I went to a school district that is a LOT better than HISD... I like the area I live in and many times you can find a lot nicer places for a lot cheaper than it will cost you to live inside the loop.. But yes if you live in the suburbs you are an idiot
Drox: Don't care what people can afford. It's Bull crap. I just showed my sister what the $125,000 she paid for her house near Humble/Hoffman could have bought her in Meyerland/Meyerpark. She was an idiot who wanted a new home. In fact, I should applaud every idiot who likes the Suburbs. Never-mind what I said earlier....... Suburbia is the best!!!!!!
Don't speak about a school that is a LOT better than HISD, without knowing the schools. You're being ignorant.
I know enough to know that there are no underperforming schools in the district I went to.. and many in HISD.. other than bellaire and a few others hisd doesnt exactly have a great track record.. I don't think saying CFISD is better than HISD overall is going out on much of a limb
Yes, I'm on acid..... C'mon, Batman. I hope you have learned me better than that! I only do liquors that have vowels in them. (If you want the LSD story, I did it once in 1993. It is a story worth re-telling, but not on this board.) Needless to say, I've been hallucinogenic-free since 1993! I'm such a good rhymer!)
Here is a scenario. What if all the light rail is built. Dense development occurs around it which includes shopping, entertainment and business centers. Commuter Bob, who is partner in his architecture firm in town, is tired of driving from his suburban home. He and is wife each have a car (she has an SUV, of course). His wife's car is having troubles and he wants her to have more reliable transportation. Their oldest son got accepted at UofH so they are shopping for a third car. Their youngest daughter is in middle school. Instead, Bob decides to sell their house and move in the city near one of the rail lines that takes him directly to his office. One stop away is a Randall's flagship...he could walk on a nice day. He decides to give his wife his BMW and sell the SUV (netting $15,000). Now this also saves him from the expense of buying a new $45,000 SUV for his wife and spending another $1,000 anually in insurance and $2,000 annually for gasoline. His son, who is studying Pre-Med, no longer needs a car while attending UofH since the second rail line (the one that goes to Gulf Gate) makes a stop in front of the university. He can also get to the Medical Center and to his parents house on the weekends w/out a car. This saves Commuter Bob another $20,000 for the Saturn he was gonna buy his son. Also $3,000 of auto insurance anuually (since he got some tickets). Commuter Bob figures he will save about $104,000 over a 4 year period on automobile expenses. Now he can afford to put his daughter into private school. He can also help pay his son's tuition. Best of all, he doesn't have to full w/ rush hour traffic ever again. Having light rail doesn't always mean the rail will immediately serve your needs. Many people may chose to alter their lifestyles based on what the rail has to offer. Many people won't. The nice part will be, at least you'll have an option...finally. That means you don't have to buy a car for every family member because it'll be just as easy to live life w/out a car. Imagine...people, who aren't poor, that chose to not buy a car.
MetroRail's crash rate 25 times U.S. average MetroRail records 36th collision of year By LUCAS WALL Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle The collision rate for MetroRail trains during the first quarter of this year is about 25 times the national average for light rail systems, according to data from the Federal Transit Administration. MetroRail's crash total reached 36 on Wednesday after a driver in a Pontiac Grand Am turned into a train shortly before 5 p.m. near Reliant Park, then hit a sport utility vehicle. With 26 collisions in the first quarter of 2004, MetroRail is on pace for 104 wrecks in its first year, which would represent a crash rate of 13.87 per route mile. That is 25 times the national average of 0.55, based on 2001 data the FTA collected from 17 cities operating light rail. If Houston does tally 104 rail crashes this year, it would be almost double the number experienced recently in any other city. San Francisco, with 61 light rail wrecks, led the nation in 2001 (the last year for which FTA data is available). When measured by number of miles traveled, Houston also stands out above the crowd. MetroRail's first-quarter crash rate is 16.9 per 100,000 train miles traveled. That is 24 times the national average of 0.7. Greg Hull, director of operations, safety, and security for the American Public Transportation Association, noted the Houston numbers are high, but cautions against direct comparisons between light rail systems. "Each city is different," Hull said. "Each system is different." After Wednesday's wreck, Metro said the Grand Am driver, 26-year-old Yadira Bravo, was taken to a hospital. There were no reports of injuries to the driver of the Ford Expedition she struck or the estimated 50 passengers on the train, said Metro spokesman Ken Connaughton. Train 112 was northbound approaching Reliant Park Station when the Grand Am, attempting to enter Reliant Park via Holly Hall, made a right turn from southbound Fannin Street into it, Connaughton said. Metropolitan Transit Authority police were trying to determine whether Bravo had ignored the "no right turn" sign that is supposed to illuminate as a train approaches the intersection. Still, Connaughton added, she should have seen the train because it was coming straight at her. While Wednesday's crash gives yet another reason for MetroRail opponents to argue that buses would be a safer transit mode for the Main Street corridor, Hull said light rail nationally is safer than buses in numerous measurements. Light rail accounted for about 3.5 percent of transit trips in 2001, he said, but experienced 1.7 percent of transit incidents. Statistics from the FTA's National Transit Database confirm Hull's assessment -- light rail is a much safer transportation mode than buses when compared by collisions per transit vehicle and number of miles traveled. The data show light rail trains are involved in 0.37 crashes per year while transit buses in large cities experience 0.71 crashes per year. When it comes to miles traveled, light rail trains experienced 0.69 collisions per 100,000 miles while large-city buses had a rate of 1.79. Houston's experience thus far has been the opposite, however, with rail much more dangerous than buses. So far this fiscal year Metro buses have had a crash rate of 0.89 per 100,000 miles -- lower than the national average -- while Metro trains' 16.9 crash rate is well above the norm. Hull said he expects the numbers here should even out. "There is a learning curve associated with such a new system," he said. "The citizens of Houston need to familiarize themselves with safety related to both motorist and pedestrian interfaces with the rail system." Crazy Train
