In light rail Dallas is light years ahead of houston

**** dallas

 

We're too busy building actual roads and highways.

 

Metro had been sexually contacting themselves for years, but the political oppositions to rail here in Houston doesn't help.

We all know where rail lines should go (Hobby, Bush, Galleria, West ect.) but you have oppositions and voters who don't know what they're actually voting for slowing , or stopping the process.

 

Decent article, but it's always kinda annoying when people don't know the history as well as they should. One example is in this piece, where it mentions that in the 1980s Houston had a light rail proposition. That is inaccurate, it was *heavy* rail, not light rail. Heavy rail is an entirely different beast.

Heavy rail is much superior in every way than light rail. Houston's transit system would have much higher ridership if we started building heavy rail. Totally grade separated, twice as fast, and much higher ridership than light rail.

 

Not really doing much of that anymore either. TxDOT is broke and our wonderful state government isn't particularly interested in properly funding it.

Texas's overall infrastructure will go into the dump over the next 20 years unless the legislature decides to give a damn about it.

 

Me need.der

 

The heavier the rail the more it requires population densities and employment densities that Houston just doesn't have. Urban land Institute studies have shown that people will not regularly walk more than 1500 feet and that does not take into account Houston's hot humid weather.

The better retro-fit for the city as it exists would be lighter more efficient hybrid or electric commuter cars that make good use of HOV lanes, better organized carpooling, more light and efficient neighborhood-to-Transit Center busses, and above all, staggered work day hours that limit traffic jams.

You're already seeing large employers diversify their campuses into suburban areas, Exxon, Chevron etc. making the Metro area an amalgam of employer/employee small towns.

 

Digital subscriber? Wtf?

 

I'm not sure if I buy all of that. Heavy rail like the BART, MARTA, or DC Metro doesn't have to go through high density areas to be effective. Much of DC is very low density actually. Heavy rail can be well utilized in a few areas of Houston, like an east-west corridor connecting Downtown and Uptown, connecting both airports to the east-west line, a line going up 290 that can be an easy transfer down Post Oak to Uptown and go all the way into Downtown as well.

You'd have numerous bus lines feeding into the system as well. Heavy rail is more attractive to riders because it's fast. Our current light rail line receives high ridership even though it doesn't go through the densest areas of town. It's about the destinations it hits, not density. A bus to rail transfer is very easy and people are much more willing to make that than a bus to bus transfer.

 

Austin is horrible. That city is a transportation nightmare. They need some creative solution to get cars off the road quick. 3:00-4:00 in the afternoon traffic jams are unacceptable!

 

I moved here in 1980 from Houston after coming up for weekends since the 1960's. Just in the last 2 or 3 years, Austin traffic has noticeably increased one hell of a lot. In the '80's we actually had a rush hour. Seriously! Like one hour of traffic, and that was it. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven, traffic-wise, after being in Houston. Now? Mopac, which used to be a great option when avoiding I-35 (which any sane person will do in Austin), is now damned near as bad from Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake) going north. I still know ways to avoid both coming from SW Austin, where we live, but sometimes avoiding Mopac just isn't possible.

Agree, for sure. Over a hundred people a day are moving to Austin, and the biggest problem here? Traffic! (at least they don't know my shortcuts!)

 

Mopac has been packed at least for the last decade. It is pretty slow.

 

You can blame or bless the Lake Austin Growth and Management Plan of 1976 when environmentalist imposed limits on water runoff (highways with interchanges) by ordinance. You could still argue whether it limits environmental abuse or fails to recognize human functions or whether the inconvenience actually discourages anybody from moving there.

http://austin.bibliocommons.com/item/show/34663067_lake_austin_growth_management_plan

 

What a pointless article. Seriously, nobody benefits when comparing the cities own rail systems to each other.

Why can't a true high speed rail system be constructed between Houston and Dallas? Imagine how much time commuters would save.

 

But....who would it belong to?

It's a good idea so obviously Houston.

 

Why would anybody go to Dallas?

 

To lease a BMW 3 series, rent an apartment and act like you are rich?

 

You could make the same argument about houston.

Houston and Dallas aren't that much different: Vast array of strip malls and roads. With the influx of jobs we have the same 3 series crowd coming in.

 

Dallas is a bulsh** town and Houston is a do sh** town. The cultures are completely different. Imagine Dallas with a lesbian mayor, the Southern Baptist Converntion would assplode.

 

ask and ye shall receive. a first step in the long process.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...icials-green-light-Houston-Dallas-5576670.php