Rapid transit in the Universities Corridor
METRO’s newest rapid transit project is nearing completion.
This past weekend, the 59 reconstruction between Main and Shepherd took a major step forward as southbound traffic was shifted onto the finished southbound lanes — on the right of the picture above. On the left, northbound traffic remains confined to three lanes for now, but the finished northbound lanes — and the inbound spur 527 — will be open by summer.
This looks like a freeway. But it’s also a mass transit system. In the middle of the photo — where the porta-potties now stand — is the new HOV lane. This is the last link in the current HOV lane network; since 1992, when the HOV lane opened west of Shepherd, commuter buses have been stuck in rush hour traffic jambs in the mainlanes on this section of the freeway. Now they will have direct connection ramps to the streets into Downtown. That’ll bring faster and more predictable trips for commuters from Southwest Houston.
Like I’ve said before, the METROExpress buses are a fast and convenient transit service for suburban commuters working Downtown (in this corridor, there’s TMC service as well), and, in this corridor, they’re about to get better. With the HOV gap closed, these buses will be as fast and as convenient as a typical commuter rail system. From the West Bellfort park-and-ride, a bus departs for Downtown every 4 minutes during the AM rush and gets there in 23 minutes; service is as frequent but, for now, slightly slower for the trip home. Buses run from 5 am to 9 pm (pdf format schedule here and here). If Fort Bend were to join METRO or form its own transit district, Sugar Land commuters could get the same kind of service.
These buses don’t do any good, though, for the people who live in the neighborhoods along this freeway. The closest park-and-ride is at Hillcroft, and the buses don’t stop in Neartown or Montrose or serve the University of St. Thomas or the Menil. That’s why METRO is studying light rail here — not as a replacement for the suburban service, but as a complement to it, serving a different travel need.
I’ve heard the suggestion made that METRO should simply run light rail on the HOV lane to avoid disrupting neighborhoods. That would be easier than rebuilding Richmond. But it’s wrongheaded on every other count. Suburban commuters — the ones using the HOV lane now — would have a longer trip if they had to transfer to rail. And the inner neighborhoods wouldn’t be served at all.
If you want to build a suburban commuter service, you want park-and-ride lots, high speeds, and few stops. That’s what we’ll have in a few months. If you want to serve the city, you want stations in walkable neighborhoods with good pedestrian access, spaced closer to serve more people. That’s the next task.
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