Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

DominicMazoch — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:42:48 GMT

Well, I'll believe it when the change happens.

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

Cedric Collins — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:29:49 GMT

Royko,

What do you know about this so-called "rubber-tired mobility improvements" thing? You must be talking about buses, right?

If this is what METRO has to do, then SO BE IT! We just cannot be a city with at least 1,200 buses (or more) and only one doggone rail line. What METRO needs to do is to continue to get the ball rolling in terms of having some sort of "intermodal" transportation for Houston. You'll see it one day---soon.

While METRO needs to deal with any or all forms of rail, PLEASE do NOT forget about the buses---hybrid ones. I still say they should reconsider getting (Dominic is going to have my head for this) the "A" bus with that thing in the middle.

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

DominicMazoch — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:52:03 GMT

Now when ARE we going to see the new 5008 (Or its brothers)? And not behind the fancing at Fallbrook!

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

Robert — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:05:16 GMT

I'm typically opposed to Bush's neo-conservative "Market Based Solutions" to solving societal problems. Allowing so-called "School Choice" would separate kids for kids they should be around. Really, I think that it would separate Black kids from White kids from Hispanic kids from Asian kids from etc...

For health care, I've heard of abuses levied upon those forced to seek medical insurance on the open market. It's impossible to get insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. It's impossible to get health care without insurance. So you're just stuck. Further, society has an interest in its members being healthy. Society should pay for its members' health care.

However, the reliance of individuals on transportation by private car is an irresponsible and unsustainable choice that can only be discouraged by making it expensive. What if drivers in Katy had to pay a higher cost per mile driven? They wouldn't drive as much.

Meanwhile, those same drivers in Katy would argue that my use of public transit should be paid for by me, with no subsidy paid for by them. Do they think that I-10 was free?

Every lane on I-10 should be a toll lane. There is no other way to move people back to town from Katy.

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

ChloeMireille — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:28:21 GMT

More money - more routes/rail lines.

This all that I'm concerned about.

In the meantime, while we're waiting on the full hybrid fleet replacement, can we get some more of those retrofitted hybrids like the 410x that run out of Polk?

Re: Quickline

I've seen the new shelters. They're pretty and shiny like the ones by the Galleria. If I had any reason to ride the 402, I'd be excited.

And yes, a QL 482 would be nice, but I'd rather see the regular 82(as of this Sunday) have a higher frequency. But I'll go into that on the post about the 82.

Re: QL Tidwell

I'm betting it'll arrive in January with the next set of schedule changes. And I didn't think there was that much crowding on there. I rode it once, and it was full, but not jam-packed like the 82.

And there used to be a route that ran on Pinemont. It was the 43-Pinemont Plaza Crosstown. Went from Northwest TC to Acres Homes TC via Silber. They got rid of it in 2005 due to low ridership.

re: Transportation Secretary Touts Transit Reform; Easier for Houston to Get Transit Funds

DominicMazoch — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:42:21 GMT

The bus stops in the Uptown area look as if they were from the sets of the various MAD MAX movies. ("We don't need another hero..." was from ....BEYOND THUNDERDOME!)