May we bring up an issue that was brought up last time that hasn't been resolved?

This is too cool! Thank you for making the adjustments to the program. This ought to make the discussion much easier to follow.

Thank you.

This chat thing is a great idea, but I see one problem.  There is this thing called work, er job.  And I work in such a way I am not out on lunch or have net access.  Some chats later in the day would help.

Mary, I think you told me you had to be at work at 0700.  Maybe if the chat was later, you could "sleep in" that day!  (LOL!)

Mary, I had complained about the noise level at the rail stations. Mr. Wilson had said he would do something about it but so far it's still the same.  

I have no clue what "Metro Solutions" would be about.  Is the Q-Card part of it?  If it is, I would like to find out if the arbitrary $500 limit on Q-Card balances could be raised by executive order of Mr Wilson.  I would like to see it raised to $1000 at the least.

Mary,

Can you please identify what "Metro Solutions" actually refers to?

Question: What is being done to help with the traffic flow of Park and Ride locations? Getting out of the Addicks P&R is a major disaster. I'm sure that I am not the only rider with issues getting in or out of a Park and Ride location. Thanks.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to attend because it's only about METRO Solutions and I have questions about other matters regarding METRO.

I have a proposal for an Energy Corridor suburban bus route, "The Cypress Energy Flyer".

I announced this concept during a talk I gave at Lone Star College Cy-Fair. A Signature Bus or BRT service from Cypress to the Energy Corridor would actually be quite rich in destinations. It has the potential to move a great many people who work in the Energy Corridor and live in Cy-Fair. Also, it could move many students to Lone Star College Cy-Fair, which has completely filled parking lots now, and is building temporary buildings, and it would move people to either of two Park & Rides.

Here is the map:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116482526730556070192.000444f42d3b8356eb077&z=12

It would be a "string of pearls". Here are the pearls: The Bridgelands (gigantic new subdivsion which will be building-out for the next 20 years), Cypress P&R, Riata Ranch, Cy-Fair College, Copperfield / Copperlakes, FM529 & SH6, Bear Creek, Pioneers Park & Harris County Community Center, Addicks P&R, and multiple Energy Corridor stops.

Key points:

- Signature Bus or BRT, not local jitney

- Speed is important. Infrequent stops on high-speed roads

- Motorcoach, not jitney equipment. Brand it for middle-class office workers

- This is still a drive or bicycle to the bus paradigm. Walking probably not feasible for many. Parking in shopping malls, with merchant approval (they would likely welcome the traffic)

Regards,

Peter Wang

Peter:

Good idea, but I have a suggestion:  Extend the servise to West Oaks Mall (Westheimer and SH-6)  There it could connect with the 25, 53, and 82.  some tweeking, and you could add the 2.  That would give you come interchange between the Cypress area and Uptown/Galleria area.

Dominic, that's a good idea to extend it down to Westheimer

Peter Wang,

Your idea desperately needs to happen, ASAP.  There is an increasing number of pedestrians along Highway 6 North, and the road has no sidewalks or shoulder lanes...just 6 lanes (plus one middle turn lane) all the way across.  I'm also seeing an increase in the number of people who are holding up signs asking for a ride up down that road.  

The need is definitely there!

I would like to see it slightly modified to include closer access to a couple of high schools in the area too....Langham Creek HS on 529 between Barker-Cypress and Hwy. 6 North, and Cy-Falls HS on Huffmeister between 6 and 290.

Mr. Wilson,

Regarding the expansion of the two urban rail lines scheduled to begin in March, using sales tax revenue:

METRO is optimistic there will not be any recession, and that sales tax revenue will continue to increase at an annual rate of about 6%.  As you may recall, this was not the case just a few years back.

As reported to the NTD, over the past three fiscal years, the total Federal Funds from all sources has trended downward.  The total in FY 2005 was $145,303,616, then declined to $120, 549,635 in FY 2006, and further declined to $97,536,365 for FY 2007.  Given the mood in Congress to reduce earmarks, and the observation that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee will likely never be able to secure the levels Congressman Tom Delay generated.

METRO has abandoned the effort to achieve a 50% fare box recovery, and has allowed the percentage to fall below 15%.  Assuming the Q-Card does not significantly improve the fare box revenue, since the on-time ratio dropped into the 50's for November 2007, as more citizens will seek other rubber-tired modes to get to where they need to be, when they need to be there.

Bus boardings have trended DOWN since METRO began construction of urban rail in 2001.  There was a spike in FY 2006, attributable to the influx of Hurricane Katrina refugees.

Will not this scenario create a severe operating cash crunch?

Further, how will METRO honor the seemingly hollow promise to increase bus service 50% above the level in 2003?  This increase is absolutely necessary if nothing more that to bring riders to the Utopian trams.

The number of buses, full-time operators, hours, vehicle revenue miles, and passenger miles for the local fixed bus routes all continue to decline.

FTA Form B-10 Number of Vehicles

FY2004 FY2005 FY2006 FY2007

Bus / DO 1,027 967  910     837

Bus / PT  205 194  196     183

Demand Response / PT  431 450      411     398

Light Rail / OO   17  17       17      17

Vanpool / PT  253 313  568     545

Wow, Peter. People would love that.

As for extending to West Oaks Mall, it's only going to connect to the 82 and the 53. The 25 goes to Mission Bend. Also, people on the 53 will still need to walk a bit to get to Hwy 6 from where it turns around at the high school...unless the route gets extended to Briar Forest @ Hwy 6.

Also, that plan would make a lot of people who live in Cy-Fair and work in the Medical Center happy because they can go to Addicks and catch the 298. Honestly, you could get away with just that segment as a QuickLine, and people would be thrilled. And if this plan could include running the 131 back out to Addicks, that would be even better for local connectivity.

I think the Signature/QuickLine route would be/would've been a good way to make longer routes, but with fewer stops. Routes that run from Downtown to Hwy 6 or FM 1960 would be highly feasible for this instead of simply stopping them at the Beltway.

Will METRO be able to control the traffic signals along the new rail lines - so the trains can run faster than the rest of the traffic?

Mr.Wilson, We talked last Wed. after the Council meeting. I would like a response to our discussion concerning Greenway High Rise's 383 units being locked in by rail on Richmond/Cummins route when Metro has to close Norfolk and Portsmouth at Cummins. There is not enough space for a station at grade and the need to advance a crossing of Hiway 59. We will be blocked by congestion and our newly limited access to our homes.The quality of our lives is being affected severely.

I've hand delivered literally hundreds of route suggestions to Metro over the past 12 years and have learned in that time that there are so many constraints and restrictions regarding the implementation of these routes that I've kind of given up.  I sent in a similar route to what Peter is proposing called the 75 - Eldridge Crosstown.  It ran from Willowbrook to Alief along Highway 6 mostly and skimmed by the Energy corridor along the way.

OK, we can tweek the 2 AND the 25 to connect with Peter's route!

Another possibility Peter's route could be combiined with the 19-Wilcrest X-town.  (QL-19?)