I certainly hope the 950 students riding MetroRail did not have the same experience I had while riding the 2 - Bellaire yesterday.  I'd wager there were 90 people on that articulated bus, mostly students from THREE high schools that are encountered within the first 15 minutes of the route returning eastbound from Mission Bend.  To add to the mayhem, the previous bus never showed after being informed it was "26 minutes down" and the one I caught was 15 minutes behind complete with slightly insane bus driver.  Things have been this way on the 2 - Bellaire since I was in 9th grade; I graduated high school in 2003. Why oh why have you all not added at least ONE school tripper to serve Taylor, Elsik, and Hastings High Schools?  It's needed, desperately.

If Metro plans to be a viable alternative to yellow bus and car transportation for grade and college students, it needs to actively work on providing the services to fit the needs of this segment of the population.  Add school trippers to routes that have services overrun with school kids.  I'm 22, I don't want to ride on a glorified school bus anymore.  I'm sorry.  And modify the services around the two main college campuses (TSU/UH).  Removing bus service from Cullen was a mistake.  It's like you all took a look at how convenient it was and said, "Who cares?"

As students get older, they have more options as far as transportation goes.  Don't turn them off to Metro, embrace them and provide reliable convenient bus service.

Rant over.

I happened to be one of the freshmen who participated in Houston Night Out. The activity wasn't mandatory, but every orientation group was required to set time aside for the campus-sponsored activity. So while I'm sure a few students decided not to participate, I'd estimate over 97% did, along with advisors. So freshman class + transfer students, plus upperclassmen holding a ratio of about 1:3 incoming students. The estimate of 950 is certainly close, perhaps low.

also, note that there were several different options for the night, so times were staggered-- also, Rice utilizes two MetroRail stops, as one is closer to the north residential colleges, while another closer to the south. Furthermore, the at least two of the photos were taken at the time my o-week group was leaving for the baseball game... late. We avoided much of the crowding, though the train cars were still full.

As far as Dominic's comments-- there were two other activities scheduled for new student. Urban Immersion, and Outreach Day. Both involved community activities within Houston, including Habitat for Humanity, working at the Food Bank, volunteering at Star of Hope Shelters, etc. Also, Rice is host to a wide scope of socio-economic backgrounds. Simply interacting with other students expose--to a degre--the relative fortune and comfort many of us take for granted.

Get used to being herded like "Sheeple" onto the tram by METRO.  Who would be surprised to learn the Autocratic Mayor announcing a ban on "evil" cars in the CBD after the next election?

He's done it to smokers, and pursued the appeal to close down the sexually-oriented busine;, forcced apartment owners to pay for a $400 inspection and threatened them if they didn't follow the Hurtt-HPD  recommendations; and promised heavy fines if you don't keep repainting over the gang symbols; used taxpayer money to pay for forced towing, even for a flat tire, in the SafeClear boondoggle; and the "it's not about the money" red-light camera fines which clearly violate the U.S. Constitution.

Owl2011:

I'm glad there were some of the places you mentioned.  There was nothing in the beginning of the thread about the things you mentioned.  If they were mentioned, no comment from me.

Also, I did not know that the campus had the nickname of "the Hedge".  I've been down Main/Fannin for many years, and walked down University from Dyden.  Noticed the hedge, but did not know it had an identity in the Rice culture.

Royko...

What does the mayor have to do with this?  DO you honestly have nothing better to do with your life than gripe about every thing that METRO does?  You were not there-what gives you the authority to undermine an approxiamte?

FosterBrown03,

Gee, you may not realize it but the METRO board is controlled by the Houston Mayor since he appoints the majority.

The current Mayor can have METRO adopt any liberal socialist policy he wants.

Look what Lee Brown did to us!  We now have a half Billion dollar boondoggle on Main Street where METRO contimues to dump bushel baskets of taxpayer cash down the unsafe, unreliable, and underutilized "rat hole" known affectionately as METRORail.

Royko,

     If the Mayor doesn't have a problem with everything of what METRO does, then I can safely say that he doesn't need to be involved in this unless he himself has a problem with what's going on.

Without what Lee Brown did to us, people like me would have to be---how you say---"herded" like "sheeple" onto whatever buses are running out on the streets right now.

Maybe instead of griping about every last doggone thing that METRO does, you should walk into our shoes and see how it is to not only run a transit agency but to also ride its trains/buses.  Beats having to spend any of your "money" trying to maintain your vehicle.

While you're on the topic of "taxpayer's money," do you know that your precious American green goes into everything else in this city, county, state, AND country?

You act like it only goes to METRO and that's it.  What's up with that?

I may regret this for the rest of my life asking that simple question but here are some others:  What about our freeways that need constant maintainence?  What about all our law enforcement agencies that desparately need more officers out there on the streets trying to protect people like you and me?  Didn't think about those IMPORTANT things, did you?

Long live METRO and all the things METRO is trying to do for you people!

Mr. Collins,

Some continue to be let down and abused by the bureaucrats, and instead of objecting, they just lower expectations and allow themselves to be further abused by the bureaucratic process.

They then applaud those inept and callous bureaucrats.

Houston is not New Orleans, New York, or Paris.

Urban rail is a waste of precious taxpayer resources, and these funds should be better spent improving rubber-tired mobility throughout the service area.

Why can't we get exemplary service from the public sector, with minimal waste?

We are not giving up our cars willingly just to be herded by METREAUX onto the boondoggle tram to satrisfy the Central Planners who want to tell us all how to live while they themselves are exempt.

Royko, are you a robot of some sort?  Tell your programmer to insert some new buzz words into your databank.  METREAUX (??????), sheeple, boondoggle, and herded are quite tired and overused on this blog.  We'd all appreciate a different take on your constant and often inaccurate Metro (correct spelling, a note for your programmer/taskmaster/whatever) bashing.  Thank you kindly.

"METREAUX" best describes the transit agency's wasteful, boondoggle pro-urban rail policy.

A few image words help convey my perspective on the official spin to the new blog readers.

Mr. Royko/Tom Bazan,

How does "METREAUX" describe your thoughts about Metro?  Do you have some sort of secret language that you use at home, perhaps with a twin, or something?  Do you revert to this language when you experience your visions of "prodigious" sparking nighttime light shows from the rail catenary wire?  You continue to cite a $500 million rail system.  Was this the construction amount?  Is that supported by documentation in your possession?  Do you have a cute little word for the wasteful central planning and taxpayer-funded Texas Department of Transportation? Probably not, since you believe that all of their waste, home and business destruction, pollution, and expense are to be regarded as sacred and to never, ever be, questioned, analyzed, or oriticized.

Government policy and taxpayer-subsidies virtually destroyed all ground transportation options for human beings in this country with the exception of the street and highway transportation system.  Those policies and subsidies continue to leave the vast majority of the U.S. population with no choice except that provided by the highwaymen.  Yet even small steps to help provide transportation choices to the ever-increasing acreage lost to concrete and asphalt are met with vicious howls of protest by the "sheeple" (this cute little word of yours is somewhat useful)following every line that is fed to them by the highwaymen, as long as those lines are made of concrete or asphalt, of course.  You seem to be very fearful that somehow mass transit is a conspiracy to eliminate your beloved and worshipped cars, streets, and highways, but transit is about providing choice and alternatives, and to work as a supplement to the vast network of streets and highways.  If there is any conspiracy, it would appear to be a conspiracy to destroy transit with any means possible to ensure that the populace is left with no choice but to follow the highwaymen like lemmings (this other cute word of yours can also be useful)

"Urban rail is a waste of precious taxpayer resources, and these funds should be better spent improving rubber-tired mobility throughout the service area."

Rubber-tired mobility?  You must mean the buses, right?  Anyhoo, you're right that YOUR taxpayer recources are "precious" and I'll say this once again.  It's NO good here.  Why?  If we had more and more "rubber-tired mibility," then we can not worry about having to rely on the METRORail train, now would we?  Think about that.

J. Liggins said:

               "Royko, are you a robot of some sort?  Tell your programmer to insert some new buzz words into your databank.  METREAUX (??????), sheeple, boondoggle, and herded are quite tired and overused on this blog.  We'd all appreciate a different take on your constant and often inaccurate Metro (correct spelling, a note for your programmer/taskmaster/whatever) bashing.  Thank you kindly."

Ummm---yeah---ummm---I 2nd that.  *LOL*

Chris:

     If you can write a book that goes against people like Rokyo and the other anti-METRO people, PLEASE let me know and I'll make sure to buy a copy.

Cedric,

I wish that I had the time to write a book about the massive effort that has existed for decades to destroy not only Metro, but public transportation of any sort.  Unfortunately, it seems that I have to work most of the time and, although the anit-Metro/anti-transit people would have you believe otherwise, the most powerful and well-funded interests benefit from more and more street and highway construction, hence that is what receives the funding.  Anti-transit consultants and detractors are well-funded and well-organized.  If you follow media-reported criticisms of transit initiatives around the U.S., and can stand to read through the Royko/Tom Bazan diatribes, common statements and concepts quickly become apparent.  Anti-transit consultants and organizations go from city to city in this country to help disparage and defeat transit programs, particulary any program that will detract from the continuous expansion of the street and highway transportation system and the resulting revenue flow to the myriad industries that benefit from this continuous expansion.  This process has been ongoing for many decades and has resulted in the elimination of transportation choices throughout the country, sort of "my way or the highway", except in this case, their only way is the highway.

Chris,

Speaking of diatribes, sounds like the kettle calling the pot black.

You fawn over wasteful urban rail, and have an aversion to highways.  For balance, here are a couple of links about these issues:

http://www.ti.org/antiplanner/

www.publicpurpose.com/