Inner Katy LRT

[AtticaFlinch]

The card readers are fairly small. Putting one at each door would not break the bank, or be particularly unworkable. It is the cash receiver and change maker, as well as the ticket printer that makes those ticket machines at the station so bulky. The expense of selling single trip or single day tickets with rfids embedded in them (I assume) might be prohibitive, however.

The Paris Metro day pass is paper with a magnetized strip on the back. It can't be too cost prohibitive or I'd imagine they wouldn't be able to do it.

[editor]

So everybody who wants to ride has to have a Q Card?

Why not? As long as the transit agency doesn't charge for the card, who cares? Getting a card from a vending machine is no harder than getting a paper ticket.

In Chicago, paper cards are no longer used. It's a card or cash. And if you use a card, you get free transfers, and a 20% bonus when you reload the card.

[editor]

The Paris Metro day pass is paper with a magnetized strip on the back. It can't be too cost prohibitive or I'd imagine they wouldn't be able to do it.

Paris is dumping the paper one-day passes. At least for the filthy tourists.

The locals are getting Navigo cards

[N Judah]

Why not? As long as the transit agency doesn't charge for the card, who cares? Getting a card from a vending machine is no harder than getting a paper ticket.

Yes, I agree. This is true to the extent that Q cards are obtainable for free from such a vending machine as you describe, which does not seem to be the case in Houston.

In Chicago, paper cards are no longer used. It's a card or cash. And if you use a card, you get free transfers, and a 20% bonus when you reload the card.

"Card or cash" sounds pretty good -- a little different from "card only", but I see your point.

Anyway the issue that started all of this was the notion that payment on local trains / future trolleys should be done the same way it is now, but on the train instead of at the station, and with only Q cards, to avoid the issue of "having to have a person driving and a person collecting fees." Irrespective of whether or not this is a good idea overall, the fact is I have never seen such a setup involving a person driving and a person collecting fees on any of the buses or LRTs around town, nor on the subways or LRTs/trolleys I have ridden in other cities.

[JamesL]

Trams in Amsterdam have a booth with person selling tickets on board. But I agree that's not the way to go on a new system.

[jfre81]

Don't know what to think about this - I mean, it sounds cool and all, but then there's the execution and how to pay for it.

If this ties into inter-city high speed rail going west to San Antonio and beyond (ostensibly) it might be a sound investment. Might as well do it now than later.

Washington I don't really see being the "hotspot" for too long. When the Phase II rail lines open, I can see that action moving back downtown, to Main and eastward toward the Dynamo stadium site. It makes sense, there will be less NIMBY opposition (the people who live downtown can pretty much expect it to not be too tranquil) and it will have good freeway, bus and rail access. Washington has none of this, really, other than being close to I-10, and there are a lot of old neighborhoods there with people who have been living there for a long time. Usually I dismiss NIMBY crying such as the condo owners in Rice Village who bought units next to a bar, but in the case of Washington I can see where they're coming from.

[Highway6]

Don't know what to think about this - I mean, it sounds cool and all, but then there's the execution and how to pay for it.

If this ties into inter-city high speed rail going west to San Antonio and beyond (ostensibly) it might be a sound investment. Might as well do it now than later.

Washington I don't really see being the "hotspot" for too long. When the Phase II rail lines open, I can see that action moving back downtown, to Main and eastward toward the Dynamo stadium site......

Washington isnt ideal for a phase III route because its now a hotspot... it's ideal because it's 1 of 3 E-W corridors connecting the NWTC ( North end of the Uptown Line and numerous commuter bus routes ) and downtown (converge into current East End line).

The other two being I-10 and the tracks.

Washington is the best of those 3 for splitting SN22 and its dense boat load of residents as well as hitting up the current and any future commercial/retail buildings. Let the bar scene move... doesn't really change Washington Ave's importance.

[Trae]

And I've read that the line along Washington to the NW Transit Center can eventually go on I-10 out to the Energy Corridor (from the Energy Corridor District site and Houston Tomorrow).

[Highway6]

And I've read that the line along Washington to the NW Transit Center can eventually go on I-10 out to the Energy Corridor (from the Energy Corridor District site and Houston Tomorrow).

No more or less than either of the other two options. Any CRT heading west from the NWTC is a separate entity from the LRT. It doesn't matter how the LRT gets to the NWTC from the East.

However.. 10 just expanded.. they missed the CRT boat... and they are already well served by HOV/HOT lanes and commuter buses. I wouldn't count on rail to the Energy Corridor anytime within the next 20 yrs.

[jfre81]

Washington isnt ideal for a phase III route because its now a hotspot... it's ideal because it's 1 of 3 E-W corridors connecting the NWTC ( North end of the Uptown Line and numerous commuter bus routes ) and downtown (converge into current East End line).

The other two being I-10 and the tracks.

Washington is the best of those 3 for splitting SN22 and its dense boat load of residents as well as hitting up the current and any future commercial/retail buildings. Let the bar scene move... doesn't really change Washington Ave's importance.

Fair enough. I do think once that scene moves on that it won't fall as hard as the Richmond strip did after its day in the sun back in the 90s.

Other concern would be the flow of auto traffic. Not everyone is going to ride this thing all the time. Other than limited-access Memorial Drive, there aren't a whole lot of side streets equipped to handle overflow traffic like along Main (e.g. Fannin, Travis).

[Trae]

No more or less than either of the other two options. Any CRT heading west from the NWTC is a separate entity from the LRT. It doesn't matter how the LRT gets to the NWTC from the East.

However.. 10 just expanded.. they missed the CRT boat... and they are already well served by HOV/HOT lanes and commuter buses. I wouldn't count on rail to the Energy Corridor anytime within the next 20 yrs.

And that's such a shame in my opinion. The Katy Freeway corridor would have been much better served with one HOV lane in each direction with commuter or light rail down the middle. I believe this was the Katy Corridor Coalition's plan, except they wanted the freeway below ground. That would have been too much. Anyway, they could have then expanded Metro's local bus service throughout the area connecting to the rail/Park and Ride stations along I-10. I believe they did build the new I-10 with enough support to be able to handle rail though.

And an interesting blog post: http://blogs.chron.c...david_crossley/

I-10 at Highway 6 (you can see BP's new building behind the rail).

[samagon]

Trams in Amsterdam have a booth with person selling tickets on board. But I agree that's not the way to go on a new system.

they moved to a new system this last year, and they will be removing the ticket sales from inside the trams at some point sooner rather than later.

the ticket person is still in the car during their transition to the new system.

I was just there in December, so I got the opportunity to talk to some friends that live in the city and had some very unhappy words to say. not to mention the people standing on the platforms waiting for trams, subway and trains in and around the city.

Don't know what to think about this - I mean, it sounds cool and all, but then there's the execution and how to pay for it.

If this ties into inter-city high speed rail going west to San Antonio and beyond (ostensibly) it might be a sound investment. Might as well do it now than later.

Washington I don't really see being the "hotspot" for too long. When the Phase II rail lines open, I can see that action moving back downtown, to Main and eastward toward the Dynamo stadium site. It makes sense, there will be less NIMBY opposition (the people who live downtown can pretty much expect it to not be too tranquil) and it will have good freeway, bus and rail access. Washington has none of this, really, other than being close to I-10, and there are a lot of old neighborhoods there with people who have been living there for a long time. Usually I dismiss NIMBY crying such as the condo owners in Rice Village who bought units next to a bar, but in the case of Washington I can see where they're coming from.

Rail dictating where nightlife is would only work if the rail was running late enough at night.

[LTAWACS]

I just the PDF.... horrifying to say the least.