Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

System reimagining is going to be hard

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Because change is hard. It always is. Transit officials might have reimaginged bus service in the Houston area, but the riders who rely on it for daily trips are asking them to rethink it again. Since the redesigned bus system … Continue reading →

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More on the proposed I-45 changes

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite reads the documents and provides some bullet points. 1. I-45 Would Rival I-10 in Width The plan would dramatically widen I-45 to more than 30 lanes in certain sections. North of 610, I-45 would rival the Katy Freeway in … Continue reading →

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Let’s wait for a normal week before we judge ridership numbers

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From The Highwayman: Two new light rail lines have gotten off to slow start, according to early ridership figures from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, but officials and riders still hope the Green and Purple Line will meet expectations. The two … Continue reading →

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The latest Uptown fuss

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose I need to say something about this. Two members of an economic development board pushing a plan to run a center bus lane along Uptown’s Post Oak Boulevard have financial ties to companies that will be paid for … Continue reading →

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You can still ask Metro to make changes to their new bus routes

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Andrews highlights a little Metro-related activism going on in my neighborhood. Residents in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston have initiated a petition to modify the proposed 30 bus route. Currently, the neighborhood is serviced by the 40 Pecore … Continue reading →

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I-45 Coalition gives its feedback to TxDOT

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jim Weston of the I-45 Coalition sent the following feedback to TxDOT regarding their plans for remaking I-45 in and around downtown. Through-out all Segments: 1.1 – All existing sound barrier walls must be replaced. Past agreements to install sound … Continue reading →

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How the East End got its rail line

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A great overview of how we got here with the Harrisburg and Southeast lines, the genesis of which go back a lot farther than the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. The working- and middle-class Mexican-American residents of the East End lacked … Continue reading →

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Can you make a living as an Uber driver?

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not a very good one, it would seem. Last year, Uber claimed its full-time New York City UberX drivers were making a median wage of about $90,000 a year. Drivers responded by telling Business Insider’s Maya Kosoff that they were … Continue reading →

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The Chron on how Metro and Culberson came to an accord

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Read all about it. Houston’s buses don’t run at 2 a.m., but that’s when Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson began to see real movement toward a deal to improve area transit service. “We got really intense one night and … Continue reading →

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Now how much would you pay to drive on that toll road?

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

How about ten bucks each way at peak times, beginning on May 30? Toll rates on the I-10 lanes, also known as the Katy Managed Lanes, will increase as officials seek to ease congestion by reducing use of the lanes … Continue reading →

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Still debating where to put the Houston high speed rail terminal

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

While people in the rural counties are trying to kill the proposed high speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, some other people here in Houston are thinking about where a station should be. [Lynn] Hardwin was among a few … Continue reading →

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New rail lines officially open

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. Two new light rail lines might have been the ones debuting Saturday, but for many riders it was the East End, Third Ward and MacGregor Park neighborhoods themselves that were on display. After years of construction and … Continue reading →

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Bike plan meetings

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From CM Ed Gonzalez: Our city has made great strides in improving people’s ability to bike to more destinations. New trails are being built along our bayous, new protected bikeways have been installed, and more people are riding all over … Continue reading →

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Save Uptown from what?

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: The Uptown Property and Business Owners Coalition is out today with a new website (portrayed here) meant to drum up opposition to the Uptown District and Metro’s plans to install dedicated bus lanes down Post Oak Blvd. The … Continue reading →

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Anti-high speed rail budget rider removed

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A proposed bullet train between Dallas and Houston has survived a budgeting measure that could’ve derailed the push in Texas to have the nation’s first high-speed rail line. Budget writers on Thursday removed a Senate-inserted rider in the spending … Continue reading →

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Bullet train budget rider battle continues

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The budget rider to derail the high speed train is still under contention as the conference committee completes its work. Tucked in Page 682 of the budget passed by the Senate in April is Rider 48, a provision that would … Continue reading →

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What next for Metro now that peace with Culberson has broken out?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve all had a chance to read over and digest the agreement Metro struck with Rep. John Culberson now. It looked good to me up front (though not to everyone – more on that in a bit), but as always … Continue reading →

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Metro and Culberson announce the terms of their agreement

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta say, this all sounds pretty good. First, Congressman Culberson supports METRO’s proposed legislation pending in the State Legislature that expands the size of the METRO Board, increases the eligible length of Board member service and allows the existing board … Continue reading →

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New rail lines set to officially open

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so ready. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, after numerous delays, will christen the Green and Purple lines Saturday with free rides and community celebrations, just in time for Memorial Day. The openings signify the end of a long, sometimes painful … Continue reading →

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Bikes now allowed on light rail all day

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news from the inbox: METRORail is opening its doors to bikes during all regular service hours just in time for Houston’s Bike to Work Day observance, Friday, May 15, 2015. The new hours are made possible with the … Continue reading →

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Metro reaches detente with Culberson

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Holy cow! Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson have called a truce in their war over a planned light rail line on Richmond Avenue, suggesting an end to an impasse that has stymied local transit development. Culberson, a Republican from … Continue reading →

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One hundred days till the new bus network

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And counting down. Metro on Friday began the 100-day countdown to sweeping changes in local bus service, conceding that months of work ultimately will be judged by the level of confusion – small or large – that happens Aug. 16, … Continue reading →

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Will the high speed rail opponents get a bill passed?

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Seems unlikely at this point, but I wouldn’t count them out. “The vast majority of the folks between Dallas and Houston are against it,” said Kyle Workman, president of the recently formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail. “They don’t want their … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Metro board expansion bill

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) today applauded the unanimous approval of transit legislation by the Texas State Senate, that is designed to enhance Board stability, provide for an orderly transition of Board members and … Continue reading →

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More I-45 stuff

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From The Highwayman: Public meetings meant to debut the massive plan to remake Houston’s downtown freeway system might be coming to an end, but it’s hardly the last chance residents will have to poke and prod the plans. Years of … Continue reading →

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System reimagining will be mostly better for most

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

But not quite all better for all. Metro staff analyzed 452 hypothetical trips along the new [bus] network, most in low-income and minority areas. The standard for disproportionately affecting a trip is that trip taking 15 minutes longer than under … Continue reading →

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Profiling the high speed rail opponents

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

City Lab takes a look at the people who are resisting the proposed Texas Central Railway. Turns out you don’t need to rely on public money to be hated as a U.S. high-speed rail project. That much is becoming clear … Continue reading →

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B-Cycle’s future

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s some trouble in San Antonio. San Antonio B-Cycle could be on the verge of following rideshare and disappearing from the San Antonio landscape, multiple sources have told the Rivard Report, unless it can win the local government, corporate and … Continue reading →

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TxDOT reveals its I-45 plan

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Just, wow. A massive reconstruction of Interstate 45 through most of Houston would topple one of downtown’s most frustrating barriers – the Pierce Elevated – and move the freeway east of the central business district. That’s just one of … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Rail District update

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Haven’t heard from these guys in awhile. According to [Lone Star Rail District], the [proposed rail line] will provide essential relief from the I-35 highway congestion. The express trip from downtown Austin to downtown San Antonio would take 75 minutes. … Continue reading →

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The alternate approach to statewide regulations for Uber and Lyft

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one way to do it. Another round of sparring between Texas cities and car service companies like Lyft and Uber played out on Tuesday before a panel of Texas lawmakers. The proposal that was debated — which would let … Continue reading →

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High speed rail opponents go to Congress

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a press release from Texans Against High Speed Rail: Lawmakers in Austin who represent thousands of Texans along the proposed Dallas Houston high-speed rail project being promoted by Texas Central Railway (TCR) have officially requested opposition to the project … Continue reading →

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Widening I-10 to San Antonio

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Like, all the way. The roughly 200-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from San Antonio to Houston could become more spacious, as the Texas Department of Transportation has raised the idea of adding a third lane to the highway in each … Continue reading →

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Pothole progress

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray. Two months after Mayor Annise Parker called Houston’s pockmarked streets a “crisis situation” and pledged to clear a mounting pothole repair backlog, the city has reduced open work requests by about 1,000 despite a steep increase in calls for … Continue reading →

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