Intermodality

The Chronicle noted recently that the last remaining section of the Southwest Freeway reconstruction — an HOV ramp off of Milam — had opened, completing a 115-mile HOV lane system.
The first HOV lane in Houston opened on I-45 north in 1979. It was a temporary facility, separated from other traffic with plastic pylons. The first [...]

In the end, the success of the transit system METRO is building will be based on whether it meets riders’ needs. Connecting different transit lines and modes will make METRO an option for more people’s daily trips. And making those connections simple will not only mean that people are more likely to ride transit; it [...]

The Chronicle reported on Friday that the METRO board hired Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects to design the intermodal transportation center just north of Downtown.
The ITC is an important aspect of the revised METRO Solutions plan unveiled in June. This is where the Main Street light rail line, Bus Rapid Transit lines to the North [...]

Like many others, I flew this Labor Day weekend. Unlike most, though, I took the bus to the airport. METRO’s 102 Bush Express (schedule (pdf file))stops two blocks from my loft, and the cost is unbeatable: I paid $2.50 round trip, less than half what I’d pay for gas, let alone the $6 a day [...]

A hog could travel through Chicago without changing trains, railroad executive R. R. Young complained 50 years ago, but a person couldn’t. The builders of transit were trying to satisfy passengers’ desire to stay in one seat all the way long before that, and they still are. Even when it is done efficiently, a transfer [...]

It’s been 2 months now since METRO unveiled its light rail+BRT+commuter rail “Phase II implementation plan.” Reaction has been mixed, and predictable: neighborhoods that now get busses instead of trains feel cheated; light rail skeptics like the idea of using a less expensive technology; and suburban politicians like commuter rail. Equally predictably, much of the [...]

Imagine if Houston had a rapid transit system that connected the suburbs to downtown with fast, frequent, comfortable, non-stop service.
Actually, we have it. METRO has spent over a billion dollars over 20 years to build a system of HOV lanes and park-and-ride lots that’s unlike any other in the United States. Dedicated ramps and barrier-separated [...]