Metro showdown (Houston, Elgin, West: house, buses, airports)

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

The "poor folk" argument doesn't wash with Park n Rides, which have fares around $4 each way and don't get you around the burbs but simply dump you into a big parking lot you pretty much need a car to reach.

And there are Park n Rides in that general area already. Every Park n Ride is adjacent to a freeway so I kinda doubt there was ever a proposal to put one on Steubner @ 1960.

Park&Ride isn't the same thing as a local bus, totally different demographics.

[dv1033]

On related note. What people don't realize about mass transit is that is system based, like automobiles. Automobiles require small streets, avenues, boulevards, freeways, interstates, etc. in order for the system to work. Likewise with mass transit. People like to sit here and complain about light rail only serving inner loop residents, but that's what our park&ride system is for (hopefully we can add commuter rail to the mix). It is for serving short trips (inner loopers) and serving as the last link (for commuters), that is, someone in Katy can take Park&ride to downtown and then use light rail as the last leg of their trip or something to use for lunch and small trips.

[SouthernBoy205]

Are these lines going to your airports?

[testmo]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

The people of Kingwood had no voice when they were involuntarily annexed.

People like to make that allegation (suburbs don't want transit service) but how about providing an example where Metro wanted to extend bus or rail service to one of Houston's suburbs and the project was opposed by the suburb?

Sugar Land

[oceangaia]

You'll have to be a little more specific, and provide a link to verify.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

Are these lines going to your airports?

Of course not, that would hurt the taxi/shuttle racket.

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

Of course not, that would hurt the taxi/shuttle racket.

I don't know if you are being sarcastic or what

[oceangaia]

There are no rail lines serving either airport and none are in the works. Metro even canceled it's IAH Express bus route.

As for the taxi/shuttle racket, that's my little poke. At $65 for a cab from IAH to Downtown and $35 for a shared van, there are players who would be significantly hurt by such mass transit service.

[micmac99]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

The "poor folk" argument doesn't wash with Park n Rides, which have fares around $4 each way and don't get you around the burbs but simply dump you into a big parking lot you pretty much need a car to reach.

And there are Park n Rides in that general area already. Every Park n Ride is adjacent to a freeway so I kinda doubt there was ever a proposal to put one on Steubner @ 1960.

Not all Park and Ride facilities are directly adjacent to freeways or serve the Park and Ride buses exclusively. I live near the Gessner Park and Ride which is adjacent only to the Westpark Tollway. The single express route that serves it comes from the Westchase Park and Ride, itself adjacent to the Sam Houston Tollway - but the route does not travel on either tollway, instead it goes along Harwin Drive and Westpark (the street) to Hillcroft Transit Center and gets on the 59 HOV lane into downtown. Both of those Park and Rides function like regular transit centers in that they serve at least one local route in addition to the Park and Ride route.

[micmac99]

Originally Posted by DiverTodd62

There are no rail lines serving either airport and none are in the works. Metro even canceled it's IAH Express bus route.

As for the taxi/shuttle racket, that's my little poke. At $65 for a cab from IAH to Downtown and $35 for a shared van, there are players who would be significantly hurt by such mass transit service.

That's another one of my peeves about Houston and METRO and that needs to change.

How absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing that America's 5th largest metro area has no rapid rail service to its major international airports.

Yes, I know there is bus service but Houston can do better. I want METRO to reinstate that Airport Express, and possibly do a Quickline route to both airports. The passenger traffic is enough to justify it, the 102 bus is always packed inbound into downtown, because it's the fastest way the Greenspoint area residents have to get downtown.