Five Ideas for the Future of Houston Transit

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

1 minute read

July 21, 2016, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Houston Metro Bus

Roy Luck / Flickr

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.

Monday, July 18, 2016 in The Urban Edge

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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