Comments on: Transportation http://culberson.house.gov culberson.house.gov - District 7 - Houston, TX Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:58:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Teresa Acosta http://culberson.house.gov/transportation/comment-page-1/#comment-1841 Teresa Acosta Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:08:39 +0000 http://culberson.schipulwp.com/?page_id=115#comment-1841 Dear Congressman Culberson, I am writing to protest what looks like an egregious encroachment on the University of Houston property by Metro's University Corridor. Young children at the University's Child Care Center would not only lose part of their playground, but more importantly, they will be put at risk during construction and worse if a derailment or other such accident were to occur. I submit below the other problems that the UH Staff Council have outlined via email this morning. What this line and the other proposed lines will do is choke off traffic to and around the university, and put people at risk. We urge you to do whatever you can to stop the unnecessary encroachment. God bless. Teresa Acosta Concerned Staff and Parent To All UH Staff, As many of you know, the arrival of light rail onto the University of Houston campus is a reality. Preparations for the Southeast Line along Wheeler Street have already begun and initial construction is planned to begin in a matter of weeks. Due to significant concerns raised by the University community as a whole, the Faculty Senate, in partnership with the Student Government Association and Staff Council, hosted a public meeting with METRO officials on Jan. 27 to discuss the planned footprint of light rail here on campus. METRO officials have indicated that they are willing to return to campus and provide a much more detailed presentation on their plans for completing both the Southeast and University Lines here on campus, but will be unable to do this until sometime in March. In the mean time, METRO has indicated that we are in a public comment phase with regard to their plans for the University Line, which will close Feb. 28. METRO has informed us that all comments/concerns must be made in writing via their Web site portal. As part of our ongoing efforts to alert METRO to the concerns of the University community we are asking that you, as a concerned member of the University community, take the time to register your concerns and comments on the proposed route by visiting the METRO comment website. Listed below in the form of bullets points are four major concerns communicated to METRO by the University community at the Jan. 27 public meeting. Please feel free to include some or all of these points, or to register your own comments/concerns on the METRO Web site: http://www.metrosolutions.org/go/inquiry/1068/. On the Group Identifier and the Topic/Category drop down menus, please be sure to click on "Academic" and the "University Corridor," respectively. Concerns 1) Planned locations of light rail stations on the UH campus: Cleburne Station on the Southeast line does not serve the University population and will disrupt traffic and shuttle bus flow in this area of campus. 2) Planned location of the rail lines themselves on the UH campus: the planned route of the rail lines appears to unnecessarily encroach on areas of campus, particularly the athletic fields, when the tracks could run in the city's right of way instead. 3) Planned "tail" along Scott Street, south of Cleburne Street on the UH campus: construction of a dead-end rail line or "tail" in this location is a safety issue being so close to several student housing areas, encroaches on stadium parking, is unsightly, potentially dangerous and disrupts a major campus traffic corridor. 4) General safety and Access Issues on the UH campus: the planned route of the Southeast line along Wheeler Street, between Scott and Cullen, encroaches onto the existing site of the Police Station and the Childcare Center, while the overall footprint of the light rail makes little provision for access for disabled students or general movement around the campus on a daily basis by students, staff and faculty in a safe and convenient way. Anyone interested in the University of Houston's preferred METRO routes and station locations presented to the UH Board of Regents in December 2009, please go to http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/regents/board_meetings/documents/121809Board/BOR1.1.pdf. For those who want to view Metro's general construction information Web site go to http://www.gometrorail.org/go/site/2491/. This is the site METRO officials recommended the university community visit for further information during the Wednesday, Jan. 27 meeting on campus. Ann M. McFarland UH Staff Council President Dear Congressman Culberson,

I am writing to protest what looks like an egregious encroachment on the University of Houston property by Metro’s University Corridor. Young children at the University’s Child Care Center would not only lose part of their playground, but more importantly, they will be put at risk during construction and worse if a derailment or other such accident were to occur.

I submit below the other problems that the UH Staff Council have outlined via email this morning. What this line and the other proposed lines will do is choke off traffic to and around the university, and put people at risk.

We urge you to do whatever you can to stop the unnecessary encroachment. God bless.

Teresa Acosta
Concerned Staff and Parent

To All UH Staff,

As many of you know, the arrival of light rail onto the University of Houston campus is a reality. Preparations for the Southeast Line along Wheeler Street have already begun and initial construction is planned to begin in a matter of weeks.

Due to significant concerns raised by the University community as a whole, the Faculty Senate, in partnership with the Student Government Association and Staff Council, hosted a public meeting with METRO officials on Jan. 27 to discuss the planned footprint of light rail here on campus. METRO officials have indicated that they are willing to return to campus and provide a much more detailed presentation on their plans for completing both the Southeast and University Lines here on campus, but will be unable to do this until sometime in March.

In the mean time, METRO has indicated that we are in a public comment phase with regard to their plans for the University Line, which will close Feb. 28. METRO has informed us that all comments/concerns must be made in writing via their Web site portal.

As part of our ongoing efforts to alert METRO to the concerns of the University community we are asking that you, as a concerned member of the University community, take the time to register your concerns and comments on the proposed route by visiting the METRO comment website.

Listed below in the form of bullets points are four major concerns communicated to METRO by the University community at the Jan. 27 public meeting.

Please feel free to include some or all of these points, or to register your own comments/concerns on the METRO Web site: http://www.metrosolutions.org/go/inquiry/1068/. On the Group Identifier and the Topic/Category drop down menus, please be sure to click on “Academic” and the “University Corridor,” respectively.

Concerns

1) Planned locations of light rail stations on the UH campus: Cleburne Station on the Southeast line does not serve the University population and will disrupt traffic and shuttle bus flow in this area of campus.

2) Planned location of the rail lines themselves on the UH campus: the planned route of the rail lines appears to unnecessarily encroach on areas of campus, particularly the athletic fields, when the tracks could run in the city’s right of way instead.

3) Planned “tail” along Scott Street, south of Cleburne Street on the UH campus: construction of a dead-end rail line or “tail” in this location is a safety issue being so close to several student housing areas, encroaches on stadium parking, is unsightly, potentially dangerous and disrupts a major campus traffic corridor.

4) General safety and Access Issues on the UH campus: the planned route of the Southeast line along Wheeler Street, between Scott and Cullen, encroaches onto the existing site of the Police Station and the Childcare Center, while the overall footprint of the light rail makes little provision for access for disabled students or general movement around the campus on a daily basis by students, staff and faculty in a safe and convenient way.

Anyone interested in the University of Houston’s preferred METRO routes and station locations presented to the UH Board of Regents in December 2009, please go to http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/regents/board_meetings/documents/121809Board/BOR1.1.pdf.

For those who want to view Metro’s general construction information Web site go to http://www.gometrorail.org/go/site/2491/. This is the site METRO officials recommended the university community visit for further information during the Wednesday, Jan. 27 meeting on campus.

Ann M. McFarland
UH Staff Council President

]]> By: Harvey A. Lewis http://culberson.house.gov/transportation/comment-page-1/#comment-988 Harvey A. Lewis Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:53:53 +0000 http://culberson.schipulwp.com/?page_id=115#comment-988 Congressman Culberson: I am very disappointed with you stand on the Richmond/Westpark Metro rail plan. Richmond is a much preferred location for this line by a large majority of Houstonians. Most of the voters who are against Richmond are the homeowners who bought or built houses on Richmond, or very close to it, because they were less expensive than houses well off of Richmond which has been a major street for decades. Westpark will not get nearly as many rail passengers as Richmond. I have only ridden the Main Street line once, from Midtown to the Rodeo, but it convinced me that rail today is much, much different from the 1940's Heights streetcar that I rode many times when I was a kid, going downtown to the Saturday movies. Your constant attempts to block this have just about cost you my vote in future elections. Congressman Culberson: I am very disappointed with you stand on the Richmond/Westpark Metro rail plan. Richmond is a much preferred location for this line by a large majority of Houstonians. Most of the voters who are against Richmond are the homeowners who bought or built houses on Richmond, or very close to it, because they were less expensive than houses well off of Richmond which has been a major street for decades. Westpark will not get nearly as many rail passengers as Richmond. I have only ridden the Main Street line once, from Midtown to the Rodeo, but it convinced me that rail today is much, much different from the 1940’s Heights streetcar that I rode many times when I was a kid, going downtown to the Saturday movies. Your constant attempts to block this have just about cost you my vote in future elections.

]]> By: Marvin Volz http://culberson.house.gov/transportation/comment-page-1/#comment-888 Marvin Volz Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:38:20 +0000 http://culberson.schipulwp.com/?page_id=115#comment-888 Mr. Culberson, Re: this morning's Chronicle and your obstinence in blocking Metro's University line. Huh? "We the People" have voted for and overwhelmingly support an integrated rail network in Houston. It's YOUR JOB to "bring home the bacon!" NOT be an obstructionist. With hundreds of thousands of new residents every year do you have a better plan for an efficient transportation system here? Or, are you afraid that easy access to our city by the 'riff-raff' from the SE quadrant would add to crime? Please get off your high horse and support METRO. Mr. Culberson,

Re: this morning’s Chronicle and your obstinence in blocking Metro’s University line. Huh? “We the People” have voted for and overwhelmingly support an integrated rail network in Houston. It’s YOUR JOB to “bring home the bacon!” NOT be an obstructionist. With hundreds of thousands of new residents every year do you have a better plan for an efficient transportation system here? Or, are you afraid that easy access to our city by the ‘riff-raff’ from the SE quadrant would add to crime? Please get off your high horse and support METRO.

]]> By: Chris Sullivan http://culberson.house.gov/transportation/comment-page-1/#comment-584 Chris Sullivan Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:57:55 +0000 http://culberson.schipulwp.com/?page_id=115#comment-584 Dear Congressman Culberson, I was wondering what your opinion is on establishing an high-speed rail system in Texas connecting the major cities of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. Would there be availability to utilize present rail corridors to minimize cost of construction? Also, is there a lobby such as the airlines or other industries that might directly oppose such an addition to Texas transportation? I look forward to your response. Best regards, Chris Sullivan Dear Congressman Culberson,

I was wondering what your opinion is on establishing an high-speed rail system in Texas connecting the major cities of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. Would there be availability to utilize present rail corridors to minimize cost of construction? Also, is there a lobby such as the airlines or other industries that might directly oppose such an addition to Texas transportation?

I look forward to your response.

Best regards,
Chris Sullivan

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