Connie --light rail in Houston -- from the NYTimes
Wayne Johnson
austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net
Fri Jun 25 11:32:02 2004
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Well, we now know what the IQ level is of the average Houston driver, =
somewhere between a sack of rocks and a chocolate bunny. How can =
someone miss seeing something twice the size of a Greyhound bus, =
fountains, etc. ? Well, they are either - blind, blind drunk or blind =
stupid --- as in..."I know thet fountain thang will git outta mah way. =
Give me 'nother Bud, Billy." (Note clever juxtaposition of literary =
reference? Shows I don't live in Houston. Shows other things =
too......)
or "Mommy, mommy, are we going to push that train out of our way?"
"Why do you think your father bought us an Expedition, Muffy. Of =
course, we are. God is on our side."
Un-f******g-believable!
I would like to know how many of these people had Bush-Cheney stickers =
on their cars? Just curious. Mean, but curious.
wayne J
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Michael Eisenstadt=20
To: austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net=20
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 6:51 AM
Subject: ATTN: Connie --light rail in Houston -- from the NYTimes
June 25, 2004=20
Houston Finds Some Pain in Car-Rail Coexistence
By SHAILA K. DEWAN
=20
OUSTON, June 18 - For a quarter-century, the debate over whether =
Houston should have a light rail system pitted a vision of =
environmentally friendly mass transit against the fossil-fueled love =
affair between Houstonians and their cars.
Last year, when Houston finally got a rail line, the culture =
clash became physical. Since testing began in November, the silvery =
electric-powered train, which slides north and south along the street on =
a 7.5-mile route, has collided with more than 40 cars.
The accidents have marred what was to be a moment of =
rejuvenation for the city. The opening of the rail line was timed to =
coincide with a major spruce-up of downtown, complete with a fountain =
that flanks the tracks and sends water leaping high into the air each =
time a train approaches.=20
So far, 15 motorists have driven into the fountain.
None of the train-versus-car accidents have been fatal, and more =
than half have simply been fender benders, according to the Metropolitan =
Transit Authority's statistics.=20
Still, experts say that while it is hard to compare light rail =
lines - each has its own length and configuration - Houston's accident =
rate is extraordinarily high. Sacramento, by comparison, where that part =
of the light rail line that shares the street is about the same length =
as Houston's line, has had just four collisions this year.
The situation has quickly become part of Houston lore. At an =
annual sand castle competition this month, no fewer than 11 entries =
depicted trains and crashed cars, with titles like "Metrozilla" and =
"Weapons of Mass Destruction."=20
And residents are keeping score.
"I was No. 6,'' said Joseph D. Kittrell, a 64-year-old =
hairdresser who suffered a couple of broken ribs and whose Nissan truck =
was totaled when he turned left over the tracks while a train was =
coming. Mr. Kittrell, given a ticket for an illegal turn, said the =
signage was confusing.
"I wrote the mayor, I wrote The Houston Chronicle," he said. "I =
feel like I've been had by the city, and I don't think it's fair."
The train, which opened for business on Jan. 1, carries =
passengers from the new Reliant Park football stadium north through the =
Texas Medical Center complex, the museum district and downtown, where it =
cruises down the center of Main Street, past the baseball stadium, to =
the University of Houston's downtown campus. It is intended to be the =
spine of a much larger system to come, which voters approved by =
referendum in early November.
That was before they knew what it would be like to share their =
streets with a 99,000-pound train that travels at 40 miles an hour and =
is separated from cars only by little bumps known as traffic buttons. =
Many people now question the wisdom of the transit agency's decision to =
wedge the train into the streetscape instead of above or below ground, =
an option that could have increased costs tenfold.=20
Officials of the transit agency, known as Metro, do not come =
right out and say so, but their explanations for the accidents boil down =
to this: Houstonians are bad drivers. All the collisions, they say, can =
be attributed to driver error: illegal turns, failure to yield and =
disregard of signals.=20
There is plenty of support for that argument. The accident rate =
in greater Houston, train or no train, is well over double the national =
average, and it is particularly bad at the medical center. Last year the =
police issued 8,000 traffic citations along what has become the train's =
route.
"Unfortunately we lead the state in every conceivable type of =
crash," said Ned Levine, the transportation program coordinator for the =
Houston-Galveston Area Council, the region's planning group .
Thirty-nine percent of serious accidents here are caused by =
speeding, compared with 13 percent nationally, Dr. Levine said, adding, =
"I would call that aggressive driving.''
But the transportation agency's efforts to defend itself have =
not gone over well. "It's not just the media," said Frank J. Wilson, who =
became chief executive of Metro two months ago. "It's the general =
perception, people in the street, elected officials. They say: 'What's =
wrong with Metro? Why is it blaming these motorists?' As if it's a =
God-given right in Houston to run red lights."
It did not help matters that the first driver to collide with =
the train was a local television reporter.
To be fair to Houston drivers, they have had to master six new =
and complex traffic signs, including an icon that shows a train track, =
over which is superimposed a left-turn arrow, over which is a circle =
with a slash through it. The signs are symbols only, without words like =
"warning."
At the medical center, the train's path doubles as a left-turn =
lane. At other points, driveways exit right onto the tracks. In Mr. =
Kittrell's case, the traffic lights were green, but centered above them =
was a new signal forbidding a left turn.
"I said, 'Well, who's going to look up there when there's two =
green lights?' " he recalls telling the police.
Metro has since moved no-turn signals to make them more visible.
Some drivers complain that the train comes without the typical =
warnings.
"Are you from America?" Benny Delgadillo Sr. said indignantly. =
"I'm from America, 49 years. Here, you're taught as a kid that flashing =
lights, arms come down - train's coming."=20
Mr. Delgadillo admits, however, that he should not have turned =
left where he did, off Main Street. He made a common mistake: he and the =
train in the lane to his left were traveling in the same direction, so =
he did not see it when he made the turn.=20
"It's just even by the grace of God that I should be talking to =
you now, it hit me that hard," he said.
Metro has made numerous adjustments: changing and moving signs, =
adding flashing lights and more flashing lights. In February, it =
commissioned the Texas Transportation Institute, at Texas A&M =
University, to do an independent study. The study concluded that the =
route met national traffic standards, but suggested 161 "enhancements," =
many involving signals and their timing.=20
Since the agency began adopting those changes, the rate of =
accidents has been declining, and transit experts say it will continue =
to drop as Houston and the train grow accustomed to each other.
For now, safety engineers have determined that trains and cars =
are too hostile to even share an intersection. In the most =
accident-prone part of the route, red lights halt cars from all =
directions when a train is passing through, a signal pattern called =
"pre-emptive red."
Though Metro strongly disagrees, some drivers point to the =
improvements as evidence that the city was at first negligent.
Maria Lewis-Sterling, a 46-year-old nurse, says her car was not =
even moving when its license plate was torn off by a passing train. Her =
car was protruding into the roadway, though, and she was charged $450 =
for damage to the train. Her accident was the first of six at one =
intersection, which has since been given two rail crossing signs.
Ms. Lewis-Sterling said she had no hard feelings, and even rode =
the train to work this week. "Just give me my $450 back,'' she said, =
"and admit that you didn't do a perfect job.''
Metro's ridership is averaging 24,000 on weekdays and continues =
to increase. Now, in part because of continuing concern over the =
accidents, its board has asked the agency to re-examine the planned =
routes for the light rail expansion.=20
But besides cost considerations, Metro officials say, there are =
other reasons to build a train on street grade. It is more accessible =
and easier to use, and it fosters what Houston lacks: street-level =
development and pedestrian culture.=20
"I'm trying to decide what the balance is: safety versus =
accessibility, ease of mobility versus changing culture," said Mr. =
Wilson, Metro's chief. "Some people would say, 'If you do it again, =
would you do it the same way?' My guess is that after a lot of =
deliberation and hammering, we probably would."
=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, we now know what the IQ level is =
of the=20
average Houston driver, somewhere between a sack of rocks and a =
chocolate=20
bunny. How can someone miss seeing something twice the size of a =
Greyhound=20
bus, fountains, etc. ? Well, they are either - blind, blind drunk =
or blind=20
stupid --- as in..."I know thet fountain thang will git outta mah =
way. =20
Give me 'nother Bud, Billy." (Note clever juxtaposition of =
literary=20
reference? Shows I don't live in Houston. Shows other things =
too......)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>or "Mommy, mommy, are we going to push =
that train=20
out of our way?"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"Why do you think your father bought us =
an=20
Expedition, Muffy. Of course, we are. God is on our=20
side."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Un-f******g-believable!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I would like to know how many of these =
people had=20
Bush-Cheney stickers on their cars? Just curious. Mean, but=20
curious.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>wayne J</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dmichaele@HotPOP.com =
href=3D"mailto:michaele@HotPOP.com">Michael=20
Eisenstadt</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
title=3Daustin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net=20
=
href=3D"mailto:austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net">austin-ghetto-list@pairli=
st.net</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, June 25, 2004 =
6:51 AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> ATTN: Connie --light =
rail in=20
Houston -- from the NYTimes</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D"100%" border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop align=3Dleft><!-- ADXINFO =
classification=3D"logo_strips" =
campaign=3D"foxsearch50a-nyt5"--> June=20
25, 2004<NYT_HEADLINE type=3D" " version=3D"1.0">=20
<H2>Houston Finds Some Pain in Car-Rail=20
Coexistence</H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE type=3D" " =
version=3D"1.0"><FONT=20
size=3D-1><STRONG>By SHAILA K. =
DEWAN</STRONG></FONT><BR></NYT_BYLINE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 align=3Dright border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><NYT_TEXT>
<P><IMG height=3D34 alt=3DH=20
src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/h.gif" =
width=3D31=20
align=3Dleft border=3D0>OUSTON, June 18 - For a quarter-century, =
the debate=20
over whether Houston should have a light rail system pitted a =
vision of=20
environmentally friendly mass transit against the fossil-fueled =
love=20
affair between Houstonians and their cars.</P>
<P>Last year, when Houston finally got a rail line, the culture =
clash=20
became physical. Since testing began in November, the silvery=20
electric-powered train, which slides north and south along the =
street on=20
a 7.5-mile route, has collided with more than 40 cars.</P>
<P>The accidents have marred what was to be a moment of =
rejuvenation for=20
the city. The opening of the rail line was timed to coincide =
with a=20
major spruce-up of downtown, complete with a fountain that =
flanks the=20
tracks and sends water leaping high into the air each time a =
train=20
approaches. </P>
<P>So far, 15 motorists have driven into the fountain.</P>
<P>None of the train-versus-car accidents have been fatal, and =
more than=20
half have simply been fender benders, according to the =
Metropolitan=20
Transit Authority's statistics. </P>
<P>Still, experts say that while it is hard to compare light =
rail lines=20
- each has its own length and configuration - Houston's accident =
rate is=20
extraordinarily high. Sacramento, by comparison, where that part =
of the=20
light rail line that shares the street is about the same length =
as=20
Houston's line, has had just four collisions this year.</P>
<P>The situation has quickly become part of Houston lore. At an =
annual=20
sand castle competition this month, no fewer than 11 entries =
depicted=20
trains and crashed cars, with titles like "Metrozilla" and =
"Weapons of=20
Mass Destruction." </P>
<P>And residents are keeping score.</P>
<P>"I was No. 6,'' said Joseph D. Kittrell, a 64-year-old =
hairdresser=20
who suffered a couple of broken ribs and whose Nissan truck was =
totaled=20
when he turned left over the tracks while a train was coming. =
Mr.=20
Kittrell, given a ticket for an illegal turn, said the signage =
was=20
confusing.</P>
<P>"I wrote the mayor, I wrote The Houston Chronicle," he said. =
"I feel=20
like I've been had by the city, and I don't think it's =
fair."</P>
<P>The train, which opened for business on Jan. 1, carries =
passengers=20
from the new Reliant Park football stadium north through the =
Texas=20
Medical Center complex, the museum district and downtown, where =
it=20
cruises down the center of Main Street, past the baseball =
stadium, to=20
the University of Houston's downtown campus. It is intended to =
be the=20
spine of a much larger system to come, which voters approved by=20
referendum in early November.</P>
<P>That was before they knew what it would be like to share =
their=20
streets with a 99,000-pound train that travels at 40 miles an =
hour and=20
is separated from cars only by little bumps known as traffic =
buttons.=20
Many people now question the wisdom of the transit agency's =
decision to=20
wedge the train into the streetscape instead of above or below =
ground,=20
an option that could have increased costs tenfold. </P>
<P>Officials of the transit agency, known as Metro, do not come =
right=20
out and say so, but their explanations for the accidents boil =
down to=20
this: Houstonians are bad drivers. All the collisions, they say, =
can be=20
attributed to driver error: illegal turns, failure to yield and=20
disregard of signals. </P>
<P>There is plenty of support for that argument. The accident =
rate in=20
greater Houston, train or no train, is well over double the =
national=20
average, and it is particularly bad at the medical center. Last =
year the=20
police issued 8,000 traffic citations along what has become the =
train's=20
route.</P>
<P>"Unfortunately we lead the state in every conceivable type of =
crash,"=20
said Ned Levine, the transportation program coordinator for the=20
Houston-Galveston Area Council, the region's planning group =
.</P>
<P>Thirty-nine percent of serious accidents here are caused by =
speeding,=20
compared with 13 percent nationally, Dr. Levine said, adding, "I =
would=20
call that aggressive driving.''</P>
<P>But the transportation agency's efforts to defend itself have =
not=20
gone over well. "It's not just the media," said Frank J. Wilson, =
who=20
became chief executive of Metro two months ago. "It's the =
general=20
perception, people in the street, elected officials. They say: =
'What's=20
wrong with Metro? Why is it blaming these motorists?' As if it's =
a=20
God-given right in Houston to run red lights."</P>
<P>It did not help matters that the first driver to collide with =
the=20
train was a local television reporter.</P>
<P>To be fair to Houston drivers, they have had to master six =
new and=20
complex traffic signs, including an icon that shows a train =
track, over=20
which is superimposed a left-turn arrow, over which is a circle =
with a=20
slash through it. The signs are symbols only, without words like =
"warning."</P>
<P>At the medical center, the train's path doubles as a =
left-turn lane.=20
At other points, driveways exit right onto the tracks. In Mr. =
Kittrell's=20
case, the traffic lights were green, but centered above them was =
a new=20
signal forbidding a left turn.</P>
<P>"I said, 'Well, who's going to look up there when there's two =
green=20
lights?' " he recalls telling the police.</P>
<P>Metro has since moved no-turn signals to make them more =
visible.</P>
<P>Some drivers complain that the train comes without the =
typical=20
warnings.</P>
<P>"Are you from America?" Benny Delgadillo Sr. said =
indignantly. "I'm=20
from America, 49 years. Here, you're taught as a kid that =
flashing=20
lights, arms come down - train's coming." </P>
<P>Mr. Delgadillo admits, however, that he should not have =
turned left=20
where he did, off Main Street. He made a common mistake: he and =
the=20
train in the lane to his left were traveling in the same =
direction, so=20
he did not see it when he made the turn. </P>
<P>"It's just even by the grace of God that I should be talking =
to you=20
now, it hit me that hard," he said.</P>
<P>Metro has made numerous adjustments: changing and moving =
signs,=20
adding flashing lights and more flashing lights. In February, it =
commissioned the Texas Transportation Institute, at Texas =
A&M=20
University, to do an independent study. The study concluded that =
the=20
route met national traffic standards, but suggested 161 =
"enhancements,"=20
many involving signals and their timing. </P>
<P>Since the agency began adopting those changes, the rate of =
accidents=20
has been declining, and transit experts say it will continue to =
drop as=20
Houston and the train grow accustomed to each other.</P>
<P>For now, safety engineers have determined that trains and =
cars are=20
too hostile to even share an intersection. In the most =
accident-prone=20
part of the route, red lights halt cars from all directions when =
a train=20
is passing through, a signal pattern called "pre-emptive =
red."</P>
<P>Though Metro strongly disagrees, some drivers point to the=20
improvements as evidence that the city was at first =
negligent.</P>
<P>Maria Lewis-Sterling, a 46-year-old nurse, says her car was =
not even=20
moving when its license plate was torn off by a passing train. =
Her car=20
was protruding into the roadway, though, and she was charged =
$450 for=20
damage to the train. Her accident was the first of six at one=20
intersection, which has since been given two rail crossing =
signs.</P>
<P>Ms. Lewis-Sterling said she had no hard feelings, and even =
rode the=20
train to work this week. "Just give me my $450 back,'' she said, =
"and=20
admit that you didn't do a perfect job.''</P>
<P>Metro's ridership is averaging 24,000 on weekdays and =
continues to=20
increase. Now, in part because of continuing concern over the =
accidents,=20
its board has asked the agency to re-examine the planned routes =
for the=20
light rail expansion. </P>
<P>But besides cost considerations, Metro officials say, there =
are other=20
reasons to build a train on street grade. It is more accessible =
and=20
easier to use, and it fosters what Houston lacks: street-level=20
development and pedestrian culture. </P>
<P>"I'm trying to decide what the balance is: safety versus=20
accessibility, ease of mobility versus changing culture," said =
Mr.=20
Wilson, Metro's chief. "Some people would say, 'If you do it =
again,=20
would you do it the same way?' My guess is that after a lot of=20
deliberation and hammering, we probably=20
=
would."</P></NYT_TEXT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE=
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