Raj Mankad is a Chron editorial board member and a neighbor of mine, who once took public transit from Houston to Galveston to prove it could be done. He has now taken to the op-ed pages in favor of not shelving the Universities line.
What was promised…
Problem is, the most compelling reason to make big investments in transit is to connect people to jobs. That means going where the action is. But that action is in bustling, perhaps already congested areas that might not welcome the disruption of a massive rail project. Even if construction is temporary and the outcome will be beneficial, the messiness in between is a hard sell. Protests are inevitable.
Without the University Line, Metro built a network with arms and legs but no spine. Finally, in 2019, it looked like the agency was closing in on delivering a complete system. The Silver Line in Uptown, which was funded in large part by the Uptown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, was under construction. And in November, a two-thirds majority of voters once again approved a $3.5 billion Metro bond that included the University Line.
So what justification does the Metro board, which has several new members appointed by Mayor John Whitmire, have for shelving plans backed directly and overwhelmingly by voters?
The soaring costs, they say, would risk the agency not being able to cover its operating budget. Plus, the ridership for the Silver Line bus rapid transit is nowhere close to what was projected. If treated as a proof of concept for the University Line, it looks like a colossal failure. The Uptown TIRZ, one of the many entities that divert property taxes from the city’s general fund, poured millions into lining the dedicated bus lanes with fresh sidewalks, street lamps and oak trees. It’s gorgeous, but Houston’s first foray into what’s normally a low-cost transit solution is an easy punching bag for transit skeptics. Look at this $200 million boondoggle that no one rides!
Well, I ride it. The Silver Line happens to end near the Houston Chronicle office. And the fact is, if it were connected better to a network, as originally planned, more people would use it. The experience is so smooth I can easily read the paper or doze off, which is next to impossible on the skull-rattling No. 25 bus down Richmond Avenue.
For Houstonians who have been here longer than I have, the decision by Whitmire and Metro is likely reminiscent of former Mayor Bob Lanier’s abandonment of rail plans in the 1990s in favor of putting more funds into street repairs and public safety. Those rail plans were also backed by voters.
See here and here for some previous blogging on this. I have mentioned the Bob Lanier kibosh of an even earlier rail plan, but I hadn’t really thought of it as another Universities line. However you look at it, we could have had a functioning east-west spine to the transit network a long time ago if it hadn’t been for the persistent and shockingly successful efforts by transit foes to keep killing every project the voters approved. Mankad also calls for at least moving forward with the Wheeler-to-Westchase portion of this line. We’ll see later this week if Metro has been listening.
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