TxDOT Does Not Get to Dictate Our Vision for Houston
We need you in our advocacy efforts January 23-February 3! The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is nearing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), or the I-45 expansion. The state agency recently released updated technical reports, which are open for public comment [...]
No Such Thing as Free
Transit agencies around the country are implementing free fare policies in hopes of boosting ridership on their systems. In Houston – one of two cities across the U.S. with a steady growth of transit riders – a few individuals recently called for METRO to join the trend of offering free fares, stating that such [...]
Housing and Transportation Costs Rise in Houston
A recent study by Citizens Budget Commission using data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that Houston is currently less affordable than New York City when transportation costs are factored into overall housing costs. The notion that Houston is becoming less affordable is not new. According to the Center for Neighborhood Technology , transportation costs in [...]
Celebrate Transit Equity Day
On February 4, we invite you to ride public transit somewhere you need to go, take a picture along your journey, and share it on social media using #TransitEquityDay. The Labor Network for Sustainability will once again lead Transit Equity Day to raise awareness of public transit as a civil right and a way to help [...]
The Nexus of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing and “Good” Transit
LINK Houston is teaming up with the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research to study where naturally occurring affordable housing and high-quality transit coincide in Houston. The project will highlight how housing and transportation access affordability are related and produce practical tools to help housing stakeholders and individuals make well-informed decisions about their [...]
Community Members Ask METRO Board to Prioritize Equity in METRONext Implementation
Houston-area residents joined LINK Houston for the November 21 METRO Board meeting to congratulate the transit agency on the successful bond referendum and urge METRO to prioritize improvements that adhere to METRO’s public commitments to equity. Community members representing Gulfton, Eastex-Jensen, Kashmere and Houston Trinity Gardens, and the Living Hope Wheelchair Association asked METRO [...]
LINK Houston in the News
Metro unlikely to eliminate fares after analysis finds increased costs
Free fares appear to be a hard sell for Houston area transit officials, who said while they are open to exploring discounts, people boarding buses and trains will need to fork over $1.25 for the foreseeable future. After a comprehensive analysis by Metropolitan [...]
Would Free Transit Incentivize More Riders? METRO Gathers Input On Whether To Stop Collecting Fares
Transit agencies around the country, including in Houston, are considering whether to cut or reduce their transit fares. If you ride a local METRO bus in Harris County it will most likely cost you $1.25, though there are also half-priced fares for students, [...]
Road deaths rise in Houston region, despite new efforts to end fatalities
Despite stepped-up efforts to reduce fatalities on Houston-area roads, 2019 remained a deadly year for drivers, passengers and other road users. The number of lives lost on roads and highways appears likely to exceed the number of deaths from 2018 in Greater Houston, [...]
A safer intersection is finally being built but change across the city is too slow? [Opinion]
In early 2016, I crossed the intersection of Fannin, Main and Sunset with my mother, Marj Corcoran, who taught physics at Rice for over 35 years and used that crosswalk hundreds of times. She told me that day how scared crossing there as [...]
Voters backed Metro. Now the agency must get to work. [Editorial]
In an election where most major races headed to run-offs, the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s bond referendum was a clear winner. Voters overwhelmingly approving a proposal that will allow Metro to borrow up to $3.5 billion to help fund bus and rail projects over [...]
Bond Voyage! Houston Faces $3.5B Transit Decision
Voters in Houston can upgrade their transit system without a tax increase in a new $3.5 billion ballot measure this fall. Houston has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize its transit system this fall — and the city hopes to learn from Nashville’s mistakes. [...]