Texas Transit Association

Area leaders consider options in conjunction with Houston Metro.

July 20, 2003, Rosenberg Herald-Coaster
TRANSPORTATION TRENDS CHANGING IN COUNTY

By STEPHEN PALKOT - Past trends of travel from Fort Bend County to workplaces in Houston are reversing as the county grows and job opportunities increase in the area, say experts at a meeting Thursday night.

“Now we’re starting to see Fort Bend become a major work place,” said Alan Clark with the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
“Suburban-to-suburban travel is becoming the dominant pattern in our region.”

Houston-Galveston Area Council officials Thursday met with area leaders to discuss the needs of Fort Bend County as they apply to the HGAC’s 2025 Regional Transportation Plan.

The crowd consisted almost entirely of elected officials and government employees, including County Judge Bob Herbert, Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, and a number of mayors and city council members.

Clark, the Metropolitan Planning Organization Director of the Transportation Department of HGAC, emphasized the ballooning population of Fort Bend County and the potential traffic problems for the H-GAC region.

“We are not back yet to the level of congestion we experienced in the late ’70s, early ’80s, but are getting to that,” he said.

Fort Bend County’s transportation plan includes the Grand Parkway and other toll road proposals and plans to build and expand major thoroughfares. But Clark says the plan may not be sufficient.

“But we need a lot more on the principal arterials and much, much more on the thoroughfare system,” he said.

Mass transit options are being researched and Clark said the H-GAC is discussing with METRO and other agencies the possibility of a commuter rail along U.S. 90A.

“It’s going to be important because as we continue to grow we’ll see the emergence of more and more long distance trips and the use of other modes like commuter rail or light rail have become more practical, more doable,” he said.

Clark also stressed the importance of increasing safety for drivers, improving access to all areas of Fort Bend County and the importance of having transportation options for residents.

Rosenberg Mayor Joe Gurecky inquired about the future of the proposed highway Interstate 69 along what is now U.S. 59, to which Clark responded that the status of the project is uncertain due to considerations with Gov Rick Perry’s proposed Trans Texas Corridor.

Katy Assistant City Administrator Cindy McNab said she would like to see a mass transit system.

Dale Rudick, city engineer for Sugar Land, expressed concerns that the agencies involved in Fort Bend County’s transportation may not get the funding they desire.

“If you’re not aggressive up front, you’re not going to get the money in the long run,” he said.

Several attendees, including Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcela, proposed more toll roads as a solution to the funding problem.

“The money is going to have to come from somewhere,” he said. “You have to pay for what you’re getting.”

Amongst the ideas discussed was the possibility of High Occupancy Toll roads, which would charge drivers traveling alone. Clark called the proposal a “win-win” situation because it could generate revenue and provide an incentive for traffic and pollution reducing car pools.
“To me, it just makes a lot of sense,” he said.