15 Comment

• slugline June 9, 2016 at 10:11 am

  The Schwencke map (“Where do Houston’s renters live?”) of population density is an annoying reminder of our city’s backwards transit development. Only politics could explain why one could look at that map and decide to spend valuable tax dollars to expand light rail to the north, east, and southeast of downtown.
• Superdave June 9, 2016 at 10:29 am

  Um, nice try Antone’s PR people, but you are far from having an “empire” in Houston. I live and dine frequently in the inner loop, and work downtown, and cannot name a single active Antone’s location right now. The only one I knew about was in Rice Village, but it closed several years ago. I wonder how much Antone’s paid the Chronicle for this hyped-up piece of advertising masked as journalism.
• detroux June 9, 2016 at 11:05 am

  @Superdave “4520 San Felipe and 2724 West T.C. Jester” –existing locations as the article points out.
• Major Market June 9, 2016 at 11:14 am

  @ Superdave: I’d agree that the ‘article’ was just shy of requiring a ‘paid advertiser’ label on it. And, I had a good chuckle at the use of ’empire’ for Antone’s, which is a bit of a faded brand.
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  Using their logic, I have a personal land ’empire’ consisting of my current home with a plan to buy future homes at an unspecified future date in unspecified locations. Cue the Oprah giveaway voice: “You get an empire! And, you get an empire!”
• Purple City June 9, 2016 at 11:49 am

  Good show on the Yale “green corridor.” Other streets that ought to be added:
  Bayland between Studewood and Houston
  Kirby from Shepherd to Westheimer
  Bissonnet from 610 to Main
  Southmore from Main to Scott
• Commenter7 June 9, 2016 at 12:11 pm

  Maybe it’s gotten better since 1995 which was the last time I entered an Antone’s. But, based on the stuff they sell at the grocery deli’s it does not appear so. Their sandwiches are literally just bread and meat. The style they seem to be going for is something that Jimmy Johns does 1000 times better. There is an antones by my house. Can’t imagine ever going there. Lol.
• ZAW June 9, 2016 at 1:04 pm

  @slugline: so very true. Put a group of rich homeowners between the renters and their jobs, and any hope of getting effective transit in that area flies out the window.
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  I’m usually the most sympathetic person in a forum to the voice of NIMBYs. I think they usually have some valid concerns if you can cut through the chaff and BS to get to what really worries them. But certain NIMBYs, combined with inflexibility on the part of METRO, have blocked light rail from reaching areas with the most need in Houston. It’s infuriating.
• MrEction June 9, 2016 at 2:42 pm

  I’ll be honest I know they aren’t the greatest quality but ever since I’ve lived in Houston I’ve always had a weakness for the Antone’s Tuna and the Super Original or whatever it’s called. When I’m in sort of a “I give up” mood I always go pick one of those up.
• HO_Scale_FTW June 10, 2016 at 8:40 am

  This fetish with light rail is ridiculous. For $150 million per mile, we could build a fleet of luxury buses, put wifi and air conditioning at every bus stop and *still* have money left over. But no, instead let’s rip up streets, close businesses during the years-long construction, wind up making traffic worse and build an inflexible system with high fixed costs. Because trains rule, and buses drool. Oh, light rail trains, with your sexy curves, the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of the wheels on the tracks, the pleasant ding of announcements, and only the occasional screeching halt when you run into someone turning left.
• ZAW June 10, 2016 at 11:12 am

  It’s easy for people to turn on light rail once their own neighborhoods have it, too. So, there’s that….
• jt June 10, 2016 at 12:35 pm

  Westheimer needs an elevated rail. Let it run right above the medians.
• TheNiche June 10, 2016 at 1:08 pm

  @ jt: No, I reject your modest proposal. Westheimer needs transporters, you know like in Star Trek. That would be awesome. Houston should have transporters. This is very important. If Houston doesn’t acquire transporters then it will be totally uncool. Nobody will like it. It is important that we are liked. We should disregard all sane and ordinary financial constraints in order to acquire transporters. That would be so cool. Oh wait, did I repeat myself? No, that’s impossible, I’m totally coherent right now. Oh wait, did I repeat myself? No, that’s impossible, I’m totally coherent right now. Houston should have transporters. That would be so cool.
• Local Planner June 10, 2016 at 1:26 pm

  METRO is supposedly starting a study of BRT on Westheimer from Westchase to Post Oak Boulevard. Very exciting! Not a train, so you would hope it will be widely supported.
• ZAW June 10, 2016 at 4:59 pm

  @Local Planner: is it true BRT, running in dedicated lanes and with raised Stops? Or will it just be dressed up express buses like the Quickline?
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  Not that the Quickline is bad, per se. It’s a step up from regular buses, and it’s on a very high demand route that makes the express worthwhile. But it’s not real BRT.
• Local Planner June 10, 2016 at 9:08 pm

  @ZAW: I don’t know, and don’t know if METRO does either. Quickline as you said is definitely not BRT, and I don’t think METRO would disagree. I am trying to find out more.