Write On METRO

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Mary Sit — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:08:00 GMT

An attractive woman is sitting at a table for two, giving a "this-isn't- going-to-work" speech to a significant other.

The camera changes angle, and it then becomes clear that she's not dumping a boyfriend - but dumping a gas pump.

The video is the first-place winner of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)'s national video contest calling for videos to illustrate its theme: Dump the pump in favor of public transit.

Click here to watch first place winning video by Bob Richardson of Portland, Ore. Richardson won a year of free public transit.

"The purpose of this contest was to hear from the American public transit rider in a fun and entertaining way about how public transportation is taking us to a better future - economically, environmentally and our overall quality of life," said Rose Sheridan, APTA's vice president of marketing and communications, in a statement.

Second place winner was Judith Keenan of Berkeley, Calif., who won six months of free public transit. Click here to watch her video.

Third place was Miles Clark of Atlanta, Ga., who won three months of free public transit. Click here to watch his winning entry.

Telling Rice Students How to Ride METRO

Mary Sit — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:58:00 GMT

If you're from out-of-town and you're going to college here, getting around without a car may seem daunting.

But Rice University student James Llamas has figured out how to use METRO to go to popular spots - from the movies to the grocery store to both airports - and has even written two guides for Rice students on how to ride METRO. Llamas, who is on the Rice track team, is shown here as the front runner in this photo.

From Glastonbury, Conn., Llamas said he was born in New York City and is used to taking public transit.

"Pretty soon after I got here, I started figuring out METRO," said the 19-year-old sophomore. "I started figuring out bus routes and realized they went to most places I'd want to go to. I didn't need to think about finding a car. I could get around on METRO."

He spread the word to his friends, some of whom decided to leave their cars at home, avoid parking fees and take METRO instead.

Someone suggested he put together a brochure - so he wrote two and then approached Boyd Beckwith, assistant dean/director of Student Center & Campus-wide Programs, asking if he could use these.

"Next week, we'll distribute the brochures to students. We have a Facebook group and in one message I can access 800 students," said Beckwith, who calls Llamas "an avid METRO rider."

The Rice Guide to Getting Around on METRO Buses starts with informing students they can pick up a Q Card at the Rice Cashier's office. It directs students to the METRO Web site to plan trips, as well as Google Transit.

"Buses that don't travel past Rice can usually be caught by transferring from METRORail," he writes, adding that most routes run every 15 to 30 minutes. "Bus drivers are not permitted to run early; a couple of minutes behind schedule is the norm."

And he doesn't skimp on the basics of public transit, explaining in detail how to read the bus signs. "Make sure you are visible to the driver so he or she will stop," he points out to transit novices.

Llamas points out that "the sideways-facing seats at the very front of the bus are reserved for elderly and disable passengers."

So where are the hot spots Llamas is directing other students to?

The Galleria for what he calls "ultimate shopping;" CVS, Walgreens, Value Village, Salvation Army, The Movie Theatre at Edwards Greenway Plaza, Chinatown, Target and Fiesta.

Maps on the back of the brochure indicate bus stops near the Rice campus.

The companion brochure, The Rice Guide to Houston Airports on METRO Buses, explains how to get to both Hobby Airport and Bush Intercontinental.

"In the past, some of the students knew about Airport Direct, but they didn't know they could take the bus to Hobby. It's so easy to get to Hobby using METRO," said Beckwith.

In addition to listing our Web site, phone number and METRO police phone number, Llamas adds his e-mail if students need additional directions.

A civil engineering major, Llamas says one day he hopes to design railroads or transit systems. With brochures like these - accurate, clear and well-written - Llamas already has a great start in public transit.

Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

If you sign up to follow our tweets, you'll get service changes and emergency notices.

On Facebook, you'll be able to read about some of the things METRO is doing - from the ambitious building of five light-rail lines to funny and award-winning commercials.

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know this is not our first foray into social media. We launched this blog back in January 2007 - the first transit agency in the nation to have a blog.

You can also find the videos we produce on YouTube. We have METRO Matters, documentaries, Enfoque METRO and commercials on YouTube.

Facebook and Twitter are just two more ways to communicate with you. We hope you'll join the conversation.

Airport Direct - a convenient and fast way to get from downtown to IAH.

The band Mango Punch will provide live salsa music. We'll also have refreshments and giveaways. The event is free and open to the public.

It all takes place this Thursday, Nov. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. at 815 Pierce, across the street from the Downtown Transit Center.

As the holidays approach, Airport Direct is a great way to get to and from the airport. For only $15 one way, you will arrive at Terminal C in 30 minutes. Avoid traffic and relax in one of our new hybrid coaches where you can take a cat nap, read or text without distractions.

click here. If you have a friend who is interested but doesn't have Internet access or isn't computer savvy, drop by our building at 1900 Main St. and tell the security guard you're here to apply for a bus operator position.

You'll be directed to a second-floor office where you can use a computer to apply - and a friendly staff person will give you any needed help.

Click here to watch METRO Matters. Or catch the show on a big screen at home on Comcast's Channel 17, Houston Media Source.

Air times are:

Thu 11/12/09 6:15 p.m.

Sat 11/14/09 5:30 p.m.

Mon 11/16/09 7:00 p.m.

Wed 11/18/09 11:00 p.m.

Fri 11/20/09 7:30 p.m.

Mon 11/23/09 8:15 p.m.

Thu 11/26/09 6:00 p.m.

Sat 11/28/09 9:30 p.m.

Tue 12/1/09 6:45 p.m.

Thu 12/3/09 7:45 p.m.

Sat 12/5/09 9:15 p.m.

Mon 12/7/09 8:00 p.m.

David Wolff told Houston's movers and shakers it was time to restore METRO's full funding - and if that were to happen, the agency could double the amount of work it was doing.

He made those remarks as the guest speaker at the Greater Houston Partnership's luncheon on Nov. 5 at the Hilton Post Oak.

METRO has started construction on three of five light-rail lines - the East End, the North Corridor and the Southeast. It's all part of the ambitious METRO Solutions plan to bring regional transit to the Gulf Coast area. The rail component of the METRO Solutions plan will cost more than $2.5 billion with half of that funded by the federal government and the other half by METRO.

Back when METRO was created in 1979, voters agreed to raise the sales tax by one-cent to fund METRO. "Along the line, one-quarter of this sales tax was diverted from METRO, taken from METRO, diverted to the city and the county and the multi-cities for building of roads. I do not feel this was proper," said Wolff.

"This money was voted by people of this area for transit. And I think that one of the things that we have to work on with the mayor and the county commissioner's court is restoring to METRO this full one-cent sales tax," he continued.

Wolff also offered a snapshot of METRO's current state of affairs: rock solid financials, public and Congressional support for building light-rail lines, new Park & Ride services, and inclusion in President Obama's FY 2010 budget for new-start transit projects (two of the five transit projects were METRO's).

The chairman also gave a glimpse of what lies ahead for METRO - the economic opportunities that come with building light-rail lines and the tools the agency needs to build a first-class regional transit system in the Gulf Coast area.

Click here to watch a video of his presentation.

Click here to read about the rules of the HOV lanes.

So how does METRO enforce the rules? Here's a response from Capt. Michael Raney:

"HOV enforcement on all METRO-operated HOV lanes, excluding the Katy Freeway (HOT Lanes), is assigned to our motorcycle division. The officers are deployed randomly and work different HOV lanes each day.

"On the North I-45 HOV, the officers may work the downtown exit ramp, the Quitman ramp, Airline and occasionally, the North Shepherd exit ramp.

"We understand there are violators, and our enforcement is not 100 percent coverage during all hours of operations. HOV users may view the violation rate even higher, as they don't see the same things as the officers on the ground actually looking inside the vehicles.

"There are often babies in car seats, passengers lying down in seats that are reclined and on the North, particularly, they are many on-duty police officers in unmarked police cars that are single occupants, yet are authorized by our operating agreement with TXDOT.

"During the months of July, August, and September, 326 HOV citations were issued by officers assigned to the North HOV lane alone. The Katy HOV lane again is not enforced by METRO Police. Harris County Constable PCT 5 is contracted to provide enforcement on that corridor."

So the next time you see a car zipping down an HOV lane with only the driver, there may be other reasons that allow him or her to be using the HOV lane without violating the law.

If you see a violation, you can call 713-921-HERO (713-921-4376).

You'll need to report the violator's driver's license plate when you call.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America - along with I.B.M. - is offering an award for ideas for reducing congestion.

The winner could be an individual, a company, or a nonprofit group.

I.B.M. has calculated that traffic jams reduce gross national product worldwide by 1 percent - and that's a lot of money.

The object of the contest is to produce fresh ideas on how to create smart roads that speed up traffic.

Click here to read more.

The Business Insider, saying he restrained the second woman so the cougher could exit the train. He later caught the flu.

Transit agencies nationwide are reassuring riders that their buses and trains are disinfected - and urging commuters to practice good hygiene.

Here at METRO, we clean the inside of our trains every night, wiping them down with a non-toxic disinfectant. The environmentally-friendly, hospital-grade disinfectant is used to wipe surfaces inside the trains, including door pushbuttons, window surfaces, back-of-seat handles, floor-to-ceiling and seat-to-ceiling poles and overhead grab bars and handles, said Romeo Calderon, director of rail maintenance.

"Our established disinfectant and cleaning practices are consistent with reducing the spread of virus and influenza, whether H1N1 or not," said Calderon.

Bacteria can thrive on surfaces for hours or days, depending on the humidity, Laura Baumgartner, a microbiologist analyzing subways, told Mass Transit magazine. Germs typically live longer on plastics than on metal subway poles and station handrails.

What can riders do to protect themselves?

Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze in the crook of your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, hands or mouth. Carry hand-sanitizing gel or disinfectant wipes.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after sneezing or coughing. Sing "Happy Birthday" twice while your scrub. If you're not near a sink, use an alcohol-based hand gel. Rub your hands until the alcohol dissipates.

If you have flu-like symptoms - a fever, plus a cough or sore throat - stay home and don't ride the bus or train until you are fever-free for 24 hours. Read more on prevention and treatment of swine flu at WebMD.

The Texas Health and Human Services department has compiled the latest information on swine flu at http://www.texasflu.org/, including the availability and distribution of the swine flu vaccine.

Rail Service to be Interrupted

Mary Sit — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:16:00 GMT

This weekend, rail service will be interrupted so we can perform track maintenance.

There will be no trains running between UH-Downtown and Preston stations during these hours:

Saturday, Nov. 7: 5:40 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8: 5:40 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We will provide shuttle bus service, operating on Preston Street.

If you are traveling southbound from the Preston Station, you will need to board the train at the southbound Preston platform.

If you're traveling northbound from the Preston Station to UH-Downtown, you will need to board the shuttle bus service on Preston Street.

Regular rail service will operate between the Preston and Fannin South stations during this interruption.

here. The photo posted here was taken by Hazel Thompson for the NYT.

Britain's new rules state that if a driver uses a hand-held phone and causes a death, the offense will be considered a more serious one and lead to prison time. British judges have ruled that reading or writing texts over a period of time - and not necessarily at the moment of an accident - constitutes "a gross avoidable distraction."

Texting while driving is considered the same as driving while drunk or high on drugs.

Closer to home, a recent poll sponsored by the NYT and CBS News, indicates that 97 percent of respondents support a ban on texting while driving. Eighty percent support outlawing talking on hand-held cells while driving.

Seventy percent of the respondents said it was fine for drivers to use a hands-free phone while driving. But studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving - whether it is hands-free or not - is a serious risk.

Reach the complete survey here.

Here in Texas, drivers caught talking on their cells while driving in school zones can be fined up to $200. At METRO, we have a zero tolerance policy for all employees driving a METRO-owned vehicle. Anyone caught using his or her cell while driving is fired.

Should texting while driving be banned? What about talking on hands-free phones, using the speaker function or earpiece? When you're on the road, do you worry the driver behind you might be texting?

National Retail Federation and BIGresearch.

That's 5.4 percent more spending on Halloween than in 2004. The engine fueling this growth: Adults buying their own costumes.

"Halloween is no longer considered a children's holiday," Phil Rist of BIGresearch told USA Today. "It's one of those holidays where lots of people escape for a bit and become someone else for a day."

Transit agencies from coast to coast are adjusting schedules to accommodate all this partying.

In Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (the T) is adding extra trains and selling special event round-trip tickets to Salem, MA - a town about an hour's north of Boston which has a museum devoted to the witchcraft hysteria during Colonial times. Salem has town-wide celebrations called Haunted Happenings and is urging partygoers to take the T.

On the West coast, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is adding extra cars to their trains to ease the crowds expected from Halloween parties.

Here at METRO, we'd like to encourage you to ride the rail if you plan on celebrating at the restaurants and bars downtown. The last northbound train from Fannin South departs at 1:40 a.m. The last southbound train departs from UH at 2:20 a.m. Click here for the rail schedule.

If you plan on drinking, the train is a safe way to get home or to your car where we hope you have a designated driver.

Happy Halloween - and stay safe around the ghosts and goblins.

David S. Wolff.

He'll be speaking at the Greater Houston Partnership luncheon next Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel at 2001 Post Oak Blvd. The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Consider METRO's achievements in the past year:

Negotiated a $1.46 billion contract for the expansion of its light-rail lines.
Secured federal funding in President Obama's FY2010 budget proposal.
Cleared another Federal Transit Administration hurdle in obtaining final design approval for the North and Southeast corridors.
Celebrated two historic groundbreakings in July.

But much more lies ahead. What is the current construction timeline in the corridors? What challenges does METRO face in creating a world-class transit system?

Find out at David S. Wolff's presentation, State of METRO: Reshaping the Face of Houston.

You can purchase a ticket at a special non-member rate of $65 by clicking here.

Boston Globe. The photo to the left was taken by Steve Klise for the Boston Globe.

The Boston Area Coalition of Reason, funded by an anonymous donor, has spent $11,000 to purchase placards on 200 subway cars at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, known as the T among locals.

The message on Boston's Red Line and Green Line says: "Good without God? Millions of Americans Are."

The point, says Fred Edwords, head of the United Coalition of Reason, is to let non-believers know there's a community out there for them. "They're inundated with religious messages at every turn. So we hope this will serve as a beacon and let them know they aren't alone," Edwords told the Boston Globe.

The coalition has already plastered its message on billboards in Dallas, Charleston, S.C., Des Moines, Phoenix and New Orleans.

The lead pastor of Vineyard Christian Fellowship in the Boston area said he's not upset with the atheist campaign.

"The message seems uncharitable and hopeless, but I do think it's possible to be good without God. Yet I think they're preaching to the choir in Boston. They'll find a lot of people who agree with them," said Dave Schmelzer, the pastor, adding, ‘It's a free country."

Schmelzer's church has been advertising on the T for the past 10 years.

At METRO, we have kept placards out of our trains and limited those in our buses to public information notices. Our trains have been wrapped to help promote our services and our partnership with the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Click here to view one of our wrapped trains, promoting Airport Direct.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority decided to change the warning beep to an automated voice that will be broadcast from stereo speakers inside and outside the bus, according to The Plain Dealer.

Research shows that people pay more attention to the sound of a human voice than they do to beeping.

The vocal warning system will be installed in the steering column and activated when the driver turns at 45-degree angles.
About 400 buses will get the new system, costing about $600,000, which is coming from federal stimulus money.

The message can be changed and the volume adjusted, depending on the noise level of the environment.

Texas Medical Center from I-45, your trip will soon get easier.

METRO is about to double the number of parking spots available at its South Point Park & Ride lot, located at 12410 Kurland at I-45 South.

Those of you who ride the 297 South Point/Monroe route to the Medical Center will find this a welcome relief.

At the METRO board meeting on Oct. 15, the board approved expanding the parking lot, adding 150 spots and converting 240 temporary spaces created last December to permanent slots. This will result in 766 parking spots.

The construction also will improve the infrastructure, including upgrading drainage and lighting.

"Reinvesting in our extensive bus system is one of our highest priorities and part of our effort to increase ridership and improve customer service," said John Haley, vice president of infrastructure and service development at METRO. "Increasing customer parking spaces, along with introducing 100 new buses into our fleet each year, is a customer-friendly way to serve key destinations like the TMC."

We expect to complete the build-out of the South Point Park & Ride by this coming spring.

Postcards from Texas, a weekly, 30-minute show that highlights historical sites of Texas, especially the southeast area.

This Sunday at 4 p.m., the show features three stories. The first is about a prisoner-of-war camp where Union sailors were incarcerated during the Civil War. Called Camp Groce, it was located just outside Hempstead.

The second story is on Freedman's Town, a protected historic district just west of downtown. Postcards from Texas highlights the heyday of the first predominantly African American neighborhood in Houston.

And finally, the third story features METRO and its roots.

"It's kind of a circle. It follows the demise of the street cars back to the rise of light rail," said Mike Vance, host and executive producer of Postcards from Texas. "The meaty, middle part of it is how the privately-held Houtran system had dropped into disrepair and how METRO was created and turned things around."

Some surprising facts you'll learn: "You'd be amazed how many people I talked to don't realize we had an extensive street car system prior to World War 2," said Vance, a former Channel 55 sports anchor with a degree in history and government. "The other thing people don't realize, unless they're of a certain age, is how bad the bus system had gotten. Even though it's only been 30 years, people take for granted that METRO's has always been here."

The show, produced in partnership with Houston Arts and Media, will rerun next Friday on Channel 55 at 1:30 p.m.

http://es.ridemetro.org/News/Broadcast/METROMatters.aspx

You can also view it on Channel 17 at these times:

Thu 10/15/09 9:45 p.m.

Sat 10/17/09 3:32 p.m.

Wed 10/21/09 8:30 p.m.

Sat 10/24/09 8:00 p.m.

Wed 10/28/09 6:15 p.m.

Fri 10/30/09 7:30 p.m.

Tue 11/3/09 6:45 p.m.

Fri 11/6/09 7:30 p.m.

Mon 11/9/09 8:15 p.m.

Wed 11/11/09 9:30 p.m.

Fri 11/13/09 7:30 p.m.

Mon 11/16/09 9:30 p.m.

The New York Times reports today that hybrid and plug-in electric cars have become so quiet that they are too quiet.

The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 would mandate a federal safety standard to protect walkers from super quiet vehicles.

A Toyota spokesperson told the Times the company realizes quiet hybrids could be a risk to sight-impaired pedestrians.

The Fisker Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid scheduled to go on the market next year, will pump out audio from the rear bumpers. The sound is a mix of a starship and a Formula One car, according to the founder.

An official at BMW's Mini Cooper says one option would be giving drivers a choice of noises, the way cell phones offer various ring tones.

A study by the University of California, Riverside and sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind, showed that people in a lab could hear a conventional gas-powered car at 28 feet away - but could only hear a hybrid when it was seven feet away.

Should cars that glide quietly stay quiet, or do they need to emit warning noises? Read more here.

Our hybrid-electric buses are certainly quieter than our diesel-powered buses - but so far, no one is complaining they're too quiet. In an age when we're assaulted with traffic and construction noises, METRO's hybrids are a welcome addition - and subtraction in decibels - to the road.

Most Riders Satisfied with TMC Swiftline

Mary Sit — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:36:00 GMT

Most riders of the 426 TMC SwiftLine say they are very satisfied with the new route we introduced in August.

The TMC SwiftLine is an express service with five stops between the Texas Medical Center and the Southeast Transit Center.

On Sept. 23, 61 surveys were distributed and 56 were returned.

Here are some of the results:

About 70 percent of the respondents were using the TMC SwiftLine to travel from home to work.
77 percent transferred from one bus to the SwiftLine and half transferred from SwiftLine to another bus.
96 percent of riders were satisfied; 76 percent were very satisfied.
Most learned about SwiftLine by seeing the bus, hearing about it from family or friends, or from METRO bus drivers.
Six percent of the respondents were new riders to METRO.
About half of the respondents work at the TMC.

The SwiftLine buses are our new hybrid-electric Orion buses that are equipped with security cameras.

If you've ridden the SwiftLine, tell us what you think about it.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) has just installed a new software tool that allows customers to browse its Web site and hear text read aloud.

BrowseAloud is a free download WMATA is making available to anyone who wants to download it from http://www.wmata.com/.

For those who have difficulty reading computer screens - including those with mild visual problems, low literacy and reading skills, or those with limited English language skills - this new tool will make it easier to find information on WMATA's Web site.

Once someone installs the free software on his or her computer, he or she can move the cursor over any text and BrowseAloud will read the highlighted text aloud, said WMATA.

Here at METRO, our Web site has been designed to be accessible to the visually impaired. If you are a Mac user, software that reads aloud text is preinstalled in your computer. You can select the type of voice (bubbly or not) and the gender. If you use a PC, you will need to buy software, such as JAWS, to hear text read aloud.

"We hope people with all disabilities will use both MACS and MACS-Web (our automated computer system) to review their trips, cancel any they don't want and make trips that are in their history," said Mary Ann Dendor, ADA administrator at METRO.

Click here to read that story.

Romance and love can happen anywhere - and recently, an attorney who rides the bus in Chicago read a life-changing document at a bus stop.

It was an ad at a bus shelter that said in big, bold letters: "Rachel! I love you! Let's be a team forever! Will you marry me? XOXO, Eric."

Rachel Clark arrived at the bus stop last Wednesday and didn't notice it until her soon-to-be fiancé, engineer Eric Anderson, who was standing behind the sign, urged Clark to read it.

"I started giggling and laughing going, ‘Yes, yes!'" Clark recalled.

Anderson had wanted to propose in an unusual way and when he saw the available ad space, called the company that manages Chicago's bus shelters. He couldn't afford the $3,000 monthly fee, but company officials gave him a break for love, offering a discounted rate for one week. Read more here.

Sometimes bus shelter ads can alter your life forever.