Bike Riders On Katy Gaston/Pin Oak Etc.

[RedScare]

Boy, between this thread and the toll road thread, the entitlement mentality displayed by some Katy drivers is nothing short of stupendous. As a Harris County resident who occasionally rides a bike in the suburbs and rural areas, I never knew the debt that I owed to these residents. From here on, I resolve to work harder to pay more taxes, so that my county can build more free roadways for my western neighbors. I further resolve not to use their roadways for any purpose, and if I must use them, to only do so in a pickup or SUV at breakneck speed.

I apologize for having inconvenienced anyone.

[GrandLakes]

Boy, between this thread and the toll road thread, the entitlement mentality displayed by some Katy drivers is nothing short of stupendous. As a Harris County resident who occasionally rides a bike in the suburbs and rural areas, I never knew the debt that I owed to these residents. From here on, I resolve to work harder to pay more taxes, so that my county can build more free roadways for my western neighbors. I further resolve not to use their roadways for any purpose, and if I must use them, to only do so in a pickup or SUV at breakneck speed.

I apologize for having inconvenienced anyone.

I'm glad somebody gets it!

Use the roadways all you want. Just make safe choices for yourself.

Do Texas laws allow bikes on freeways/tollways/interstates/whatever you want to call it? It seems that if folks are entitled to ride their bikes down a road like Fry road in Katy then they should also be allowed to ride in the left lane of Interstate 10. It is their right, right?

[westguy76]

Boy, between this thread and the toll road thread, the entitlement mentality displayed by some Katy drivers is nothing short of stupendous. As a Harris County resident who occasionally rides a bike in the suburbs and rural areas, I never knew the debt that I owed to these residents. From here on, I resolve to work harder to pay more taxes, so that my county can build more free roadways for my western neighbors. I further resolve not to use their roadways for any purpose, and if I must use them, to only do so in a pickup or SUV at breakneck speed.

I apologize for having inconvenienced anyone.

I believe in Fort Bend county they build their own roads without your taxpayer money.

[RedScare]

I'm glad somebody gets it!

Use the roadways all you want. Just make safe choices for yourself.

Do Texas laws allow bikes on freeways/tollways/interstates/whatever you want to call it? It seems that if folks are entitled to ride their bikes down a road like Fry road in Katy then they should also be allowed to ride in the left lane of Interstate 10. It is their right, right?

No. Bicycles and pedestrians are prohibited on interstate highways. Not sure about federal and state highways and toll roads. I suspect it is a case by case basis. I know that I have ridden on some state highways in the past as part of organized rides.

I believe in Fort Bend county they build their own roads without your taxpayer money.

And there are no Fort Bend cyclists I'm told.

[cottonmather0]

Boy, between this thread and the toll road thread, the entitlement mentality displayed by some Katy drivers is nothing short of stupendous.

Hey, they got the Katy Freeway widened for their SUV's rather than implementing some sort of mass transit solution, so don't act so surprised.

I'm glad somebody gets it!

Use the roadways all you want. Just make safe choices for yourself.

Do Texas laws allow bikes on freeways/tollways/interstates/whatever you want to call it? It seems that if folks are entitled to ride their bikes down a road like Fry road in Katy then they should also be allowed to ride in the left lane of Interstate 10. It is their right, right?

The government can prohibit particular types of traffic on any road. In general, bikes aren't allowed freeways and expressways like the Loop or Memorial because people are supposed to drive fast and unobstructed.

The problem with many Houston (and Katy) drivers is that they drive like that on every road and get mad when something gets in their way. I live just off of W TC Jester here in Timbergrove and the speed limit between I-10 and 610 is 35 miles per hour. At all hours of the day 1 driver in every 5 goes down that road at 50 or above and I would say up at least half of all drivers crest the railroad bridge going 50. There are lots of bikers going over that bridge, too, going to and from the bayou trail, and most drivers get mad at the bikers because the bikers cause them to slow down. If they were actually going the speed limit, they wouldn't have to slow down as much in the first place, and I suspect the complaints on this other road are similar. People are wanting to drive too fast in the first place.

Referring back to the Heights Robber thread, I happen to like it when the cops park at the bottom of the bridge. Don't speed and you won't have to worry about it. Not to mention that speedtraps also catch lots of offenders for other crimes, too. Works for me.

[N Judah]

How does this attitude surprise anyone? The drivers around here can't seem to share the road with buses or LRT either.

[westguy76]

Hey, they got the Katy Freeway widened for their SUV's rather than implementing some sort of mass transit solution, so don't act so surprised.

Oh, not the evil SUV card. I suppose you are not enjoying the eased congestion on I-10. Somehow I missed the news flash that the residents of Katy petitioned for a wider freeway and got it built too.

Someone is not dealing in reality.

[cottonmather0]

Oh, not the evil SUV card. I suppose you are not enjoying the eased congestion on I-10. Somehow I missed the news flash that the residents of Katy petitioned for a wider freeway and got it built too.

Someone is not dealing in reality.

Oh, I love the freeway. It's great. But an ad hominem argument isn't the point.

To the surprise of few, a plan to almost double the congested Katy Freeway and to speed funding for the project with a toll road down the middle scored a hit at two town hall meetings this week. A show of hands Tuesday during a meeting at Hayes Elementary School in Katy -- where residents who work in downtown Houston face a 60-mile daily commute -- indicated strong support for freeway expansion, by whatever means and the sooner the better. The toll-road idea was an overwhelming favorite at Thursday's meeting, which drew about 500 residents to Memorial Senior High School, itself located just a few blocks from the freeway.

But one audience member's assertion that "we need more trains" also drew enthusiastic applause -- along with a few boos.

The two public meetings were hosted by U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston. A third meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cypress Falls High School, 9811 Huffmeister, in northwest Harris County. At both of this week's meetings, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels explained the toll road plan and the Texas Department of Transportation's current widening plan. Both Eckels and Culberson answered written questions from the audience. Culberson, who made freeway congestion a campaign issue last fall, was lukewarm to a suggestion at the Katy meeting that rail transit be part of any mobility solution for the area's far west side. Culberson said most suburbanites need their cars to get to their jobs and he decried heavy rail's $40 million-per-mile construction costs.

Link

In 2001, Culberson and then-County Judge Robert Eckels unveiled plans to speed the widening with cash from the four toll lanes. Culberson definitely wanted no part of rail on the Katy then.

On March 23, 2002, he was quoted as "dumbfounded and furious" to learn that Metro had asked the state to reserve space for rail in the project, which was on a fast track.

"Metro will rue the day they slow down one spade of dirt or one concrete pour," Culberson said.

By then, TxDOT spokeswoman Janelle Gbur said, the only way to include rail would be to "substitute for some other component," although she said some room could be squeezed out by reducing the shoulders.

So why not have the toll lanes and give up something else?

After all, the design called for 18 lanes in all, growing to 20 or 22 when you include turn lanes at intersections.

Culberson said he would fight the conversion of even one lane to rail. Metro settled for beefing up the overpasses to carry light rail trains in case the public ever wants them to.

Link

Truth be told, I would vote for Culberson if I lived out there, but not because he wanted the freeway widened. Nonetheless, lots of people did vote for him on that issue, so I think the point is made.

I can't remember who the congressman was in northern Fort Bend back then. It's Ron Paul now, but I think that's recent and that it used to be Tom DeLay, who also is on record in support of widening the freeway.

Truth be told, I would vote for all of these guys if I lived in their districts (I am in Queen Sheila's district right now and I drive a big pickup truck, fwiw), so I'm not trying to be critical of them, but to say that the people who lived out there aren't the ones who wanted the freeway widened into Houston is just wrongheaded.

[N Judah]

Those were town hall meetings, not referenda. It probably would have been built no matter what.

[westguy76]

Oh, I love the freeway. It's great. But an ad hominem argument isn't the point.

Truth be told, I would vote for all of these guys if I lived in their districts (I am in Queen Sheila's district right now and I drive a big pickup truck, fwiw), so I'm not trying to be critical of them, but to say that the people who lived out there aren't the ones who wanted the freeway widened into Houston is just wrongheaded.

Ok. I get that. I did not mean to infer that the residents commuting in from the Katy area did not want the freeway. But residents at a town hall meeting expressing their interest in having a freeway widened or even voting for a represenative that supports it, especially on a project of this scale, had absolutly nothing to do with actually planning, funding, or decision to build it or not. That was already written in stone and well above the interest of commuters.

You are the one that implied that the residents got the freeway widened for their SUV's. That my friend is wrongheaded

[CandW]

Truth be told, being that I do live in Katy and have for most of my life, I was for the widening of the Katy Fwy. It was needed and several years past due IMHO. I would have prefered that room be set aside for the later addition of some type of rail component. Chicago is a good example of a spread out populous that utilizes rail from suburbia into the city centers. If MTA had put together a tougher argument for the addition of a rail component, I think it would have made people feel warm and fuzzy, but because of the debacle with the Richmond portion of the University Line, the people said no. I also place a bit of blame on HCTRA in that regards. They were pushing so hard to be a part of the Katy Fwy and they new they had the purse strings to pull, they took advantage of that. Again, this is only my opinion and not representative of the masses. On a side, I would not utilize any form of mass transit because of the business that I am in, I need my vehicle on a spur of the moment basis, but if I was a desk jokey I would absolutely utilize the service. I guess it's only a pipe dream for now.

[cottonmather0]

Ok. I get that. I did not mean to infer that the residents commuting in from the Katy area did not want the freeway. But residents at a town hall meeting expressing their interest in having a freeway widened or even voting for a represenative that supports it, especially on a project of this scale, had absolutly nothing to do with actually planning, funding, or decision to build it or not. That was already written in stone and well above the interest of commuters.

You are the one that implied that the residents got the freeway widened for their SUV's. That my friend is wrongheaded

Alright alright not everyone in Katy drives an SUV. You win. I'm not going to belabor this point anymore as it's veering so evermore off topic.

[Mr. B]

Actually the post about everyone being overjoyed about the Freeway is not accurate so to speak. There were many people who were not for the Freeway expansions. I wasn't one of them cause the expansions were badly needed with the sprawl that came this way. The thing that people don't realize because all they see and read were artciles based on the above fluff. Majority of people out here at that time wanted the freeway expansion but they also were very adamant about wanting mass transit option. They were fought at every turn by almost all involved in the project from the Representatives, Judges, etc.

It was a very heated topic and issue here for quite some time. But I think as one of the above posters mentioned with the poor showing of the rail to nowhere and Richmond issues the rail died even though I think lawsuits, etc were filed to try to force them to at least put in the foundation for it should it be needed.

You also have a large faction of people out here that wouldn't part with there tanks unless they were dead and pulled out of it (just a figure of speech).

Wonder if gas skyrockets again and stays that way how long before people start asking how come no rail.

Also interesting how this thread got hijacked from Rage against Bikers to Katy Freeway issues and hatred for suburbanites. Somehow that always happens