Houston-area residents denounce METRO’s ‘disastrous’ decision to suspend University Corridor rapid transit project – Houston Public Media

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Community members, along with city and county leaders, have criticized the elimination of a 25-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line that would stretch from Gulfton and Sharpstown to northeast Houston, connecting several universities along the way.

At Thursday’s monthly board meeting, METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock again highlighted financial and ridership concerns as the main reasons for delaying the $2.28 billion project, though she said the decision could be revisited next year.

“We plan to have a communications and engagement strategy,” Brock said. “We will also communicate our ridership strategy, making sure all of our initiatives are tied to increasing ridership.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire appointed Brock and three other members to METRO’s board of directors. Their appointments were approved by the city council and they are among six new members of the nine-seat board. The abandonment of the University Corridor BRT marks the first major rollback of a key element of the METRONext plan under new leadership.

About 50 people registered to give their public input at Thursday’s meeting, and a majority of them spoke in favor of the University Corridor BRT. When Cherrelle Duncan, director of community engagement for the nonprofit advocacy group Link Houston, asked those who support the project to stand, almost everyone in the audience stood with her.

“This project isn’t just about improving public transportation: it’s about empowering our communities,” Duncan said. “Putting this project on hold due to short-term financial prospects misses out on its long-term benefits, such as better accessibility and stronger ties to the community. »

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia was among the speakers, calling for a “real ridership improvement strategy and campaign.”

“The reality is the project is dead,” Garcia said. “One of the things I heard was, ‘Why destroy the roads if the buses are empty or half empty?’ I fully recognize that, but that’s why I’ve tried to encourage real engagement to attract not only potential users, but also non-traditional users to the system. »

Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer told the METRO board she was “disappointed” by the lack of engagement with the city council, and she noted that she was on the ballot in 2019 — the same year voters approved a $3.5 billion bond for the transit agency.

RELATED: Houston, Harris County Leaders Condemn METRO Plan to Halt ‘Transformational’ University Corridor Line

“I’m disappointed because I feel like the ears on the ground are your council members,” Plummer said. “We’re the ones who talk to voters every day. We know their needs and unfortunately we haven’t been part of that process.”

Christina Brady, who lives in Eastwood, spoke in favor of the decision to put the project on hold, arguing that other improvements, such as improved traffic lights and sidewalks, can be made in the meantime.

“There’s nothing safe about public transportation passing right by family homes,” Brady said. “The University Corridor BRT was poorly planned and its costs are exploding day by day. »

After Brady’s comments, Brock said, “It’s really nice to hear from real residents. »

Issac Metcalf, who says he does not have a driver’s license, spoke out in favor of the project.

“I feel like METRO doesn’t know whether to act like a public asset or a business,” Metcalf said. “I want to clarify that I am not a paid activist and I am a resident of Houston.”

Simon Kiang, a doctoral student at Rice University, also spoke in favor of the project.

“I really think having an extended east-west connection will improve the city,” Kiang said.

Third Ward resident Michael Watkins welcomed the decision to shelve the project, arguing that residents of the Washington Terrace neighborhood were not properly consulted.

“Does it make sense to carve up a residential neighborhood? » asked Watkins. “I’m not going to stand here and watch you carve up my neighborhood. »

Harris County District 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Wednesday described the corridor as a “backbone” of the agency’s overall initiative to significantly increase the reach of public transportation in the Houston area, known under the name METRONext. He criticized the decision to forgo federal funding that would have offset the cost of the project.

“It’s good if you participate,” Ellis said. “But at the end of the day, if you want to have a bus rapid transit system, it’s about getting people to the places where most people go, and this university corridor is really one of the most important, transit-oriented, where people want to go in Houston and Harris County. »

In a press release, Fort Bend County District 4 Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy called the reversal “a short-sighted and disastrous decision that has a long-term cost for millions of Greater Houston residents.” .

“In the long run, building bigger highways is not going to be enough,” McCoy said. “A good example is I-10, which is one of the widest highways in the world, but it still turns into a parking lot during rush hour. On the other hand, Fort Bend Transit’s new downtown transit line alone is eliminating over 6,000 trips a week on the Southwest Freeway.”