METRORail University Line

[Quinlan]

Is someone interested in keeping a running list of those businesses opposed to rail on Richmond? I don't frequent these boards enough to be a diligent custodian of such a list, but I would certainly be interested in using it for my own informal boycott. Who knows, maybe the boycott wouldn't stay informal? I think these businesses should be called out on their short-sighted, self-interested agenda that hurts Houston.

[TheNiche]

What is the stated goal of an informal boycott, and how does the informal boycott contribute to the realization of that goal?

[musicman]

Is someone interested in keeping a running list of those businesses opposed to rail on Richmond? I don't frequent these boards enough to be a diligent custodian of such a list, but I would certainly be interested in using it for my own informal boycott. Who knows, maybe the boycott wouldn't stay informal? I think these businesses should be called out on their short-sighted, self-interested agenda that hurts Houston.

when METRO starts condemning properties for ROW, they may not be there long anyway. enjoy em while you can.

[Guest danax]

What is the stated goal of an informal boycott, and how does the informal boycott contribute to the realization of that goal?

As a Houstonian whose selfish interests are to see the line run in the overall best spot, I am for a complete Richmond route. If I were a business owner on Richmond, I would be scared too. Construction disruption is one thing, fewer cars afterwards is another, and neither are good for business. The promise of a new "urban" boulevard as a result of Richmond rail is only speculation, as the Main St. line hasn't done much for the few businesses that were there in Midtown.

So, their concerns are understandable, and I would be hesitant to boycott them.

[TheNiche]

As a Houstonian whose selfish interests are to see the line run in the overall best spot, I am for a complete Richmond route. If I were a business owner on Richmond, I would be scared too. Construction disruption is one thing, fewer cars afterwards is another, and neither are good for business. The promise of a new "urban" boulevard as a result of Richmond rail is only speculation, as the Main St. line hasn't done much for the few businesses that were there in Midtown.

So, their concerns are understandable, and I would be hesitant to boycott them.

I've got to agree. It is really hard to blame someone for being concerned over a threat to their livelihood.

[Houston19514]

Also, beware of unintended consequences. Boycotts of business along the section of Richmond where rail is eventually built, to the extent they are effective, would almost certainly result in the "lesson learned" that construction of the rail line hurt their business, NOT that their opposition to rail hurt their business. While it may not matter for the University Line, it will not help in preparing the larger public for the next phase of rail construction.

[WesternGulf]

I noticed a Culberson sign on a business deep in the Montrose near Castle Court and also thought they were kind of brave. I wouldn't think a business would wear political signs, especially in areas where your sign is the total antithesis of voters in the area. The area is hardly even politically balanced.

[RedScare]

That is why the boycott is, and should remain, informal. RichmondRail.org does a good job of supporting those who support rail, and keeping their message positive. It would not bode well for them or any other organized pro rail group to take a negative approach to those anti-rail businesses. Howver, informally, I want those businesses to know that there are negative consequences. Therefore, I do not shop there, instead spending my money at the pro-rail businesses.

Further, I will support all of the businesses during construction, just as I did on Main Street. This is my choice, as it is for others who choose not to patronize anti-rail businesses. Those of you who don't like it would be well advised to rush to those businesses and spend your money to offset those of us who do not spend at these businesses.

[Houston19514]

That is why the boycott is, and should remain, informal. RichmondRail.org does a good job of supporting those who support rail, and keeping their message positive. It would not bode well for them or any other organized pro rail group to take a negative approach to those anti-rail businesses. Howver, informally, I want those businesses to know that there are negative consequences. Therefore, I do not shop there, instead spending my money at the pro-rail businesses.

Further, I will support all of the businesses during construction, just as I did on Main Street. This is my choice, as it is for others who choose not to patronize anti-rail businesses. Those of you who don't like it would be well advised to rush to those businesses and spend your money to offset those of us who do not spend at these businesses.

I completely understand your desire to boycott. But I think an "informal" boycott is even more likely to end up with the unintended consequence of sending the wrong message than would a "formal" or announced boycott. Put yourself in the shoes of the business owner for a moment. You see rail being planned and then built and then operated outside your front door... your business is declining (presuming your boycott is effective). What are you going to blame it on? Instead of the possibility of converting a business owner into a supporter of rail, you will have succeeded in totally, absolutely confirming his worst fears and making him great fodder for every newspaper, television and radio reporter when the campaign for the next rail bond issue starts.

[TheNiche]

It would not bode well for them or any other organized pro rail group to take a negative approach to those anti-rail businesses. Howver, informally, I want those businesses to know that there are negative consequences. Therefore, I do not shop there, instead spending my money at the pro-rail businesses.

If it is informal, how are they supposed to know what caused their lost sales? As a form of communication, informal boycotts just don't seem very effective.

[musicman]

I noticed a Culberson sign on a business deep in the Montrose near Castle Court and also thought they were kind of brave. I wouldn't think a business would wear political signs, especially in areas where your sign is the total antithesis of voters in the area. The area is hardly even politically balanced.

i went to a party on norfolk (near dunlavy) this weekend. i asked the owner what he thought of the proposed rail. he laughed and said people in this neighborhood wouldn't be caught riding public transportation. we'll have to see what happens.

[infinite_jim]

most small businesses don't make it, why should the city as a whole take seriously ephemeral elements

are they historic?

do they carry some special religious meaning?

& the example of the main street rail as a precedent for failure is moot because:

1. the line is prodominatly a commercial and institutional line with little substantial residential "places", hence "where the people are"

really now, are you going to go out of your way to ride a train that runs by your office if it doesn't run by your residence too?

2. the current line is an isolated "toy train" as some would have you believe, they are in effect sabotaging the big picture, a simple enough analogy would be to expect your newborn to run, without true diversity in surrounding land uses the train has no vitality towards it's ultimate goal of connectivity.

informal is houston's style, let capitalism decide

[houstonfella]

Why is Houston having all this in-city fighting over rail? Because Dallas seemed to seamlessly incorporate rail into the fabric of that city with what seems to be a very workable and educated plan. Do we need to consult with Dallas on how to implement rail? If that hurts your Houston pride, then stop complaining and start being a part of the solution. Otherwise, we can call Laura...

[nmainguy]

Why is Houston having all this in-city fighting over rail?

Because we are too provincial for our own good. I'm for increased LRT citywide and advocate it honestly.

Aftonag professes to be so but then comes back with his NIMBY hollow arguments and then says he will fight to have NO rail on Richmond as a disguise for his advocacy of eliminating METRO.

Culberson lies he is for self determination then turns around and proposes a route that will never get federal funding and rams through a freeway that takes hundreds of private parcels of land.

These are just a few of the reasons Houston has become what it is: uneducated voters voting for morally corrupt Culbersons without a thought of their own because they might be too lazy to investigate and think for themselves before they cast their votes.

[TheNiche]

Why is Houston having all this in-city fighting over rail? Because Dallas seemed to seamlessly incorporate rail into the fabric of that city with what seems to be a very workable and educated plan. Do we need to consult with Dallas on how to implement rail?

The person who ran METRO when they implemented the Red Line was the same person that worked in Dallas' transit authority when they implemented DART. So basically, yes, apparently we did need to consult with Dallas. ...didn't do much good, though.

Unfortunately, METRO is often its own worst enemy, and it has a long and storied history of not playing nice with its political partners and counterparts. The difference between Dallas' rapid transit system and ours is that Dallas forsaw the day when extra rights of way would come very much in handy. They went out of their way to preserve paths for rapid transit many years in advance. Rather than planning ahead or biting the bullet and either buying new ROW or engineering the infrastructure properly, we just build on existing streets at grade level (and are surprised by our rate of traffic accidents).

I don't recall where AftonAg recommended disbanding METRO, as nmainguy says, but that isn't altogether a bad idea. It is a dysfunctional organization IMO and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

[TheNiche]

the current line is an isolated "toy train" as some would have you believe, they are in effect sabotaging the big picture, a simple enough analogy would be to expect your newborn to run, without true diversity in surrounding land uses the train has no vitality towards it's ultimate goal of connectivity.

informal is houston's style, let capitalism decide

METRO has arranged through various tactics to make it so that the Red Line has among the highest ratios of ridership per mile out of any light rail system in the United States. If ridership per mile is analogous to the concept of a traffic count, which is typically one of the key deciding factors of whether retail businesses investments are worthwhile, then what makes you think that even higher ridership will kick-start a revolution in transit-oriented retailing?

It has long been documented by urban economists (Altshuler, 1979) that "1. In a growing economy, rail transit contributes to the clustering of activities near downtown stations. These clustering effects are usually neglibible outside the central business district. 2. Investment in rail transit is sensible only if it is used in concert with more powerful land-use instruments such as zoning and property taxation/incentives. If the government uses its zoning and tax policies to generate high-density development, rail transit provides an efficient means of delivering a large number of workers to the dense central area."

Therefore, if capitalism is to decide (i.e. no land use controls or tax incentives), it cannot be expected to favor TOD. But lets take it further. If capitalism were truely in play, the capitalized long-run average costs of each mode of transit would be passed on to the consumer so that they made an efficient choice between modes of transportation. Light rail has a very high cost per passenger mile as compared to other transit modes ($3.11 per passenger mile vs. $1.16 per bus passenger mile in San Diego, according to Jose A. Gomez-Ibanez; I dont' have Houston data), so most people would likely gravitate to the bus system or back to private automobiles.

LRT may have a place in the portfolio of commuter technologies (and then only in the future, IMO), but to expect for it to generate TOD on any significant scale in Houston, of all places, is a delusion. There will be a few scattered cases, to be sure, but they will be isolated, as much islands unto themselves as is Post Midtown.

[musicman]

Why is Houston having all this in-city fighting over rail? Because Dallas seemed to seamlessly incorporate rail into the fabric of that city with what seems to be a very workable and educated plan. Do we need to consult with Dallas on how to implement rail? If that hurts your Houston pride, then stop complaining and start being a part of the solution. Otherwise, we can call Laura...

Dallas made attempts to isolate their lines so that they wouldn't comingle with traffic. of course not all the line is isolated, but they did make an effort to do so which makes it more appealing.

[WesternGulf]

Because we are too provincial for our own good. I'm for increased LRT citywide and advocate it honestly.

Aftonag professes to be so but then comes back with his NIMBY hollow arguments and then says he will fight to have NO rail on Richmond as a disguise for his advocacy of eliminating METRO.

Culberson lies he is for self determination then turns around and proposes a route that will never get federal funding and rams through a freeway that takes hundreds of private parcels of land.

These are just a few of the reasons Houston has become what it is: uneducated voters voting for morally corrupt Culbersons without a thought of their own because they might be too lazy to investigate and think for themselves before they cast their votes.

If there is a post that I agree with you fully on, this is it.

[ricco67]

I received this from the Metro Updates earlier this weekend, so I just thought I'd post it up:

BOARD APPROVES SHORT LIST OF ROUTES FOR UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR

METRO's Board of Directors today approved six route options with which to continue more refined analyses for the University Corridor. There are now three route alternatives for the eastern segment of the corridor:

*

Alabama (US59/Alabama/UH): From Wheeler Station to Wheeler under US-59 to Alabama, terminating at Scott (UH - Central Campus)

*

Wheeler (Ennis/Elgin/Eastwood TC): From Wheeler Station to Wheeler to Ennis to Elgin, terminating at Eastwood Transit Center (IH-45)

*

Wheeler (Ennis/Alabama/UH): From Wheeler Station to Wheeler to Ennis to Alabama at Scott (UH - Central Campus)

There is an equal number for the western segment, as follows:

*

Richmond/Westpark (Cummins): Richmond from Wheeler Station to Cummins to Westpark, terminating at Hillcroft Transit Center

*

Richmond/Westpark (Greenway Plaza): Richmond from Wheeler Station to Greenway Plaza Drive A to Westpark, terminating at Hillcroft Transit Center

*

Richmond/U.S. 59/Westpark (Kirby): Richmond from Wheeler Station to Montrose to north US-59 frontage road (elevated) to east of Kirby to Westpark, terminating at Hillcroft Transit Center

[lockmat]

So basically, yes, apparently we did need to consult with Dallas. ...didn't do much good, though.

I noticed that they announced who will be constructing the new lines. Is it the same people? If not, I wonder why.

[Transit Nut]

Did anyone go to the open houses/workshops for the western half of the corridor today? Anything new or interesting to report?

[Highway6]

Did anyone go to the open houses/workshops for the western half of the corridor today? Anything new or interesting to report?

I went.. They didn't have anything new to show. They had some poeple there answering questions and some display boards up, but nothing new.... The main purpose was to get feedback from the public so they had comment sheets for people to fill out.

..I did my part..

[IHB2]

I went.. They didn't have anything new to show. They had some poeple there answering questions and some display boards up, but nothing new.... The main purpose was to get feedback from the public so they had comment sheets for people to fill out.

..I did my part..

hard to give valid input on the DEIS when METRO has nothing showing the 3 choices on the west U Line - no renderings, no stats, no prediction models, no nothing - just the same bunch of stuff they've been demonstrating for 18 months.

pretty frustrating

[lockmat]

We haven't had a good heated discussion on this topic in a while. When is the next big meeting or pivotal decision going to happen so we can start this thing up again?

[IHB2]

We haven't had a good heated discussion on this topic in a while. When is the next big meeting or pivotal decision going to happen so we can start this thing up again?

Last year METRO Board announced it would decide on 1 preferred alignment at its March 2007 meeting, then in the 1st week of March we learned that decision will be made in July or August 2007 after DEIS public input and more "study" by staffers. see my comment above about what value I place on METROI's use of public input.

I mentioned to a METRO "facilitator" (a member of a consulting firm hired by METRO apparently to talk to the public since METRO is incapable of speaking w/o pissing everybody off) at Monday's "workshop" that the process continues to move forward, now at the DEIS stage, but METRO has nothing new to show the public that might provide updated data on the narrowed down list of alignments. So public input is based on nothing but old data, METRO promises, and mere individual opinion.

[wakester]

I think Christof Spieler makes some good points in his latest blog

[musicman]

I think Christof Spieler makes some good points in his latest blog

Here

[westguy]

hmmmm....so after the rail is finished richmond will be wider with more concrete which leads to more runoff that creates flooding.

You are just twisting his words since he is quoting those who were at Culberson's anti-rail town hall meeting.

[RedScare]

A quick perusal of the Comments section may reveal the ulterior motive for Christof's blog.

[Highway6]

A quick perusal of the Comments section may reveal the ulterior motive for Christof's blog.

They're having way too much fun with this....