Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I have three things to say about the red light camera study that was finally released yesterday. Red-light cameras have sprouted quickly across Texas in recent years, sparking heated debates about whether they reduce crashes or simply bring easy revenue … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We’ve been waiting for this for a long time: A study of the effects of red light cameras in Houston. Mayor Bill White’s administration plans next week to release a report on whether the 70-camera system has achieved its stated … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I have no problem with this. Metro has unsuccessfully floated the idea of placing advertising on buses and shelters, but lean economic times call for a renewed effort. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has about 2,000 bus shelters in Houston, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron had an editorial over the weekend about the new ordinance passed by City Council that would require people to pay red light camera fines before they could register their car. In an interview with the Chronicle, Houston Police … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Interesting. Rick Ehrlich has high hopes for his new car dealership but it’s not likely to strike much fear into competitors with lots full of gleaming vehicles from Detroit, Asia or Europe. From a small warehouse near Minute Maid Park, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The small town of Santa Fe joins in the school zone cellphone banning brigade. Santa Fe has joined West University Place in banning drivers from using cell phones while passing through school zones. By a 3 to 2 vote, the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Last month, we heard that the city was considering an ordinance that would let the state deny a vehicle registration based on an unpaid red light camera ticket. City Council has now passed that ordinance. Now, if a driver does … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I suppose this was to be expected. The Metropolitan Transit Authority joined 10 other transit agencies across the nation Tuesday as they urged Congress for help with financing deals imperiled by the credit crisis. The move is the latest attempt … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The city of Austin is looking at enacting a ban on texting while driving. The City of Austin’s public safety task force approved a resolution Monday that could lead to a ban on texting while driving and a requirement that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There will be a ceremony today to mark the official end of the Katy Freeway construction project. Gov. Rick Perry, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Harris County Toll Road Authority, as well as local leaders, will celebrate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The city wants to make it harder to not pay red light camera fines. City officials hope to step up enforcement of Houston’s red-light cameras by getting the state to deny vehicle registration renewal to drivers who do not pay … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Good news. The other 2,426 intersections in Houston now have working red, yellow and green light cycles. So far, the city has spent an estimated $6.31 million fixing the signals — including costs for equipment, overtime and the hiring of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It is now illegal to send text messages while driving in California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law making it illegal to read or send text messages while driving in California. The bill imposes a $20 fine for a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We’ve talked about the drinking age recently and whether or not it should be lowered. But what about the minimum age for getting a driver’s license? Some folks think it should be raised. Taking aim at a longstanding rite of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I thought this article about the electric car taxi/shuttle service called REV Houston was interesting. A couple of things that struck me: When [Erik] Ibarra and business partner Justin Jones started REV Houston in April, they anticipated a certain clientele. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Newfound interest in transit options from places like Fort Bend into Houston, coupled with the lack of authority Metro has in those places, make something like this an eventual certainty in my mind. Although transit needs are regional, the closest … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The good news: After nearly a decade of delays, construction on a bike-and-hike trail from the Heights to downtown Houston is to begin in September, expanding area residents’ recreational opportunities and providing them an alternative mode of transportation. The MKT/SP … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m just speechless. Poor internal communication and complicated procedures caused a $1.1 billion blunder that forced Texas transportation officials to pull back on construction projects earlier this year, according to an audit released Thursday. Texas Department of Transportation officials actually … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I wish them luck with this. Car sharing. Two words that still sound a little foreign when used together in Texas. Yet on Tuesday, a Massachusetts firm called Zipcar made its debut in the state with a car-sharing service at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Are we really sure this is a good idea? With highway construction slowing because of red tape and budget woes, Texas’ top three leaders — Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick — on Thursday … Continue reading → Continue reading →

That Andy Taylor. What a kidder. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials were jubilant Thursday on learning that a lawsuit aimed at keeping the planned University light rail line from being built, even partly, on Richmond Avenue had been tossed out of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Remember the West U school zone cellphone ban? Well, today is the first day of school, and not everyone remembered. Police in West University Place, a small enclave city within southwest Houston, chose to issue warnings this morning to help … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You wouldn’t know it from reading the headline to this story about Metro CEO Frank Wilson, but that lawsuit filed by anti-rail activist Daphne Scarbrough to block construction of the Universities line on Richmond has been dismissed. On Thursday, State … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Some new homeowners whose houses may be in the path of the proposed new Grand Parkway segment are saying they wish they’d been told about that little detail earlier. Nobody told [Spring homeowner Tracy Martin] that their brand-new neighborhood was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This sounds promising. The U.S. transportation secretary will announce “good news” regarding expanding transit in Houston Tuesday, a spokeswoman said. Metro has asked the agency to pay for half of two planned light rail lines. The announcement by Transportation Secretary … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The best news in this story about some bridges that will be part of the construction plan for the east-west light rail lines downtown is this bit: The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s light rail plans now include an “elevated structure” over … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Ready or not, here come the rules. Under the proposal, motorists wishing to use the high-occupancy lanes would have to buy an EZ Tag or get a TxTag from the Texas Turnpike Authority. EZ Tags cost $15 and require a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Add this to the growing list of stories about how people are adapting to higher gas prices. NuRide is one of several alternatives to single-occupant commuting that the Houston-Galveston Area Council is promoting during August — traditionally designated Commute Solutions … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Surely no one is surprised by this. JetBlue Airways Corp. said today it is now charging customers for pillows and blankets. The carrier has done away with the recycled blankets and pillows used on its flights, and has started offering … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Those of you who live in Fort Bend County will soon have a new option for commuting into the Medical Center. Officials with Fort Bend County’s small but expanding public transportation program have set a tentative start date of Aug. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So I was driving out to Katy this past Saturday with my mother-in-law and Audrey, so I could install a new computer for my mother-in-law’s aunt, and along the way my MIL asked me how the new managed lanes are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I sense an emerging meme here. When gas prices surged above $4 per gallon earlier this year, it didn’t take Nostradamus to predict that there would be a resultant rush to carbon-free commuting options–especially in a place like Portland, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And away they go… Some of the live oak trees that lined Kirby Drive were removed [Monday] night as part of a controversial reconstruction project between Westheimer and Richmond. The oaks, as well as crape myrtles, were taken down on … Continue reading → Continue reading →