Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Don’t hold your breath waiting for SUPERTRAIN funds

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN throws a little cold water on the hopes of high speed rail advocates in Texas. This month, at a speech in Austin, a top federal rail administrator charged with managing the distribution of the new grants said Texas’ … Continue reading →

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University Line FEIS filed

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Again via Swamplot, here’s another Examiner story about the current state of light rail construction, in this case the University line. The light rail alignment for Metro’s University route will require the acquisition of about 23 acres of land, much … Continue reading →

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Uptown line update

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The River Oaks Examiner takes a look at what Metro is planning to do to prepare for the Uptown line. [A] Metropolitan Transit Authority street reclassification plan, dated March 13, 2009, [shows] total land needed for the project beyond the … Continue reading →

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Department of Transportation makes it easier to do transit projects

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to … Continue reading →

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Galveston bans texting while driving

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Consider yourself warned. Galveston City Council members banned [texting while driving] Thursday, making the city the first in Galveston County to forbid motorists from using cell phones and other hand-held devices to view, send or compose electronic messages while driving. … Continue reading →

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Pants are overrated

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you saw a bunch of pantsless people on the DART train on Sunday, you weren’t seeing things. In all, about 70 people – mostly in their 20s but plenty older and younger than that, too – rode DART sans … Continue reading →

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No more EZ Tag parking at the airport

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you probably knew, if you had an EZ Tag in your car you could use it to pay for parking at IAH. But not any more, as Commissioners Court will shut it down. The program provides special lines at … Continue reading →

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Car2Go

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve heard of Zipcars, you’ve heard of CarShare, now meet CarsGo. The city of Austin and car2go have embarked on a car-sharing project that allows city employees access to 200 Smart Fortwo cars for business or personal use. The project … Continue reading →

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The vehicle miles tax

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For all the talk about the need to raise the gas tax in Texas to meet our transportation needs, there is another possible way to do it, which is now under study: The vehicle miles tax. The Texas Transportation Commission … Continue reading →

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Thinking small on commuter rail

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Christof says that the Houston-Galveston commuter rail study that’s currently in progress has a rather limited vision. Commuter Rail Alternative provides service along the Galveston Houston & Henderson (GH&H) Railroad between Galveston and Houston. The GH&H is a freight rail … Continue reading →

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Public meeting for proposed IH-10 frontage roads on January 6

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from the most recent Citizens’ Transportation Coalition (CTC) email newsletter. Recognition that segment E of the proposed Grand Parkway is not “shovel ready” freed up more than $180 million of federal stimulus funding for other mobility projects. … Continue reading →

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Metro does historic preservation

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was sent this press release about Metro workers getting some interesting training as they prepare to build the new light rail lines, and thought it was worth sharing. ‘Hardhat and blue collar’ was the dress code for training classes … Continue reading →

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A win for the Washington Quiet Zone

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for those who live in and around the Washington Avenue corridor. Come late April, train horns should be quieter through the Washington Avenue corridor from just north of Interstate 10 to Harvard Street. Union Pacific and two … Continue reading →

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Bellaire bans texting while driving

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

First West U, now Bellaire. Following the lead of the city of Austin, the City Councils in Bellaire and West U Monday adopted ordinances to prohibit texting or web browsing while driving. Laws are in effect immediately, though not enforceable … Continue reading →

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Car inspections

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good question: What exactly are car inspections useful for? Texas is one of 19 states left that require a periodic [vehicle] safety review – down from a peak of 31 states in the 1970s. The District of Columbia recently disbanded … Continue reading →

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FTA gives preliminary engineering approval to University line

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hot dog! The Federal Transit Administration notified Metro on Monday that the line has been approved to move into the Preliminary Engineering phase of the Transit Administration’s matching-funds program. Two other light rail lines, the North and Southeast corridors, are … Continue reading →

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A preview of the Uptown line

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot has a preview of the Uptown line as currently envisioned by Metro. The main focus of the Examiner story that Swamplot cites is the potential effect on vehicular traffic. Following the construction of the Uptown light rail line, Post … Continue reading →

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Chron slaps Culberson again for Metro meddling

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an old story. Metro gets some good news relating to the University line. Rep. John Culberson tries again to halt the project. The Chronicle calls him out on it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that last part. It’s … Continue reading →

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A few words with David Wolff

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron talks to David Wolff, the soon-to-be-former Chair of Metro, about the state of the agency. Q: Why has it taken six years to build new light rail lines when the Main Street line was built so quickly? A: … Continue reading →

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Culberson sticks his nose in

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, when we heard that the Federal Transit Authority had notified Metro that they would be cleared to begin preliminary engineering of the University Line project if no member of the local Congressional delegation objected by today, I figured … Continue reading →

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University Line takes a step forward on funding

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Finally! The light rail route known as the “University Line” is close to clearing the first major hurdle for obtaining federal funding. The Federal Transit Authority notified Metro this week that the project has entered a 10-day congressional notification period. … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving travel

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re traveling this weekend, you’ll find the roads a bit more crowded than last year, but down from the norm. Americans shaken by last year’s economic crash may be regaining enough confidence to hit the roads in higher numbers … Continue reading →

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Red light camera amnesty

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got a red light camera ticket that you haven’t paid? Want to get it taken care of but fear there may be consequences for having waited so long? Well, now’s your chance to do it, as HPD has announced a … Continue reading →

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Metro and the sales tax

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Metro chair David Wolff would like to see the portion of the sales tax revenue that gets diverted from its coffers to Harris County and the smaller cities go back to Metro. Wolff believes METRO can build significantly more if … Continue reading →

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City goes for electric cars

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is cool. A deal between the city and Reliant has the electric retailer converting 10 of the city’s new Toyota Prius gasoline-electric hybrids into plug-in vehicles with greater fuel efficiency and the ability to recharge through a standard home … Continue reading →

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Raising the gas tax

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is long overdue. Members of the Texas Senate’s Transportation Committee said Tuesday that an increase in the 20-cents-per-gallon state fuel tax may be necessary to overcome a drastic shortage of money for new roads. “We are in the critical … Continue reading →

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West U bans texting while driving

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The West University Place City Council voted on Monday night to ban texting while driving. Drivers who text behind the wheel in within the city’s limits have one week to stop before the council votes unanimously again to ban the … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a pedestrian

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn that Houston is not a good city for pedestrians, at least from a safety perspective. Houston ranked eighth on a new list of the most dangerous urban areas for pedestrians. … Continue reading →

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WiFi on buses

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds interesting. Beginning today, VIA Metropolitan Transit bus riders who power up their portable electronic devices — such as laptop computers or Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones — might notice an Internet signal coming from within the bus. VIA has started … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Rail

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve talked a number of times in this space about the possibility of building a commuter rail line between Houston and Galveston, possibly connecting to another line that would run out Highway 290 to College Station. That effort is just … Continue reading →

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Streetcar-mania

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Streetcars may be coming to a street near you in many cities. What links Boise, Cincinnati and Charlotte — and Salt Lake City, Dallas, Atlanta and Kansas City, where streetcar tracks abandoned in 1953 still poke through the city’s weathered … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail and transit-oriented development

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a peek of things that may be to come, courtesy of Dallas. The A-train commuter railway is more than a year away from rolling into Lewisville, but plans are already in the works for the city’s first transit-oriented development. … Continue reading →

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City not paying toll road fines

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The city has avoided paying county toll road fines using a defense it does not want motorists to use when contesting red-light camera violations. […] A city finance official claimed the toll fines are owed by the individual employees … Continue reading →

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Stop for the school buses

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My route to and from work takes me through a couple of school zones, and every now and then I wind up behind a school bus and have to stop when it pulls over to discharge some riders. I think … Continue reading →

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