http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2201398 Somebody remind me never to move to Houston...
Thank God and it is about time. I cannot wait until working downtown is viable for me again. It will also be nice to be able to ride the train to Rockets games, Texan games, and other events and not be forced to pay outrageous parking fees. I am more than happy to spend the few bucks it will cost to ride the train rather than go through the hassle of driving and parking. Kudos to Houston voters. We are finally going to move our transportation system to the 21st century.
The light rail issue did pass by a narrow margin and I am willing to accept the results, however much I disagree with them. That said, this post just typifies the uninformed profile of the voters who approved this issue. The bus system gets you there just fine right now, extends to more areas of the city than light rail does, and will not tear up our streets for the next 7 years as this thing is built. Working downtown is an option for everyone currently. I work downtown and have absolutely no problems getting here. Instead, you will get in your car, drive to the park and ride, get on the train, and then walk to your destination. Oh, this is much easier. You act as though the train will pick you up at your front door. It will not. You act as though the train will extend to many areas of the city, where people live. It will not. You act as though parking downtown is the end of the world. It is not. I do it every single day. Move into the 21st century by adopting the 19th century's favorite mode of transportation -- the train. What's next, are we going to move into the 22nd century by adopting the horse and buggy? This train will dominate Houston's transportation budget, while providing transportation to 1% of the population. All those people moving into Houston that you hear about -- very few of them will be serviced by this train. What this vote represents is an absolute traffic disaster for those of us who operate motor vehicles. Houston's traffic is about to go from bad to worse.
I also drive past downtown everyday to get to work. I currently have two alternatives, be stuck in traffic in my car and add miles and spend money on gas OR be stuck in traffic on a bus and save wear and tear and gas money but most likely arrive late as the bus makes multipel stops before I get to work. The commuter train just seems like it will be an alternative to the bus system and I am willing to drive to a train station if it means I don't have to wait in traffic on th freeway. I know that this will take years to develop, but I feel that we need to be forward thinking or we will never have a viable solution.
Your posts typify the narrow-minded profile of the anti-rail voters who think building bigger freeways will do something more than create bigger parking lots.
I work with 3 fairly conservative guys. The oldest, who was a federal prosecutor and an in-house attorney for an energy company, said, "Ya know...I'm not sure if this is the right plan or not. But we've been talking about 'the right plan' for about 50 years now. So I'm voting for it, because at least it's doing something." It's a start to offering an alternative.
At least admit that this is shallow analysis. It's like you are voting on some vision that you have. You are ignoring the facts and voting on some fantasy. Hey, why don't we try to become the next Venice. We can built water canals all though the city and ride around on boats. It's a start to offering an alternative. SHALLOW AND UNINFORMED
I hope all ya'll that voted for it use it. Your 25 cent fares will go a long way in cutting my $5000 tax bill, and it will get you're your left lane slow diving a** out of my way. Actually it won't because it won't be functional for close to a decade, Metro and the city beauracracy have proven the can't manage construction projects very well. And you're not really in my way because I don't drive on the freeway between 7-9 AM or 4-7 PM. So congratulations to the victors! ( I will reserve the right to interject a selfrightously indignant "I told you so" down the road when the cost overuns bleed money, the riderships fail to meet projections and thousands of Houstonians still are gridlocked in their daily commute)
TJ -- it is absolutely about vision. any plan that deals with accomodating transportation of people, some of whom aren't here yet, requires some vision...it requires looking down the road...and it requires looking into the past to see what has and has not worked. i'm not saying let's become venice or boston or new york. but i think ultimately some form of rail in some capacity can and will serve as a viable transportation alternative in this city. i understand all of your arguments...i've made them before. i'm not saying your arguments have no credence. i'm saying i'm persuaded that simply adding lanes everytime our population grows is untenable. i'm saying that given the alternative, i think some people might get out of their cars and ride a clean train. and if enough of them do, my drive in to work isn't so bad. now it will be years before that effect is seen on the highways of this town...but long-term planning is a good thing.
First the passage of rail, and the imminent demise of Orlando Sanchez on the horizon after the runoff...could this mean a relocation to the suburbs is in order for our little friend?
Do you realize the total castrosphe that will be Houston traffic if lanes are *not* added? Do you realize what a strain this will put on Houston's budget for the foreseeable future, while only providing transportation for 1% of the population? You are speaking in such broad generalities with words like "long-term planning", "vision", "alternative" -- but you fail to support these generalities with specifics. Opponents of rail provided specifics. Look at the failure that has been Dallas' rail line. DART is bleeding money away -- taxpayer money. There is a reason so many cities vote no to rail -- because it simply doesn't make sense for spread out cities which are built for the car. Houston is built for the car. It should divert its resource towards fixing the *reality* that is transportation in Houston. It should not invest *billions* into some artists' rendering of a train. Let me get this straight... Our streets will be torn up for the next 10 years. We have seen the havoc reeked by the the one small line linking the Dome to downtown. Imagine this havoc on a larger scale. Wow. 1% of Houston citizens will utilize the new trains. The new trains will not go out to the suburbs, therefore will not address the commuter problem. The new trains will pull very little traffic off of I-10, 610, 59, 290 and 45. Why are we doing this again? Oh yeah, it looks good. I have lived in New York and have relied on trains to get to work before. It was god awful. Where on earth do you get off thinking that these things are clean? Have you ever step foot on a subway in your life? Probably not. The rest of Houston is filthy, but these trains will be clean! Right. I'm sorry, but there is no better word to decribe your argument than shallow. There just isn't.
The two rail systems, Chicago (both the El and the Metra) and Dallas, I've ridden have been clean for the most part.
I've used the NY rail systems extensively including The El, MARTA in Atlanta and the Dart in Dallas....I don't know when TJ was in Ny, but I found the majority of subway cars to be clean and VERY usefull....
We have vastly different definitions of clean then. Chicago and Dallas are filthy in some areas and moderately acceptable in others. Boston and New York are just downright filthy all over. DC is filthy for the most part. I'll tell you one thing -- my car is a whole lot cleaner than any train system on earth. You probably think that the bathrooms at a gas station are clean based on one or two life experiences, so it makes no sense to debate this with you. Are you only able to debate one tiny piece of my argument? Typical.
How magnanimous of you to "accept the results" while insulting the voters. You have obviously not ridden the buses. They are just as prone to be stuck in traffic as a car, are noisy and polluting, and move a fraction of the people that a train can. Yes, we will have to build the infrastructure, but this is a small price to pay for a high capacity, affordable transportation solution. BTW, how does "tearing up our streets" for rail any different from tearing them up for ever more concrete canyons? No, I will walk to the park and ride (admittedly not an option for everyone, but there are park and rides within 5 miles for most people in Houston), get on the train, and walk a shorter distance to most venues than I would have to walk if I parked on the street or in a surface lot. If the train stop is too far from my destination, I will take the (free) trolley there. Parking downtown bites unless you have a contract slot or garage (which you probably do). Parking is more expensive than the train will be, not to mention the wear and tear on my car, the potential for break ins (again not a problem for you and your high security parking garage), and the hassle of slogging through Houston traffic every day. I realize that you will never give up commuting in your gas guzzling Navigator (Expedition, Escalade, whatever) every day, but I will be more than happy to give it up. You act as though I think that ONLY the train is the transportation solution. I believe that the combination of trains and buses will be a more viable solution than pouring concrete over every surface in the greater Houston area. So, if something was invented and used heavily in a previous century, it is not viable in this one? Whatever. It is sad that people like you will never ride, but the rest of us who will are going to have a much more pleasant commuting experience. This vote represents the dissatisfation of Houston commuters who are tired of the same 'ol, same 'ol proposals from people like you and your leash-holder, DeLay. I, for one, cannot wait. Bravo to the visionary Houston voters who refused to be frightened off by the boogeymen brought up by the short-sighted anti-railites.
Why oh why did I even bother. I've never used the ignore list...until today. I'm just not in any mood to handle Trader_Jorge and his... SOUR GRAPES.
