Public Transportation (Houston: mover, crime, high school)

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Oskar_Z28

We live by a bus stop, and one day my wife took the bus to UH from the house. We thought it would not be too bad with only one transfer. Well, 2 hours later she got there. It normally takes 15 minutes by car (30 minutes in traffic) from where we live. Yes, if you have plenty of time on your hands, you can use public transport in Houston, otherwise get a car.

How far do you actually live from UH? I bet one of the lines involved was that 42 Holman Crosstown which doesn't run that frequently. It would probably take me close to two hours to get to UH from where I am, with transfers. The bus service to UH is not particularly reliable, compared with that going from downtown to parts uptown. UH will be getting connected with light rail though.

Like anything else, you get what you demand and you get what you pay for. We're just starting to come around to the idea that public transportation is for something other than people who are simply too poor to own cars. There are people who can afford them who don't want to drive, or at least drive everywhere all the time, and we don't have to be a tourist destination to have people visiting which we do for business, conventions, the consulates etc.

[theSUBlime]

No, you do not need a car if you live close to your work, inside the loop, and preferably you only have to take 1 bus or the train. However, you're gonna need health insurance walking on these broke azz sidewalks. Just got back from Boston and damn near had my face wiped out 5 times in the past hour from walking!

To Ozark, it's a given that if you have to transfer you are SCREWED.
The 42 Holman Crosstown actually does run pretty frequently I believe, but I believe its only in the mornings and early afternoons and during the school year. I caught it from Taft and Westheimer every day for a semester and it was pretty decent.

[SteveArmy]

you need a car to get around the city

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

To Ozark, it's a given that if you have to transfer you are SCREWED.

Wouldn't say screwed, you just have to be able to budget your time and realize that what is posted and what time the bus will actually show up may not be exactly the same.

Transfers are a fact of life anywhere in the public transit riding world, whether it's buses, subways, light rail, whatever. You're not always going to get from point to point on one route. Why else would New Yorkers be in such a hurry all the time? It's just that Houstonians aren't as experienced with that. They'll allow time for traffic jams when they're driving. But really, what difference is there in sitting at a bus stop or sitting on a freeway in bumper-to-bumper traffic? You're moving about the same speed.

[glorplaxy]

The point of New York doesn't make much sense.

Part of the reason Houston's public transportation sucks so badly is because most people refuse to even try to use it, hence you get many less buses and bus routes. In a city like New York, you actually have a good percentage of the population relying on public transport so there is better connectivity and more buses plying certain routes. You also have to take in to account how terrible a lot of metro drivers are with actually being on time..and most of the time it doesn't have to do with traffic at all.

I think Houston could afford a better bus system if they stopped buying these HUGE, air-conditioned buses with lights inside and everything when you see SO many buses that aren't even filled 1/3rd to capacity. They should use small, cheap buses...and LOWER THE DAMN FARE, it's RIDICULOUS.

[jfre81]

What I mean is that people in cities where transit is a common part of people's lives know how to budget their time for transfers, delays etc. When people are conditioned to drive everywhere, they're used to hopping in the car and taking off. Does that make more sense?

You're spot on with everything else. The local fare should go back down to $1. They raised it to $1.25 when ridership was at its highest during the gas crunch in '08. Whether you use the Q-card or cash, keeping it a round number without requiring cash riders to carry an odd amount of change is much more convenient. For the card, it just means if you put $20 on your card, you get 20 rides. KISS principle.

The more people ride it, the more efficient the whole system is. And yes, you get what you get here because we don't expect any better. But I tell you what - you call METRO and complain (legitimately) about a bad driver, and you know something? I've known those drivers to not be seen on that route if at all later. They're more responsive than you might think.

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by jfre81

The more people ride it, the more efficient the whole system is. And yes, you get what you get here because we don't expect any better. But I tell you what - you call METRO and complain (legitimately) about a bad driver, and you know something? I've known those drivers to not be seen on that route if at all later. They're more responsive than you might think.

complaining for works, no?

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by SteveArmy

complaining for works, no?

You should be a professional complainer. You're a gifted amateur as it is. A natural.

But yeah, if you just accept poor service and just go "well, that's just the way it is" and then stop using it altogether, you're being a bigger part of the problem than you might think.

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Wouldn't say screwed, you just have to be able to budget your time and realize that what is posted and what time the bus will actually show up may not be exactly the same.

Transfers are a fact of life anywhere in the public transit riding world, whether it's buses, subways, light rail, whatever. You're not always going to get from point to point on one route. Why else would New Yorkers be in such a hurry all the time? It's just that Houstonians aren't as experienced with that. They'll allow time for traffic jams when they're driving. But really, what difference is there in sitting at a bus stop or sitting on a freeway in bumper-to-bumper traffic? You're moving about the same speed.

dude you just keep using "new yorkers" to describe something in houston which doesnt make sense most of the time. people in NYC are not all in a hurry. here's a few reasons people walk faster than others:
1. more often, they refuse the ride the subway. people I worked with walk 20 blocks one way just for the heck of it. even the people who will have to catch a commuter train to jersey or long island.
2. most of the time you just feel good and having a great morning(this very rare in houston since you cant just zip thru traffic)
3. too many tourist. yes tooo many. so you have to be actively zipping thru them so they dont break your stride.
4. some people rush to get a breathe of fresh air coming from the tunnels

you need to unlearn

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by jfre81

You should be a professional complainer. You're a gifted amateur as it is. A natural.

But yeah, if you just accept poor service and just go "well, that's just the way it is" and then stop using it altogether, you're being a bigger part of the problem than you might think.

i saw a person post here once, his idea(sometimes seen as a complaint) was to bring glory to this region by bring in international motorsports. well, its coming, TX will be the US leg of F1 in a few years. not saying that person had anything to do with it directly but he's one of the many (transplants/locals) who sent the vibe to the people who can make it happen. Entertainment and public image is a service you can demand from your goverment.










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