Houston metro rail idea (Bastrop, Howe: neighborhood, university, live)

[lookingfouradvice]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/ed...4A&usp=sharing

I made a map of a potential metro system for Houston. Thought it would make sense to have all the lines connected to rings around 610 & the tollway. Don't take it too literally... but the framework feels like it's there at least.

[astrohip]

That would cost about a trillion dollars. You've basically just laid a rail network over our freeway network.

Sorry, but this is not the answer.

[airdrawndagger]

Where are the neighborhood rail stops? Are people supposed to walk to their nearest highway to access the train? I'm really confused by this layout.

I'd just be happy if the Blue/University line came to fruition. That would have been a game changer - but Afton Oaks had other ideas.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by airdrawndagger

Where are the neighborhood rail stops? Are people supposed to walk to their nearest highway to access the train? I'm really confused by this layout.

I'd just be happy if the Blue/University line came to fruition. That would have been a game changer - but Afton Oaks had other ideas.

Look at suburban train networks in the northeast: they have stops in suburbs where people drive their cars to the station. However that would cost a bit of money here.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Vicman

they have stops in suburbs where people drive their cars to the station. However that would cost a bit of money here.

With over one thousand miles in this preposterous proposal, overlayed on our freeway system, suburban stops would be the least of our financial issues.

[oceangaia]

The city would not be interested in this layout. The dirty little secret of rail is that cities are using them for urban renewal and development not regional mobility.

[jfre81]

Before any more rail gets built in Houston, they need to figure out how to do it in a way that doesn't further limit pedestrian access.

Case in point, I drove and parked at Minute Maid Park for an Astros game for the first time since, well, let's say Biggio was crawling to 3,000 hits last time I did that. I used to just take the rail from my place to the game when I lived there.

So I park at a lot at Bastrop and Preston, and wanted to go over to BBVA Stadium that I haven't seen much up close, then hit Woodrow's or something like that for a normal-priced beer before going into the ballpark.

I find this:

Untitled by James Fremont - Four Star Images, on Flickr

Looks fine, right? Well, if you actually want to walk and get over to the other side where the soccer stadium is, you have to do one of the following:

-Walk over to Emancipation Avenue (nee: Dowling Street), cross it, then cross Texas, then cross Emancipation again and double back

-Walk over to St. Emanuel where you can actually cross over the tracks

Either way, it's two blocks out of the way getting from where I'm standing, to the stadium behind that train.

Public transit should enhance pedestrian mobility, not disrupt it.

[Vicman]

In some countries there are bridges that go above the street to take pedestrians across. However that might disrupt the flow of trucks around there.

Originally Posted by jfre81

Before any more rail gets built in Houston, they need to figure out how to do it in a way that doesn't further limit pedestrian access.

Case in point, I drove and parked at Minute Maid Park for an Astros game for the first time since, well, let's say Biggio was crawling to 3,000 hits last time I did that. I used to just take the rail from my place to the game when I lived there.

So I park at a lot at Bastrop and Preston, and wanted to go over to BBVA Stadium that I haven't seen much up close, then hit Woodrow's or something like that for a normal-priced beer before going into the ballpark.

I find this:

Untitled by James Fremont - Four Star Images, on Flickr

Looks fine, right? Well, if you actually want to walk and get over to the other side where the soccer stadium is, you have to do one of the following:

-Walk over to Emancipation Avenue (nee: Dowling Street), cross it, then cross Texas, then cross Emancipation again and double back

-Walk over to St. Emanuel where you can actually cross over the tracks

Either way, it's two blocks out of the way getting from where I'm standing, to the stadium behind that train.

Public transit should enhance pedestrian mobility, not disrupt it.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Vicman

In some countries there are bridges that go above the street to take pedestrians across. However that might disrupt the flow of trucks around there.

No need for that. Here they just cheaped out and didn't want to put an at-grade walkway where you previously would've crossed Texas at Bastrop before the train was there, and Bastrop continued through what's now a soccer stadium. Would've needed an extra set of crossing arms to go down where the train passes.

This stuff is deeper than drawing maps, with or without tracing over the freeway layout. It needs to be executed properly at the dirt/concrete street level to work.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Look at suburban train networks in the northeast: they have stops in suburbs where people drive their cars to the station. However that would cost a bit of money here.

...and Chicago. I've been screaming on here for years about the need for a Metra-style commuter rail system here in Houston. We don't even have the capacity to move 1,000,000 to Downtown Houston daily as evidenced from the Astros' World Series Parade back in 2017--Chicago's transit systems effortlessly move that million to and from The Loop daily!