Metro Finally Acts

Well, after years and years of “planning” and wasted time, Metro has finally taken a major step to improve the transit infrastructure here in Houston. It is, in my mind, a welcome move and long over due.

That being said, the University Line still sits in limbo. Sadly, it seems that no one wants to make a decision on this vitality important line connecting the two most densely populated commercial areas of Houston, downtown and uptown. It is simply unacceptable that Metro has been so slow to move.

I realize that Representative Culberson has been a vocal and unwelcome hindrance to the line and to urban transit issues in general here. He, of course, has no problem with massive highways to the suburbs but his party has been out of power since 2006. A member from a minority party in the House of Representatives is essentially powerless and yet Metro has still been dithering. If other local representatives (and here I am mainly focusing on Democratic representatives) had any political skill and clout in Washington, they could push this through. The fact that they haven’t is testament to their weakness and, frankly, the region’s weakness in Washington in general. We are the 4th biggest city in the country and yet we are treated, in many ways, like a sleepy country town. This is a shame.

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Update 03/06/2009 9:30am

According to this morning's story in the Chronicle, it seems that without the University Line, Metro is going to put the kibosh on the Uptown line as well. So there you have it folks, the second most densely populated section of the city of Houston is still going to be without transit access. More delays and excuses.