Off the Kuff: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Archives

Precinct analysis: The Richmond Rail Effect 2008

Back in 2006, I did a series of posts that examined CD07 election results in the precincts surrounding Richmond Avenue and the route that was proposed at the time for that stretch of the Universities line to try and answer a question originally raised by Rich Connelly about whether support for rail on Richmond would be a loser in that area. My conclusion was not only did Jim Henley not lose votes to John Culberson in these precincts, he likely gained votes, and thus his support for rail on Richmond was an asset, not a liability. Even though rail was essentially a non-issue this year, I figured as long as I was knee-deep in precinct data, I might as well take a look back to see how Michael Skelly stacked up. Here's the data for the last three elections:



2004

Pcnct Ballots  Culb      Pct  Mrtnez      Pct   C/M Pct M/C Pct

===============================================================

39       1809   473   26.15%    1187   65.62%    28.49%  71.51%

60       1625   422   25.97%    1027   63.20%    29.12%  70.88%

123       866   236   27.25%     544   62.82%    30.26%  69.74%

139      1688   773   45.79%     767   45.44%    50.19%  49.81%

177      1024   635   62.01%     310   30.27%    67.20%  32.80%

178      1346   905   67.24%     328   24.37%    73.40%  26.60%

233      1597   837   52.41%     610   38.20%    57.84%  42.16%

569      1791  1065   59.46%     685   38.25%    60.86%  39.14%

802       237    46   19.41%     162   68.35%    22.12%  77.88%

Total   11983  5392   45.00%    5620   46.90%    48.96%  51.04%



2006

Pcnct Ballots  Culb      Pct  Henley      Pct   C/H Pct H/C Pct

===============================================================

39       1273   246   19.32%     958   75.26%    20.43%  79.57%

60       1050   202   19.24%     790   75.24%    20.36%  79.64%

123       513   117   22.81%     364   70.96%    24.32%  75.68%

139      1061   423   39.87%     564   53.16%    42.86%  57.14%

177       658   403   61.25%     237   36.02%    62.97%  37.03%

178       968   697   72.00%     231   23.86%    75.11%  24.89%

233      1583   791   49.97%     696   43.97%    53.19%  46.81%

569      1076   556   51.67%     454   42.19%    55.05%  44.95%

802       205    42   20.49%     149   72.68%    21.99%  78.01%

Total    8387  3477   41.46%    4443   52.97%    43.90%  56.10%



2008

Pcnct Ballots  Culb      Pct  Skelly      Pct   C/S Pct S/C Pct

===============================================================

39       1800   316   17.56%    1310    72.78%   19.43%  80.57%

60       1524   372   24.41%    1048    68.77%   26.20%  73.80%

123       913   222   24.32%     625    68.46%   26.21%  73.79%

139      1689   677   40.08%     921    54.53%   42.37%  57.63%

177      1076   587   54.55%     437    40.61%   57.32%  42.68%

178      1395   911   65.30%     452    32.40%   66.84%  33.16%

233      2844  1309   46.03%    1370    48.17%   48.86%  51.14%

569      2175  1075   49.43%     995    45.75%   51.93%  48.07%

802       208    47   22.60%     142    68.27%   24.87%  75.13%

Total   13624  5516   40.49%    7300    53.58%   43.04%  56.96%

As before, "Pct" refers to the percent of the total ballot, which includes undervotes and votes for the Libertarian candidate. "C/x Pct" and "x/C Pct" are the straight-up Culberson versus Martinez/Henley/Skelly percentages. Precincts 39, 60, 123, and 802 are in Montrose, 178 is Afton Oaks, the epicenter of anti-rail activity back in the day, 177 and 569 are Lynn Park, Highland Village, and St. George's Place, all of which border Afton Oaks, and 139 and 233 are Greenway Plaza.

Overall, there's nothing too exciting here. Skelly lost a few points in 60, 123, and 802, but he had a pretty high standard to meet. He gained a little or more everywhere else, and flipped 233 to blue. He topped Henley by a small margin, with his biggest gains coming in Culberson's strongest turf. Given Skelly's gains in the district as a whole, that's about what you'd expect.

So there you have it. I didn't really have a point to make with this post, I just felt it needed to be included, at least before someone asked me about it. I figure that as there are still hurdles to be cleared for the Universities line, and construction is still at least a year away, this may become an issue again in 2010. Just keep these numbers in mind when Culberson or one of his proxies claims that he has the support of the voters in the area.

11/20/08 | permalink | comments [0]

Pay that ticket or you can't register your car

Last month, we heard that the city was considering an ordinance that would let the state deny a vehicle registration based on an unpaid red light camera ticket. City Council has now passed that ordinance.

Now, if a driver does not pay after 85 days, the city can get the Texas Department of Transportation to put a "hold" on the vehicle owner's registration that cannot be cleared until the ticket is paid.

"It's not complex," Mayor Bill White said. "If you get a citation when you're running the red light, then you pay the citation. Or, if you think there's some mistaken identity, then you go and contest it. It's pretty simple. But what you don't have an option to do is just ignore the citation."

Council members Michael Sullivan, Jolanda Jones and Ronald Green opposed the measure, although numerous others had questions about how effectively it could be implemented and whether it would add a burden to vehicle registration for those who may not be aware they were ticketed.

Sullivan said he was skeptical of the ordinance for a number of reasons: what if a couple goes through a divorce and the notice of a ticket goes to the wrong address? What if someone gives away a vehicle as a gift? He also cast doubt on whether the process would be fluid, given that it involves the city, a private contractor that administers the cameras, the county, which handles vehicle registration renewals and the state, which will apply the holds.

I understand Council Member Sullivan's objections, but I still think this is a reasonable step for the city to take. Surely if we were talking about any other kind of violation that had been ignored, it would be uncontroversial. While I am certain there will be some problems - there always are, with any system - I don't expect there to be too many. If there are, it should be fixable. I don't think the possibility of problems is enough to make this unacceptable.

11/20/08 | permalink | comments [2]

Metro asks for help with its loans

I suppose this was to be expected.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority joined 10 other transit agencies across the nation Tuesday as they urged Congress for help with financing deals imperiled by the credit crisis.

The move is the latest attempt by Metro and the other agencies to avoid millions in default payments triggered by the collapse of insurance giant American International Group.

AIG provided payment guarantees on lease agreements between Metro and several banks. Those deals required payment guarantees from insurers, such as AIG, with high credit ratings. The deals guaranteed by AIG now are in technical default as a result of the insurance giant's slashed credit rating.

Transit leaders urged the Treasury Department to take over the role of AIG and other insurers, according to a news release from the American Public Transportation Association.

[...]

Officials warned congressional leaders that 31 of the nation's largest transit systems could face $2 billion in payments in the coming months if their contracts with bailed-out banks go bad.

The good news is that in Barack Obama we have a President who is from an urban area, owes his election to urban areas, and actually cares about urban policy. As such, one can reasonably hope that he will see this as a priority. Of course, you never know what Congress will do, and for sure there will be plenty of other requests like this as the effects of the financial crisis continue to be felt. So it's yet another obstacle we'll have to sweat out and hope for the best.

11/19/08 | permalink | comments [1]

Don't text and drive in Austin

The city of Austin is looking at enacting a ban on texting while driving.

The City of Austin's public safety task force approved a resolution Monday that could lead to a ban on texting while driving and a requirement that motorists use hands-free devices.

The resolution is a recommendation that the City Council ask City Manager Marc Ott and his staff to develop a proposal, vet it and bring it back to the council for consideration.

Council Member Mike Martinez, who is leading the effort, said he has received dozens of calls in recent months from motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists asking for such a law.

"It is something that needs to be done," Martinez said. "When you see accidents that have happened or you hear about near-misses, it is just a step we can take to ensure the safety of our citizens."

[...]

Debbie Russell, a task force member and president of the Central Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said she was concerned about criminalizing another behavior.

Traffic laws already address erratic driving, she said.

"There are a lot of distractions in the car," Russell said. "Just because this is the newest one ... doesn't mean we have to create a crime for this distraction."

I too deplore the general trend towards criminalizing things we don't like, but I have no complaint about this. It just strikes me as perfectly reasonable to ban texting while driving. Having said that, there is one argument against that I would find compelling:

Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said laws that ban texting or restrict cell phone use are well-intentioned but are not always effective because drivers don't think they will be enforced.

A study that the institute conducted in North Carolina found that teen drivers actually used cell phones more after a ban was enacted than they did before, he said.

If this study is typical and not exceptional, then I would change my mind and side with Ms. Russell. If such an ordinance would not have the desired effect, then it serves no purpose. I hope some more studies like this are conducted, so a consensus can be formed.

11/09/08 | permalink | comments [1]

The Katy's grand re-opening

There will be a ceremony today to mark the official end of the Katy Freeway construction project.

Gov. Rick Perry, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Harris County Toll Road Authority, as well as local leaders, will celebrate the freeway's completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. today on the Beltway 8 northbound flyover.

Starting Wednesday, the four managed lanes will be available to motorists as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes and to those riding Metro or school buses. By the end of next year, they also will be used as toll lanes for vehicles with a single occupant.

"That's going to be a great benefit to drivers, particularly those who do ride-share, because now they will have two lanes in each direction," said Tanya McWashington, a Katy Freeway Project spokeswoman.

[...]

Construction on the Katy Freeway, expanding it from an 11-lane to 18-lane roadway, began in June 2003 and was expected to take at least 10 years. The Harris County Toll Road Authority's infusion of $250 million to the project helped cut the construction time in half.

The cost of the project stands at $2.8 billion, although some final details such as landscaping and painting aren't finished. More than half of that was covered by federal funds.

There's no truth to the rumor that the celebration will include a bonfire made entirely of $100 bills to commemorate the cost overruns from the original $1 billion estimate. As far as I know, anyway.

During an initial phase through spring, Metro, school buses, motorcyclists and cars with two or more occupants will be allowed to use managed lanes for free. Commuters will be able to use the lanes from 5 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 8 p.m. on weekdays.

After the initial phase, the lanes will be turned into toll lanes during nonpeak hours using an all-electronic tollway system, requiring users who do not have another passenger to have toll tags.

I presume this means that the managed lanes will only be open during what was the normal HOV lane times through the end of next year, and after that they will be open 24/7. I also presume in the meantime, they'll be enforcing the HOV part of these lanes as they did before.

Toll fees have not yet been set.

Harris County Commissioners Court will set toll rates for nonpeak hours and for possible use by solo drivers during peak hours. Congestion pricing, in which toll rates would change based on traffic volumes in the managed lanes to maintain a minimum speed of 45 mph, is expected to be a part of the fee system, said Lawanda Howse, a Toll Road Authority spokeswoman.

Earlier this year, the Harris County Toll Road Authority recommended that passenger vehicles pay $1.25 to travel between Texas 6 and the West Loop during nonpeak hours and that the price double during peak hours and other times when the traffic is moving slower than 45 mph.

"For us, this is about carpoolers and putting more people in vehicles and having less traffic on the freeways," Howse said."It's more about that than a revenue generator for us."

I still don't know how they plan to differentiate between multi-passenger vehicles, which will be allowed free passage, and single-occupancy ones, which will need to cough up a toll. I know there were some public meetings about this, but if their results were reported, I missed it. I also think that given the much higher cost of the Westpark toll road, people will see a buck and a quarter as a bargain, and may quickly overwhelm the two HOV lanes. Expect that price to go up quickly.

The question is whether any of that will ultimately make a difference.

"When the (managed) lanes open, we'll see even more improvement in travel time, but the question is, how long will it last?" said Pat Waskowiak, transportation program manager for the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

The council, a regional planning group comprising local governments, predicts that commute times will increase as the populations in Katy, Sugar Land and other areas of Fort Bend County continue to grow.

The managed lanes will "end up being just as fast as the other lanes, or either end up being underused because all the traffic gets pushed to the other lanes," said Aaron Quinn, spokesman for the National Motorists Association, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group opposed to HOV lanes, contending that all motorists who contribute taxes should get full use of freeways.

A California State University study of HOV lanes in the San Francisco Bay Area used data from 2001 to 2005 to conclude that those lanes exacerbated the congestion problem there and did not encourage carpooling.

I don't have a problem with the concept of HOV lanes, and I don't really have an issue with adding in the HOT option. But I also think that it won't take long for the new Katy to start being as congested as the old Katy. And when that happens, maybe we'll finally give some thought as to what a real, scalable solution to this problem might be.

10/28/08 | permalink | comments [0]

Hold that registration!

The city wants to make it harder to not pay red light camera fines.

City officials hope to step up enforcement of Houston's red-light cameras by getting the state to deny vehicle registration renewal to drivers who do not pay up after repeated warnings.

A quarter of the drivers nabbed by the cameras have never paid the $75 citation. The result, officials said, is more than $7 million owed to city and state coffers.

Under a plan before the City Council this week, the city will work with the Texas Department of Transportation to place a "hold" on vehicle registration renewals until motorists' red-light penalties are paid. If approved, the plan could take effect before the end of the year.

"There are no consequences for not paying," admitted Joseph Fenninger, the chief financial officer for the Houston Police Department. The proposed arrangement will finally give the red-light camera program some "teeth," he said.

[...]

While 70 percent of red-light runners do pay the penalty, the other notices are eventually turned over to a collection agency hired by the camera contractor, Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions.

The collections process has been "largely ineffective," the HPD's Fenninger said, with an 18 percent success rate.

In principle, I have no objection to this. There should be a consequence for not paying this fine, and withholding registration renewals until that is done seems like a reasonable and proportionate response. How they want to go about it matters, and I'd prefer for them to take a less aggressive approach to a more aggressive one, but I think the idea is a valid one.

Paul Bettencourt, the Harris County Tax Assessor, says the city needs to move cautiously before using registration holds as an enforcement tool. His office handles vehicle registration on behalf of TxDOT.

"There are a significant number of technical things that have to happen first," Bettencourt said. "We've given the city a long list of items to consider, and we have not heard back."

The city must make sure its violations data is accurate and updated, and matches information kept by TxDOT, he said.

Again, I have no objections to this. It should be on the city to make sure they're dunning the right person, and if that means they need to do a check with TxDOT first, or to do an upgrade on their municipal court systems, then they should do those things. Seems to me the latter is something they'd want to do anyway, so let the goal of better fine collection serve as an incentive if need be.

10/15/08 | permalink | comments [0]

The traffic lights are working again

Good news.

The other 2,426 intersections in Houston now have working red, yellow and green light cycles. So far, the city has spent an estimated $6.31 million fixing the signals -- including costs for equipment, overtime and the hiring of more than 120 contract workers, according to Michael Marcotte, director of Public Works and Engineering.

But the work is not done, said Mayor Bill White. While 43 percent of signalized intersections are considered fully restored to pre-Ike normality, the remainder still have issues with timing or cameras. Many flow-control devices that can lengthen or shorten green signals during rush hours still need repair.

Nice work. The city had previously said that this work may take till the end of November. Presumably, that included getting everything re-synched and re-timed. I also presume that the cameras mentioned above are the traffic flow cameras and not the red light cameras. I haven't seen any mention of them in these Ike-related stories, but it's a good question: If the lights may not be in sync, are the red light cameras still functioning as intended? That argument might make for an actual valid defense to a camera-generated ticket for now.

If Ike's damage had a silver lining, it is this: The city has been able to speed up the replacement of incandescent traffic bulbs with the more energy-efficient light-emitting diodes. LED bulbs use less power and last longer. The city can save about 90 percent per bulb compared to an incandescent light.

LEDs will replace incandescent traffic bulbs entirely by the end of 2009, officials said.

All part of the greenhouse gas reduction plan. Take your good news where you can find it, I always say.

10/07/08 | permalink | comments [0]

No texting while driving in California

It is now illegal to send text messages while driving in California.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law making it illegal to read or send text messages while driving in California.

The bill imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 for repeat offenders using any electronic devices to read or send messages, starting next year.

Schwarzenegger said the law he signed Wednesday encourages drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.

At twenty bucks for a first offense, and fifty a pop thereafter? I think there's a nontrivial number of people who'd see that as a cost of doing business, not a deterrent. If this is such a big deal, why not set a fine that will make people think twice? I don't get the logic here.

10/02/08 | permalink | comments [0]

Raising the driving age

We've talked about the drinking age recently and whether or not it should be lowered. But what about the minimum age for getting a driver's license? Some folks think it should be raised.

Taking aim at a longstanding rite of passage for 16-year-olds, an influential auto safety group is calling on states to raise the age for getting a driver's license to 17 or even 18.

Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry, acknowledged the idea is "a tough sell" but noted that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers.

"The bottom line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives," Lund said. He plans to present the proposal today at the annual conference of the Governors Highway Safety Association in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Not surprisingly, a lot of teens hate the idea.

"I would really be upset because I've waited so long to drive," said Diamante White, a 16-year-old in Reading, Pa., who got her permit in July. She said learning to drive is a "growing-up experience."

Many parents agree. They also like not having to chauffeur their teens to school, sporting events and any number of other places.

"Do we really want our kids dependent upon parents for virtually everything until they go to college, can vote and serve their country?" asked Margaret Menotti, a mother in Uxbridge, Mass.

Put me down for having a lot of sympathy for Margaret Menotti's position. My parents had the good fortune to live someplace where their four kids could walk or take public transit to school. Only my sister Eileen, whose high school was a few blocks from where my dad was working at the time, got regular rides to and from school. Most parents aren't that lucky - I probably won't be, at least for the most part. I'd favor making driver's license exams tougher - the road test in Staten Island was pretty notorious back in the day - but I don't think it should be taken away altogether. It just isn't fair, and it isn't workable for the way we live.

09/14/08 | permalink | comments [1]

REV Houston

I thought this article about the electric car taxi/shuttle service called REV Houston was interesting. A couple of things that struck me:

When [Erik] Ibarra and business partner Justin Jones started REV Houston in April, they anticipated a certain clientele.

"We thought the market was going to be mostly baseball games, taking people from their parking spot to the game or between the Toyota Center and parking," Ibarra said. "But that's probably the smallest segment."

Busiest times are weekdays around lunch and weekend evenings. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., people don't want to move their cars to go to lunch, said Ibarra. At the same time, they don't want to walk from the 1000 block of Louisiana to, say, Kim Son, nearly 2 miles away at 2001 Jefferson. So they take the shuttle.

Actually, Google maps says it's 1.3 miles from 1000 Louisiana to 2001 Jefferson. If you took the light rail line two stops from Main Street Square to the Downtown Transit Center, you'd knock about a half mile off of that. Which is doable, though it'd take maybe 20 minutes, and you'd have to cross under 59. For such a trip, I can certainly see the appeal of a REV car, even if it cost me $10 in tips total. But I wouldn't want to spend that much extra money often.

I point this out to note that while this is a useful addition to the downtown/Midtown scene, it's not really improving mobility much in that its main competition seems to be walking and taking the light rail line. For a trip like this, it'd take a car off the road, but this is a pretty extreme example. For the most part, you can hoof it almost anywhere downtown if you want to.

REV Houston does not have a special license to drive the electric carts. Already, the city has given the company three tickets with numerous citations, including operating a taxi without a license.

The city defines a taxi cab as any automobile or motor-propelled vehicle used for the transport of passengers for hire, explained Blanton Daniels, manager of the city's transportation division. Pedicabs don't qualify as taxis because they aren't motor-propelled, he said, but REV Houston's electric carts do.

"They're trying to circumvent the regulation by saying they're working for gratuities," said Daniels, adding that he sees no difference between a taxi for hire and a taxi that works for tips. It's still money changing hands.

In addition, city guidelines say taxis should be midsized sedans.

"We want to encourage green businesses, but there are larger considerations, including safety and the other companies that are playing by the rules," said Frank Michel, spokesman for the Houston mayor's office. "Just because you're green doesn't mean you don't have the play by the same rules as everyone else."

The only way the city could allow the electric carts to operate as taxis is by creating a special ordinance that fits their category of business, Daniels said. Until then, the city will continue to ticket the electric carts.

I don't honestly see any reason why such an ordinance couldn't be considered. I agree REV Houston should play by the rules, but I don't think the rules need to exclude them. I say study the safety issue, and if there are no red flags find a way to let them in.