A complete transit plan
One cannot run for office in Houston or Harris County without addressing transit. That’s good. But when transit becomes political, it becomes a simplistic caricature. Politicians are pro-rail or anti-METRO or pro-monorail. But it’s rare to see anyone lay out a real transit plan, one that addresses all modes of transit in the entire region.
This election season, I challenge all the candidates: tell us your transit plan: not just an applause line or two, but a plan.
Here’s what such a plan might look like. This is my idea; I’m happy to argue the points, and I know that many would disagree with a bullet point (or maybe eight). But simply having a plan advances the discussion.
1. Complete the METRO Solutions light rail system. The urban light rail lines create a faster, more reliable, more frequent and convenient transit service to connect major activity centers and dense urban neighborhoods. We need to get the five 2012 lines built, and then we need to figure out what areas need to be served next.
2. Expand commuter service. We have one of the best and most successful commuter bus systems in the United States. The HOV lanes and flyovers that makes the system fast and reliable need to be expanded outward to match the region’s growth, and needs to be added in corridors — like 288 — that don’t have them now. It does not make sense to replace the current commuter bus service with new commuter rail. But regional rail makes sense for longer trips, and to connect to regional destinations like Galveston and College Station. Both commuter bus and regional rail need to be serve all major employment centers by connecting the suburban commuter systems to the urban light rail system.
3. Reengineer the local bus system. In a city with multiple centers, our local bus system radiates from Downtown. And even though routes serve a variety of areas with varying levels of demand, there’s one basic kind of service: a white bus that stops every 2 blocks. The system needs to be restructured with more crosstown bus routes to serve employment centers outside of Downtown and to better connect to the new rail lines. In the system’s busiest corridors, we need “Quickline” limited stop express service. And in dense areas, we need branded frequent circulator service.
4. Expand transit service to unserved areas. Suburbs have transit needs, too: the poor, the elderly, the disabled. To meet those needs, we need to add local bus service in parts of the METRO service area that don’t have it now. We also need to figure out how to add local bus service in places that aren’t in METRO, like Sugar Land and Pasadena. That may involve expanding METRO or creating new transit agencies.
5. Improve the trip. The difference between a pleasant transit trip and a horrible one is in details. So let’s get the details right. Every stop needs a bench; busy stops need shelters. It should be easy to find out, by looking at a display or calling a cell phone number, when the next bus will come, and there should be a map to show where that bus will go. On commuter service, there should be free wi-fi so the trip will be productive. And all buses and trains should be easy to use for the elderly, the disabled, parents with strollers, and bicyclists.
6. Build safe walking routes to transit. Every transit rider is a pedestrian on at least one end of their trip. They need level, paved, and shaded sidewalks and safe crosswalks connecting to transit stops, and we need to build that infrastructure. And when we do, we’ll also benefit people who aren’t riding transit.
7. Create a single information source for all regional transit. We already have half a dozen transit agencies in the Houston region. But riders shouldn’t have to care which agency is providing their transit. There needs to be one web page, one online trip planner, and one information phone number that covers all that service. Likewise, one fare card should be valid for all those trips.
8. Create a fare system that encourages ridership. METRO has a smart new fare technology but an overly simple fare system. Targeted fare policies are a good way to get people on transit. We should encourage employers to provide free transit just like they provide free parking. We should work with universities to give students free transit. And we should bring back the day pass by capping daily Q card charges so that anyone who takes METRO to and from work will get any other trips they want to take that day for free.
You’ll note that much (but definitely not all) of what’s in this plan is in the works at METRO. But it’s not enough for the transit agency to have a plan. The public — the voters, the taxpayers, the riders — needs to buy into that plan. And that’s where elected officials can provide leadership that agency staff cannot. A plan is not simply a list of things to do; it’s a way to have a discussion.
What’s your plan? Tell us in the forums.