US 290/Hempstead Toll Road Expansion

[Slick Vik]

The answer is no in both cases, but the highway expansion is more useful as it is far more flexible than a railway expansion.  It being the case that neither method reduces congestion long-term, assuming a growing city, we're faced with either densifiying employment to make it efficient for rail or distributing the employment to make it efficient for cars.  In that regard, the die is already cast in the Houston area.  In fact, the only time you get density naturally is if there are physical or political limitations to the growth of a city.  Such conditions do not exist here nor are they likely to exist in the future.  The genie is alreay out of the bottle on that one.  So, complain as you might, Houston is well on the way to a distributed model and the more we can push it that way the better off future generations of Houstonians will be. 

 

 

4 major employment centers are still within the loop: Downtown, medical center, greenway plaza, and galleria. Also there are areas in the city that are very dense. Gulfton, for example.

 

Also we've done everything in our power to help cars. There has to be investments in alternatives now. The only people who say otherwise sound like shills for the automobile industry.

[august948]

4 major employment centers are still within the loop: Downtown, medical center, greenway plaza, and galleria. Also there are areas in the city that are very dense. Gulfton, for example.

 

Also we've done everything in our power to help cars. There has to be investments in alternatives now. The only people who say otherwise sound like shills for the automobile industry.

 

Employment can be shifted from downtown, greenway plaza and the galleria area to relieve congestion.

 

[Slick Vik]

Employment can be shifted from downtown, greenway plaza and the galleria area to relieve congestion.

 

 

So having people scramble all around town, adding more cars to the roads, will relieve congestion?

[livincinco]

So having people scramble all around town, adding more cars to the roads, will relieve congestion?

 

I would argue that the impact of congestion depends on your definition of mobility.  To me - mobility is getting from one location to another quickly.  Under that definition, even though Houston suffers from congestion, a car is still the most efficient means to achieve that. 

 

There are certainly arguments in favor of mass transit, but they are primarily social and arguably environmental.  Point to point transit time only favors mass transit in rare occasions.

 

[Slick Vik]

I would argue that the impact of congestion depends on your definition of mobility. To me - mobility is getting from one location to another quickly. Under that definition, even though Houston suffers from congestion, a car is still the most efficient means to achieve that.

There are certainly arguments in favor of mass transit, but they are primarily social and arguably environmental. Point to point transit time only favors mass transit in rare occasions.

Buses using HOV lanes beat driving

[livincinco]

Buses using HOV lanes beat driving

 

Only in scenarios where your origin point is close to the park and ride lot and your destination is close to the drop off point.

 

[IronTiger]

And Slick's started to hijack his thread for his usual mass transit propaganda crap.

 

I'd rather talk about the expansion and its consequences. For example, with the rebuilding of the interchange with 610 (and I-10), I can see one of the ramps being torn down and straightened out, and what were the warehouses (besides the antiques center, which moved) that were demolished?

[august948]

So having people scramble all around town, adding more cars to the roads, will relieve congestion?

 

Yes.  For two reasons.  One is that you spread out the existing traffic over a much larger area and two is that you are moving the workplaces closer to the affordable housing so that commute distances are shortened.  Overall you could end up with less miles being driven and still allow people to live in less costly areas.  It's a win-win.

 

[august948]

Only in scenarios where your origin point is close to the park and ride lot and your destination is close to the drop off point.

 

 

And that's the key, we need more points of origin and destination for P&R instead of the primarily hub and spoke system we have now.

 

[august948]

And Slick's started to hijack his thread for his usual mass transit propaganda crap.

 

I'd rather talk about the expansion and its consequences. For example, with the rebuilding of the interchange with 610 (and I-10), I can see one of the ramps being torn down and straightened out, and what were the warehouses (besides the antiques center, which moved) that were demolished?

 

I haven't seen the plans for this.  How far up 290 is the toll road going to go and when do they expect to have it open?  I'm guessing this might help you eventually on your trips into Houston if you take the 6 to 290 route.

 

[IronTiger]

Well, if you look on Google Maps, you can see the demolition (awfully close to the old Foley's building)

[LTAWACS]

Yes. For two reasons. One is that you spread out the existing traffic over a much larger area and two is that you are moving the workplaces closer to the affordable housing so that commute distances are shortened. Overall you could end up with less miles being driven and still allow people to live in less costly areas. It's a win-win.

Affordable housing? Who wants to live in section 8??