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	<title>Transportation Whatnot</title>
	<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot</link>
	<description>Robin making the rounds of Houston transportation meetings</description>
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		<title>ITE honors CTC volunteer Ian Hlavacek</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Each year in February, each of the Texas Engineering Societies honors an Engineer of the Year and a Young Engineer of the Year. The awards are presented to engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession, the public welfare and human kind. This year, CTC member Ian Hlavacek was recognized by the Institute [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/03/24/ite-honors-ian/</link>
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		<title>Chronicle concurs: No stimulus for Grand Parkway</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) continue to press on in their effort to secure federal stimulus dollars to help fund construction of the controversial Grand Parkway. However, in today&#8217;s Houston Chronicle, the editorial staff weigh in against directing tax-funded stimulus dollars to construction of new toll roads: Traffic alert: There’s a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/03/13/chronicle-concurs-no-stimulus-for-grand-parkway/</link>
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		<title>Texans tell TxDOT:  Slow down and fix it first! Don&#8217;t waste our stimulus!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, CTC board members and leaders of six grassroots organizations from across the state converged in Austin with a shared message: TxDOT is racing to commit $1.7 billion of our stimulus dollars with little or no input from the public or our state legislators. We need TxDOT to slow down, listen to the public&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/03/04/texans-tell-txdot/</link>
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		<title>TxDOT racing to select stimulus projects</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated $2.25 billion in federal transportation funds to Texas. In many cases, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) will allow states up to one year to decide which projects to build. But on March 5, 2009, the Texas Transportation Commission intends to forge ahead. The Commission [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/02/28/txdot-stimulus/</link>
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		<title>Calling for investments in freight rail</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Now 18 months old, the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District&#8216;s board has moved beyond bylaws discussions to focus on freight rail projects and how to get them done. Jon Boyd and I attended Tuesday&#8217;s meeting to weigh in on two issues: Capitalizing the Freight Rail Improvement Fund In 2005, the Texas Legislature created the Texas [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/02/12/freight-rail/</link>
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		<title>Ten principles for federal stimulus</title>
		<description><![CDATA[President Obama is urging Congress to adopt a stimulus bill within the week. At present, this measure will allocate more than $40 billion to transportation projects across the country. The Houston region stands to receive hundreds of millions for new transportation projects. What and where those funds get spent will affect quality of life in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2009/02/09/ten-principles-for-federal-stimulus/</link>
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		<title>Harris County vote coming: The case against Grand Parkway segment E</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There is little doubt that the transportation investments we make today affect how our region will grow tomorrow. CTC members expect our leaders to invest public dollars in projects that will facilitate sustainable growth, and protect Houston&#8217;s quality of life for future generations. Few proposed projects challenge our leaders to reconsider the status quo more [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2008/06/03/harris-cty-gpky-sege/</link>
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		<title>Lone Star Sierra Club honors CTC</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am delighted to report that CTC received an unexpected accolade! Gene Creely, Evelyn Merz (Sierra Club), Robin Holzer, and Adra Hooks CTC was invited to the Sierra Club&#8217;s statewide annual meeting in Austin, where we were presented with the Lone Star Chapter&#8216;s 2007 Special Service Award. We were nominated by the Houston Regional Group. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2008/04/09/lone-star-sierra-award/</link>
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		<title>Kirby Drive reconstruction plans pose important questions, trade-offs</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Right now, the City of Houston is in the process of reconstructing Kirby Drive south of US-59. It&#8217;s part of a FEMA-funded project to install massive storm water culverts under the street to drain rain water to Brays Bayou. But there&#8217;s another Kirby project coming soon that neighbors are starting to talk about. The Upper [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/09/10/kirby-reconstruction/</link>
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		<title>TxDOT gets a public earful over Grand Parkway segment C</title>
		<description><![CDATA[TxDOT and the Grand Parkway Association are hoping to build a fourth &#8220;ring road&#8221; around the greater Houston region. &#8220;Segment C&#8221; of the proposed Grand Parkway &#8212; SH 99 &#8212; would run 26 miles from US 59 at Crabb River Road to SH 288 near Alvin, through Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties (map). Because planning [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/09/01/grand-pkwy-seg-c/</link>
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		<title>METRO rolls out buses with bike racks!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[They have been a long time coming, but bike racks are finally here for METRO&#8217;s buses! METRO launched its bike racks on buses program Friday with a press conference and festival event at their headquarters. Woody Speer of BikeHouston and I were among the first riders to test our bikes in the new racks! The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/04/20/metro-bike-racks/</link>
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		<title>CTC annual meeting on Saturday!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[CTC is a member-driven organization and it&#8217;s time for our annual member meeting! This year, we will meet at an exciting new venue: Houston TranStar&#8216;s operations center on Old Katy Road. TranStar is Houston&#8217;s futuristic control center to: provide real-time traffic data operate dynamic highway message signs manage regional emergencies like hurricanes and floods dispatch [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/04/15/ctc-2007-annual-mtg/</link>
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		<title>CTC opposes Lege attempt to gut METRO</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in February, State Representative Robert Talton (R-Pasadena) introduced HB 1813 which calls for direct election of Houston METRO board members. Currently, METROâ€™s nine-member board is appointed by each of the local governments within its service area. As a result, 16 elected authorities â€“- the City of Houston, Harris County, and 14 smaller municipalities -â€“ [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/04/04/ctc-opposes-lege-attempt-to-gut-metro/</link>
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		<title>Will values shape Houston&#8217;s future?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The City of Houston Charter calls for the City to prepare a general plan for future development and infrastructure. In summer 2006, City Council voted a budget amendment authorizing the Planning Commission to create a workplan to move the City towards producing a general plan. Since then, there has been heated public debate about what [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/04/02/values-shape-future/</link>
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		<title>When mobility meets fire safety&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Apparently, Houston&#8217;s current planning ordinance for shared driveways has room for improvement, and not always enough room for fire trucks. One of the many benefits of living in the City of Houston is protection by the largest professional Class I fire department in the world. But some of the new townhouse developments built since 1999 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/03/26/mobility-meets-fire-safety/</link>
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		<title>University line is about Houston, not just Richmond or Westpark</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s Houston Chronicle includes a CTC OpEd about METRO&#8217;s University line. In it, we argue that placement of the University line will affect the whole city, and every Houstonian should weigh in; not just the ones on Richmond and Westpark: Feb. 10, 2007, 7:13PM Off Track Countering Culberson&#8217;s view It&#8217;s time for lawmaker and all [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2007/02/11/uline-is-about-houston/</link>
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		<title>Coming soon? More public involvement in Houston road planning</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the last 18 months, the City of Houston Planning Commission has convened a half dozen working subcommittees. I was recently invited to serve as one of the neighborhood representatives on the Mobility subcommittee. The committees are assigned to &#8220;consider and propose policies that support a sound quality of life and sustainable growth for Houston, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2006/12/12/more-public-mtfp/</link>
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		<title>Hello again&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Several of you have observed that this blog has been &#8220;dark&#8221; for too long. While I continue to enjoy spontaneous writing in CTC&#8217;s online forum, I agree! There are new transportation planning opportunities afoot that need public scrutiny and warrant the broader audience of a blog. Look for posts soon on the state motor fuels [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2006/12/12/hello-again/</link>
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		<title>CTC SpotList for June 2006</title>
		<description><![CDATA[CTC volunteers are watching several transportation projects that deserve the public spotlight. These are Houston-area projects currently being studied or designed by local, state, or federal agencies. Each of these projects could dramatically change a neighborhood or even the entire region. But it&#8217;s early enough in the planning process that you &#8212; as a member [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2006/06/06/ctc-spotlist-june-2006/</link>
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		<title>Community growth vision to shape next Regional Transportation Plan</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On Friday morning, the Houston region&#8217;s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) quietly took another step towards one of CTC&#8217;s very first goals. It looks more and more like the next regional &#8220;plan&#8221; will include more of just that &#8212; planning. And it&#8217;s happening none too soon! On a Tuesday night two years ago, more than 140 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.ctchouston.org/whatnot/2006/05/28/community-vision-to-shape-next-rtp/</link>
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