Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

More on Metro’s finances

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reports on Metro’s current financial situation. I think you can largely sum this up as follows: “Clearly, Metro is burning through its cash,” said Steven Craig, a University of Houston economics professor specializing in public finance. Craig said … Continue reading →

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Metro’s cash crunch

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, a story about how times are tough at Metro. Facing a $49 million budget shortfall this fiscal year, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has begun to slow construction on two light rail lines and may embrace more drastic … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail along US 90A

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on a piece of the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum that has been largely quiescent till now, the proposed commuter rail line from the Fannin South station to Fort Bend County. Though efforts soon stalled after a 2003 … Continue reading →

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Red light camera petitions certified

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They made it just under the wire. A petition to ban red light cameras in Houston has been certified by the city secretary, making it all but certain that voters will decide in November whether the 70 devices at intersections … Continue reading →

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DART reverses course, will keep building

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, Dallas Area Rapid Transit presented a 20-year financial plan that said it could no longer afford to build several new light rail lines that it had intended to do. Now it’s got an updated projection that says … Continue reading →

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The revised red light camera study

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, when I wrote about the anti-red light camera folks turning in their petition signatures, I noted that the Chron story referenced an update to the January 2009 study about the effect of cameras on the collision rate at … Continue reading →

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Red light camera opponents turn in their petitions

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was beginning to wonder if the anti-red light camera crowd was ever going to turn in their petition signatures, as it’s starting too get a little late in the game. They made their move on Monday, submitting 30,000 petition … Continue reading →

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H-GAC Transportation Survey

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Make your preferences known. This is a brief survey about funding for roadway and transit improvements. For decades our community relied on state and federal dollars to supplement local dollars that are used to grow and maintain the region’s Transportation … Continue reading →

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Metro gets record of decision for University line

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Metro has received word that final approval has been given concerning the environmental review process for the University light-rail line. “Houston clearly needs the University Line as an East-West transit artery,” said George Greanias, action president and … Continue reading →

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New jitney rules coming

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council is preparing to make some changes to its ordinances regarding jitneys. The goal of the new rules, some of which also will be established by mid-September in a “green” ordinance that will govern the use of zero-emissions vehicles, … Continue reading →

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DA clears Metro

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Months after prosecutors took boxes of documents from Metro’s downtown headquarters and experts examined the agency’s computers, the investigation into allegations that Metropolitan Transit Authority administrators illegally destroyed public documents has ended, Metro officials said today. In a letter … Continue reading →

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Metro finance update

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What’s going on with Metro these days? Although leaders of the region’s transit agency are confident that they will secure $900 million in federal funding to build more light rail lines in Houston, they have begun discussing fare increases and … Continue reading →

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Metro lets more bikes on the trains

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned the efforts by BikeHouston and other activists to expand bicycle access to light rail trains. This past week, they scored a victory on that front. Bikes are still barred during peak travel hours in the morning and afternoon, … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Powered by Mentos

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever looked at one of those Diet Coke and Mentos videos and said to yourself “Sure, that’s cool and all, but can you harness that power and do something with it?” Well, wonder no more. I give you … Continue reading →

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HPD sends “Pay your red light camera ticket or else” letter

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With predictable results. Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth gets streetcar funds

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them, though they’re not quite ready to jump on it yet. A downtown streetcar loop could be in Fort Worth’s near future, but the City Council has some serious issues to consider first. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced … Continue reading →

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On we go with the red light camera debate

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN has a story about the ongoing red light camera debate around the state. There’s a lot of familiar stuff in there, but this bit caught my eye: While camera critics dispute the safety data, the money generated has … Continue reading →

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Austin ponders its urban rail future

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As with so many things these days, how to pay for it is a big issue. The Austin City Council, looking at a daunting $1.3 billion tab to build a proposed urban rail system, voted Thursday to spend $100,000 for … Continue reading →

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Another setback for DART

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news from Dallas. Dallas Area Rapid Transit can’t afford to build light-rail service to D/FW International Airport by 2013 as it has long said it would, the agency’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. The news comes as a … Continue reading →

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Carless in Dallas

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Patrick Kennedy, the best-known non-driving person in Dallas. Kennedy moved to Dallas in 2002, after growing up in Pennsylvania and earning a landscape architecture degree at Penn State University. After living in parts of East Dallas and Uptown, he … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County wants in on rail district

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Get on board, Montgomery County. Montgomery County may join a regional rail group to upgrade freight lines and add commuter services throughout the Houston area. “It’s time that we need to be a part of this,” said Commissioner Ed Chance … Continue reading →

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Harris County CIP will ignore Hempstead managed lanes

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this month, I blogged about the status of the US 290 expansion, for which TxDOT’s plan rested on the assumption that the Harris County Toll Road Authority would go forth with the construction of managed lanes along Hempstead Highway. … Continue reading →

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Metro working on its critics

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now that it has much of its litigation-related unpleasantness behind it, Metro is working on improving its image, both with the public as a whole and with its more persistent critics. The need to re-brand Metro as an institution worthy … Continue reading →

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You can still text while driving in Arlington

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

At least one town is bucking the no-texting-while-driving trend. The Arlington City Council on Tuesday decided not to consider a citywide ban on texting while driving. City councilmember Robert Rivera had requested to set texting while driving as an agenda … Continue reading →

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Inducing demand: Not just for misguided highway projects in the exurbs

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This article about the construction of the North Line demonstrates that development follows transit projects, too. One of the biggest real estate projects in the area is the former FedEx site on Irvington. It was conceived in 2002 to address … Continue reading →

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The Metro settlement agreement

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I presume we’ll get some more details in the morning, but for now I wanted to highlight one aspect of the story of Metro’s settlement agreement with Lloyd Kelley. The suit accused Metro and several of its top officials, including … Continue reading →

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What’s going on with US 290?

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I wrote about the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that TxDOT has filed for its proposed expansion of US 290. This is a huge proposal, with a price tag of $4.6 billion if all of it gets done, … Continue reading →

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Federal funds for transit shortfalls proposed

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea. Transit agencies forced to raise fares or cut service to close budget gaps would be eligible for $2 billion in emergency operating funds under legislation unveiled today by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) … Continue reading →

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The TxDOT audit

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you will be surprised to learn that TxDOT has a lot of issues. The Texas Department of Transportation should significantly alter its leadership structure, reshuffle its executive ranks and reduce the role engineers play in leading the sprawling … Continue reading →

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Grand jury hears Metro document shredding evidence

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, the District Attorney’s office is farther along in their investigation than I thought. A courthouse appearance today by Frank J. Wilson, the former Metropolitan Transit Authority president accused of destroying public documents, provided the first indication that prosecutors are … Continue reading →

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BRT for San Antonio?

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, San Antonio is seeking federal funds to build a streetcar line emanating from downtown. That’s not their only big transit plan in the works. As the On the Move blog reports, VIA has proposed changing one of … Continue reading →

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More on the Metro lawsuit settlement

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Metro document shredding lawsuit has been pulled from the court docket in anticipation of a settlement agreement. The Chron has more on what that settlement agreement might entail. The proposed settlement of an open-records lawsuit against … Continue reading →

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More “Buy America” complications

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the “It’s always something with Metro” department: The Federal Transit Administration plans to deny the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s request for a waiver from Buy America rules in connection with [a $15.8 million radio equipment] radio purchase from Motorola, FTA … Continue reading →

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One Metro lawsuit pulled from court docket

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Looks promising. Metro expects to reach a settlement soon in an open-records lawsuit that triggered a series of accusations and investigations that gripped the transit agency for months, board chairman Gilbert Garcia said. The trial of the lawsuit by attorney … Continue reading →

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