NCAAbbs

Latest poll has Annise Parker (Jones' '78) trailing Brown, but still in the race. I think I'd be fine with either of those choices. FWIW, I think Bill White has done an extremely solid* job, so I haven't really been following the mayorship very closely.

*Except that Bill has twice claimed to have properly timed the lights in downtown, both of which were a joke. The first time they set it so all the NE-SW lights changed at exactly the same time, meaning you could make it from one end to the other without a red if you went, say 75mph. The second time they at least tried to do it properly (lights change successively in direction of traffic flow), but it's still all raggedy and the slightest hitch in traffic will get you stuck at at least one red.

Jones (will) wins again!

Only 11% turnout in the Houston election? JHC.. Come on!

With a turnout that small, its not the candidate that wins the election, its the organization.

Ted Bundy could have made the Runoff with a 11% turnout if he had retained the right political consultant.

(11-01-2009 02:22 PM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]*Except that Bill has twice claimed to have properly timed the lights in downtown, both of which were a joke. The first time they set it so all the NE-SW lights changed at exactly the same time, meaning you could make it from one end to the other without a red if you went, say 75mph. The second time they at least tried to do it properly (lights change successively in direction of traffic flow), but it's still all raggedy and the slightest hitch in traffic will get you stuck at at least one red.

Yes, light timing is very annoying. I read a few years ago that one problem is that the internal clocks drift, so even if the timing is achieved, it doesn't stay that way for long. The article I read was very very vague so I don't really know the basis for it.

It seems like it should be possible to make traffic control circuits whose clocks are extremely good. But it does not surprise me that in an industry in which nearly all of the customers are government agencies, with their cumbersome and sometimes skewed procurement procedures, product quality is less than it could be.

On another note: I thought it would be cool if the Houston mayorship had gone from Brown to White to Brown again. I wonder how many voters thought Peter Brown was Lee Brown -- and if so, whether that helped or hurt him.

(11-05-2009 07:26 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-01-2009 02:22 PM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]*Except that Bill has twice claimed to have properly timed the lights in downtown, both of which were a joke. The first time they set it so all the NE-SW lights changed at exactly the same time, meaning you could make it from one end to the other without a red if you went, say 75mph. The second time they at least tried to do it properly (lights change successively in direction of traffic flow), but it's still all raggedy and the slightest hitch in traffic will get you stuck at at least one red.

Yes, light timing is very annoying. I read a few years ago that one problem is that the internal clocks drift, so even if the timing is achieved, it doesn't stay that way for long. The article I read was very very vague so I don't really know the basis for it.

The signal timing on Fannin, Main and San Jacinto in Midtown is screwed up anyway because the Light Rail overrides the timing of the lights.

Right, but there's no reason for the timing to be screwed up on Travis, Louisiana, Milam, or Smith. If they were also trying to get the E-W streets timed (in my head, the stuff perpendicular to Main such as Dallas, McKinney, etc run E-W), then the light rail could cause problems that radiate out to other N-S streets. But they clearly don't make any effort to time the E-W streets (which is probably smart).

And George, I've been surprised by this for as long as I've been commuting in downtown. I know from my few visits to downtown Tampa while I was growing up that it's possible for the engineers to time the lights and get them to stay timed. 25 mph will get you from one end to the other on all greens (granted, it's only about 8 blocks). I'm sure there's more to it that I'm missing (perhaps Houston has more manual overrides by traffic police during rush hour, and the system never recovers?).

I too thought the Brown-White-Brown possibility was amusing. I'm thinking Ron Green would've taken it as a VERY good omen for his chances in a few years.

(11-06-2009 11:44 AM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]But they clearly don't make any effort to time the E-W streets

Man, getting cross-town can be a serious exercise in frustration. Ultimately one thing we need is for some of those E-W streets -- at least Gray, Elgin (Westheimer) and Wheeler (Richmond) -- to have underpasses under the rail tracks. They could be similar to the underpasses that Main and Fannin have to cross under Holcombe in the Medical Center. These are highly functional without taking up tons of room or disrupting the landscape.

Right now, the only grade-separated crossing of the light rail on its ENTIRE LENGTH are the two freeways (59 and 610), and Holcombe (where the rail follows the aforementioned Fannin underpass). That seems like really dumb planning.

(11-06-2009 12:19 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-06-2009 11:44 AM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]But they clearly don't make any effort to time the E-W streets

Man, getting cross-town can be a serious exercise in frustration. Ultimately one thing we need is for some of those E-W streets -- at least Gray, Elgin (Westheimer) and Wheeler (Richmond) -- to have underpasses under the rail tracks. They could be similar to the underpasses that Main and Fannin have to cross under Holcombe in the Medical Center. These are highly functional without taking up tons of room or disrupting the landscape.

Right now, the only grade-separated crossing of the light rail on its ENTIRE LENGTH are the two freeways (59 and 610), and Holcombe (where the rail follows the aforementioned Fannin underpass). That seems like really dumb planning.

I think they keep everything at grade to minimize service disruptions from heavy rainstorms. The Fannin underpass has given them problems in the past.

On the Galleria line, at the intersection of Westhimer and Post Oak they will have to be a grade separation, otherwise that intersection will be a nightmare. And on the line on Richmond they will have to go under the railroad tracks by Rajun Cajun.

(11-06-2009 09:10 PM)WMD Owl Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-06-2009 12:19 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-06-2009 11:44 AM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]But they clearly don't make any effort to time the E-W streets

Man, getting cross-town can be a serious exercise in frustration. Ultimately one thing we need is for some of those E-W streets -- at least Gray, Elgin (Westheimer) and Wheeler (Richmond) -- to have underpasses under the rail tracks. They could be similar to the underpasses that Main and Fannin have to cross under Holcombe in the Medical Center. These are highly functional without taking up tons of room or disrupting the landscape.

Right now, the only grade-separated crossing of the light rail on its ENTIRE LENGTH are the two freeways (59 and 610), and Holcombe (where the rail follows the aforementioned Fannin underpass). That seems like really dumb planning.

I think they keep everything at grade to minimize service disruptions from heavy rainstorms. The Fannin underpass has given them problems in the past.

On the Galleria line, at the intersection of Westhimer and Post Oak they will have to be a grade separation, otherwise that intersection will be a nightmare. And on the line on Richmond they will have to go under the railroad tracks by Rajun Cajun.

Early Houston was put on the map by railroads, which is why the CoH has an engine prominently displayed therein ...



Too bad current planners can't get the toy trains to work as well as their ancestors.

We now return the thread to its discussion of Parker's run-off chances.

(11-06-2009 12:19 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ]Man, getting cross-town can be a serious exercise in frustration. Ultimately one thing we need is for some of those E-W streets -- at least Gray, Elgin (Westheimer) and Wheeler (Richmond) -- to have underpasses under the rail tracks. They could be similar to the underpasses that Main and Fannin have to cross under Holcombe in the Medical Center. These are highly functional without taking up tons of room or disrupting the landscape.

Right now, the only grade-separated crossing of the light rail on its ENTIRE LENGTH are the two freeways (59 and 610), and Holcombe (where the rail follows the aforementioned Fannin underpass). That seems like really dumb planning.

I don't have a straight cross-town solution, but find getting both across and either up or downtown to be pretty easy with the one-way streets and the fact that if you either speed up to get to the next cross street going your way or take the turn as the walk signal is blinking. With legal lefts/rights on red, it's easy to cut across.

ETA: Full disclosure, I'm rarely downtown on a weekday.

ETA2: More disclosure: Also I drive like a bat out of hell.

(11-06-2009 11:44 AM)JOwl Wrote: [ -> ]I too thought the Brown-White-Brown possibility was amusing. I'm thinking Ron Green would've taken it as a VERY good omen for his chances in a few years.

This is beginning to sound like the roll call of characters in a Tarentino movie. Added benefit is that Bill is already "killed".

Run off is this Saturday, (Dec. 12). No football that day, but we could still see Rice victories on the court, in the pool, and at the polls.

Indeed a Rice-UH matchup in the mayoral run off.

(12-08-2009 11:20 PM)Sleepy Owl Wrote: [ -> ]Indeed a Rice-UH matchup in the mayoral run off.

I guess this vote is pretty boring considering the candidates are pretty similar?

I did listen to one (the only?) debate on NPR by chance and thought that Ms. Parker had, by far, the most intelligent and on-topic responses. I couldn't really say that any of them were doing more than promising to do "something", but then they rarely had time to get into specifics. Parker did frequently refer people to her website, but I was sold enough to vote for her without checking, I admit.

(12-09-2009 12:31 PM)emmiesix Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-08-2009 11:20 PM)Sleepy Owl Wrote: [ -> ]Indeed a Rice-UH matchup in the mayoral run off.

I guess this vote is pretty boring considering the candidates are pretty similar?

I did listen to one (the only?) debate on NPR by chance and thought that Ms. Parker had, by far, the most intelligent and on-topic responses. I couldn't really say that any of them were doing more than promising to do "something", but then they rarely had time to get into specifics. Parker did frequently refer people to her website, but I was sold enough to vote for her without checking, I admit.

You hit the nail on the head. I strongly believe that the reason this campaign has turned so ugly is because the two are virtually identical in every important way. The only thing they can do is make personal attacks and split hairs on trivial issues in an effort to demean the other's character.

The debates have been absolutely dreadful. Both of them are trying to be all things to all people. Neither of them has any charisma, particularly Annise Parker. (If she does, it doesn't come across on TV.)

The worst was when Locke started his closing statement (about 2 weeks ago) with: "When you go to cast your ballot, you should ask yourself one thing - what's in it for me?"

(12-11-2009 09:43 AM)Sleepy Owl Wrote: [ -> ]The worst was when Locke started his closing statement (about 2 weeks ago) with: "When you go to cast your ballot, you should ask yourself one thing - what's in it for me?"

Unfortunately, that's what US politics has become. "I'm going to give you something for nothing and make somebody else pay for it," is what wins elections, from the white house to city hall.

More unfortunately, at some point, as Maggie Thatcher said, "you run out of somebody else's money." That will happen, probably soon, and America will cease to be a place worth living when it does.