METRO Rolls Out The New Bus System

Even though I possess a valid Texas driver's license that I had to fight nine months to get renewed and missed the 2013 city elections as a result, I am an enthusiastic public transportation supporter, especially if the system question has a rail component.   I have no problem riding public transportation  to my hotels when I travel.

Here in my hometown, METRO has been planning for two years an overhaul of our bus system so that the routes are not only straighter and run more frequently on the weekends. it is also redesigning the routes so that you don't have to go to downtown to transfer and they connect better with the light rail lines and transit centers..

There are 22 Red routes that are scheduled to run every 15-30 minutes, the Blue routes every 31-60 minutes, and the Green routes every hour.

They are also designing routes so they go to the destinations that people need to get to in the 2k15, and not when METRO took over the city bus system in 1978.

The METRO New Bus Network  got rolled out Sunday, and as with any massive undertaking like redoing a bus network, it hasn't happened without some problems and glitches.  Monday was also the first day that the new system was tested under workday conditions and traffic.

And since the system hasn't been changed on such a massive scale since 1978, it's also a major adjustment for veteran riders of it.  Some are liking the changes, others aren't.   But METRO believes that once the kinks get worked out, it will be a more efficient and user friendly way to get around our massive hometown

The good news is that during this opening week rollout of the revamped system, rides are free on the local bus and METRORail lines through August 22

Definitely need to test it out while it's free and save that money on my Qcard.

METRORail Green and Purple Lines Opening Delayed Until 2015

One of the presents we Houston light rail enthusiasts were hoping to get this Christmas was the opening of the METRORail Green and Purple lines this month like METRO did for the Red Line extension last year.

The opening of the lines had already been delayed earlier this year to October.  Because of problems with the Siemens axle counters that help METRO keep track of the rail cars and construction damage to a chilled water pipe under the Purple Line downtown, it pushed the opening of the new lines back to April 2015.

The opening of those lines when it finally happens will add another 10 miles of track to the already operational METRORail Red Line.

Far from 'nobody riding it' as rail critics deriding it as 'the toy train' loudly sneer,  the METRORail is four years ahead of ridership projections with over 100 million boardings on just one 12.8 mile rail line.   It is the second heaviest traveled rail system in the southern US.

One of the things delaying the opening is the new 1000 room Marriott Marquis Convention Hotel being constructed near the shared tracks of the Green and Purple Lines by Minute Maid Park.   A chilled water pipe under that line was accidentally damaged by construction workers. 

The repairs to it required tearing up the roadway, the section of light rail track above the damaged chilled water line it along with the fiber optics and communications, and then rebuilding and testing it to ensure it works properly.  That process took twelve weeks, making it next to impossible for METRO to open the lines this year.

While we're waiting for service to start on the Green and Purple Lines, there has been progress made in getting the CAF rolling stock that will be transiting the new lines when they finally do open for revenue service.   

Out of the 39 cars contracted for by METRO, 12 have been delivered.  Car 301, the lead one in the CAF ordered rail vehicles has successfully completed its 'burn-through' testing..

Construction has also been completed on the Central Transit Station which although it isn't as show stopping as the one the design contest winners came up with, will be ready when the Green and Purple lines finally open for service.

White Suburban Houstonians-If You Want Rail...

Tell your GOP legislators representing you to stop messing with METRO's ability to get federal dollars so we can build it faster.

As y'all know I am an enthusiastic proponent of public transit, especially when it comes to adding rail to the mix. 

One of the reasons our local transit agency METRO was founded in 1978 was to take over the HouTran bus system which was plagued with frequent service problems and an elderly bus fleet ina rapidly growing city.   Part of the sizzle that sold the initial creation of METRO and the 1 cent tax many of us in the area pay to fund it was the promise of a heavy rail subway system that was supposed to have become operational in the 1990's.  

But fighting the creation of that METRO rail component has been a staple of local conservafool politics since the 1980's.   A coalition comprised of the Harris County Republican Party, right wing Houston Republican councilmembers like Rob Todd in concert with Rep Tom DeLay and Rep. John Culberson along with the useful fools with NIMBY syndrome have fought every METRO plan to that sough to add a rail component to our large bus oriented system citing cots or other specious reasons as our city continued to grow along with the traffic problems on our expansive freeway system. 

DeLay as part of those efforts to block rail got $65 million in federal funding stripped from the project.  But other leaders and visionaries who had Houston's long term future in mind also noted that a city as expansive as ours could no longer have a transit system exclusively reliant on buses, needed a rail component and fought just as fiercely to make it happen.  
They got around the federal funding roadblock that DeLay placed in its way by coming up with a locally funded plan to build a 7.5 mile long light rail line from Reliant Stadium to downtown Houston terminating at UH Downtown.

That plan was fought in the courts with rail proponents prevailing, and on March 13, 2001 ground was broken on the METRORail Red Line that opened to service January 1, 2004. 

A subsequent narrowly approved 2003 referendum authorized the expansion of METRORail with non-white communities providing the critical votes to get that victory.  Construction subsequently started on the North Line (Red Line extension), East End (Green) and Southeast (Purple) lines while planning on the University (Blue) and Uptown (Gold) continues.

While the sorely needed east-west oriented Blue Line has gotten the final FTA approval it needs before construction can begin, it's the lack of federal money that's the problem. 

The start of construction on the Blue and Gold Lines has been on hold pending additional federal funding, but a BRT (bus rapid transit) proposal to get the Gold Line through the Galleria corridor started has been gaining ground.  One of the appealing parts of the plan is that it could be completed as early as 2017 with the ability to convert it to light rail later if needed.

Where the grousing has been coming from is the outside I-610 Loopers whining about the fact the initial rail lines have not only been built inside the Loop, but have been extended to predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Well, let's be real about that.  Black and Latino voters were the major reasons the 2003 rail expansion referendum passed, and it's logical and only fair that the first expanded lines went to serve those neighborhoods who actually use public transportation.

Since the goal is to eventually connect the light rail system to Hobby and Intercontinental airports via the Red and Purple lines, the ideal routes to get there pass through those same predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods chock full of people who have no qualms taking public transpeople and who will use the light-rail system once it is built because it's faster than taking the bus.

The Purple Line passes by the University of Houston on its way to its current southern terminus at the Palm Center Transit Center which is 5.5 miles from Hobby. (and a few tantalizing blocks from where I currently live)   The Green Line on its 3.3. mile journey passes BBVA Compass Stadium.  Once the lines merge at the stadium they share track together into downtown past the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green, Minute Maid Park and terminate just past the Wortham and Hobby Centers.

The Outside the Loopers not only want light rail routes to their areas, but also want commuter rail.  I agree with them. 

I'd like that too as an Inside the Looper   I'd love to have another way to get to Galveston besides driving down I-45 south or a Greyhound bus ride.  A commuter rail route would be just the ticket to do so, especially if it made a stop in the Clear Lake area so you could access NASA, Space Center Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk.  Since Galveston now has cruise ships departing from it, would be nice to have a way to get down there for those cruises and leave your car parked in your driveway   

Frankly we could also use commuter rail from Katy eastbound to connect with the future Gold Line and in that 290 Cypress-Jersey Village corridor to that point as well.   A commuter rail line would also be helpful coming from the Woodlands and Kingwood south, from Baytown going west and the Pearland-Manvel area going north.   There is a commuter rail line being discussed and studied that would run from Missouri City-Sugar Land to connect with the METRORail Red Line Fannin South terminus. 

But here the rub to making that all happen.  Money is the first issue.  The other is many of those areas I mentioned are represented by Republicans, a party that as I have noted is anti-public transportation, anti-progress and anti-rail.   
        
The bottom line is that we cannot keep building freeways in the Houston metro area forever. We are now working on a third freeway loop around the city of Houston primarily connecting the exurbs called the Grand Parkway, and building freeways is more expense than the initial costs for installing a rail system the anti-rail folks like to harp on..

White suburban Houstonians, the onus is on you if you want much needed rail in your Outside the Loop and exurban locales.  You have to help us Inside the Loopers fight for it, too. You need to tell your GOP legislators to back up off of METRO and let the federal money flow toward building an extensive rail network across this area.   And if they aren't willing to do that, then you replace them with legislators who will fight for rail in this area as part of a smart and comprehensive transit plan for our Houston metro area..      

Transpass Is Still A Trans Problem In Philly

When I had the honor and pleasure of speaking on the Bryn Mawr campus back in October 2009 I took a SEPTA train from the airport to downtown Philly and kicked it with Dionne Stallworth for a few hours before heading to the campus.

After finishing my speech and spending some quality time afterwards with my Bryn Mawr hosts I rode the  train back to the airport to catch my flight back to Da Ville with no fuss, no muss and no problems short of falling asleep on the train and riding past my stop on the way to Bryn Mawr.

I also had a SEPTA day pass to do it with.

But for transpeeps in the Philadelphia area, they are still locking horns with SEPTA over their policy of putting 'M' or 'F' stickers on monthly transit passes in order to stem the tide the transit agency claims of $4.9 million in annual revenue losses from people allegedly sharing passes.    But opponents and even SEPTA admits there is no way of determining if the alleged fraud is actually occurring, much less have any way of tracking it.

The sticker system that was put in place to combat it has led to gender policing by SEPTA personnel and Philadelphia area transpeople such as Charlene Arcila being affected by it.

Four years ago Charlene was prevented by a SEPTA driver from using a weekly Transpass because of a gender sticker that didn't match her presentation.

She has used tokens ever since that incident and filed a complaint against SEPTA with the Philadelphia Human Rights Commission.   Because SEPTA is considered a quasi state agency and not subject to local regulations, the complaint hasn't been heard

In addition, when you ask the PHRC about it, all you get is either a 'no comment' or 'they can't discuss pending cases'.

The sticker system doesn't do what SEPTA officials claim it's supposed to do because the agency's antiquated fare collection system is only capable of tracking how often a card is used.   It doesn't track the gender of its user, or whether the card is being shared by same gender riders as the agency alleges.

In the meantime, the SEPTA gender policing issue hasn't gone away in Philadelphia.   It not only has a deleterious effect on trans patrons of the system, but affects cis people who have ambiguous gender presentations as well.   It's not only humiliating to the person who gets questioned, but could put them in a situation in which they could face abuse or bodily harm.


Philadelphia Councilman Bill Greenlee is among those voices who question the need for SEPTA gender policing. “It just seems to me it’s causing problems for people I’m sure are already having enough problems,” he said. “Unless they can really show or prove they’d lose [millions of dollars], why do this?”

SEPTA Chief Financial Officer Richard Burnfield stated, “I look at it as one of the tools that is in our toolbox to help the authority prevent fraud and misuse of our passes.” .

Interestingly enough, since January 2010 SEPTA reported receiving eight complaints about gender stickers, with two complaints regarding to specific instances of discrimination.   

SEPTA also keeps pointing out the problem will go away when they implement their new smart card system in three years, but that's not good enough for Arcila or transpeople in the area who continue to protest and speak out about the issue.

"I feel like they’re trying to sweep it under the rug,” Arcila said. “Once they put the smart card [system] into effect that would close the door on this case.”

A photo ID pass would have done the trick if they were serious about stopping the sharing of SEPTA passes. Since the smart card system is still three years from implementation, that's a moot point now.

The gender policing problem will persist until SEPTA shows some leadership and stops it. 
But unfortunately  until they do, you'll have some SEPTA employees implementing and enforcing the policy in ways that will be problematic in people's lives.