Tag Archives: parking

How much downtown parking do we need?

I don’t know the answer to that, but this is how much we have. Downtown Houston dedicates more than a quarter of its land to parking spaces, surpassing the percentages in most major U.S. cities, a new report shows. A photo from … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“More Space: Main Street” permanently extended

A good outcome for a good idea. Houston will close down traffic on seven blocks of Main Street permanently to allow businesses to maintain outdoor seating spaces initially established during the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to expand the concept to other commercial strips in … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “More Space: Main Street” permanently extended

Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

I like the idea. It will need some careful thought and planning, but the idea seems to be on the right track to me. The Metropolitan Transit Authority spent decades developing a network of parking lots where drivers could leave … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

More eating outdoors downtown

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More eating outdoors downtown

Eating on the street

This makes a lot of sense. Main Street bar owners are expected to take to the streets now that the city has given them the OK. City Council on Wednesday approved, after some delay, plans for the More Space Main … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Don’t park in a bike lane

It’s illegal now, and you will get a citation. Houston city council on Wednesday made it illegal to park in or otherwise block the city’s expanding network of bike lanes, a long-sought change by cyclists fed up with dodging cars … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

In which Houston becomes more walkable

It’s a start. On 19th Street, one of Houston’s most enduring strips of shops and restaurants, there is a vacant lot tucked between two stores, about a block from the landmark “Heights” sign. When developers recently expressed interest in putting … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Restaurants may get to use parking lot space for dining

I like this idea. Restaurants in Houston, currently limited by 50% indoor capacity limits, may soon be able to serve diners in parking lots to accommodate more guests. Pending a vote by the Houston City Council, a “More Spaces” plan … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Restaurants may get to use parking lot space for dining

Biking and breweries

Actually, this makes perfect sense. This started off in the gray area between a good idea and a bad one. Two years ago, Jason Buhlman and Brian Kondrach got about 30 of their friends together for an afternoon of two-wheel … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paying to park at Memorial Park

Let the pearl-clutching begin! A quarter of the parking spaces at Memorial Park will be metered starting later this year, as the city and the park’s nonprofit operators scrape together dollars for maintenance amid an ambitious renovation. Visitors who park … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Zipcar parking arrangement approved

Good. The City Council on Wednesday said companies can start immediately applying for agreements with the city that allow them to use on-street parking spaces so vehicles are visible and easily available to users. Companies such as Zipcar allow people … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Zipcar parking arrangement approved

Zipcars and parking

Let’s sort this out. A plan to allow more on-street parking spaces for cars Houstonians could rent by the hour hit a bump Wednesday, when city council members balked at moving beyond the pilot program they approved nearly two years … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Can we share these lanes?

Metro is rethinking how the light rail lines run in parts of downtown. Traffic woes and collisions along the newest light-rail lines in downtown have Metro leaders toying with the idea of backpedaling on their promise not to close parts … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Complete Transportation Guide To Super Bowl LI

For which the tl;dr version is don’t drive in or near downtown if you can at all help it. More than 1 million people are expected to converge on downtown Houston during the week leading up to Super Bowl LI … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Complete Transportation Guide To Super Bowl LI

Take transit to the game

If you can, you should. The transformation of downtown from a work place that empties after dark to a true community is finally underway in earnest, with residents, retail shops, and restaurants that remain open long after the lunch rush. … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New parking meters coming

No more paper receipts to clutter up your dashboard. Some things about street parking in downtown Houston are unlikely to change: It will always require a keen eye for available spots and the courage and skill to wedge your car … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What’s coming to the Yale Street post office location

Some more news from my neighborhood. A Houston developer plans to replace a shuttered U.S. Postal Service building in the Heights with a two-story mixed-use development with space for offices, shops and restaurants. MFT Interests last month scooped up the … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Allen Parkway 2.0

Changes are a-comin’. Lane closings are scheduled to start soon along Allen Parkway – slowing traffic – so workers can complete a redesign of the road – meant to slow traffic. The long-planned overhaul, which will add parking along Buffalo … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Allen Parkway 2.0

From the “Good problems to have” department

Metro will have a few million dollars left over when it is done building the remaining light rail lines. After more than three years of construction, Metro officials estimate $39.9 million of the $900 million awarded by the Federal Transit … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Making open data better

Some positive news. Houston leaders in the last year or so have cheered the promise of “civic hacking,” pushing to make the mountains of data the city collects accessible to tech enthusiasts capable of building programs to help citizens better … Continue reading

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Making open data better

The downside to downtown’s boom

More traffic, less parking, and lots of construction. Where have we heard those complaints before? Construction crews are clearing city blocks once dedicated to surface parking, readying the sites for multistory office buildings, hotels and residential towers. Adjacent sidewalks and … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It takes time to park, too

The Atlantic Cities had an article a couple of weeks ago about light rail in Houston. It’s an overview written for people who aren’t from Houston, so other than the extremely high opinion of themselves of some rail opponents – … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Enabling bike parking at restaurants

Good to see this effort is making progress. It has taken some time, but a community effort to add bike racks in the Heights is seeing results. Heights resident Mitch Cohen has placed two racks along 19th Street this year … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Enabling bike parking at restaurants

Medical Center mobility

The problems they face today pale in comparison to the problems they will face in the future. Already the world’s largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center is poised to get much bigger, prompting a raft of ideas ranging from … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Park and Ride parking

I have no problem with this. Park and ride buses are among the cheapest options for suburban commuters who work downtown, in part because Metro provides free parking. But just as new highways increasingly require drivers to pay tolls, officials … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Park and Ride parking

Good news and bad news on the Washington Avenue parking benefit district

As you may recall, a bit more than a year ago Council approved a plan to create a “parking benefit district” for the Washington Avenue corridor, which is a fancy way of saying they approved the installation of parking meters … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas cities embracing bicycles

It’s a good thing. In Fort Worth, the mayor hosts occasional bicycle rides called “Rolling Town Halls.” The Dallas City Council could may soon require new businesses to set aside space for bicycle parking. Over in El Paso, officials are … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas cities embracing bicycles

Parking Panda

Interesting Parking Panda, an online parking reservation system, launches Tuesday in Houston and Dallas. The site’s already up and running, taking reservations for lots around many area venues, including Minute Maid Park, Reliant Stadium and the Toyota Center. The concept … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Parking Panda

Chron wonders where B-Cycle is going

Last week in an unsigned editorial, the Chron asked a provocative question about B-Cycle. Are bicycle rental programs supposed to be legitimate transportation or merely toys for urban bohemians? New York Times writer Ginia Bellafante revealed Friday that her city’s … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Making downtown parking easier

Makes sense. In downtown Houston, there are about 3,200 parking spaces on the street – and a whopping 5,800 signs drivers must decipher to use them without getting towed or ticketed. Aiming to fix this “confusing mishmash of signs,” as … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Making downtown parking easier

The Washington Avenue parking benefit district is now operational

From CultureMap: It took a while, but nearly five months after Houston City Council approved the first citywide Parking Benefit District for the Washington Avenue corridor, the meters started charging at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. The City of Houston’s Administration and Regulatory … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Washington Avenue parking benefit district is now operational

Why we need flexibility in our parking regulations

Here’s the story of Coltivare. As many of you know, we are in the process of opening Coltivare, our interpretation of an Italian-inspired, American, neighborhood restaurant, at the corner of White Oak and Arlington Streets. Undoubtedly, one of the most … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another reason why bike parking matters

This comment of the day on Swamplot points out a salient fact about bike parking. In all honesty, I only ride my bike for fun with the family on the weekends. However, after a couple of very frustrating attempts to … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another reason why bike parking matters

Who says you can’t park there?

This story about parking in Houston is kind of fluffy, but this was something I didn’t know: Smaller developments like strip centers along frontage roads are moving away from dedicating parking to certain tenants, Hernandez said, realizing that opening spaces … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , | 3 Comments