As for the light rail--what a joke. My husband works in the medical center and has seen absolutely NO improvement in traffic--if anything, it's WORSE!"

(quote, parrothead)

i sympathize with drivers in the med center over the increase in traffic caused by the light rail. i commute to the med center several times weekly from the galleria area and from the museum station to dryden cars are stacked up all the way down fannin. i enjoy walking on a good day and have seen times when i can stay ahead of traffic on foot, from methodist to hermann. i'm not sure if the number of riders metro anticipated actually materialized but during morning and afternoon rush hour the trains are standing room only. perhaps eventually more drivers will be able to utilize the light rail and escape the traffic.

i do know that as crazy as it may sound jumping on an express bus from the hilcroft transit center to wheeler station and riding the rail to dryden has taken most of the stress away from my trips to the medical center. i used to fight the traffic on 59 and around the med center (before the rail & during the construction) plus pay $10 to valet the car - or self park and sit in a long line of cars to exit a garage, then fight traffic all the way home. now i can read, listen to my ipod or just close my eyes and think on the journey and then exit the train at the front door of the hospital. my kids also enjoy med center excursions now because i'm less stressed out and we can stop along the way at the zoo or park without having to park, or just as easily grab lunch downtown, catch a movie or shop.

of course this does nothing for someone like your husband just trying to get back and forth to work, but eventually houston should have light rail to get around all over town and people will be able to give their cars a rest once and awhile.

debmartin

[Houston19514]

i sympathize with drivers in the med center over the increase in traffic caused by the light rail. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a little confused. How has the light rail caused an INCREASE in traffic in the TMC?

[713 To 214]

Yeah, Mayor White might have gotten off to a fast start, but he is about to get a black eye, in Austin, over his "Safe Clear" program.

[KinkaidAlum]

This thread is too funny and too typical.

We have folks clamoring about things not happening quickly enough in terms of street repairs, timing of lights, and magically disappearing traffic due to one rail line, and yet many of those same folks are or have griped about their property taxes being too high and the city's attempts in the past to raise the taxable area through annexation!

HELLO? Just how are we supposed to raise the pay of city professionals like firefighters and teachers when the average citizen in Houston only wants tax cuts?

AND, as for the Medical Center traffic increasing since light rail service began... what a bunch of %#$*. If there has been a noticeable traffic increase, which I highly doubt, I would blame not light rail but the fact that since 2000, there has been a MAJOR EXPANSION OF FACILITIES in the TMC! Heck, with the opening of Memorial Hermann's New Pavilion, the Texas Heart Institute, Texas Children's Clinical Care Center and West Tower, UT-Houston's new school of nursing and ambulatory care center, new medical offices for St Luke's, major expansion at MD Anderson, and even expansion at county-run Ben Taub, I'd hate to see what the traffic increase would be like without the new rail service.

[KinkaidAlum]

oh, and I totally forgot to mention Parrothead's assinine comment about White being in the pocket of Brown!

Seriously, you might wanna drop that cheeseburger in paradise and wake up to reality. White successfully headed one of Houston's largest corporations for years. His net worth dwarfs Brown's. Thanks for the laugh though, especially the bit about White's "communistic" flair.

[debmartin]

"AND, as for the Medical Center traffic increasing since light rail service began... what a bunch of %#$*. If there has been a noticeable traffic increase, which I highly doubt, I would blame not light rail but the fact that since 2000, there has been a MAJOR EXPANSION OF FACILITIES in the TMC!"

(quote, kinkaid alum)

well, which is it, a bunch of %#$* or is traffic increasing due to expansion? frankly i find your replies hostile to others stating their views. my view is just that, "my" view, its worth what you paid for it, which is nothing. nothing shuts down dialog faster than hostility, and dialog is important in a city as diverse as houston. that said, rethinking the med center traffic i would agree that the majority of the increase could be attributed to construction, rennovation and the like. i disagree however that the rail has not affected the traffic. how could the traffic not be affected when the trains come through every 6 minutes forcing traffic to stop?

debmartin

[The New Juniper]

The whole reason I voted for Bill White is the light synchronizing issue. I have yet to see anything.....

[VelvetJ]

This thread is too funny and too typical.

We have folks clamoring about things not happening quickly enough in terms of street repairs, timing of lights, and magically disappearing traffic due to one rail line, and yet many of those same folks are or have griped about their property taxes being too high and the city's attempts in the past to raise the taxable area through annexation!

HELLO? Just how are we supposed to raise the pay of city professionals like firefighters and teachers when the average citizen in Houston only wants tax cuts?

Here, here! *applauding*

[713 To 214]

City's towing policy gets a shock

Senator's move to kill Safe Clear has panel's approval; Senate OK expected

By KRISTEN MACK

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - A bill to kill Houston's Safe Clear mandatory freeway towing ordinance got the fast treatment Thursday, catching the city flat-footed.

The bill by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, won unanimous approval in a state Senate committee after a quick hearing. Every member of the full Senate has signed on except Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, who says he is monitoring the Safe Clear program.

A spokesman for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, predicted Whitmire's bill will pass the full Senate when it votes next week.

"Thirty out of 31 senators support the bill and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst supports the will of the Senate," said spokesman Mark Miner.

State Rep. Robert Talton, R-Houston, has filed a similar bill in the House.

The measure is one of at least two that arose from hotly debated Houston traffic issues. Rep. Gary Elkins' bill to kill the city's proposed use of cameras to catch red-light violators will go to a House panel Tuesday.

In an unusual move for a local matter as controversial as Safe Clear, the Senate suspended its rules Thursday to take up Whitmire's bill. Because the meeting was not announced in advance, there was little opportunity for people who wanted to testify to make an appearance.

Towing companies back bill

The only person who testified Thursday was C.J. Tredway, the lobbyist for Texas Towing and Storage Association, which represents 500 towing companies in the state and supports Whitmire's bill.

"I think it's an urgent matter that we put an end to this," Whitmire said. "It's a dangerous program. It's insensitive and punitive."

Safe Clear mandates that all stranded vehicles be removed from Houston's freeways by tow truck drivers under exclusive city contracts. Tow trucks are required to arrive within six minutes of police-ordered tows.

Whitmire's bill would prohibit cities from enacting mandatory nonconsent tows. It also would ban exclusive towing contracts on state highways

[Parrothead]

KinkaidAlum--I really don't know where this hostility and rudeness is coming from. Obviously, we stand on different sides of the fence. You seem to have this problem with anyone that disagrees with you--that's not going to get you very far or give you much credibility in a debate over this city's issues, or anything else, for that matter. Slide off your saddle for a minute and take a breather.

oh, and I totally forgot to mention Parrothead's assinine comment about White being in the pocket of Brown!

Seriously, you might wanna drop that cheeseburger in paradise and wake up to reality. White successfully headed one of Houston's largest corporations for years. His net worth dwarfs Brown's. Thanks for the laugh though, especially the bit about White's "communistic" flair.

Again with the hostility. *sigh* First, I must applaud you for your originality. I haven't heard anyone say "Drop that cheeseburger in paradise", that was very clever. Unfortunately, it was about the only thing you said that has any merit whatsoever. Are you a recent Kinkaid alum?

If you don't think Bill White is in the pockets of the mayors that came before him, you are much mistaken. He is following in the footsteps of Brown--lots of projects started, very little accomplishments. If he can follow through with something successfully I will have a lot more respect for him, but IMHO, he's turning Houston into his own little Mockba.

KinkaidAlum: "AND, as for the Medical Center traffic increasing since light rail service began... what a bunch of %#$*.

I have a question for you: Do you work in the Medical Center?

The main reason traffic has increased in the Medical Center is because several Park & Ride routes have been cut because of the train. It has backfired, big time. Ask anyone that works at MD Anderson and lives in West Houston/Katy--we all had to go to the public hearing last year and protest because they were going to cut the ONLY TMC Park-n-Ride from this side of town, forcing EVERYONE to take the train (which btw, is a BIG pain--most people are now driving because it's faster and cheaper to do so). The only reason they didn't is because we all got together and went down during the hearing and spoke up. Unfortunately a lot of people never even knew it was going to happen because Metro doesn't make these things too public. They do what they have to do at the minimum, legally, and the people suffer the consequences. Metro's attitude is "deal with it."

The other main reason is that they have cut out two major lanes of traffic along Fannin for the train. The train that, as debmartin pointed out, stops traffic every six minutes.

I hope that explains why my views aren't, as you say..."%#$*.".

Of course construction is always going to be an issue in TMC. Hello--? It always has been and always will be. Sometimes I wonder if the place wouldn't just shut down if there were no construction for a week.

[tw2ntyse7en]

...