Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

A better way to do I-45

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Skelley on Facebook: Here’s a new vision for I-45. -saves money -no displacement in low income areas -no destruction of White Oak Bayou -prevents TxDOT vandalization of EaDo -downtown amenities if we want to fund those ourselves This … Continue reading →

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Metro’s robot security guards

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not a character from a dystopian action movie, I promise. Robot security guards are coming to a Houston-area transit center, park and ride lot and rail station in the coming months, after the Metropolitan Transit Authority board approved a $270,000 … Continue reading →

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Another scooter injury study

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. Electric scooter injuries have surged along with their popularity in the United States, nearly tripling over four years, researchers said in a study published Wednesday. Nearly 40,000 broken bones, head injuries, cuts and bruises resulting from scooter … Continue reading →

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Crunch time for I-45

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The rubber is meeting the road, as it were. Three Houston Planning Department meetings scheduled for this week, days prior to a key state deadline, could prove pivotal in shaping how Interstate 45 is rebuilt — with ramifications for years … Continue reading →

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Uptown BRT pushed back to July

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sigh. Opening day for Houston’s first bus rapid transit line has been pushed back to mid-summer as construction enters the final steps along most of the route before reaching a three-month testing period. Service is expected to start no earlier … Continue reading →

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It’s the year 2020…

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But where are the flying cars? And hyperloops? And other things we were promised? Uber will deploy flying cars When Uber Technologies Inc. pledged to deliver on a promise of the Jetsons, it gave itself just three years to do so. The … Continue reading →

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No free fares

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For the best, I’d say. Free fares appear to be a hard sell for Houston area transit officials, who said while they are open to exploring discounts, people boarding buses and trains will need to fork over $1.25 for the … Continue reading →

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Back to the no-fares question

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I remain skeptical, but we’ll see. As it stands right now, most of METRO’s operating funds don’t come from the fares. The transit agency gets most of its money from a one-cent sales tax, which caught the attention of Harris … Continue reading →

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How Nuro is mapping Houston

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story. On the muggy streets of suburban Houston, amid McMansions, bright green lawns and stately oak trees, a futuristic race is quietly afoot. The contestants are not people but late-model Toyota Priuses outfitted with an array of sophisticated … Continue reading →

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Bus service in new places

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good first step, which I hope begets a second step. Harris County has extended bus service to Channelview, Cloverleaf and Sheldon, using $3.8 million in Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery money to jump-start the new routes. Service started … Continue reading →

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Uptown BRT line update

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming, it’s coming. Hold your horses. The new year will come with a new sight in Houston: Big gray buses bounding along a dedicated lane on Post Oak through Uptown. For the first few weeks, however, people will not … Continue reading →

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Texas Central and Lone Star Rail

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. In South Central Texas, 20 state legislators have revived talk of a San Antonio to Austin passenger rail line. Area lawmakers signed a letter in August asking Transportation Committee chair and state Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) to study … Continue reading →

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Metro moves towards cashless fares (maybe)

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We started with this. The Metropolitan Transit Authority on Thursday will consider the first in a series of agreements to revamp its fare payment system that eventually could offer riders the option of using smartphones, credit cards and electronic wallets … Continue reading →

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Metro Wi-Fi

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Metro riders now can access free Wi-Fi on select buses and trains through a pilot program funded by Microsoft, the transit agency announced Monday. Buses on Route 54, which passes by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University … Continue reading →

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Someone is opposing the Metro referendum

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose it was too optimistic to hope that the Metro referendum would not get any organized opposition. Opponents of Metro’s $3.5 billion bond referendum have formed a political action committee to lead a grass-roots campaign to curtail what they … Continue reading →

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Texas Central signs a manufacturing deal

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

For your information. The bullet train planned between Houston and Dallas has a builder. Texas Central, the private company developing the Texas Bullet Train, announced Friday morning it signed a deal with Salini Impregilo, the Italian construction giant, and its … Continue reading →

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What can we really do about I-45?

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Urban planner Jeff Speck is once again warning us about the negative effects of widening I-45. TxDOT cites three principal motivations for advancing the I-45 project: reducing traffic congestion, improving driver safety, and improving air quality. These laudable goals are … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carrin Patman

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve talked a lot about the METRO Next referendum on the 2019 ballot. The referendum, the first time METRO has gone to the voters to ask for bonding authority since 2003, is intended to fund a significant expansion of transit … Continue reading →

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Will Lone Star Rail get resurrected?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe! A coalition of San Antonio and Austin state representatives has asked the House Transportation Committee chair to study the possibility of passenger rail between the two cities ahead of the 2021 legislative session. Congestion between the two cities will … Continue reading →

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Ride sharing for kids

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another transportation option. Los Angeles-based HopSkipDrive, a ride-hailing platform that hires vetted caregivers to drive children 6 and older, is now available in Houston. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between their careers and their children’s education and activities, but … Continue reading →

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More driverless trucks

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Look out on I-45. When Don Burnette worked at Otto, a self-driving truck startup, his team hit some pretty big milestones. It recorded the first shipment of cargo delivered by a self-driving truck: 50,000 cans of Budweiser in 2016. It … Continue reading →

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City moves forward on Vision Zero

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday adopted a plan that aims to end traffic fatalities and serious traffic injuries in Houston by 2030. The “Vision Zero Houston” plan is considered a significant step in the city’s mobility strategy and will … Continue reading →

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A call to embrace scooters

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Chron business writer Chris Tomlinson is a fan of scooters. After years of riding bicycles in traffic, I’m comfortable riding a scooter on the street where they belong. I find them a convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to automobile congestion. But … Continue reading →

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Metro referendum is set

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members voted Tuesday to ask voters in November for permission to borrow up to $3.5 billion, without raising taxes. The money would cover the first phase of what local leaders expect to be … Continue reading →

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HGAC makes its pledge to TxDOT for I-45

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of pushback, but not enough to change the outcome. Local transportation officials now have skin in the game when it comes to widening Interstate 45 north of downtown Houston, approving on Friday a $100 million commitment for the project … Continue reading →

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Still tweaking the Metro referendum

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Extending one rail line to Hobby Airport instead of two has generated some savings in the projected cost, which can then allow for other things to be done. The expected price of extending the Green Line and Purple Line light … Continue reading →

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Meet MetroRapid

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the new, official name for the Uptown BRT line. Station names along the Post Oak dedicated bus lanes will have a familiar ring for riders, transit and Uptown officials decided, as they inch toward opening the region’s first foray … Continue reading →

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HGAC gives initial approval to TxDOT’s funding demand

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Approval with concerns. There will be opportunities to revisit this. Plans to overhaul Interstate 45 north of downtown Houston inched forward this week, but not without some hesitation and a slew of caveats by some local officials who have been … Continue reading →

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Another manifesto against I-45 expansion

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They’re fun to read, and my heart is with them, but we all know how this works. The I-45 project is likely to do irreversible damage to our city’s finances and ecology. It will reduce the city’s tax base by … Continue reading →

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Add HEB to the autonomous grocery delivery trend

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In San Antonio, at least. Maybe in Houston later if it goes well for them. Customers near an H-E-B in suburban San Antoni0 can soon get their eggs, fruit and tortillas dropped off by a vehicle with no one at … Continue reading →

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Scooters and the negative effect on disabled folks

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A deep dive on the San Antonio experience. From the moment they appeared in cities across the country, the business model for electric scooters has depended on riders’ abandoning the machines wherever the ride ends. Users unlock scooters with a … Continue reading →

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TxDOT wants H-GAC to commit money to the I-45 project

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t understand this. To demonstrate local support for the mega-project, the Texas Department of Transportation is asking the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council, the committee that doles out state and federal money controlled by local officials, to commit … Continue reading →

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San Antonio bans scooters from sidewalks

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of where scooters do and do not belong: Dockless electric scooters can’t be ridden on San Antonio sidewalks, per a new City ordinance that went into effect Monday, but many say they’re concerned about how well it will be … Continue reading →

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Biking and breweries

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, this makes perfect sense. This started off in the gray area between a good idea and a bad one. Two years ago, Jason Buhlman and Brian Kondrach got about 30 of their friends together for an afternoon of two-wheel … Continue reading →

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