MAYOR PARKER: MAYBE WE CAN’T BUILD THE UNIVERSITY OR UPTOWN LIGHT RAIL LINES Suddenly, 2 of Metro’s 5 planned new light-rail lines are looking a lot less inevitable: “Parker said members of her transition team have ‘drilled down’ into Metro’s finances and she now feels comfortable only with the funding plans of three rail lines: the East End, North and Southeast. Construction on those lines is under way. Parker’s goal is to make sure those three lines are built “very, very rapidly,†she said. The other two, the Uptown and University lines, ‘are lines that I want to see built, but until we can finalize all the numbers, and some of them are still moving, I’m not going to commit to whether that is possible.’†[Houston Chronicle]
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Wow. That really sucks. I live downtown at One Park Place and work in the West Chase District. I was really looking forward to taking the University line to to the Hillcroft Station and biking the rest of the way to work. Now I have to continue driving to work in the future it looks like. Bummer.
This is fantastic news!
We have a politician that is actually considering the ridiculous cost.
I understand she wants these lines, but showing the greatest restraint in wasting money is awesome.
Now I just need to see her cut a bunch of the city spending waste out and actually fund the Police and Fire departments well and also getting aggressive on the CIP infrastructure program.
We have a politician that is actually considering the ridiculous cost.
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Might have made more sense to have considered the ridiculous cost while she was the controller. For six years. Instead, well, everything just seemd fine and dandy.
As for her “cost cutting measures” they seem to be directed at not only Metro, although cancelling the lines isn’t necessarily going to save the taxpayers a dime, but at HPD and HFD as well.
Only thing worse than a woman scorned is a mayor scorned. Her agenda seems to be more along the lines of political payback than any real concern for the taxpayers or for what is actually good for the city in the long run.
Well, as controller she could point to waste, but she was in not position to stop any of it especially when the previous mayor was only about his next level of political career. White had ambition to move up which meant tough decisions on spending cuts that are politically good had to be avoided.
I don’t see Parker having anymore ambition except for stepping down to be a county commissioner or going after a the House of Representatives position in Washington. She doesn’t many more political office options left. So I’m hoping that gives her a spine to do politically unpopular things that need to be done.
Also, she can’t stop METRO from doing anything other than firing board members and appointing others that agree with her position.
On Parker’s ambition: highly unlikely to imagine other positions for which she could run six years from now. The Texas Legislature isn’t going to draw a congressional district ala Bentsen/Bell’s in which a white liberal could be elected. Indictment or death is the only thing that would cause a county commissioner to give up a seat, and while Houston is a fairly progressive city, I don’t know if I would say the same about Harris County as a whole (which might rule out a county judge run).
More generally, on the University line: I just really can’t believe this statement from the mayor. As Charles Kuffner pointed out this morning, this line is at the heart of a serious light rail system in Houston, and we’re going to relegate it to a gee-that-would-be-nice-but-get-real-about-tough-times wish list? I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and wait for Mayor Parker’s METRO transition team to make their final report, but still (and please forgive the histrionics here)…this makes me worry that this is less about cost-cutting and more about rail simply not being a priority for this mayor…
Anon wrote:
“this makes me worry that this is less about cost-cutting and more about rail simply not being a priority for this mayor…”
Slightly off-topic, but do you know what I would like to be a priority for this mayor?
Fixing all of the potholes in this town. Getting all of the traffic lights to sync up properly. Reducing crime.
In other words, focus on the basics first. I don’t care what it costs: make this town liveable, and the money will roll in.
I don’t really care about political touting. I just thank God that this cluster (Uptown Line) isn’t going through right now. North Post Oak would be a complete mess with the addition.
This might look like a good idea now. But Houston needs a rail system that will crisscross this town. We have traveled in many many places and Houston is an embarrassment in public transportation. We will never attract major conventions not to mention an olympics without a rail system. We have to suffer the mess in creating it and bear the cost. Come on Houston, stop the Austin like opposition of growth.
If lack of rail will keep the Olympics from ever coming here, then that is very good news. The Olympics are never an economic boom. They are always a loss in modern times.
And, Houston doesn’t need to rail transit to be a world class city. That as a reason for rail is the stupidest argument ever to be generated.
This is horrible news in my opinion, but I am thankful that Mayor Parker is looking at the reality of the situation. There’s a whole lot of difference between the original cost estimates of these lines and the now 2.6 billion dollar estimate that METRO has finally owned up to. For a city that is already on the cusp of furloughs and layoffs, the University line (and any loans METRO may need from our tax dollars) is NOT a priority. I would much rather have adequate police and firemen be able to work than get a few months further into these rail lines.
I still believe that the mayor is committed to Houston’s transit improvement AND the University and Uptown lines. But after a very tough year, we have to face facts and realize it may take a bit longer. Short term issues like keeping current people employed are more important.
Well, as controller she could point to waste, but she was in not position to stop any of it especially when the previous mayor was only about his next level of political career.
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And she did, too. Just not where it counted. Particularly the political hotbeds. Like Metro. And the pension funds. She could have. But didn’t. And now acts, well, shocked that everything is such a mess. No doubt about to become an even bigger mess. Forewarned is forearmed and everyone was forewarned.
The “policy wonk” intends to “wonk” everyone opposed her out of the picture. And probably turn Houston into Detroit in the process.
I wish she would cut funding for the ridiculous HOV system instead, and instead build something useful.
In truth, hopefully it’s a moot point. I think the rail will eventually go through…we’ve already spent years doing excellent planning, engineering, studies and logistics for these lines…people have already voted etc.
While a minority of people have been relentlessly quibbling over this rail line, there have been huge 4-story apartments going up the size of city blocks. Houston is no longer a backwater cow-town, and we just have to realize this and move forward, or move somewhere smaller.
Cut the HOV system?
It’s the most functional part of METRO that’s doing some good.
The park-n-ride buses move more people that Atlanta’s MARTA system and Dallas’ DART system of rail. Then add the commuters who make use of the system and it’s even better.
You will get your wish. METRO, HCTRA, and TxDOT will slowly be converting all HOV’s into HOT’s. The Katy Freeway is the first. US 290 will be next. Then the North Freeway. US 290 and the North Freeway will not have it in the median though.
kjb434 writes:
“The park-n-ride buses move more people that Atlanta’s MARTA system and Dallas’ DART system of rail. Then add the commuters who make use of the system and it’s even better.”
As it should, considering that Houston has a greater population than Atlanta or Dallas.
RP,
The DART and MARTA systems reaches more potential riders than Houston’s HOV system. Although city of Atlanta is 25% of the city Houston in population, regionally, their commuter system have the same reach. Dallas’s DART serves much of the easter Metroplex with a commuter Rail connection to Fort Worth.
MARTA was anticipated to move many more than it currently carries. The Park-n-Ride lots for MARTA are rarely filled.
The DART system has similar problems compounded by the issue that Park-n-Ride lots are readily available because the hoped that more transit oriented would magically develop because of the rail.
KGB:
Pardon me, I didn’t mean I think she should scrap the entire park-n-ride system. I think it was a good idea, albeit very poorly executed.
#1: The entrances are insanely maze-like and unless you make the same trip every day it’s very difficult to spontaneously find your way in and out of the system with a car full of passengers. I’ve been in more in-car arguments that you would believe, and ending up practically in galveston instead of downtown etc.
#2: It also is one directional, meaning that it reverses flow every day being an absolute useless lane at non-peak hours.
#3: It has so many crazy bridges that it makes me wonder who has a brother-in-law in the bridge building industry. Those bridges aren’t cheap either.
Why not have basically the same park-n-ride system with a diamond lane each way and nix the divider/contraflow/bridge/dungeons and dragons traffic maze concept. It looks to me that that whole center mess could easily be a high capacity lane each way if they just dozed all the dividers and bridges.
…more.
My point was simply, How many miles of rail could the city lay instead of a maze-and-bridge-to-nowhere every two miles sprouting from the center lane of every freeway?
While I agree that it may not be possible to build all the rail lines at once, the University line is far and away more important than the three being promoted. It should be the priority.
That’s what the system the Katy Freeway does. There are only two exterior bridge ramps for that system at SH 6 and at the Northwest Transit Center.
And the US 290 and future planned North Freeway one will do.
The wackiness of the entrance and exit ramps was do to the fact that the HOV system was retrofitted (pretty much shoehorned) into existing freeways. Sections of the Soutwest Freeway, all of the Eastex, and North Freeway above the Beltway were designed with the the main lane freeway.
Ultimately, METRO, HCTRA, and TxDOT want to have all HOV’s upgraded to 2 way and eventually into a HOT configuration.
The problem with rail is that it’s fixed in a city with no central job core. Downtown (although large) makes up only a small percentage of the centralized jobs. Park-n-Ride and express bus systems can adapt to this pattern much better than rail.
Check out the blog called Houston Strategies by Tory Gattis. He discusses this very topic of rail and buses all time and there are a varied mixed of well rounded posters from both sides of the issue.
Pleeeeeease I want trains.
“The problem with rail is that it’s fixed in a city with no central job core.”
This. How many times have we seen an area touted as the “new business center of Houston†with companies moving or branching to it like pigeons to popcorn soon thereafter? Trying to lay rail every time a new one cropped up or close a line when the area fell flat would look like a hallway and door scene from Scooby-Doo.
I’ve just yet to see any city buses(except the park-n-ride) that seem even close to being as efficient as the redline does, in terms of getting me where I want to go when I want to go there…and that is just from personal experience here.
There isn’t a single job core in Houston but there are clusters..med center, downtown, galleria, universities, uptown, etc. It looked like the 5 line system would connect them all. I don’t think rail is always the solution but if it only went between the major concentration pockets and the airport(s) it would be wonderful. Unfortunately, it seems that the 3 lines that are on schedule go away from the more populated areas. (OK so the redline is working it’s way up to Bush IAH–understood–seems logical)..the SW line connects UH to downtown. (also OK), but I’m not sure I see the huge population density with the Eastline. The most congested area currently seems to be down near the galleria, precisely where rail would do the most good. If we build the lines that are easy to build (where the people aren’t)and end up with rail stops in city parks and suburbia, it’s not going to be as useful. The galleria and university lines to me seem to be the most utilarian, but also the most politically challenging to get through.
It seems that the ugly detail everyone doesn’t want to discuss is that the rail looks like it’s going into the poorer sections of town with more minorities…palm center…MLK, while the more affluent sections of town such as the galleria are trying to keep it out, even though those are the areas with the most traffic and density. It’s almost starting to smack to me of a class thing, where the old money is trying too keep the status quo–anything to keep the “ghetto people who can’t afford cars” out–just calling it like I see it.
Shawnbob,
you backed into something without realizing it.
The purpose of rail in METRO’s eyes is not to provide transit service. The board members are developer or big friends with developer/landowners. The east line is an attempt gentrified the east side by raising land prices and forcing homeowners out.
Light rail to the airport has been refuted by even pro-rail advocates as a waste of money. Businessmen that fly into IAH and Hobby are more likely to take a cab or rent a car because chances are they are not going downtown and their company will reimburse them (so cost not a problem). On top of that, the light rail we are using is just too painfully slow for a trip to both airports with all the planned stops.
Sure, I see that. I think that in general anything inside the 610 loop will start to become a lot more high priced and the density will pack in. We just better have some decent core of a transportation system in place when that happens.
kjb434 writes:
“Although city of Atlanta is 25% of the city Houston in population, regionally, their commuter system have the same reach.”
Well, like most things, the accuracy of your comment depends on how you do your measuring. And whether you are including Marta’s regional partners in your calculations.
I’m only considering MARTA’s main rail lines which is essentially a north-south and an east-west line. Near the ends of the line it has LARGE park-n-ride facilities which allow suburban communities to utilize the perimeter freeway to reach them. Then on to downtown, midtown, or lennox which are the major employment destinations.
kjb434,
You and Tory constantly talk about how Houston “doesn’t have a central job core.”
Houston has several “central job cores” just like other major cities. The difference here in Houston is that those central job cores are not connected well. Take, for instance, Downtown, Greenway Plaza and Uptown. A normal city would have these distinct job centers interconnected by various forms off transportation infrastructure. One of those, invariably, would be at least one rail link. A perfect example is in Atlanta how Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead. Houston, in its infinite lack of wisdom, has neglected to properly connect these centers and this negatively effects the quality of life here.
What it comes down to is that Houston is growing and an infrastructure problem. One of the major problems is transit (or lack there of). This place is WAY behind and its time to start to make this city a cleaner, more livable city.
ARP,
I’m constantly told how Houston has a huge infrastructure problem and that nothing is connected is ruining our quality of life.
I’m beginning to think many pro rail/mass transit folks believe if they just tell this lie enough times that it’ll become true.
Our lack of rail and more than adequate road network has kept this city moving quite well.
Your comparison of Atlanta with a horrible freeway configuration and surface street network forced many jobs to develop outside of the perimeter. On top of that, all the development that has occurred in the midtown area including increasing density has done little to increase Atlanta population and jobs inside the perimeter. Upwards to 75% of the population of the Atlanta metro lives outside of the Atlanta and especially the perimeter versus Houston where only about 50% live outside of Houston “perimeter” (the beltway).
How is connecting downtown Houston or the TMC to Greenway Plaza and Uptown going to solve anything?
kjb434 writes:
“I’m only considering MARTA’s main rail lines which is essentially a north-south and an east-west line. Near the ends of the line it has LARGE park-n-ride facilities which allow suburban communities to utilize the perimeter freeway to reach them.”
So are you simply comparing MARTA’s rail line to Metro’s entire (bus and rail) network?
Your first few posts on this issue did not make such a comparison at all clear. Indeed, a fair reading of them indicates that you were comparing METRO’s entire network to MARTA’s entire network.
If you are doing a strict rail to rail comparison, or a MARTA rail to Metro network comparison, then you are simply moving the turnstiles, so to speak.
No,
I’m only comparing MARTA’s rail to Houston HOV only. I’m not considering Houston’s rail or surface bus network.
MARTA’s rail is pretty much a commuter rail used for light rail purposes. Houston HOV buses is rubber tire commuter rail.
If you read the thread, you’ll see we were focused on the HOV network and not all the buses in METRO’s system.
kjb434 writes:
“Your comparison of Atlanta with a horrible freeway configuration and surface street network forced many jobs to develop outside of the perimeter. On top of that, all the development that has occurred in the midtown area including increasing density has done little to increase Atlanta population and jobs inside the perimeter.”
How familar are you with the history of Atlanta and its development? In particular, Atlanta’s development in the 20 or so years prior to the Olympics, and 5 or so years immediately thereafter?
“I’m only comparing MARTA’s rail to Houston HOV only. I’m not considering Houston’s rail or surface bus network.”
Well, that’s a curious comparison, given that MARTA (or its regional partners) offer park-and-ride type buses.
Fairly well as I traveled there often. I know all about it’s downtown/mitown/buckhead building boom.
I have done business in all three and have partied with friends in midtown/Piedmont park area and the Ansley Park area.
Atlanta’s Park-n-Ride system is not in fixed lanes like our.
Our Park-n-Ride system is essentially an alternative to costly commuter rail.
The difference here in Houston is that those central job cores are not connected well.
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Nothing is connected well in Houston and probably never will be. Meeting the needs of the public has never been a priority of City Hall. And it doesn’t appear to be changing much.
As for Metro, they manage to take simple ideas and turn them into complex disasters. Mainly because they are serving the interests of developers who like everyone else really have no idea what they’re doing. The Main Street Line did not produce. Never will. Neither will the Richmond/Westpark Line. And the East End Line is a joke unless the developers are planning some massive development that has been pre-sold which of course is highly unlikely. The people who need mass transit most are not being served. Inside the Loop. Inside the Beltway. Outside the Beltway. When rail was first discussed, we had existing railroad right-of-ways that could have been used and probably would have served everyone. Instead we have choo-choo trains that serve no one.
It would be nice to think Annise Parker knows what she’s doing. Changing the plan in the middle of the planning is not really indicative that she does.
By publicly proclaiming that two of the lines are not economically feasible, she has probably cost Metro the one feasible source of funding which is the federal government. Which would love to cut funding anywhere it can. And she handed it a proverbial silver platter. In reality the two lines she wants to cut are probably the two lines that might actually alleviate some traffic problems and eventually offer a mass transit alternative to those in West Houston and Sugar Land if the Richmond/Westpark line were to be extended. But that of course requires long-range planning. Which Houston is not known for. Over 50 years later, we are still “completing” the Gulf Freeway. And no doubt 50 years from now we will still be “completing” the Katy Freeway.
Should prove interesting to see how the county reacts. Although of course they are only four votes to the city’s five votes on the Metro board. And no doubt whoever Annise Parker appoints will have agreed to “ask her first” and of course you also have the element, again, of revenge. Gene Locke is once again representing Metro. Not for long no doubt.
Politically we are Chicago. But on our way to becoming Detroit. Anyone want to discuss mass transit in Detroit?
KJB writes: “How is connecting downtown Houston or the TMC to Greenway Plaza and Uptown going to solve anything?”
Because those employment centers have park&ride commuters. Having these employment centers connected to commuter bus and LRT creates what we in the biz called a mass transit system. Instead of commuters coming into these employment centers and relying on a slow and unpredictable bus system, they will a more predictable, quicker system in LRT. I would bet this type of system will appeal to more people than the current setup. I have no notions that this system will immediately become a super success, but I would expect an improvement in ridership. Especially compared to other cities ridership per mile. Transit habits will be built in our largest and densest employment centers as the years go on and maybe Houston will even become walkable and dense along transit corridor down the road.
I have been really surprised at how reactionary a good number of folks in this comment thread have been about light rail. I assumed Swamplot’s readership would be as equally frustrated by Mayor Parker’s remarks and would see rail as an important priority for making Houston a better place, but I guess I was mistaken.
Swamplot Comments Thread: Less Cite-y, more whitey!
kjb434 writes:
“Fairly well as I traveled there often. I know all about it’s downtown/mitown/buckhead building boom.
I have done business in all three and have partied with friends in midtown/Piedmont park area and the Ansley Park area.”
Oh, well, in that case, you are _clearly_ qualified to opine as to why many jobs in Atlanta were “forced” to develop outside of the perimeter, and why development in midtown has “done little to increase Atlanta[‘s] population and jobs inside the perimeter.”
After all, what traveler, business or otherwise, isn’t qualified to wax eloquent about the transportation/development problems that may plague a city and the reasons behind the same?
RP,
I also have friends and family the live in Smyrna, Marietta, Douglasville, Dunwoody, and DeKalb.
Add on top of that the volumes written about sunbelt city development which often references Atlanta.
Dom,
I have several friends that utilized the park-n-ride system to work downtown. If their day schedule requires them to do anything outside of the office beyond downtown, then they’ll drive into work versus take the park-n-ride. Even if the LRT exists as planned, they would still use their cars because it is more flexible. They feel the same situation would go for commuter rail. They would use it if it existed and if they didn’t have to leave the office for meetings elsewhere. Any other time they would use their car. Their choice to use the park-n-ride system comes down to not wanting to put so many miles on their car. The cost to park-n-ride evens out with cost of gas when using an SUV. So no savings there. Some savings exist from not parking downtown, but some of that is reimbursed by their employers.
Anon, what thread have you been reading? A common theme through these posts is a concern that Metro use their funding in an efficient manner to provide public transportation for those who need it most. How does light rail make Houston “a better place” when overall public transportation is diminished due to Metros love affair with extremely expensive light rail. Also, what point are you trying to make with your stupid racist comment “Less Cite-y, more whitey!”
kjb434 writes:
“I also have friends and family the live in Smyrna, Marietta, Douglasville, Dunwoody, and DeKalb.”
I’m curious why you referenced 4 cities and 1 county, particularly when one of the cities listed is within the county listed.
DeKalb is a County but also has a small community within it called DeKalb.
I figured you would have realized that since you are questioning whether I know Atlanta.
kjb434 writes:
“DeKalb is a County but also has a small community within it called DeKalb.”
Care to be more specific and tell me where this little “community” is located? As someone who is awfully familiar with Atlanta, I’ve never heard of this little community, and Google is coming up empty on it as well.
Heck, even little ‘ole Mountain Park appears on Google…
Actually, you know what…never mind. It just isn’t worth it.
@kjb
Unless your rail bashing motives are purely political, I do not understand your arguments against rail in the context of this web blog’s intent. What do you want if the money is not to be used for rail? You do know, where the money is coming from, it is already allocated to a transportation construction projects? Do you want more road construction projects in Houston? Do you want Houston to keep getting fragmented with freeways and expanding centers and shrinking urban core like DFW area and South California have become? Is there no value in keeping an urban core? With the projected number of people moving to Houston and into the urban grid, we will be needing to convert Shepherd and Richmond into a freeway someday without a viable day-to-day transit option. I am seeing a second cycle of freeway expansion in just 20+ years of living in Houston.
KJB:
Just out of curiosity what do you expect the ridership for the LRT system to be? And what would ridership would justify the LRT system in your mind?
…and while you’re at it, what kind of system do we need to prevent the mass Armageddon that happened when 610 closed Friday afternoon? Can you also cure cancer for us when you are done? That would be awesome. Thanks.
…what kind of system do we need to prevent the mass Armageddon that happened when 610 closed Friday afternoon?
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After having spent 45 minutes enjoying the sights of Galleria courtesy of Metro yesterday afternoon I would sugggest monorail. Which passes over it all. A 30 minute trip to downtown becoming an hour and 15 minutes really doesn’t do much to support rail as a solution for traffic problems. The choo-choo train on Post Oak would have made it even worse.
@Irfan
Kjb is a civil engineer with no political motivations. He is pretty informed when it comes to transportation issues however. Being an engineer within the transportation industry, he naturally notices, pays attention to and involves his interests in transportation issues wherever he travels. He is not however, leftist hell-bent on spending as much taxpayer dollars as possible on a method of transportation that is exponentially more expensive sensible methods. At grade light rail will never provide effective transportation in Houston compared to utilization of clean diesel/hybrid buses and shuttles. The buses will always be more effective, able to evolve with changing demographics and phenomenally less expensive, allowing for far more penetration around the community.
BTW…. I don’t have anything to with the transportation industry. I do have an engineering background and have run a business for over 20 years.
I drove the proposed SE route last week.
It’s highly interesting:
Outside of UH, there isn’t much of interest along either of the Eastern routes that are on schedule. In particular, once you get passed UH, there is a proposed railstop in a park where the main attraction is disc-golf, and a final stop at “palm center”. I’d never heard of palm center. On the metro map it looks like some major shopping center or destination. In reality one can easily miss it, it’s guess what? The Metro office, and post office. We are managing to build new rail lines where there is no density, and no destinations to take it to.
My conspiracy theory goes like this: You don’t like rail, and are especially miffed at the relative success of the redline, so you kill it by building two more rail lines to nowhere which will surely bring the ridership per mile down, then you can say–“see? we have miles and miles of track with few riders–rail sucks.” We need the very lines that Parker isn’t wanting to fund…you know the useful lines that go places and will have riders.