Texas Transit Association

Houston Metro reported that public transportation cuts the time spent stuck in traffic by an estimated 21,607,000 hours per year in Houston. The news came in a new study released today by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) showing traffic congestion in Houston ranks among the worst in the nation.

TTI’s Ubran Mobility Study, the longest running independent analysis of traffic in 85 U.S. metropolitan areas, has been conducted annually since 1982. This year’s study reports that without transit, local traffic delays would have increased by 17.5 percent, costing residents an additional $381 million in lost time and fuel.
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Harris County Commissioners Court, warming further to the idea of mass transit, was expected to approve a $420,000 contract to review six more corridors for commuter rail. However, in the second news article included here, others on the court had concerns on timing and partnerships.
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The Propane Education and Research Council presented VIA Metropolitan Transit with the organization’s Propane Exceptional Energy Fleet award at the National Clean Cities Conference and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale.
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Keith Crim’s job looks routine. It’s not, he said. A driver for CityLink, Abilene’s public bus system, Crim said his job is more involved than ‘’sitting behind a wheel and driving around.'’ Driving a city bus involves more multitasking and problem-solving than people might assume, he said - especially if the driver provides curbside service, as he does.

Crim, 51, operates CityLink’s smaller buses to transport the elderly, people with disabilities, and others who have trouble getting to a bus stop. In February, he was named CityLink’s 2003 Operator of the Year. He won it through the evaluations of co-workers, supervisors and passengers, said his supervisor, Penny Pogrant.
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If Fort Worth can put up half the money to build and operate a commuter rail line to Dallas, then San Antonio can pitch in to develop similar service to Austin, local business leaders said. “And we can probably do it better,” said Michael Novak, chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
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The city of Brownsville will ask the state transportation department for $3.8 million to help build a planned bus station. The grant would help fund a $9.1 million multimodal transportation terminal in the city.
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