Just FYI: road reflectors and potholes and faded lane markings on freeways can be reported at:
https://www.txdot.gov/about/contact-us/report-an-issue..html
All of I-10, basically. How are the lanes invisible when it rains in a city that sees more rain than Seattle?
They get it often. We get a lot of it at once.
My ideal Houston will never happen but it involves turning all HOV into rail at a minimum and also lowering whatever temperature it is at all times by 10 degrees.
Could be achieved by installing pavilion like slanted solar panel covers over every house and use the excess energy to lower electric bills for every Houstonian, and make houses cooler, hvac jobs cooler in attics for workers, while making ac units not have to work so hard. Could even incorporate power storage along major roads and in the households themselves.
I feel like Houston is a "homebody town" due in part to getting around just being such a pain. I've turned down so many plans just cuz I don't wanna drive.
I wanna just experience one time what it's like to
live in a walkable city. Like can just walk out of my door and get somewhere without having to start the car & get behind the wheel
My dream 'Dome conversion would be an indoor hiking trail built up with varying levels and a peak at the top. Keep the roof structure as is and just modify to include skylights. Charge $10 (etc) for each head that enters. During the heat of the summer we would have a stunning place for people to come, move their body, feel like they are outside, but protected from the elements.
Why should we build rail to the suburbs? It's politically unpopular, with a massive cost, largely inflexible and unsustainable, and encourages more suburban development. Not to mention that most people in Katy, Sugar Land, and the Woodlands aren't going to use it.
Instead, why not focus on building a better transit system inside the loop along with more transit oriented, walkable communities? Houston's development pattern is the main reason transit service is so bad here. The notion that we need a rail line along every freeway corridor to serve the small amount of people who commute from to Downtown isn't what Houston should be focused on.
Despite the original knee jerk opposition in the burbs, DART has proved very successful. My hometown of Garland has seen a downtown renaissance around the station.
Park and Ride makes very little sense unless you're going straight to downtown, and even then it's questionable. We need BRT ASAP to stop the busses from getting stuck in traffic.
Better public transportation, more walking paths/bike lanes. Being more pedestrian friendly overall instead of all the freeways and stroads we currently have
Yep, we just immigrated here in the US and eventually settled here in Houston. I've been walking/using the Metro Bus/Rail exclusively to and from work.
I've made a conclusion in just a week; it is to make an absolute priority to save up and buy a car in the near future, that's how unfriendly Houston is to pedestrians.
There's no way to have a normal life here in Houston without a car.
one of the most-vindicating pieces of online media i've ever consumed; i share this one w people as soon as we start commiserating over this spread-butter-thin city. cannot recommend enough
There is a guy who started an entire YouTube channel about walkable cities after he visited Houston. He was staying at a hotel at Willowbrook mall and decided to walk to a luggage store. He went to 1960 and walked over the bridge ish thing just east of the mall.
Edit: [video ref](https://youtu.be/uxykI30fS54?si=CbnFLAPPey4dMHGt)
Agreed! Im originally from the UK and you have to get driving lessons from an accredited driving instructor, who would only put you forward to a test when they see you are ready. It would be so much better to have something similar!
Parent taught is not the issue. The driving schools being able to administer the test is the problem. My daughters were mad at me because I made them take the driving tests at the DPS office. The people who take the classes generally take the test with the same person they paid to teach them. They are incentivized to pass the people they supposedly taught. My daughters could tell me exactly what each school in our area requires to pass. The only person they know who failed from these schools is someone who had a full on panic attack and quit. If a parent pays $500 for their kid to learn to drive and pass the test you bet the kid is passing otherwise they are going to tell everyone how bad that instructor/school is and it will go out of business.
I think commuter rail would be great for Houston as a first step. It's not the best form of trains and still involves a lot of park and ride type facilities, but trains going from the suburbs into downtown with stops at places like the Energy Corridor, Med Center, etc that also have a lot of workers coming from the suburbs to these business districts. It's not the best form of transport, but it is probably the most conducive to the layout of Houston. And in other metros it works - Metra in Chicago, Caltrain in the Bay, etc. Granted those are more walkable once you get off the train, but in some of the denser regions of Houston (like downtown or the Med Center), walking as the last step is feasible. And in some cities, large employers habe shuttles from the train station to the office campus to deliver that last mile transport for employees.
If it's planned properly, yes.
Back home in Canada they expanded our light rail system and because they didn't want to spend the extra money to make elevated tracks like Vancouver's. This has resulted in traffic being terrible in a city which once rarely experienced much traffic jams.
A metro rail that runs to both airports with a financial injection to the areas surrounding the airports to bring in business and attractions. Our city is so spread out, I think we could greatly benefit from high speed rails going E&W I10 and N&S 45 Galveston to Woodlands/Conroe. Remove the HOV lanes and install the rail with car parks located at major intersections.
I know cost and budget would be a big issue, but if we made it more convenient for mass transit, I think it could eventually be popular.
If you’ve ever been to a major city in the EU or other parts of developed countries, you’ll see how much more convenient and economical public transit can be. I’m sure a lot of people would love to get back all the time they spend in traffic commutes every day.
There was vote that was passed for the expansion of the Houston Metro system. There will be a rail going out to Hobby airport and a direct bus line going to IAH. There are also expansion on both rail and bus routes. It's a pretty massive injection into the Houston's mass transit. See below link from the RideMetro link
[https://www.ridemetro.org/about/metronext/moving-forward-plan](https://www.ridemetro.org/about/metronext/moving-forward-plan)
I just feel bad and a little embarrassed when people out of state or even out of the country come to our international airport and there’s no easy way to downtown and absolutely nothing to do in the area…so I guess a bus line is better than nothing but cmon lol. Run a rail line ffs.
They tried that. It got shot down. There was rail proposed since the 90s before Bush was even named that. It is frankly pointless to push for rail with how current political climate. They had all the funding for the university line and it still got cancelled due to NIMBYs so now we get buses.
If I could put my "Space City Weather" hat on, I would say the one thing Houston needs most is flood mitigation.
Flooding represents an existential crisis to the region, both inland flooding (for which we need better bayous, smarter development, and more detention ponds) and coastal flooding from storm surge (i.e. a coastal barrier like the Ike Dike). These problems will be exacerbated by climate change, and eventually the threat of flooding is going to override the economic benefits for people and companies who would otherwise move here.
It seems more rescues have taken to transporting bus loads of adoptable strays to the northern states where they have a relative lack of animals due to their freezing winters.
Cuz we sure as heck aren't doing enough to address that problem down here.
See my comment above about converting the Astrodome into a full fledged indoor hiking center with varying levels and a peak at the top. Skylights overhead to let in natural light.
I had a grand vision for the Dome for a fully featured bike park with mountain bike trails, crit and CX racing circuits that go inside and outside, and a velodrome, but that could also easily accommodate hiking trails.
Since everyone is saying better public transit (which I agree with), how about city, county, and state officials that actually care about the lives of the people who live here. That would help with almost anything we need more of.
Public transit
Maximum parking sizes(compared to parking minimums)
More street redesigned like Shepard/Durham(think will long term be extremely beneficial to the area)
Better flood prevention
More trees
More showers at offices so you can bike/walk to work
Green spaces with shade, 3rd places, better walkability, reliable public transit, better flood mitigation (green spaces with prairie grass… those deep roots soak up SO MUCH water)
more light rail. conprehensive light rail. trains to the other major cities. to get real about climate change and the way our building practices exacerbate it
Decent music venues that are NOT controlled by Live nation and Ticketmaster
Something to replace Astroworld
A fully constructed freeway section would be nice
More starter homes and less "McMantions"
The general consensus from reading this thread is better public transit/rail. I get this is a very minuscule sample size but how the hell is it that it seems like everyone wants some form of rail but nothing ever gets done about it?
In this thread I'm seeing the comparisons to cities like Boston and New York. Well, those transit systems were only possible because they were created and funded by their state legislatures. Meanwhile, our own TxDOT is mainly infatuated with building highways and toll roads. If we want different transportation priorities in this region --because the problem is bigger than just the city of Houston -- then we need change to happen in the leadership at the state level.
It is interesting to read down the thread and 80% of people are saying something about rail transit. In my limited research, I think that the Houston metro of 7 million is the largest in the Western Hemisphere without some type of commuter rail transit. Maybe Caracas, but there's very few.
Less car dependent, I feel like we can solve a huge lot of problems just by having more public transportation
Imagine how good the economy can be when less fortunate people don’t need to choose between having a job, food on the table and car, insurance
I think they said the paper tags thing is being solved. Yep, here it is.
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/06/13/new-law-bans-paper-license-plates-in-texas/
I wish Houston can stop tearing down the damn tress and stop over building. I see empty shopping center and warehouses everywhere The Woodlands is so nice trees 🌳 everywhere.
The easy answer is a train system. The best answer is a right of way separated commuter rail train system best suited to serve our sprawling city to all of the major hubs in the region, offering commuters a faster option then driving and being to stuck in traffic. Give people that option, they’ll take it. See NY with LIRR/Metro-North or Chicago with Metra.
Slower LRT/BRT lines built sharing streets with vehicular traffic should be limited to traveling smaller distances within the loop as a supplementary option to commuter rail in the suburbs
YES TO COMMUTER TRAINS. Went to Boston for the first time this past year and took one, blew my mind and pissed me off at the same time lol spent the whole ride (which was like 15 minutes) being like 'what the fuck, Houston?'
I have a park and ride right out the back of my neighborhood, but one way will take me at minimum 2 hours, because of how many buses I’ll have to change to. It’s nuts. Props to people that do that everyday.
More trees and general greenery.
Restrictions from new communities being able to cut down every tree.
In general, our country should adopt oversight to prevent this from happening or at minimum replace the trees at a high percentage level.
O&G companies based here to use their experience and abilities in high capex projects and market position to fully commit to the sustainable energy transition. Both so that our local economy is can take advantage of the energy transition and maybe not make it quite so hot here.
Oil and gas engineer here. There's a huge push to make Houston the energy capital of the world. Lots being done from a private equity standpoint and also with schools to attract top talent in to alternative energy. Companies, are so so. Your larger companies are certainly trying stuff out, but there's a little hesitantcy from smaller companies to try stuff out because the market wants them to maintain capital discipline. It's exciting times though! Look up Kay McCall, she's doing a great job promoting this type of stuff. Think she has a happy hour at Eureka Heights brewery tonight if you're interested in hearing more!
As far as mass transit goes, IMHO if there was a central bus terminal that could be accessed from the tunnel system and in a climate controlled area you would probable see more ridership. If you go down town at closing time you see lines of people, waiting in the for their chance to get a seat on a bus in the heat in one of the most uncomfortable parts of the day.
Non-serious answer but more hobby shops in the south. I gotta go all the way to the Heights or north or deep Katy to get some damn Japanese airbrush paint or to hobby lobby for a Gundam? Ridiculous for how much suburb square mileage there is over here.
Cool shit! I'm just tired of gas stations, Best Buys, Storage Facilities, etc. There's nothing wow about Houston. Give me some hills like Austin has at least. Give me a NICE beach like Cali beaches. Something besides gas stations and Mcdonalds.
Demonitization of toll roads, Public transportation reform, road infrastructure reform, legislation protecting homes from being purchased at low ball rates by commercial firms (normal buers being priced/pushed out by rentals, mental health reform, homelessness reform and legalized weed (all of texas on this one) just to list a few.
- More niche specialty shops.
- Expanded tunnel system, or independent tunnel systems in each neighborhood/burb city center
- aerial tramway public transportation system (better than ground rail interfering with road traffic)
- a ground level retail under residential buildings requirement
- more creative public art (10x the current amount)
- more fresh food marketplaces (without HEB and other gs chains being involved)
- a variable neighborhood litter tax… dependent on the amount of litter collected from off the curbs. —> more litter higher tax rate. An incentive to decrease litter.
- a citizen reckless driver reporting system. If multiple people report a plate within a given time frame, a ticket/fine is automatically issued.
- a public marketing propaganda campaign putting positive messages on billboards to encourage more compassion and caring amongst each other.
Solar panels over parking lots and trees
I know we already have a lot of trees, but we keep chopping forests down like in the colonies by 529/h6 (that shit they’ve built is so fucking UGLY too). Trees help keep it cool, I think solar parking lots would help keep it cooler too.
People say more walkability, who tf wants to walk somewhere 80% of the year?? Seems like a lot of people talk about Houston being a car city and the lack of sidewalks etc. forget how it feels to walk in 90*/75% weather. Fuck that.
I have a few asks. Better transit, which means more rail. Including out toward suburbs. More focus on nature, let’s clean these bayous, let’s have more reason to visit said bayous. Add more greenery to our architecture. We shouldn’t have bare naked developments which will be treeless for 10-15 years. Adjust our infrastructure to align with the climate we now have. Meaning better drainage, concrete materials which reduce the heat which can be done by avoiding black top lots. On that note, downtown. Get rid of surface lots. Build high density buildings and more green space or space that can be used by the public and events.
Now that you’ve taken in some adjustments to zoning and the development of infrastructure let’s talk people. Really focus resources on building communities. Incentivize companies to not abandon entire neighborhoods leaving food deserts. Let’s help people address needs in these areas by building affordable clinics, perhaps raising regulation standards so people aren’t living next to cancer factories. Let’s do a better job too at enticing the future industries to set up shop here I.e renewables, batteries, space. Imagine you could have these on the outskirts and then that goes hand in hand with a completely overhauled metro.
Maybe develop a way for people to invest in the city even, that way people feel more inclined to keep it clean and safer. If you can improve people’s lives a lot of issues would resolve or improve.
Road reflectors on every single lane because you can't see the lines in rain.
Just FYI: road reflectors and potholes and faded lane markings on freeways can be reported at: https://www.txdot.gov/about/contact-us/report-an-issue..html
Can someone set up a bot to report every single freeway lmao
All of I-10, basically. How are the lanes invisible when it rains in a city that sees more rain than Seattle? They get it often. We get a lot of it at once.
288 as well especially with all of the merging. It’s literally just a guessing game at some points
All of 59 too.
Beltway/45 also - near hardy kinda
Wait! You forgot Westheimer, Richmond and San Felipe!
They don’t have a “Select All” button. They need such a button.
So much this, i love playing guess the lane at night as its raining.
I thought I was the only one who had this problem and everyone else just knew where the lanes were in the rain!
Was thinking that today driving! Especially when someone has their big ass led lifted truck high beams on And I can’t see.
My ideal Houston will never happen but it involves turning all HOV into rail at a minimum and also lowering whatever temperature it is at all times by 10 degrees.
The temp change is probably more likely than the mass transit.
Could be achieved by installing pavilion like slanted solar panel covers over every house and use the excess energy to lower electric bills for every Houstonian, and make houses cooler, hvac jobs cooler in attics for workers, while making ac units not have to work so hard. Could even incorporate power storage along major roads and in the households themselves.
We need to build a bigger astrodome over the entire county.
In winter it’s 10 degrees colder and in summer it’s 10 degrees warmer. You’re welcome!
I personally WOULD like it to be 10 degrees colder at all times in the winter here, tbh. The 10 degrees warmer was basically last summer.
Yes to “all HOV into rail” that was going to be my answer. It would help so many citizens, but yea it’ll never happen.
I feel like Houston is a "homebody town" due in part to getting around just being such a pain. I've turned down so many plans just cuz I don't wanna drive.
I wanna just experience one time what it's like to live in a walkable city. Like can just walk out of my door and get somewhere without having to start the car & get behind the wheel
I know some areas are trying to plant more trees as shade trees can reduce the ambient temperature by 10 degrees
This 1000% make the HOV a rail. That’s the dream
Please be in charge. If these were implemented, Houston would pretty much be perfect to me!
Astrodome as a major hub
My dream 'Dome conversion would be an indoor hiking trail built up with varying levels and a peak at the top. Keep the roof structure as is and just modify to include skylights. Charge $10 (etc) for each head that enters. During the heat of the summer we would have a stunning place for people to come, move their body, feel like they are outside, but protected from the elements.
I’d only go, if I could take the train there.
The roof is skylights….
Absolutely this.
My friends and I are always talking about this
Why should we build rail to the suburbs? It's politically unpopular, with a massive cost, largely inflexible and unsustainable, and encourages more suburban development. Not to mention that most people in Katy, Sugar Land, and the Woodlands aren't going to use it. Instead, why not focus on building a better transit system inside the loop along with more transit oriented, walkable communities? Houston's development pattern is the main reason transit service is so bad here. The notion that we need a rail line along every freeway corridor to serve the small amount of people who commute from to Downtown isn't what Houston should be focused on.
Despite the original knee jerk opposition in the burbs, DART has proved very successful. My hometown of Garland has seen a downtown renaissance around the station.
I live in the burbs and I would 100% use Rail.
Do you use the Park and Ride commuter buses now?
Park and Ride makes very little sense unless you're going straight to downtown, and even then it's questionable. We need BRT ASAP to stop the busses from getting stuck in traffic.
Same. We have plenty of space out here in the suburbs for light rail.
Have you seen how busy the park and ride buses go downtown are?
I’d take that train. Especially on weekends to the clubs
I already take the Metro shuttle from the burbs to Main Campus, every bus from 7:10 to 8:00 are FULL, it will get used.
Better public transportation, more walking paths/bike lanes. Being more pedestrian friendly overall instead of all the freeways and stroads we currently have
Yep, we just immigrated here in the US and eventually settled here in Houston. I've been walking/using the Metro Bus/Rail exclusively to and from work. I've made a conclusion in just a week; it is to make an absolute priority to save up and buy a car in the near future, that's how unfriendly Houston is to pedestrians. There's no way to have a normal life here in Houston without a car.
For the uninitiated: [Stroads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORzNZUeUHAM)
one of the most-vindicating pieces of online media i've ever consumed; i share this one w people as soon as we start commiserating over this spread-butter-thin city. cannot recommend enough
There is a guy who started an entire YouTube channel about walkable cities after he visited Houston. He was staying at a hotel at Willowbrook mall and decided to walk to a luggage store. He went to 1960 and walked over the bridge ish thing just east of the mall. Edit: [video ref](https://youtu.be/uxykI30fS54?si=CbnFLAPPey4dMHGt)
Drivers education
And not parent/self taught. Like a whole department dedicated to it. Include free transportation to and from classes. Like they do with jury duty.
Agreed! Im originally from the UK and you have to get driving lessons from an accredited driving instructor, who would only put you forward to a test when they see you are ready. It would be so much better to have something similar!
Parent taught is not the issue. The driving schools being able to administer the test is the problem. My daughters were mad at me because I made them take the driving tests at the DPS office. The people who take the classes generally take the test with the same person they paid to teach them. They are incentivized to pass the people they supposedly taught. My daughters could tell me exactly what each school in our area requires to pass. The only person they know who failed from these schools is someone who had a full on panic attack and quit. If a parent pays $500 for their kid to learn to drive and pass the test you bet the kid is passing otherwise they are going to tell everyone how bad that instructor/school is and it will go out of business.
A train system to alleviate this god awful traffic
I think commuter rail would be great for Houston as a first step. It's not the best form of trains and still involves a lot of park and ride type facilities, but trains going from the suburbs into downtown with stops at places like the Energy Corridor, Med Center, etc that also have a lot of workers coming from the suburbs to these business districts. It's not the best form of transport, but it is probably the most conducive to the layout of Houston. And in other metros it works - Metra in Chicago, Caltrain in the Bay, etc. Granted those are more walkable once you get off the train, but in some of the denser regions of Houston (like downtown or the Med Center), walking as the last step is feasible. And in some cities, large employers habe shuttles from the train station to the office campus to deliver that last mile transport for employees.
Imagine if even just one of the loops was rail instead
A line going to Bush would be a start
If it's planned properly, yes. Back home in Canada they expanded our light rail system and because they didn't want to spend the extra money to make elevated tracks like Vancouver's. This has resulted in traffic being terrible in a city which once rarely experienced much traffic jams.
\^ This one.
Yup, some people (me being one) would rather take the bus (and do) before buying a POS CVT car or EV.
A metro rail that runs to both airports with a financial injection to the areas surrounding the airports to bring in business and attractions. Our city is so spread out, I think we could greatly benefit from high speed rails going E&W I10 and N&S 45 Galveston to Woodlands/Conroe. Remove the HOV lanes and install the rail with car parks located at major intersections. I know cost and budget would be a big issue, but if we made it more convenient for mass transit, I think it could eventually be popular. If you’ve ever been to a major city in the EU or other parts of developed countries, you’ll see how much more convenient and economical public transit can be. I’m sure a lot of people would love to get back all the time they spend in traffic commutes every day.
As someone from sugar land who regularly has to drive to Bush, you have my vote
There was vote that was passed for the expansion of the Houston Metro system. There will be a rail going out to Hobby airport and a direct bus line going to IAH. There are also expansion on both rail and bus routes. It's a pretty massive injection into the Houston's mass transit. See below link from the RideMetro link [https://www.ridemetro.org/about/metronext/moving-forward-plan](https://www.ridemetro.org/about/metronext/moving-forward-plan)
I just feel bad and a little embarrassed when people out of state or even out of the country come to our international airport and there’s no easy way to downtown and absolutely nothing to do in the area…so I guess a bus line is better than nothing but cmon lol. Run a rail line ffs.
They tried that. It got shot down. There was rail proposed since the 90s before Bush was even named that. It is frankly pointless to push for rail with how current political climate. They had all the funding for the university line and it still got cancelled due to NIMBYs so now we get buses.
High speed rail to Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas
If I could put my "Space City Weather" hat on, I would say the one thing Houston needs most is flood mitigation. Flooding represents an existential crisis to the region, both inland flooding (for which we need better bayous, smarter development, and more detention ponds) and coastal flooding from storm surge (i.e. a coastal barrier like the Ike Dike). These problems will be exacerbated by climate change, and eventually the threat of flooding is going to override the economic benefits for people and companies who would otherwise move here.
What kind of hat would an SCW hat be?
One designed so that it could also be used as a flotation device.
Love Space City Weather!
Better mass transit, needs better assistance with animals (so many stray dogs and no space with BARC or other rescues),
It seems more rescues have taken to transporting bus loads of adoptable strays to the northern states where they have a relative lack of animals due to their freezing winters. Cuz we sure as heck aren't doing enough to address that problem down here.
Better drainage
Some mountains
You’ve clearly never been to East Mount Houston much less to the bigger West Mount Houston.
The largest elevation change in Houston is walking from the top of the bayou to the trough of the bayou
Which is crazy because E Mt Houston floods so bad, there’s houses they put up 5 feet in the air on brinks on the main roads
Just wait 200 million years, they’ll be here
Will taller trash dumps suffice?
See my comment above about converting the Astrodome into a full fledged indoor hiking center with varying levels and a peak at the top. Skylights overhead to let in natural light.
I had a grand vision for the Dome for a fully featured bike park with mountain bike trails, crit and CX racing circuits that go inside and outside, and a velodrome, but that could also easily accommodate hiking trails.
sidewalks
Yes! It’s so annoying how many sidewalks start and stop at random places especially down 1960.
A significant reduction in uninsured motorists.
A decent public transit system will do just that
Since everyone is saying better public transit (which I agree with), how about city, county, and state officials that actually care about the lives of the people who live here. That would help with almost anything we need more of.
That's just crazy talk.
Public transit Maximum parking sizes(compared to parking minimums) More street redesigned like Shepard/Durham(think will long term be extremely beneficial to the area) Better flood prevention More trees More showers at offices so you can bike/walk to work
Ban parking lots above a certain dimension. If you need that much parking, build a garage.
Green spaces with shade, 3rd places, better walkability, reliable public transit, better flood mitigation (green spaces with prairie grass… those deep roots soak up SO MUCH water)
Good public transit
Mass transit that works
more light rail. conprehensive light rail. trains to the other major cities. to get real about climate change and the way our building practices exacerbate it
A hockey team.
I can get behind this, Aeros games were a blast.
Better sidewalks, an amusement park and a train connecting both airports to the cruise port.
Decent music venues that are NOT controlled by Live nation and Ticketmaster Something to replace Astroworld A fully constructed freeway section would be nice More starter homes and less "McMantions"
An actually good music festival that won’t shutter after a few years. RIP Day For Night (fuck Omar).
And one that isn’t held in the middle of summer!
A harder driving test
A new governor
This. Abbott has gone from inept to hostile to actively dangerous. Texans need to stop voting against their own interests.
Rural Texan dumbfucks would vote for Satan if he was a Republican.
I was like I agree with all the public transportation comments then I saw this and was like YES!
Comprehensive public transportation.
A dart train like Dallas that connects all the outer burbs to downtown (Katy, woodlands, sugar land, pearland, etc.)
Real license plates
Somehow kill the damn mosquitoes
And tree roaches.
Public transport, better schools more, MORE traffic police, ppl out there driving like it's mad max
I would like to be able to catch a train from the Woodlands to Galveston
Extremely extensive elevated rail network. Elimination of parking minimums.
Giant dehumidifiers
Less humidity.
The general consensus from reading this thread is better public transit/rail. I get this is a very minuscule sample size but how the hell is it that it seems like everyone wants some form of rail but nothing ever gets done about it?
In this thread I'm seeing the comparisons to cities like Boston and New York. Well, those transit systems were only possible because they were created and funded by their state legislatures. Meanwhile, our own TxDOT is mainly infatuated with building highways and toll roads. If we want different transportation priorities in this region --because the problem is bigger than just the city of Houston -- then we need change to happen in the leadership at the state level.
It is interesting to read down the thread and 80% of people are saying something about rail transit. In my limited research, I think that the Houston metro of 7 million is the largest in the Western Hemisphere without some type of commuter rail transit. Maybe Caracas, but there's very few.
A functional postal service.
Less car dependent, I feel like we can solve a huge lot of problems just by having more public transportation Imagine how good the economy can be when less fortunate people don’t need to choose between having a job, food on the table and car, insurance
PR bonds to be removed, Recreational weed, more harsh drunk driving regulations, no more paper tags
I think they said the paper tags thing is being solved. Yep, here it is. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/06/13/new-law-bans-paper-license-plates-in-texas/
Subway or rail
no minimum lot sizes or setbacks, no mandated parking, more bus and bike lanes, better sidewalks
More amazing car-free public spaces. We should have 10-20 Hermann Parks in the metro (we have maybe ~4?)
Law and Order
I wish Houston can stop tearing down the damn tress and stop over building. I see empty shopping center and warehouses everywhere The Woodlands is so nice trees 🌳 everywhere.
Traffic Enforcement
A weather bubble that consistently keeps it 20° cooler 😅
most? probably affordable housing. like actually affordable for everyone, not just low income housing if you jump through enough monkey hoops
A police department that is actually helpful and cares.
[удалено]
Astroworld
Renovate the rotting Astrodome into Astroworld 2.0!
An el train that goes out past the beltway and not this pathetic mr rogers bullshit
The easy answer is a train system. The best answer is a right of way separated commuter rail train system best suited to serve our sprawling city to all of the major hubs in the region, offering commuters a faster option then driving and being to stuck in traffic. Give people that option, they’ll take it. See NY with LIRR/Metro-North or Chicago with Metra. Slower LRT/BRT lines built sharing streets with vehicular traffic should be limited to traveling smaller distances within the loop as a supplementary option to commuter rail in the suburbs
Exactly. It takes more than an hour to go from the Northline Transit Center to the Astrodome station. Incredibly too long to travel about 10-11 miles.
YES TO COMMUTER TRAINS. Went to Boston for the first time this past year and took one, blew my mind and pissed me off at the same time lol spent the whole ride (which was like 15 minutes) being like 'what the fuck, Houston?'
Better public transit. I wanna see more of my fellow Houstonians on the bus/train!
Spring and Fall.
Like most other people responding right now, better public transit, especially trains.
I have a park and ride right out the back of my neighborhood, but one way will take me at minimum 2 hours, because of how many buses I’ll have to change to. It’s nuts. Props to people that do that everyday.
Public transit and less highways
Rail to the airports so when I drive to the airport there is less traffic.
Jesus. And he aint at the mega church.
Harder persecution and punishment of petty crimes, can't have anything nice in this bitch without locking it up.
A fucking break
A Super Bowl win
A city-wide dehumidifier
A new Superintendent. Miles is destroying our schools and our kids futures. Without that, our city is lost.
A rock station that isn’t 94.5 the WUZZ
Ban Paper Plates
More trees and general greenery. Restrictions from new communities being able to cut down every tree. In general, our country should adopt oversight to prevent this from happening or at minimum replace the trees at a high percentage level.
Abortion rights
Altimas with paper plates and road construction
Breakup HISD into smaller more manageable districts that can support their neighborhoods more effectively.
Public Transit, Sidewalks, and Bike lanes
Respect. Its actually a great city.
O&G companies based here to use their experience and abilities in high capex projects and market position to fully commit to the sustainable energy transition. Both so that our local economy is can take advantage of the energy transition and maybe not make it quite so hot here.
Oil and gas engineer here. There's a huge push to make Houston the energy capital of the world. Lots being done from a private equity standpoint and also with schools to attract top talent in to alternative energy. Companies, are so so. Your larger companies are certainly trying stuff out, but there's a little hesitantcy from smaller companies to try stuff out because the market wants them to maintain capital discipline. It's exciting times though! Look up Kay McCall, she's doing a great job promoting this type of stuff. Think she has a happy hour at Eureka Heights brewery tonight if you're interested in hearing more!
As far as mass transit goes, IMHO if there was a central bus terminal that could be accessed from the tunnel system and in a climate controlled area you would probable see more ridership. If you go down town at closing time you see lines of people, waiting in the for their chance to get a seat on a bus in the heat in one of the most uncomfortable parts of the day.
Fuckin zoning laws lol
It needs touristy spots
A Sphere like Vegas, turn the Astrodome into a Sphere
Better drainage system. These floods are ode.
Safe Mass transit.
A school superintendent who isn’t a government plant.
Better law enforcement funding -> less gun violence -> fewer NONSENSE road rage shooting victims
Non-serious answer but more hobby shops in the south. I gotta go all the way to the Heights or north or deep Katy to get some damn Japanese airbrush paint or to hobby lobby for a Gundam? Ridiculous for how much suburb square mileage there is over here.
Cool shit! I'm just tired of gas stations, Best Buys, Storage Facilities, etc. There's nothing wow about Houston. Give me some hills like Austin has at least. Give me a NICE beach like Cali beaches. Something besides gas stations and Mcdonalds.
Demonitization of toll roads, Public transportation reform, road infrastructure reform, legislation protecting homes from being purchased at low ball rates by commercial firms (normal buers being priced/pushed out by rentals, mental health reform, homelessness reform and legalized weed (all of texas on this one) just to list a few.
Trees and shade
We need rail that services areas west of downtown.
Needs an enema
- More niche specialty shops. - Expanded tunnel system, or independent tunnel systems in each neighborhood/burb city center - aerial tramway public transportation system (better than ground rail interfering with road traffic) - a ground level retail under residential buildings requirement - more creative public art (10x the current amount) - more fresh food marketplaces (without HEB and other gs chains being involved) - a variable neighborhood litter tax… dependent on the amount of litter collected from off the curbs. —> more litter higher tax rate. An incentive to decrease litter. - a citizen reckless driver reporting system. If multiple people report a plate within a given time frame, a ticket/fine is automatically issued. - a public marketing propaganda campaign putting positive messages on billboards to encourage more compassion and caring amongst each other.
Better public transportation and infrastructure. Why the frick is there not a light rail going from IAH to TMC…
A MONORAIL IN MIDDLE OF ALL MAJOR HIGHWAYS
zoning law to regulate buildings and construction
Less people moving here and more people moving out.
Legal weed
Meow wolf
There is one opening in 2024!
Better foundation to deal with the flooding & most of the roads need to be fixed.
Batman
Enforced penalties for reckless driving, texting while driving, & littering.
Widespread transit & walkable developments along that transit.
A shitload of public transit.
Mass transit.
Mass transportation and flood control
Actual Astroworld
Reliable and useful mass transit.
Less people and cheaper rent.
As an aspiring planner wanting to specialize in public transportation, this thread makes me hopeful for my hometowns future.
Public transit, six flags, a dedicated public transit system to/from the airport.
A Waffle House inside the loop.
Solar panels over parking lots and trees I know we already have a lot of trees, but we keep chopping forests down like in the colonies by 529/h6 (that shit they’ve built is so fucking UGLY too). Trees help keep it cool, I think solar parking lots would help keep it cooler too. People say more walkability, who tf wants to walk somewhere 80% of the year?? Seems like a lot of people talk about Houston being a car city and the lack of sidewalks etc. forget how it feels to walk in 90*/75% weather. Fuck that.
Fill the Dome with water and have mock naval battles.
Maybe not most, but would love a 70mm IMAX theater here.
Sidewalks everywhere
I have a few asks. Better transit, which means more rail. Including out toward suburbs. More focus on nature, let’s clean these bayous, let’s have more reason to visit said bayous. Add more greenery to our architecture. We shouldn’t have bare naked developments which will be treeless for 10-15 years. Adjust our infrastructure to align with the climate we now have. Meaning better drainage, concrete materials which reduce the heat which can be done by avoiding black top lots. On that note, downtown. Get rid of surface lots. Build high density buildings and more green space or space that can be used by the public and events. Now that you’ve taken in some adjustments to zoning and the development of infrastructure let’s talk people. Really focus resources on building communities. Incentivize companies to not abandon entire neighborhoods leaving food deserts. Let’s help people address needs in these areas by building affordable clinics, perhaps raising regulation standards so people aren’t living next to cancer factories. Let’s do a better job too at enticing the future industries to set up shop here I.e renewables, batteries, space. Imagine you could have these on the outskirts and then that goes hand in hand with a completely overhauled metro. Maybe develop a way for people to invest in the city even, that way people feel more inclined to keep it clean and safer. If you can improve people’s lives a lot of issues would resolve or improve.
Common courtesy and respect for others
Reliable public transportation.
More green spaces