Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Metro meetings update

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Carolyn Feibel follows up on the matter of Metro not posting committee meeting notices online. To clarify one point: Metro board committees always meet right before the regular board meetings, on the same day. Those meeting times and agendas are … Continue reading →

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Peter Brown’s traffic plan

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today I want to take a closer look at Peter Brown’s traffic plan, the highlights of which you can see here, with the longer and more detail-filled form here (PDF). My thoughts: – As with Annise Parker’s crimefighting plan, I … Continue reading →

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Streetcars in San Antonio

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is looking to Portland for inspiration as it contemplates a streetcar system. In the 1990s, driven by a plan to infuse the inner city with new residents, transit advocates drew up plans to link several districts by streetcar … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail update

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Christof has some surprisingly good news for those who want to see commuter rail in the Houston area. There hasn’t been much public movement on commuter rail since the HGAC’s study was released a year ago. But quietly, gears are … Continue reading →

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REV Houston revisited

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

REV Houston is back in the news. The drivers of Rev Houston’s green-and-white shuttles zip through downtown picking up and dropping off passengers for tips. Here’s a tip from city officials: Follow the rules. To Rev Houston owner Erik Ibarra, … Continue reading →

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Our teen drivers are better than yours

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news is always welcome. A new report by the Texas Transportation Institute found that the state’s rate of fatal teen crashes is dropping faster here than anywhere. Researchers looked at 37 states that put restrictions on teen drivers’ licenses … Continue reading →

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Post the meeting notices already

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, it’s not so easy finding out when Metro has a committee meeting. Metro does post the time of its regular monthly board meeting on its Web site, but not for the committee meetings. Reporting on government agencies has taught … Continue reading →

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More money for SUPERTRAINS

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. [Thursday], the U.S. House passed its housing and transportation bill, which will provide funds for fiscal year 2010. Approved mostly by members of the majority Democratic party, the bill would allocate $4 billion to high-speed rail programs — if … Continue reading →

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Just how viable is the Grand Parkway anyway?

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So it’s official, Commissioners Court has voted to seek stimulus funding for the Grand Parkway Segment E despite numerous concerns about the way they went about it. Houston Tomorrow explores a facet of this that I hadn’t been aware of … Continue reading →

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Cities lose out in transportation stimulus funding

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not a surprise, but it is a missed opportunity. Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding … Continue reading →

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Texas applies for SUPERTRAIN funds

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing my series of SUPERTRAIN-funding-request posts, here’s the DMN transportation blog on the status of Texas’ request. It took longer than I expected, but the Texas Department of Transportation has shared its preliminary application for its share of the $8 … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma gets on the SUPERTRAIN

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome aboard! The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said Friday it has taken an initial step to apply for high-speed rail funding that, if successful, could return passenger service to Tulsa. ODOT spokeswoman Terri Angier said top speeds between Tulsa and … Continue reading →

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Metro light rail groundbreaking

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Asa we know, today was groundbreaking day for Metro on the North and Southeast lines. Here’s the coverage I could find: an oddly negative story from KTRK, stories from Fox and KHOU, and a story from Texas Cable News that … Continue reading →

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The western SUPERTRAIN

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve heard of the Texas T-Bone SUPERTRAIN proposal that would link up Houston. San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. That’s already been designated as one of the high-speed rail corridors that are in line for federal funding. There’s another such corridor … Continue reading →

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Baytown gets the red light camera blues

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. A Texas motorist caught the city of Baytown using short yellows to trap motorists at a photo enforced intersection and of failing to protect sensitive private information. At a press conference yesterday, Byron Schirmbeck and his attorney, Randall Kallinen, … Continue reading →

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Metro to break ground on North and Southeast lines

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Woo hoo! The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will be breaking ground July 13 on the next phase of the MetroRail. Metro will begin construction on the North rail corridor which will connect to the Red Line at the … Continue reading →

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The down side to a good economy

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Traffic congestion hasn’t gotten any better. Rising gasoline prices in the last half of 2007 produced less traffic, according to an annual study by researchers at Texas A&M University’s Texas Transportation Institute. The typical urban commuter spent one less hour … Continue reading →

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Stimulus funds and road projects

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Stimulus funds are coming to a road that may be near you. Texas received $2.25 billion from the stimulus for transportation. That’s on top of the $3 billion it got in federal highway funds this year. The regular federal allotment … Continue reading →

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We may miss the SUPERTRAIN

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. As we have reported here often, the federal government is about to dump a lot of money on states to develop a handful of high-speed passenger rail corridors, and the good news for us is that Texas is home … Continue reading →

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RIP, Nerd Bird

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The economic slowdown claims another victim. When the Statesman’s business desk got a tip from a reader that American Airlines was grounding the Nerd Bird, I was more than a little dubious. The twice-a-day nonstop flight between Austin and San … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth’s red light camera experience

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

They like them so far. The city Transportation Department pronounces itself pleased with progress made by red-light cameras. The number of accidents has decreased at the targeted intersections. The cameras have resulted in about $1.2 million in fines — $765,000 … Continue reading →

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Critics criticize: Film at 11

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to outsource most of the commentary on this week’s Move It! column about Metro critics criticizing Metro for doing something they disagree with to Greg, who says most of what I’d say. The main thing I’d add is … Continue reading →

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Streetcars and buses

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little discussion starter for all you transit geeks: Infrastructurist’s list of 36 reasons why streetcars are better than buses. I’d boil a lot of it down to a smaller list: The ride is generally more pleasant, as it … Continue reading →

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It’s only a negative when it’s for something I don’t like

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Yglesias writes about one of my favorite people. Randall O’Toole is a relentless advocate for highways and automobile dependency in the United States. Consequently, I don’t agree with him about very much. But the thing I consistently find most … Continue reading →

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Moving rail outward

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

David Crossley of Houston Tomorrow contributes a blog post to the Chron about an idea for transit in the Energy Corridor out west on I-10 that’s as interesting in its origins as it is in its concept. Check it out.

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A high-speed rail to-do list for Texas

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Catching up on some stuff now that the Lege is (I hope) gone from Austin till 2011, Christof noted a meeting in town of the Federal Railroad Administration last week, and put together a list of things that will need … Continue reading →

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Red light camera ban appears dead

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So says the Star-Telegram, which has been the go-to source for these stories. A final version of legislation restructuring the Texas Department of Transportation is not expected to include a ban on red-light cameras or a local option provision allowing … Continue reading →

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Budget heads to the Governor

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, thanks in large part to the stimulus package and its infusion of funds that prevented the need to dip into the Rainy Day Fund, the budget process was relatively uncontroversial. Yesterday, it was passed by the House, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Houston extends red light camera contract

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll have red light cameras to kick around for at least a few more years. The City Council extended the contract of the company that administers its red-light camera program for three more years Wednesday, aiming to thwart legislation pending … Continue reading →

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Anti-Metro amendment officially dead

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. State lawmakers today voted unanimously to kill a provision that could have complicated the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s light-rail plans. The House removed language from a local transportation bill for Austin that would have put limits on Metro’s authority to … Continue reading →

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Anti-Metro amendment officially dead

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. State lawmakers today voted unanimously to kill a provision that could have complicated the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s light-rail plans. The House removed language from a local transportation bill for Austin that would have put limits on Metro’s authority to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Would-be Metro killer outs himself

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I had wondered who was behind that anti-Metro amendment from the weekend. Now I know. A local light rail opponent claimed credit Tuesday for working with an El Paso legislator to try to block Metro’s ability to build the University … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Senate passes TxDOT sunset bill, red light cameras not dead yet

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate approved its version of HB300, the TxDOT sunset bill, and as expected it has some major differences from the House version. Plans to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation projects in North Texas progressed Monday night … Continue reading →

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Anti-Metro amendment removed

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pleased to report that the anti-Metro amendment that was in SB1263 has been removed. I am told that Rep. Ellen Cohen discussed the matter with Rep. Pickett, who agreed to remove the Houston-specific language. This is great news, not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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