If they are really your friends, they'll pick your broke a$$ up at the train station. The DART rail here in Dallas is pretty cool. I don't use it often, since my commute to the office is 15 minutes and not near the railway. However, I know a lot of people that work downtown and swear by it. We can use it to go downtown if the wife and I go out. We can both have a few drinks, and don't need to worry. I have also used it to get to the State Fair, and also Hoop-It-Up. It's a stress free ride....no traffic. Good stuff.
My Idea is simple Everywhere they is a HOV Lane Replace it with a Rail line. a Rail going from Downtown down : I-10 [Katy, would help grow East Houston] 290 [FairField, Cypress] 45 [Woodlands, South Houston] 59 [Humble, sugarland] You effectively create quite the cummuter community It would ease alot of tension on on those free ways esp I-10 a Commuter train that gets you from Katy to down Town in 25 minutes during rush hour . .. OH H*LL YEA! Rocket River