Rad Sallee points me to this interesting website that makes the case for the Universities line to be built on Westheimer instead of Richmond or Westpark. I'm not sure what the point is of bringing out such a website this late in the game - the DEIS did not take a Westheimer alignment into consideration, which seems a fairly compelling argument against - but let's see what there is to say.
Westheimer is already a poor route for cars, especially where it is only one lane wide due to parking in front of the businesses between Woodhead and Mandell
Lightrail is best suited for commercial districts such as Westheimer, not less-dense areas such as Richmond or Westpark, or quiet residential neighborhoods like Wheeler[...]
Richmond advocates say Richmond is where the people are but the density of local commerce is much greater on Westheimer
Approval for federal funding hinges upon METRO's ability to present a cost-effective investment. That means the corridor selected will need to yield the highest ridership possible for the dollars invested, and this is achieved only with a direct line through the Galleria area[...]
Traffic around the Galleria is hectic, and getting through the Galleria area on Westheimer will only get worse
Greenway Plaza is much better served by a regional rail line since many people are commuting from long distances (Katy, Woodlands, Kingwood) not connected by the University Corridor
New highrises are currently being constructed on Westheimer at Kirby. The people in these condos may prefer rail to driving, especially if they are elderly
You get the idea. I'm obviously not convinced by these arguments, but maybe you will be. Not that it will matter, since Westheimer isn't on the table, but there you have it regardless.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 18, 2007 to Planes, Trains, and AutomobilesOne option for Westheimer, regardless of any rail considerations, would be to make it one-way through Montrose, which I believe has been considered briefly in the past. The biggest problem with such a configuration would be choosing which street to run in the opposite direction.
Personally, I think making Westheimer one-way will be the only option we have for future mobility unless we do away with on-street parking and build a parking garage somewhere. A City sponsored parking garage would be a great asset to the Westheimer area and would solve a lot of mobility problems in the area.
Posted by: Ags Win on September 18, 2007 11:39 AMWe did a quick look at a possible Westheimer alignment when this website came out and found that Westheimer has about the same density as Richmond, but definitely not more as is claimed on the website. With the same amount of stations along Westheimer, it actually comes out to almost exactly the same amount of jobs and population within a quarter mile of the stations.
I agree that some day there should be fast transit on Westheimer, but right now we have an opportunity to move forward with a necessary and efficient line on Richmond.
Posted by: Jay on September 18, 2007 11:46 AM