Comments on: Power to the Pedestrians: Sidewalk Utility Poles of the East End Line http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/ Houston, Texas real estate development, home buying, landscape, and design Fri, 24 May 2013 15:35:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: vic http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-292356 vic Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:48:05 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-292356 sshhh! the light poles complement the ditches in the area. Look at Kirby dr., they have mini freeways on their sidewalks, allowing easy access to shop. [6 people can walk side by side there without interference] Just to think, the East End, old city of Harrisburg has been on the tax rolls longer than River Oaks, Bellaire, Memorial city, Galleria area and were told this is progress! sshhh! the light poles complement the ditches in the area. Look at Kirby dr., they have mini freeways on their sidewalks, allowing easy access to shop. [6 people can walk side by side there without interference]
Just to think, the East End, old city of Harrisburg has been on the tax rolls longer than River Oaks, Bellaire, Memorial city, Galleria area and were told this is progress!

]]> By: sems http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-291259 sems Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:27:14 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-291259 well maybe, just maybe AT&T will add some cell towers on top of them, nahhh--that would too easy well maybe, just maybe AT&T will add some cell towers on top of them, nahhh–that would too easy

]]> By: melissa noble http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-289039 melissa noble Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:22:46 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-289039 So disappointing to see. What idiots who are doing this.. Obviously they are not riders nor pedestrian types. Nor do these overseers realize people have some limitations like WHEELCHAIRS and STROLLERS!! So disappointing to see. What idiots who are doing this.. Obviously they are not riders nor pedestrian types. Nor do these overseers realize people have some limitations like WHEELCHAIRS and STROLLERS!!

]]> By: TheNiche http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288858 TheNiche Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:53:20 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288858 Wonderful. The ABC reporter complained about poles in the middle of the sidewalk instead of the sidewalk not having been built in compliance with the City's requirements, so METRO saw an opening within which to pass the buck. Wonderful. The ABC reporter complained about poles in the middle of the sidewalk instead of the sidewalk not having been built in compliance with the City’s requirements, so METRO saw an opening within which to pass the buck.

]]> By: Spencer Howard http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288841 Spencer Howard Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:40:03 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288841 Here is ABC Channel 13's story on the poles. Still no one's clarifying that the poles are new and were moved to these locations because of the street widening for the light rail construction... http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8834507 Here is ABC Channel 13′s story on the poles. Still no one’s clarifying that the poles are new and were moved to these locations because of the street widening for the light rail construction… http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8834507

]]> By: David http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288156 David Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:43:51 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288156 I live pretty much at the midpoint of this series of pictures so i see those sidewalks myself pretty regularly. Maybe since i'm not in a wheelchair i've never really noticed the poles or felt they were a major obstruction but it's a mixed bag. Currently the construction forces you to bicycle on some of the sidewalks and it is tight in some places and impossible in others. There are places where new curbs have changed how parking works at some businesses. All that said, I don't foresee much energy going into changing the current configuration because, as you can see in these pictures, there is nothing to walk to, so nobody walking here. Pedestrians are on the streets above and below Harrisburg, maybe on their way to the nearest bus stop. The sidewalks are mostly cosmetic. I live pretty much at the midpoint of this series of pictures so i see those sidewalks myself pretty regularly. Maybe since i’m not in a wheelchair i’ve never really noticed the poles or felt they were a major obstruction but it’s a mixed bag. Currently the construction forces you to bicycle on some of the sidewalks and it is tight in some places and impossible in others. There are places where new curbs have changed how parking works at some businesses. All that said, I don’t foresee much energy going into changing the current configuration because, as you can see in these pictures, there is nothing to walk to, so nobody walking here. Pedestrians are on the streets above and below Harrisburg, maybe on their way to the nearest bus stop. The sidewalks are mostly cosmetic.

]]> By: Guido http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288133 Guido Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:51:55 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288133 This is really depressing. I live and work in the "Uptown District" and already have to circumnavigate a bit of this kind of wierdness while walking sidewalks on the side streets there that have been "improved". Moving our 1890s-style poles would be expensive, I agree. But, the next time we have an Ike-style 2-week power outage that affects large corporate entities, as well as the rest of of "people", we might reconsider. Also, it might be to DFW's advantage to use photos like these the next time they are pursuing another corporate HQ relocation like ExxonMobil or Fluor. This is really depressing. I live and work in the “Uptown District” and already have to circumnavigate a bit of this kind of wierdness while walking sidewalks on the side streets there that have been “improved”.

Moving our 1890s-style poles would be expensive, I agree. But, the next time we have an Ike-style 2-week power outage that affects large corporate entities, as well as the rest of of “people”, we might reconsider. Also, it might be to DFW’s advantage to use photos like these the next time they are pursuing another corporate HQ relocation like ExxonMobil or Fluor.

]]> By: Common Sense2 http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288035 Common Sense2 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:42:12 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288035 Who's complaining about the poles when all of trees are taking up the other half of the sidewalk? If the trees weren't there the sidewalks would be wide open. Why wouldn't they plant the trees in line with the poles? Those should be a lot easier to move. Who’s complaining about the poles when all of trees are taking up the other half of the sidewalk? If the trees weren’t there the sidewalks would be wide open. Why wouldn’t they plant the trees in line with the poles? Those should be a lot easier to move.

]]> By: Keep Houston Houston http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288027 Keep Houston Houston Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:58:32 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288027 It never made sense to me that the LRT streets should be 6' from face of curb to the ROW line, when pretty much everything else on the MTFP is 10' (even if the sidewalk itself is only four). It never made sense to me that the LRT streets should be 6′ from face of curb to the ROW line, when pretty much everything else on the MTFP is 10′ (even if the sidewalk itself is only four).

]]> By: shadyheightster http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288022 shadyheightster Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:25:47 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288022 Here's a question for those who know more about Metro's light rail planning...why is it that light rail in Houston takes up a dedicated right of way lane in each direction? In San Francisco, MUNI light rail runs in the left hand lanes, but auto traffic can drive on the tracks also. Memphis does the same with it's streetcar service. AFAIK, Pittsburgh and St. Louis light rail shares track lanes with cars. By taking up 2 lanes of existing ROW, I fail to see how MetroRail decreases traffic congestion, other than hoping it takes some drivers off the roads and makes them into transit riders. Are Houstonians just too bad of drivers not to be able to share the road with light rail trains? Here’s a question for those who know more about Metro’s light rail planning…why is it that light rail in Houston takes up a dedicated right of way lane in each direction? In San Francisco, MUNI light rail runs in the left hand lanes, but auto traffic can drive on the tracks also. Memphis does the same with it’s streetcar service. AFAIK, Pittsburgh and St. Louis light rail shares track lanes with cars. By taking up 2 lanes of existing ROW, I fail to see how MetroRail decreases traffic congestion, other than hoping it takes some drivers off the roads and makes them into transit riders. Are Houstonians just too bad of drivers not to be able to share the road with light rail trains?

]]> By: Guy Incognito http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-288001 Guy Incognito Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:13:52 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-288001 Is this related? Search project name: East End Corridor http://www.license.state.tx.us/ABDataSearch/ABSearch.asp Is this related?
Search project name: East End Corridor
http://www.license.state.tx.us/ABDataSearch/ABSearch.asp

]]> By: Northsider http://swamplot.com/power-to-the-pedestrians-sidewalk-utility-poles-of-the-east-end-line/2012-10-01/#comment-287949 Northsider Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:23:02 +0000 http://swamplot.com/?p=48009#comment-287949 The sad part is that they didn't just build the sidewalk around existing poles, the poles were actually moved back from their original location, which gave them the opportunity to position them appropriately for the sidewalk, sadly the comment from "Local Planner" is exactly what happened. The sad part is that they didn’t just build the sidewalk around existing poles, the poles were actually moved back from their original location, which gave them the opportunity to position them appropriately for the sidewalk, sadly the comment from “Local Planner” is exactly what happened.

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