[AARP] Dangerously Incomplete Streets

Look at these photos and read about what you see. Then think about the roadways near you. There's a good chance you're encountering similar sights and scenes. Thank you Harris County and TxDOT!

http://bit.ly/1ATLy0n

More carpools, vanpools needed for West Houston sub-region

The news is officially in from the Greater West Houston Subregional Transportation Plan, conducted by H-GAC. Traffic congestion, as measured by throughput at 25 key intersections in the sub-region, is already bad, and it is going to get worse. Under any of the four growth scenarios considered, intersection performance is going to go to “F” (Fail) for almost all of the intersections by 2040. Congestion, pollution, and crashes are going to have a worsening effect on our quality of life and economic growth in this most important job and GDP creating sub-region which includes The Energy Corridor, the Westchase District, and the Memorial City District.

This traffic tsunami is coming at a time, of course, when government transportation agencies at all levels are strapped for cash. Only the most severe needs are being addressed at present, and since the gasoline tax revenues are being eroded away by inflation and fuel efficient vehicles, some of which burn no gasoline, even on-going maintenance of existing facilities is threatened. 

But even if we had a deep pot of transportation money, what would we do with it? The congestion is occurring all over the sub-region, throughout the local road and street grid. The classic Houstonian response would be to widen the streets and add more lanes, grade separate them, and make them faster. But this would have an effect reminiscent of the remarks an American major made in 1968 concerning the Vietnamese village of Bến Tre. “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it”. If you widen streets, taking away sidewalks, parking lots, and structures, and put tall ugly bridges and dig underpasses everywhere, you will harm the very neighborhoods, towns, and cities you are trying to serve. Also, if you turn every road into a fast semi-freeway, the corridors become deserts, devoid of people and vitality. If no one can walk, if no one can bike, then a place will become undesirable over time, and increasing low-rent and slummy; “beautiful freeway” is an oxymoron, after all. So if massively widening streets and roads would be harmful, and it’s a moot point since we don’t have the money anyway, does that mean we should perhaps be using more buses and trains (transit) in the sub-region?

So is transit the answer for the Greater West Houston Sub-region’s congestion? Probably not, at least not in the short-to-medium term. The study clearly shows what everyone knows already, that many of the workers in The Energy Corridor, the Westchase District, and the Memorial City District commute in from suburban homes. There are no plans in existence at METRO at this time to allow people to commute on traditional transit vehicles (bus or train) from Cy-Fair or Sugar Land to work. Also, the western half of the sub-region has no local METRO service, and there are no plans to expand the local transit footprint west of State Highway 6. Also, many communities oppose the establishment of transit routes through their neighborhoods, whether their fears are based in reality or not, perception is reality, so even if METRO had the money and the desire to expand, local communities might very well block expansion. So really, there is no immediate relief to come from METRO to local neighborhoods in the western half of sub-region, nor for suburban commuters coming into the sub-region.

So what then? No money to widen existing roads and grade separate them, and local communities will often oppose this anyway. No help from METRO. Are we just going to stew in our own worsening traffic for the foreseeable future?

I think there is another way out of the mess, which could be implemented relatively quickly and at low cost. That is, for the past 60 years or so, we adult Americans have grown accustomed to riding solo in our cars whenever possible. Many of us drive SUVs, but more of us drive SOVs (single occupant vehicles). Somehow, we have to be convinced that the way to face this traffic emergency in West Houston is to voluntarily ride in with neighbors from our neighborhoods in Cy-Fair, Katy, Fort Bend to our work sites. The vast majority of cars on the road in West Houston today are SOVs. What if we would change that mix, so that 50% of cars would at least two people in them during peak commuting times? That would make a huge difference. Going from very few carpools to 50% carpools would result in a marked reduction in cars on the road, and reduce the need for more engineering.

So how can we get more people to voluntarily carpool, or participate in METRO’s Star vanpool service?

First and foremost, I think elected officials, the public, and corporations need to wake up and realize the severity of the traffic tsunami which is already breaking around us, especially in West Houston. Congestion will have an increasing effect on quality of life, economic growth, and public safety. Elected officials need to set aside the “competent manager” hat and put on the “inspirational leader” hat. Harris County Judge Emmett plays a visible, personal, and compelling role in motivating the public to respond to hurricane risk. A similar PR outreach is needed for congestion and carpooling. It won’t be free, but it will be much faster and less expensive to execute than building infrastructure.

Secondly, we need to upgrade the carpooling technology which government agencies make available to the public. NuRide and METRO’s RidePro carpool and vanpool ride matching services function, but they are now obsolete because they are not mobile applications. Another fundamental problem is that there are two places where people have to search, there should just be one master carpool / vanpool app for the entire H-GAC region.

Imagine an app that does the following things:

1. It only contains background-checked riders and drivers
2. It only contains insured drivers
3. The app knows where drivers are, their end destination, and the route they are taking
4. Riders can hail rides from drivers nearby who are going their way
5. The rides offered would be free, but a small monthly fee would be changed by the technology provider to pay for the background checks, the app, the servers, etc.

I think it’s very important that rides be offered for free. Once you charge someone money to ride in your car, you’ve violated the terms of your personal auto insurance, and you are immediately not insured any longer; you then require commercial auto insurance. If you’re just giving a neighbor a ride for free, that’s allowable.

“Free” parking plays a role in the economics of carpooling. Building a parking structure next to an office tower involves a huge cost. Office workers, however, park for “free”... their employers shield them from the cost of parking. Note that this does not happen in Downtown Houston, however, and Downtown has a high number of transit and carpool commuters. This is not a coincidence; this is commuters responding to the economics of parking, where users have to pay cash. They literally vote with the seat of their pants.

I suggest a cafeteria benefits approach to parking, where an employee could elect one of several options which would have the same cost to the employer:

1. Free parking, as usual, or,
2. Increased pay
3. Increased compensation, but in the form of a larger employer 401(k) contribution 
4. Free lunch in the company cafeteria every day
5. Contribute to the employee’s participation in a METRO Star vanpool

Carpools would also get the preferred parking spots. This would have a large effect on encouraging employees to carpool. Free lunch? Increased compensation? Are you kidding? That would make get everyone’s attention.

The traffic congestion is not coming to West Houston, it is here. It will have increasing effects on quality of life, economic growth, and public safety. There is no quick, low-cost-fix on the horizon either in the building of infrastructure, nor in the establishment of transit networks which reach into the bedroom communities where West Houston workers reside. Carpooling and vanpooling are underutilized modes which could quickly and at relatively low cost reduce or hold steady the numbers of vehicles on our roads and streets. 

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Wal-Mart, please install a bike rack here!

LATE UPDATE, 13 May 2014, 9:14 PM Central Time... Anne Hatfield Wal-Mart tweeted me to let me know that a bike rack is going in to this location!

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Hello, I heard from Facebook that you are building a Wal-Mart neighborhood market in Houston, TX 77095, at the corner of Barker-Cypress Road and Longenbaugh Rd.

This store is adjacent to a neighborhood which has good sidewalks, and where bike trails have been developed.

It would be very good for your store and for the neighborhood to have a BICYCLE RACK at this Wal-Mart, so that shoppers and your employees can access this store without making yet another short-distance car drive.

Walgreens directly across Barker-Cypress from your future store already has a bike rack.

Thank you
Peter Wang

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Walmart Neighborhood Market coming to Cypress

by Marie Leonard

May 7, 2014

A new Walmart Neighborhood Market is planned for the northeast corner of Barker Cypress Road and Longenbaugh Drive.

Construction is expected to begin on the 41,000-square-foot store in about a month, said Anne Hatfield, director of communications for Walmart.

The neighborhood market will carry fresh produce, groceries, health and beauty supplies and other household items. The new Cypress location will also have a gas station and pharmacy.

Walmart Neighborhood Market stores typically bring about 95 new jobs to the community, in addition to construction jobs.

Hatfield said the future store is on track to open by early 2015.

New carpool

My carpooler drops me off at Westheimer and CityWest, and I ride my Dahon folding bike 1.5 miles to work at 10001 Richmond Ave.

We start on Western Pass Lane, 77095.

Why Ridesharing Is a Way Bigger Deal for Suburban Seniors Than Urban Millennials

This is a follow-up to my first post about the lack of senior citizen transportation options in our area, which is going to become an increasingly urgent problem as the years roll by. This TheAtlanticCities.com article discusses the use of ridesharing apps as a possible coping mechanism.

"Transportation for America's recent report, "Aging in Place: Stuck Without Options," shows that as we grow too old to drive safely, alternative transportation options are a necessity but often hard to find. Based on recent surveys, 88 percent of older adults continue to drive at age 65, but that percentage drops to 69 percent by age 75. This means that by age 75, 31 percent of seniors must seek alternative ways to get around."

Elder transportation a big missing piece in Cy-Fair (part 1)

Someone who has lived and worked in Cy-Fair might reasonably expect to look forward to a bright and happy retirement. Maybe they worked in the lucrative energy industry for their career, bought an affordable home and paid off the mortgage long ago; their property taxes would be capped from further increases after age 65; an excellent Cy-Fair ISD school system, continued affordable housing, and an abundance of jobs which would tend to bring the children and grandchildren back to the Houston area.

Yet the big missing piece in Cy-Fair retirement is... what do I do when I cannot drive myself around any longer?

Everyone ages at different rates, but eventually we all can't drive any longer. There is really no such thing as someone who can safely drive their whole entire life, despite exceptional stories we may hear about so-and-so's Grandpa who is still driving at 90. That's great for him, but even he is going to have to quit someday, and what does he do for the rest of his life if he lives in Cy-Fair? He might be of sound mind, able to walk, but if he can't see well enough or react fast enough to drive a car, he might as well be in jail as far as our motorized culture is concerned.

We pay the METRO sales tax in our area, but METRO long ago decided, and it continues to affirm, that it does not want to or cannot afford to provide local transit to our neighborhood. Also, many people in our area oppose transit because of their belief that transit breeds crime. I personally don't agree with this view*, but given that they often let METRO know how they feel, this makes METRO even less inclined to bring local transit out here. We also have no paratransit (METRO LIFT on-demand services to the disabled), because Federal law requires that METRO only provide paratransit within the regular transit service area. In Cy-Fair, we are outside of the regular transit service area.

So what do we do? How do we prepare to live through that portion of our lives when we or our parents can no longer drive a car for ourselves / themselves?

More installments to come. If you have ideas, write to me at pwang01@gmail.com


* Criminals long ago (since Bonnie & Clyde) discovered the tactical advantages of using cars to commit crimes. They steal cars if they have to. I ride METRO when I can in the city, and I don't see people carrying stolen HDTVs on the bus or light rail.

Houston's "Lifestyle centers" - little islands of walkability in a raging car sea

The Houston vision of "lifestyle centers", or mixed-used commercial developments, seems to be one of isolated islands of walkability in a raging, boiling, frothing, crashing seascape of cars only... no bikes, pedestrians, or transit, no independent transportation for people who can't drive (under 16, the elderly, seriously handicapped, etc).

The very best jobs and closest jobs for people in Bridgeland will always be in the Energy Corridor and Westchase, so if Mr. Peter Houghton of West Houston Association is really concerned about getting his residents to the best, closest, highest paying jobs without getting on a freeway (or tollway), he should become an aggressive advocate for suburban transit modes, which will get them from Bridgeland and communities like it to the famously high-paying Houston energy jobs. In the short term, this will be cost-effective, quick deployment modes like vanpool and bus rapid transit, with commuter rail slated for the long term (vanpool and BRT use roads, but at least you can surf on your phone while someone else drives, and they use the road and energy resources much more efficiently).

Let's admit it - the jobs in a lifestyle center are not at all likely to match up in quantity or quality with the jobs at BP's WestLake campus, or ConocoPhillips and Shell Woodcreek north of I-10. A lifestyle center will have retail & restaurants, a real estate broker (affiliated with the developer itself), personal services like massage, yoga, hairstylist, nails, dentistry, family practice medicine, a small law office... and lots of unleased space, most likely.

Additional food for thought - minimum wage workers in a lifestyle center's retail & restaurants might not be able to afford a car in order to report to work. How is that staffing plan supposed to work? These people need transit also. No transit = no workers = no services delivered = no revenue = no profit = rents not paid = someone's asset is going to be "non-performing".

- Peter Wang

Houston Chronicle, January 2, 2014

By Lindsay Peyton

He {Peter Houghton} said mobility issues affect the quality of life for residents - adding that their expectations have changed over the years.

"The days of endless rows of houses and having to get on a freeway to shop are over," Houghton said. "Consumers and homebuyers demand more than that. They want shopping developments in their own neighborhoods and to go to work without getting on the freeway."

He said "lifestyle centers" - or mixed-used commercial developments - have become central features in master planned communities.

"You see them happening in The Woodlands, Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch," Houghton said. "The next ones will be in Cy-Fair."

Already restaurants and shops are popping up along U.S. 290, he added.

"We're seeing the Cy-Fair area start to dip its toes into the water," he said. "Once you get offices, retail and restaurants follow suit. I'm very excited about what the area will see in the next 20 years."

Houghton expects more businesses to locate in the area - now that the development of the Grand Parkway is moving forward.

"As people start to drive the Grand Parkway, they will realize they can get quickly to both sides of town," he said.

In the meantime, the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce plans to foster further discussions addressing infrastructure in the community, Martone said. "We're the entity that supports growth," she said.