Comments Due Today, October 26 in Support of HOV Lanes for Transit on US290 in Houston

TXDOT completely rebuilt a major transportation corridor, US290 in Houston, with zero improvements for transit, because of the intense flaws and inequities in the Texas transportation funding and decision making system, even though TXDOT staff publicly spoke about the need to add HOV capacity and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Transportation Transition Team specifically called for TXDOT, the City, and Metro to figure out how to add transit capacity there.

Luckily, TXDOT staff have figured out how to make reasonable transit improvements within the constrained, inefficient policies they have been handed by our legislature. Public comments are due today in support of the idea of using the inside lane going the opposite direction of the bulk of traffic during peak hours, resulting in the ability to run buses quickly both directions.

Robin Holzer has been tweeting about this. Here is the official TXDOT information page.

Please send your comments before midnight tonight by email to hou-piowebmail@txdot.gov and include this in the subject “RE: CSJ: 0050-09-069, etc.” Here is some draft language to help you write your own email:

RE: CSJ: 0050-09-069, etc.

I am writing today to support the proposal to upgrade the inside lanes on US 290 in Houston to allow for improved HOV and transit service during peak hours. Please do all that you can to maximize the public investment in this corridor and allow more throughput of people by optimizing safe, multimodal transportation, like the bus.

We are in desperate need of substantially greater investments by the Texas Department of Transportation in transit improvements, and this kind of smart upgrade to existing facilities is an excellent way to provide more service to more Texans. Please quickly study and replicate these improvements across the state as quickly as possible.

Thank you for all that you do to end the traffic death crisis across Texas and for these proposed improvements that will allow reasonable safe, multimodal options.

Sincerely,

John Doe