I congratulate METRO on better and more avenues of communication with the public over the past year.  The blog, chats, and talk show are all informative.  I watched the first episode of METRO Matters, and it is much more useful than the MTTV short segments.

Perhaps I missed it, but maybe each episode should have a date shown so that the topics discussed in future archived episodes can be put in the context of the time that it was recorded.

Point of information:

The FTA specifically instructed METREAUX not to proceed.

Further, METREAUX does not have the right to use City streets, so as of today, you are not "building" any boondoggle extensions.  You merely intend to squander billions and billions of precious taxpayer dollars on wasteful 19th-century, steel-wheeled vehicles which must be tethered to a sparking wire.

Time will tell if the Urban Rail Robber Barons at METREAUX will be able to finance this ill-devised scheme.

Seriously Royko... give it a rest.

Gas prices are up. Houston is overcrowded. We need multiple types of transit opportunities. If you feel that "rubber tire" solutions are best, then put your money where your mouth is and spend your dollars on that.

Do I think the rail downtown was the best use or need for Houston? No. Do I want them to make a commuter rail and get some places connected to feed into the current system? Yes.

We need multiple options for transit INCLUDING rail to suffice the public and the ever growing population.  

I think you could easily synergize this with the monthly chats. The show could be used to present a topic, and the chat afterwards(and this blog) can be used to field questions from viewers.

Where are the usual people who populate this blog?  Spring break?  

Now back to the thread.  How much is one of these 15 min shows going to cost?  

The problem I see with this is that Houston, beleive it or not, has a very high percentage of non-cable homes, compared to the rest of the nation.  METRO is missing out on a lot of people.

Anyway, I DON'T have cable because from what I see, a made for cable TV show has more comm.  I don't want to see ANOTHER ad.ercials per time unit than commercial TV

Ch 16 is the public access channel that nobody watches.  It is full of local city council meetings and I don't think it has any commercials.

P&R:

OK, it shoews how litttle cable I watch.  Did not ealize Ch 16 was the "public access" channel!  And it has no commercials.

BTW, don't they run METRO board meetings on this platform while the meeting is going on?

Anyway, I won't get cable just for 16!

Realistic,

Gee, why not be realistic?  Urban Rail in Houston Texas is a wasteful boondoggle, a fact!

The METREAUXRail has done far more harm than good, and it has consumed a billion dollars of precious taxpayer funds which could have been better spent on improving mobility.

Except for Siemens, the cronies, and urban rail consultants, with their snouts deep in the taxpayer-funded trough, Houstonians have been shortchanged by METREAUX.

It took me seven weeks to pry recent traffic count data away from METREAUX.

It was my fear, and seemingly confirmed by the recent traffic volume data, that in fact, METRORail has strangled vehicular traffic in the corridor, and consequently decimated small businesses which depend on vehicle traffic for survival.

Further, METRO's consultants used the Houston secondary street traffic count data, published in 2001, which is the City of Houston traffic volume count data as of 2000, data that is comprised of counts from the late 1980's to the late 1990's for the various streets which comprise the City’s thoroughfare traffic volume data.

The consultants should be aware that they have used decade-old traffic data to perform the forecasts. The data is clearly obsolete, and can not be considered reliable, especially after 2001. There must be new, current traffic count data for the initial base year of these studies.

IMPACT OF METRRail on the Main Street Corridor traffic:

COH           Main St.  B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       North of  Traffic     #5    Reduction

Count   Date  Commerce  Count*    Date    In Traffic

16,215 3/13/98 C.B.D.   2,786    8/14/07    -82.8%

N & S

COH           Main St.  B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       North of  Traffic     #2    Reduction

Count   Date  Gray St.  Count*     Date   In Traffic

16,770 3/05/98 C.B.D.   2,626     8/16/07   -84.3%

N & S

COH           Fannin    B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       North of  Traffic     #10   Reduction

Count   Date  Binz      Count*     Date   In Traffic

27,362 3/23/98 Mid-Town  5,292    8/09/07   -80.7%

1-way S

COH         San Jacinto B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       North of  Traffic     #14   Reduction

Count   Date  Binz      Count*     Date   In Traffic

28,702 3/05/98 Mid-Town  6,748    8/09/07    -76.5%

1-way N

COH           Fannin    B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       South of  Traffic     #23   Reduction

Count   Date University Count*     Date   In Traffic

24,822 3/20/98  T.M.C.  12,931    7/17/07    -47.9%

N & S

COH           Main St.  B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       North of  Traffic     #32   Reduction

Count   Date University Count*     Date   In Traffic

32,908 3/23/98  T.M.C.  22,452   11/13/07   -31.8%

N & S

COH         Greenbriar  B&G Eng. Location Percentage

Traffic       South of  Traffic     #51   Reduction

Count   Date  O.S.T.    Count*     Date   In Traffic

12,615 6/02/98  T.M.C.  7,013     8/14/07   -44.4%

N & S

* The pedestrians counted and added to the totals have been subtracted from the vehicle count.

An additional example:

====================================

Listed below are the H-GAC provided

traffic counts for

Main Street at Wheeler Street.

Main Street: South of Wheeler Street

1996 -15,560

2001- 18,630

2006 - 16,530 (DECLINE Since 2001)

Wheeler: East of Main

1996 – 15,900

2001 – N/A

2006 – 15,170 (DECLINE - No 2001 Data)

Wheeler: West of Main

1996 – 16,810

2001 – 18,830

2006 – 16,590 (DECLINE Since 2001)

All traffic counts were obtained from the Texas Department of Transportation and represent 24 hour week day axles, divided by two. Weekdays are defined as Monday through Thursday.

====================================

Even with a decline in vehicular traffic, the intersection of Main Street and Wheeler is now  identified as an “F” intersection due to the METRORail operation.

I was told the intersection ratings went from a B-C to an F due to urban rail.  (loss of service greater than 2 minutes).

If the Main Street corridor has been so adversely impacted, one can only speculate there will be the same negative outcomes on the other thoroughfares slated by METRO to be decimated;

Concerning the information not compiled:

METRO, nor the City of Houston, have attempted to formally study the devastating impact on businesses and neighborhoods during, as well as post METRORail tram construction.

There seems little interest in documenting the number of businesses which failed during the construction, and how many business locations have suffered multiple business failures during the period of tram operation since January 2004.

In addition to the damages inflicted upon businesses along Main Street corridor, there has been no inquiry as to the negative impacts upon the neighborhoods caused by the blocking of numerous streets and driveway accesses.

How about some things which matters:

1.  How to use Q.

2.  How to ride.

3.  Transit Civility.

4.  Transit Safety.

5.  Pull rope before your stop.

6.  Put trash in its place. (see last thread.)

Realistic said:  "Seriously Royko... give it a rest.

Gas prices are up. Houston is overcrowded. We need multiple types of transit opportunities. If you feel that "rubber tire" solutions are best, then put your money where your mouth is and spend your dollars on that.

Do I think the rail downtown was the best use or need for Houston? No. Do I want them to make a commuter rail and get some places connected to feed into the current system? Yes.

We need multiple options for transit INCLUDING rail to suffice the public and the ever growing population."

I second the motion---especially the first paragraph.  BRAVO!!!!

Royko?  Even I---as I feel everyday with your comments---think you need to just give it a rest.  To add to that, it ain't getting you nowhere.  You can say what you want but until you have the authority to have a final say (God forbid), your comments may be rendered unless.

You sound just like these news people (sometimes) who probably don't have nothing else to do---which is---hinder rather than help.

The only person who you're trying to help is yourself and I'm sticking to that statement---regardless of what you say.

If you have a HUGE problem with what METRO is trying to do in order to make things better for this area, use your precious "Fort Knox" money, fly or take Greyhound to DC, and complain there.  See if the FTA---or anybody from the federal government for that matter---will hear your complaints about stuff you do NOT have a final say in.

Mr. Collins,

Thank you for your suggestions.

I will continue to insist that METREAUX honor the promise it made to the poor, minority, elderly, and handicapped BUS transit dependent riders that they would INCREASE critical bus service by 50%.

Under the Federal Law, from 1964, any transit agency who wanted wasteful urban rail had to demonstrate to the FTA that they would not slash bus service in favor of urban rail.

METREAUX has failed to maintain the level of bus service prior to the 2003 referendum vote for the "Solutions" scheme.

I did not make the "broken" promise, nor do I have the ability to force METREAUX to honor the promulgated federal rules.

All I can do is continue to enter into the record the facts that document METREAUX is shortchanging Houstonians while the Urban Rail Robber Barons play Monopoly with an endless geyser of sales tax revenue.

Royko?

     I'm going to have to rest my case on this one.  All I'm going to say is good luck to METRO with what they have planned for the future---at least for people who care---like me.

@Royko - DON'T give it a rest. You have just as much right as everyone else to rant (or rave). Change (if any) is usually not obtained by resting on one's laurels.

Richmond Rider,

              Unfortunately, Realistic said it best in this case.  Who cares about what happened in the past?  That was then and this is now.

Royko said:  "All I can do is continue to enter into the record the facts that document METREAUX is shortchanging Houstonians while the Urban Rail Robber Barons play Monopoly with an endless geyser of sales tax revenue.."

Sure you will---and I'll be the first man to land on Mars.

Mr. Collins,

"Who cares about what happened in the past?  That was then and this is now."

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Houston tore up the tram tracks from the obsolete urban rail five decades ago.  But, with two generations now lost to PC-indoctrination by Socialists and institutionalized Liberalism, here we go again.  This time the taxpayers will pay for the boondoggle run by 3rd-world-class bureaucrats.

Royko said:  "This time the taxpayers will pay for the boondoggle run by 3rd-world-class bureaucrats."

Yeah---and I'll be the next President of the United States of America.

If you care about your money so much (marry it while you're at it), then there's other cities that you can go to---or do you have a problem with them, also---right?  Nobody's perfect in this country, OK?

I have no clue as to what point you're trying to make but as always, it's not working well with me.  I'm only concerned about what's going on now and in the future.

If I have said this once before, I'll say it again.  I'll keep riding METRO until there IS no more METRO and/or there is no more Houston.

Long live METRO!

Ms. Sit,

What about those with only a Satellite Dish?

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