North Houston Association members caught a glimpse of Houston’s transportation future at the Association’s Business Issues & Resources Committee meeting on June 29. METRO’s President and CEO, Shirley De Libero, conveyed her vision of the region’s transportation options for the coming years, which includes light rail as a component. The first Iight rail segment, which connects downtown and the medical center, is currently under construction.
According to DeLibero, the light rail route will result in the elimination of 1,200 buses and will carry 8,000 passengers per hour in each direction. She estimates the economic impact to the corridor will be anywhere between 500 million and one billion dollars. “Light rail is not for everywhere (in the city), but it is another tool to use in congestion mitigation,” said DeLibero.
DeLibero said she hears the same arguments against rail in Houston that she previously heard in Dallas, including concerns about lack of density a nd ride rs hip. “Look at Dallas now. They are successful,” she said. METRO chose the location of the initial line as part of a long-term strategy.
“When you build a rail system, you do it from the inside out. Yo u have to have a connectors. You don’t build the line and jus t drop people,” said DeLibero. DeLibero predicts Houstonians will warm up to the rail idea once they have the opportunity to experience it, and will support the addition of lines that connect to the initial corridor.
“I’ve only seen one system build without adding an extension, and that was in Buffalo, New York,” she said. DeLibero addressed the controversy over a public referendum for this initial corridor. “We were that because we weren’t incurring any debt, we couldn’t have a referendum,” she said. However, Senator Jon Lindsay say, who was present at the meeting, said this was changed during the 77th Texas Legislative Session.
DeLibero plans to go to voters in 2004 , once a total system plan, including costs and duration, is developed. Meanwhile, METRO is currently analyzing four corridors to determine the best transportation solutions, including Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Hardy. DeLibero noted that all studies are mode- neutral, meaning that all alternatives, including rail and HOV lanes, will be considered.
