Mary,

The comments I hear are,

"Must be nice to pick and choose fluff questions to answer!Wish I could do that at my job!"

"How about a face to face without all the Gestapo-like presence? Is this guy making such bad/poor decisions that he must be surrounded like the freaking President of the USA?"

It goes on and on.

I have spoken to Mr.Wilson on several occasions and when he is not being rushed to the next meeting, and he is a pretty decent guy. Can be irreverent and funny. Just needs to loosen his tie a bit, roll up his sleeves, forget the endless useless meetings with people who are here to kiss his butt and keep him from seeing whats going on for real.

Just an opinion.. not worth much.. but there it is!

wi11ie

I'd like to know when we are beginning REAL construction on the rail lines. That is, dirt being taken up and crews on site. I am an admitted rail fan, and I know the date is June to begin construction. I just hope June doesn't roll around, and there is a delay. Please let us know, especially given all of the recent press. Thanks!

How do you present a question in advance?  Contact the blogger?

Well it's about dang time there's a chat about anything that can METRO-related and not about only specific things that has to do with METRO.

Mary,

    I'll e-mail you with possible questions that I'm hoping that Mr. Wilson can answer.  HINT:  My questions will be about the new buses and things like that.  Look out for those!

Dominic,

       It would be a wise choice to do so (contacting the blogger---unless she tells you to give your questions to somebody else).  When I have time before the chat, I'll present my questions to Mary.

What happened to the proposed Flower Mart at the Wheeler Rail Station, and what is the station going to look like in the future, what are you going to do with the additional land.

If the rail running along Richmond and connecting UofH, TSU and Richmond all the way west was a good idea, then why hasn't bus service been put on this route to show how valuable it would be.

When can we expect the bus routes to be revisited to include better overall coverage, not just zig-zaggy routes designed to serve those riding now. Better overall coverage would encourage many of us to ride much more often, compared to the current wild out of the way long rides we would have to take now.

Whay hasn't Metro taken some type of active role in improving eastbound safety at Elgin and Main. The HCC campus often has vehicles parked in the no parking area in front of the building (Armored Trucks, FedEx, people dropping off people)stopping the right lane, while no center lane for people turning left into the HCC parking garage has the left lane stopped. Often this leads to traffic suddenly stopped across the rail.

Bike racks...where is the information on how to use them, and bike routes..I looked and couldn't find the information on this blog or on RideMetro.org it may be there but if it buried how is that helpful.

Charles Hernandez said:  "Whay hasn't Metro taken some type of active role in improving eastbound safety at Elgin and Main. The HCC campus often has vehicles parked in the no parking area in front of the building (Armored Trucks, FedEx, people dropping off people)stopping the right lane, while no center lane for people turning left into the HCC parking garage has the left lane stopped. Often this leads to traffic suddenly stopped across the rail."

HOLD IT!  That may be an HCC location but that is NOT a campus where regular college students go---unless they want to deal with Culinary Arts or Real Estate.  It's actually an administration builing.  Furthermore, HCC is not the only "tenants" of the building.  In fact, I'm there right now.  My job is at this location.

The closest HCC "campus" is the HCC-Central Campus---which is on Holam Street---AWAY from the METRORail line.

In addition, I don't really think that's METRO's problem.  METRO should only deal with the rail line and to get cops there to enforce the "no left turn" deal.  I think that's the problem of both the City of Houston and HCC to work out.

Charles Hernandez said:  "Bike racks...where is the information on how to use them, and bike routes..I looked and couldn't find the information on this blog or on RideMetro.org it may be there but if it buried how is that helpful."

Have you tried to first search for it?  I did and found it in less than five seconds.  Near the top of the home page (at the right), type in "bike rack" and you'll be in a gold mine.  To help you out so you won't have to search for it, here's the URL you need to look at (http://www.ridemetro.org/Services/Bus/Bikesonbuses.aspx).  Good luck on looking at it.

Mr. Collins,  

It's more useful and you're likely to be taken much more seriously if you help people without chastising them first.  Chastising people because they don't know what you know only comes off as arrogant.  Just a friendly tip.

I AM VERY SORRY I MISSED THE MARCH DEADLINE FOR EXCHANGING MY MAGNETIC CARD TO THE Q CARD. PLEAS MAKE AN EXCEPTION AND TRANSFER MY $100 PLUS CARD. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THIS.

Are you ever going to bring back the "Dixie Drive Your Cows In" ad? I heard it all the time my first couple years of college and still remember METRO's 635-4000 number 20 years later as a result.

OK, Here goes my (82 Westheimer length) question:

I have noticed that Bogata in South America has BRT lanes which look like the HOT lanes on the Katy, but are for buses only, and have transit stations, with crosswalks over the mainlanes.

METRO can put 60 buses an hour each way on the HOT.  Has METRO considered getting air rights from the HCTRA/TexDOT, and placing overhead BRT stations over the HOT in the future to provide more guideway transit on that corridor, and/or 290?

Thanks,

Dominic Mazoch

The zig zag of routes  is from the old days after Houston Electric went from LRT to bus.  If you look at the curent METRO map and a pre-WWII HE map, there is really that much difference on local routes inside Loop 610.

Charles Hernandez,

Here is the link to the Houston Bikeways map (a city, not a Metro service):

http://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/bikeways/docs/bikeways_map_network.pdf

Please note there are very view actual bike lanes or paths - a lot of those routes are shared bikeways which only means the cars are supposed to look out for you. Don't let that stop you, though!  

Question for CEO,

Why are there still no plans for routs that go across suburban areas like Clear Lake? A sort of local bus for those living in the suburbs.

Socki

I actually prefer the zig zag routes as they cover more area than the current grid routes that are being introduced ver so often.  First, the zig-zag routes are the oldest and more established routes meaning more ridership and thus, more service.  Many of the grid routes are newer and have less service.  Also, I don't trust Metro to operate a grid system properly as timely transfers are a necessity and Metro can't get that right at this point.

Actually, the CTA (Chicago) tends to run bus routes as zig-zags.  And most of Chicago is in a grid road system.

Is Metro doing anything to address the lack of bus routes on the east side of midtown-downtown? I recently moved to Midtown and have found that options from midtown to the Texas Medical Center or Montrose are very limited. MetroRail is great, but it's 10 blocks away, and that's not a realistic option most days.

Clue,

    There's a thing called "common sense."  That would need to be used before commenting or asking questions that may NOT have anything to do with METRO.  The traffic problem he mentioned at the interscetion of Main @ Elgin is a prime example (will explain laterz).  Just a friendly tip.

What I say stands.  Just because there's a METRO rail line that crosses Elgin along Main Street doesn't mean METRO can solve any problems people have about traffic troubles at that location.

Do you work there?  I DO!  I see that kind of problem almost everyday and I still say that's the problem either the City of Houston or HCC would need to solve.  The only thing METRO can do is to try to keep people from blocking the tracks---especially when a train is coming.  Perhaps METRO can put crossing arms at each intersection along the rail line and not just at certain spots?  That would be great.

Thank you!

Now that I got that out of the way---I hope---Mary?  I'll e-mail you what questions I have that DOES relate to METRO.  Look out for those.

I know that 286 is the lowest performing P&R route from previous posts.  But since we are now using the Q-card Metro should be able to track where riders are transferring.  I am a part-time rider because if I make it to W Little York P&R by 7:30am I ride if not I drive.  But it seems that when I do ride in the evening almost everyone gets off at Northwest Transit Center.  Either to the 217, 214 or 298.  Now that Metro has the Q-card info would this not justify extending a few trips out to Northwest or Cypress P&R.  I know you can transfer at NTC but with no HOV out to Cypress the 217 sits on 290 main lanes before the HOV.  I have missed the transfer many times because of this.  My question is will Metro extend the 286 route or when will the HOV be extended to Cypress?  

Ms Sit,

(this question was inadvertantly posted to the next post  concerning the new contractor.  Sorry!)

I will not be able to participate in the chat this noon, can I submit this question?

"Mr. Wilson, in light of the Texas Medical Center filing a lawsuit against the transit agency over the stray current leakage from the shoddily-constructed tram system, won't this destroy the credibility of your agenciy's statements to the City of Houston and the public, that there is no damage being caused by the tram (it's like a 9-volt battery)?

Cedric,

I find that you generally have good info to share in your comments.  However, I have also noticed that you're becoming more and more cranky in your comments recently and I do think it unfortunately undermines the helpful information that you generally put forth.  When people see vitriol, they shut down and stop reading immediately, or at the very least, assume that anything following the vitriol is without merit.  As someone who works for Metro, you've got a firsthand insight that most of us don't have the benefit of getting.  Getting snarky with people really only reinforces the negative opinions about Metro all around, which I don't think is really your goal.  

Ms. Sit,

A second question, if there is time.

"Mr. Wilson, with the Q-card now implemented, when will there be an effort to keep track of "linked" trips?

Sometimes, I use the 286 after the shutdown of the 210.  Most of the ttaffic seems to be from Greenway/Uptown to the NWTC.  Guess people don't want to deal with the turtle slow 33.  I still say the 286 could run to the TMC TC, and gain a HUGE ridership from that point.

I still think the 298 could still work, if the route would run:

K'dahl P&R

N. Shep P&R

Enter HOV

Leave HOV at IH-10

IH-10 West to Heights.

SB at Heights

Stop at American General at Allen Parkway (Bat Bridge)

Stop at Westheimer (Catch 82)

Go to Montrose, SB

Stop at Alabama (Univ. St. Thomas)

Stop at Richmond (Catch 25)

Stop at Rice Univ.

Stop at TMC TC/and or loop TMC.