What is wrong with Houston's METRORail?

This afternoon, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County's METRORail experienced another crash with its fellow METRO Bus in downtown Houston.  The problem with METRORail is their long track records of collisions with either private vehicles and fellow METRO Buses in the Greater Houston area since the system's inception in 2003 prior to Houston hosting Super Bowl XXXVIII.   In the system's inaugural year of 2004, there were 61 crashes and on April 15, 2006, is where one turned fatal.  Now what I'm wondering what in the hell is wrong with this particular system?  Houston is a very automobile-oriented city and this one of the last major cities to implement rail transit into their public infrastructure.  However, those cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte have all introduced light rail transit (LRT) in the 00s, but in the case of Houston their LRT has mixed traffic right-of-way.  Interestingly enough, other cities with mixed traffic right-of-way, METRORail has been one crash after another hence their fucked up reputation.  Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT), like most southern state transportation departments, seems to be so gung ho to continue to build roads over public transit.   So this doesn't bode well for the system when they are in the midst of planning and implementing a massive expansion by 2030 the plans are on the table to have 5-line regional LRT system servicing most areas withing the I-610 (Houston) beltway.  I want MTA of Harris County needs to get it together on this and fix this shit because Houston is in the league of Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington as gridlock cities when it comes to commutes, so PLEASE GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! 

MARTA is slashing a quarter of its service

As of  March 30, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will slash a funds for service due to a nearly $120M budget deficit in the Fiscal Year 2010 (sounds familiar?)...  For the second consecutive year in a row, the 1-cent sale tax revenues from Fulton and DeKalb counties have dropped drastically due to the deep recession.  The motion will force an entire restructuring of the entire system since nearly half of the systems buses routes will be affected.

MARTA could lose 66 of its 131 bus routes, or more than half. Bus routes could be dropped in some areas to make up for losses on other routes. Wait times for trains, which increased after last year's modest budget cuts, could stretch to 30 minutes on weekends before 7 a.m. and after 9 p.m.  Rush-hour train intervals could be 12 minutes.

The Georgia General Assembly doesn't seem to care per say in the interim since the only plan on the table is one working with the helping with transportation funding starting in 2012 and 2013.  However, the current users of MARTA will be suffering because this will constrict the service to what those in Birmingham deals with the MAX system of BJCTA.  SIGH! 

Both Birmingham and Atlanta lost out on their T.I.G.E.R. grant bids

On February 17th, the 2010 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant recipient list was announced, but Birmingham and Atlanta main transit projects weren't on the list.  The grant program is worth over $1.5 billion in funds to well over 50 different programs that will improve transportation infrastructure in various cities and regions across the nation.  However, the Norfolk-Southern received grant funds for their projects including a major hub in the Greater Birmingham area with the Crescent Corridor Intermodal Freight Rail Project with $244 million.  On the other hand, other regions in the South did receive some funds such as the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority did get $45 million for the Loyola Loop extension of their streetcar system and for the Union Passenger Terminal improvements, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) received $23 million for a downtown streetcar system in Dallas, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation received $48.4 million for the I-244 multimodal bridge replacement in Tulsa, and the National Capital Planning Commission received $58.8 million for priority bus system in the DC metro area.  Here is the link to the full final report from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The problems that plague both Birmingham and Atlanta were pretty much their respective state governments doesn't invest in transportation infrastructure outside of roads and bridges.  Although the In-Town Transit Partnership bus rapid transit system would cost $65 million and $6.5 million to operate annually, the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) failed to secure the grant most likely due to the lack of allocated funding sources from the state of Alabama and local governments.  The same can be said about the issues plaguing the Atlanta Beltline light rail and streetcar system.  The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), like ALDOT, doesn't allow any funds to go towards public transit, so the Atlanta Regional Commission along with the Friends of the Beltline and the City of Atlanta are vying for the project one their own.  This is the very likely cause for the failure of securing any of the T.I.G.E.R. funds. 

Since the recent loss, the RPCGB has promised to find an alternative source of secured funds to push the In-Town Transit Partnership forward from the drafting table.  Similar efforts have been announced with the officials associated with Atlanta's Beltline. 

All I can say to both entities is, GOOD LUCK.  Considering the economic environment we are in during these times, both cities will be lucky to fund their existing mass transit infrastructure without making massive cuts in service.  Sadly, the BJCTA of Greater Birmingham isn't seeing its best times already with it begging the city of Birmingham to provide them a much needed $9 million in funds to continue its service through the rest of fiscal year after March 30 (which is the 6 month point for FY 2010).  The jackal is about as idiotic as they come, so don't expect any real decisions coming from the mayor's office on the problems with the BJCTA.  Sadly, MARTA is facing a similar crisis with tax revenue slipping from both Fulton and DeKalb counties, and the fact that DeKalb County is facing a financial meltdown that could possibly lead to a layoff or furloughing of county employees (sounds like Jefferson County all over again...).

SAD! 

High Speed Rail in the South?

The Southern High Speed Rail Corridor has been a point of discussion through out the 1990s and 2000s, but nothing came of it considering Alabama nor Georgia openly funds public transit since both states have bans on using gax tax revenue towards such things.  However, North Carolina and Florida, ironically the only 2 "swing states" in the South, have both struck it big on the Obama administration's stimulus funds for high-speed rail in the South.  North Carolina will get some $545 million in federal funds to improve intrastate rail service among 30 other projects that involves commuter and regional rail between the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham).  Also the funds will allow quicker service from Charlotte to Washington, D.C., with the Amtrak Piedmont rail line.   Florida will get $1.25 billion in funds to mainly fund a commuter rail between the Tampa Bay area and Daytona Beach, including Greater Orlando.  Also a number of these funds can be used for the SunRail commuter rail system proposed for the Greater Orlando area.  

Georgia fumbled big time with it majority conservative and Republican General Assembly by only getting $750,000 in federal funds to study it for the state.  Whereas, Alabama is still trying to figure out how to put together the economic development and transportation puzzle with the Alabama Department of Economic Development (ADECA) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), both needs to merged into one agency like Louisiana where the transportation and development departments are one (LDOTD).  Alabama did get a few funds to do more studying of high-speed rail like Georgia.   Unfortunately, Birmingham and Atlanta will continue to suffer from sprawl and one-tract mindsets of their state leadership since both cities are limited in alternative forms of transportation aside from private automobile (although Metro Atlanta has MARTA, but it is limited to only Fulton and DeKalb counties with limited connections to bus systems in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton counties). 

The current rail service in the South, mainly the Deep South, is the Amtrak Crescent Line, that goes through Richmond, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Atlanta, Birmingham, and terminates in New Orleans.  The funds on the table that Alabama and Georgia would upgrade their service allowing a high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Atlanta within 45 minutes. 

This something leaders in these 2 states need to think about and stop being so damn shortsighted about since this portion of the country is increasingly becoming an urbanized belt.

UGH! Here we go again

In recent days, I seen so many incidents of stupidity it makes my head hurt.  OK, yesterday Ala. Gov. Bob Riley had a speech before the Birmingham Business Alliance where he proposed constructing an elevated toll road east of I-459 beltway to the Eagle Point Drive along U.S. 280.  Also the other portion of the proposal included a plan similar to what the officials in Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, and Homewood have recommended for the U.S. 280 corridor, which includes adding express lanes along with entrance and exit ramps while removing the traffic lights from intersections in between the Red Mountain Expressway and I-459 beltway.  Now, I don't have a problem with the idea of constructioning the roadway as planned in between the Red Mtn. Expy. and I-459, but the other portion is tacky and short-sighted at best.  If one thinks building things like Austin, Tampa are the way to go then they are in for a big surprise.

Most of us that knows that developmental patterns of cities is that building more roadway, i.e. an elevated tollway is a BAD IDEA.  The area would be better served by an extension of an the western portion of the plan with express lanes along with entrance and exit ramps at intersections would be much wiser.  This is similar to what ALDOT used along the Memorial Parkway (U.S. 231) corridor in South Huntsville.  The long-term plans should eventually include the usage of mass transit such as bus-rapid transit (BRT) such as that proposed to be used in the ITP which can be easely converted to light rail transit (LRT) at some point. 

OTHER FOOLISHNESS: The lack of foresight and what I dub as "retail segregation", i.e., chasing the majority white and affluent households.  That's what has happened to the majority of retail in the region, i.e., Eastwood Mall, Century Plaza, Roebuck Shopping Center, Five Points West, and now the Western Hills Mall area around Fairfield and Midfield.  The Sears store at Flintridge Centre is closing Januray 17th.  Although, nationally the Sears Holding Corp. has been struggling financially, it's borderline acrimonious how quick these retailer will close in majority black areas, but keep their locations in areas where they have a more a timeclock on their existence than anything else like, uh, Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. 

Now before anyone would argue with me it's more about economics than racial composition, I understand that, but there seems to be more a prevalence of the shuttering of retailers in prodominately black or Latino areas whereas others are quick to open in far flung areas like Shelby County, Trussville, and Hoover.  However, the retailers needs to realize that these areas have incomes to support retail regardless of who makes up the racial composition of the surrounding areas. 

FINALLY: A new report was released by the United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association, and Partnerships for Prevention yesterday.  It depicted Alabama once again at the bottom in rankings of the health survey at 48th. 

Challenges in Alabama include a high prevalence of obesity at 32.2 percent of the population, high levels of air pollution, a high percentage of children in poverty at 23.7 percent of persons under age 18, a high premature death rate with 10,116 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population, a high rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease at 358.8 deaths per 100,000 population and a high infant mortality rate at 9.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, the report noted.

Now everything isn't all bad for Alabama, but these things are very minuscule:

The report also said the rate of uninsured population declined from 13.6 percent to 11.9 percent in the past year and in the past five years, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 25.3 percent to 22.1 percent of the population.

Alabama has several strengths, the report said, including a low prevalence of binge drinking at 11.4 percent of the population, low geographic disparity within the state at 8.6 percent and high public health funding at $97 per person.

IMO, the stats weren't any better for Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi, or the majority of the South.  However, we are the fastest growing region in the nation with most states including Alabama posting  <4% growth of each state population in the past decade.  We gotta get it together on this front because we are killing ourselves slowly with this lack of sustainable, walkable communites, removal of physical education in schools, and the overusage of the private automobiles for short-distance and local travel.

More political grandstanding and bizarre things occuring

According to the news reports on Tuesday,  the Birmingham City Council has unstalled the project known as Birmingham Intermodal hub.  The Intermodal Hub is going to be the future home of the Birmingham Amtrak station, the Greyhound terminal, and the central station for the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) Metro Area Express (MAX) bus system.  There are also plans in place to make this a central hub of the In-Town Transit Partnership (ITP).

The federal funding in place wasn't signed off because the former mayor Larry Langford couldn't do anything sign he was indicted by the feds.  Now interim mayor Smitherman has signed off on this project so it can begin next year. Smitherman is hoping to get some brownie points from us transit advocates come December 8th.  Sorry, sister girl but it's not going to work because we still stuck on how you cosigned on Langford's bullshit. 

IN OTHER NEWS:  An unknown state legislature in the Alabama House of Representatives named DuWayne Bridges (R-Valley) has pre-filed a state amendment that would ban any public funded agency from allowing domestic benefits of its employees including those with same-sex partners.  Yeah, this asshole is trying to force UAB, and the other schools in the University of Alabama system to drop their new policy or plans to allow benefits for same-sex couples.  This douchebag is doing the regular ol' political grandstanding, but yet his district is extreme east Alabama including Chambers and portions of Lee counties.  In other words, he has more to do with Auburn University than the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  This another reason why I get so pissed at rural white Southerners and Alabamians because a number of them doesn't want to mind their own business and let Birmingham do what it do.  Instead, they want to ensure UAB doesn't recruit top talent regardless of what their sexual orientation.   When it comes down to it every little thing counts to these people since they can go to any other major research university in the nation and they already have their suspicious about Alabama, but thanks to an ass like Bridges it will just reaffirm them rather than defy them.  UGH!

BJCTA gives the service in Hoover a 30-day extension

Since the city of Hoover didn't officially send their invoice terminating the bus service of MAX on October 30th the BJCTA will give this additional 30 days until the service ceases.  The BJCTA can legally allow the bus service to continue in Hoover through November 30th. 

The Hoover City Council transferred the decision making power of the mayor, Tony Petelos, which he did and terminated the service.  Hoover refused to allocate an additional $60,000 to fulfill its financial obligation to the BJCTA on October 20th.  Since then they've received requests from 15 residents for assistance in finding alternative modes of transportation, and of these 15 some were of special needs and disabilities. 

It's a damn shame and the only people who are going to pay for this is going to be those without any other modes of transportation and the disabled.  What so sad is that these people depended on MAX to get from point A to point B which included doctors' appointments, grocery shopping, etc.  Hoover and their elitist mentality is the reason why I don't care for the whining and pleads of individuals in the suburbs complaining about how their communities are going down because of the demographic changes from homogeneity white to a more diverse populous.  Hoover is going down fast and they just don't see it, but they think killing the bus service to its area will stop this when in reality it's going to accelerate. 

Since this decision, I've decided to boycott anything in Hoover including Riverchase Galleria.  I'm not going to support this foolishness.

Hoover and Vestavia Hills did it! They have essentially killed any hope for regional transit...

Last night at after the special hearing of the Hoover City Council, they decided to vote to end funding mass transit service, which will end the Metro Area Express (MAX) U.S. Highway 31 (Montgomery Highway) route at the end of the month.  This is after the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) informed them last September that more funding was needed to maintain adequate access to the system due to the economic crunch..  Hoover decided to operate the majority of fiscal year 2009 without a budget and didn't pass one until July, but didn't allocate the full $110,000 needed to operate the system in the city.  Instead they only allocated a partial payment of $50,000, and the BJCTA was will to accept this and cover the other $60,000.  However, last night the Hoover City Council decides to just flat out reject the partial payments altogether with another resolution alluding to "low ridership" as the cause. 

City Council members voted Monday night based on Councilman Brian Skelton's motion to give Mayor Tony Petelos the authority to negotiate a final settlement with MAX and to terminate service.

This move will impact not only regular transit routes in Hoover, but also paratransit, which assists those with disabilities ability to be mobile throughout the area.  It's another sign why regional cooperation amongst the region's governments is so shitty and hasn't gone anywhere.  Also reaffirming why Tony Petelos isn't a "regional leader" as so many Hooverites want to proclaim he is because any true "leader" would realize that sticking it out through the tough times and funding a very much needed assess like mass transit will help the municipality in the long run.  As I reiterated a few weeks ago, it' obvious that Hoover is going broke and fast because their main revenue source is retail and due to the recession also that the place lack any original ideas to move their municipality forward. 

Vestavia Hills isn't too far behind since they have opted to have hearing calling for the reduction of service in their municipality as well.  They want to reduce the amount of payments for the bus service in the city. 
Also it goes to show those with a critical yet intuitive mentality that Hoover and Vestavia Hills doesn't give a damn about the lower-income residents of the region that can't afford private transportation.  I felt this one comment on the the blogs on the Birmingham News site: 

It is interesting to compare past comments and sentiments to this story.
All of them need to just get a job.

I started at the bottom and had to work my way up.

If it weren't for illegal immigrants Americans would have entry level jobs.

All they ever want is a handout.
And the list goes on. It's amazing to see the kinds of comments when there is an article that primary deals with the black or Hispanic/Latino population, whether it's the politicians, ministers, workers, criminals getting two, three, four, five, six plus pages of comments but when there is an article that solely deals with the white population dealing with the same subjects, for the most part, you get four to ten comments at the most.
Sometimes the bigger picture gives us more insight than the snap shot of a situation.

I try to stay as non-bias as possible when it comes to this, but this shows how classism, racial bias, and poor leadership all converge on one issue at hand as to why Greater Birmingham has so many issues.  It's embarrassing how prejudice and callous so many choose to be towards the working class who are better themselves. 

It's not entirely race-motivated, but it does color a lot of issues vis a vis Bham. It's also the reason why the Birmingham metro area will never progress to the level of Atlanta or any other major city of importance. At least not until the city and suburb governments and both white and black residents put an end to the low-level civil warfare.
Birmingham's weighed down with an unbelievable amount of racial baggage. Everything here as a racial undercurrent. Whites either stay cloistered in the trendy downtown areas or they book it OTM as fast as they can. Blacks feel content to run down their own areas out of sheer apathy and attack whites for attacking their governments and neighborhoods. Nearly all of the governing authorities display a requisite amount of incompetence and corruption in any title they hold. This area is just screwed any which way you look.

Now, I don't agree 100% of this quote because Atlanta is far from a racial harmonious oasis in the South, but this person who posted this comment has a valid point about Greater Birmingham's underlying "civil warfare" between the city and its suburbs.  That's why I believe racebaiting officials like Langford, Frank Matthews, Tony Petelos, Gene Melton, etc. need to be voted out of office because there is always this "us versus them" mentality that is impeding growth and progress of this region.
This why I hope Birmingham can land the TIGER grant so it can start the In-Town Transit Partnership (ITP), so it can start a citywide comprehensive mass transit system including an improved bus system, bus-rapid transit (BRT) for the City Center, and frequent connector routes.   It will show places like Hoover, Vestavia Hills, etc. that opting out of regional transportation infrastructure.  However, in the long run they will regret their shortsighted decision on this issue.

Possible Cuts in MAX is coming, but the In-Town Transit Partnership is coming

Hoover announced after 2 public hearing Tuesday and Wednesday that it's going to cut or  reduce the Metro Area Express (MAX) of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA). 

With sales tax and other revenue down, Hoover trimmed its 2009 budget and anticipates a leaner budget for fiscal year 2010. The city is proposing to provide $50,000 for transit for 2010, mirroring 2009. The authority, also known as MAX, sought $119,155.

Since the BJCTA is funded by the cooperation of municipalities rather than an adequate funding source from the State of Alabama like most states (except Georgia).

On the other hand, there is some positive news in improving public transit in Greater Birmingham with the In-Town Transit Partnership (ITP).  The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) has applied for the Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant that would provide 100% funding without a local match for improving the public transit within the City of Birmingham.  The project would be projected to beginning of operation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along with its feeder routes would be 2012.