The new board chair of Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County recently shared her ideas for the future of the transit agency.

Ryan Holleywell sends a dispatch from a roundtable discussion with Houston the new board chair of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), Carrin Patman.
According to Holleywell, Patman laid out five big ideas for METRO, namely:
- The development of a regional transit plan for the Houston area.
- Fixing sidewalks and bus stops to help boost ridership.
- Connecting light rail to Hobby Airport.
Those ideas and two more are described in more detail in the article. Interestingly, Patman shares some light criticism of the highly regarded "re-imagining" of the METRO bus system, saying that some residents were left behind by the new system's focus on frequency, rather than coverage.
Hat tip to Angie Schmitt for sharing the article, and for noting Patman's focus on improving sidewalks and bus stops.
FULL STORY: Houston METRO Chair Shares Five Big Ideas for System’s Future

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