Houston's long-term future is bleak without serious mass transit and efforts to lure young professionals (Richmond: costs, bus)

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Rail-based transportation is expanding in Houston, and we'll have 31 more miles of light rail alone come 2012. Still, we do have a bus system that is efficient enough, for the time being, inside the Loop.

Have you ever ridden it on a regular basis? I have recently when my car broke down, and the bus sucks donkey. It comes when it wants, and sometimes doesn't come at all. For the number of people living here, it is not efficient enough at all. It would need to run 24 hours and come regularly in short intervals - or just COME - and actually take you places of interest, or where you need to go, to be considered efficient. And don't get me started on the woefully inadequate bus stops. They are terrible. Many are little more than signs, with no posted schedules, and offer riders nowhere to sit, and no shade or shelter should it rain or be too hot. And I don't live out in the sticks. I live a stone's throw from downtown. The bus sucks.

[donhalljobs]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Rail-based transportation is expanding in Houston, and we'll have 31 more miles of light rail alone come 2012. Still, we do have a bus system that is efficient enough, for the time being, inside the Loop.

Yeah, I just got a new job located at Beltway 8 and Briar Forest, and I'm investigating using the Metro bus system. It seems that there is a line that goes from Richmond/610 to Beltway 8/Briar Forest; however, Richmond/610 is either A: ~15 minute walk through mud/grass along the busy feeder where there are no sidewalks (looking like a fool), or B: 45 minute walk if I want to walk on sidewalks (stupid freeways make walking anywhere a huge chore). I also may just have my wife drop me off at the bus stop. If it turns out to be an okay bus (few weirdos), I may stick with it.

If there was a rail line down the Westpark tollway, and another line up/down the Beltway, that would be perfect. But I will be moving to ~3 blocks from my new job in 6 months anyway, so it doesn't matter.

Driving in traffic is about the worst thing I can imagine, I've done it in Detroit, where the traffic is not nearly as bad as Houston, and I would definitely move to another city if I could escape it and the career opportunities were comparable.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Have you ever ridden it on a regular basis? I have recently when my car broke down, and the bus sucks donkey. It comes when it wants, and sometimes doesn't come at all. For the number of people living here, it is not efficient enough at all. It would need to run 24 hours and come regularly in short intervals - or just COME - and actually take you places of interest, or where you need to go, to be considered efficient. And don't get me started on the woefully inadequate bus stops. They are terrible. Many are little more than signs, with no posted schedules, and offer riders nowhere to sit, and no shade or shelter should it rain or be too hot. And I don't live out in the sticks. I live a stone's throw from downtown. The bus sucks.

Houston just has a lot of issues to work on. Houston has the most extensive BRT system in the south and I think the most ridership, but yet it sucks. With our 7 mile rail line our ridership numbers can be compared to Dallas which is 90 miles! Houston is a city tha needs rail and if people would stop looking at how much it would cost us up front and think about how much it would cost in the long run, people would be much more open to it.

It is weird when you hear people say no one rides rail or the buses, but during work hours the rail is PACKED wth workers heading in and out of the city. The buses are packed usually all throughout the day.

[Spade]

Dallas light rail is actually 45 miles, not 90. But point taken. Residents in the inner loop want rail over bus. It's obvious, IMO.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Have you ever ridden it on a regular basis? I have recently when my car broke down, and the bus sucks donkey. It comes when it wants, and sometimes doesn't come at all. For the number of people living here, it is not efficient enough at all. It would need to run 24 hours and come regularly in short intervals - or just COME - and actually take you places of interest, or where you need to go, to be considered efficient. And don't get me started on the woefully inadequate bus stops. They are terrible. Many are little more than signs, with no posted schedules, and offer riders nowhere to sit, and no shade or shelter should it rain or be too hot. And I don't live out in the sticks. I live a stone's throw from downtown. The bus sucks.

Thank You Thank You Thank You. Enhanced or not enhanced, majority of people still will say the bus sucks. I don't care if it's a BRT, BMT, or BLT, it's a bus. A bus is a bus. And a bus does not register many positive things on most minds in big cities when you compare it to rail. Many people would rather drive or bike than take the bus.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by Spade

Dallas light rail is actually 45 miles, not 90. But point taken. Residents in the inner loop want rail over bus. It's obvious, IMO.

Yeah I got it mixed up. Once the new expansion is done it'll be 90 miles right???

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Have you ever ridden it on a regular basis? I have recently when my car broke down, and the bus sucks donkey. It comes when it wants, and sometimes doesn't come at all. For the number of people living here, it is not efficient enough at all. It would need to run 24 hours and come regularly in short intervals - or just COME - and actually take you places of interest, or where you need to go, to be considered efficient. And don't get me started on the woefully inadequate bus stops. They are terrible. Many are little more than signs, with no posted schedules, and offer riders nowhere to sit, and no shade or shelter should it rain or be too hot. And I don't live out in the sticks. I live a stone's throw from downtown. The bus sucks.

Yeah I have rode it recently. Westheimer from West Oaks to The Galleria.

And about the bus stops, you should respectfully quit whining. The bus stops are no different than what you would see in many other cities. A lot of cities just have the sign on the pole.

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by Angel713

Yeah I have rode it recently. Westheimer from West Oaks to The Galleria.

And about the bus stops, you should respectfully quit whining. The bus stops are no different than what you would see in many other cities. A lot of cities just have the sign on the pole.

I wouldn't know since I've only ridden the city bus twice in two other cities. That's because other cities have other options. Say what you want. It won't change the fact that the bus still sucks.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by donhalljobs

Yeah, I just got a new job located at Beltway 8 and Briar Forest, and I'm investigating using the Metro bus system. It seems that there is a line that goes from Richmond/610 to Beltway 8/Briar Forest; however, Richmond/610 is either A: ~15 minute walk through mud/grass along the busy feeder where there are no sidewalks (looking like a fool), or B: 45 minute walk if I want to walk on sidewalks (stupid freeways make walking anywhere a huge chore). I also may just have my wife drop me off at the bus stop. If it turns out to be an okay bus (few weirdos), I may stick with it.

Briar Forest is very bumpy! I couldn't believe the potholes were very consistent for a long stretch of road.

[Huckleberry3911948]

you dont lure young professionals with 130,000 gangbanging NO muggers and a subway seat.
a former houston resident.