I drove next to one for the first time a few weeks ago going to see The El Orbits at The Continental Club and it kind of freaked me out. I just don’t like sharing the road with anything like that.
Ooh, I did too when I was near Hermann Park a few weeks ago! It was going as fast as I was (~40 mph I think) and it was just freaky to have it on my side like that. It finally slowed down for a stop and I kept going.
The lightrail is really messed up. I was scared to drive alongside it with my little Malibu, but of course I had to anyways. o_O
According to a KHOU report, the Wham-Bam-Tram had more crashes in its first two months of operation, than the rail systems of any other city had in the first year of operation.
When I’m in town I usually take in an Astros game and everytime I am down there someone almost gets hit. I really do not think it is light rail problem though, it is more of people not being used to them running and don’t pay attention.
In any case I would love to see the light rail extended out to Sugar Land, Pearland, The Woodlands, etc. because that is something Houston has been missing for a long time, public transportation that works.
I have to go downtown to the courthouses at least once a week. It’s so much easier to park in the museum district for free and then hop on the train for $2 roundtrip then to try and fight your way into a meter space (with rising costs now, about $1.25 an hour) or pay $7-12 for a lot/garage.
But they are monstrosities, and have had alot of accidents. Of course we all know Houston drivers really suck anyways, so it was to be expected.
It’s about time they came up with public transportation that goes at a reasonable speed. People who rely on buses and trolleys should not have to endure a slower ride just because a few people with their own cars won’t obey the law. Maybe we should take some more gas tax money to improve the roads along the trolley line, perhaps in the form of a Chicago style El for the trolleys to run on.
You should not feel afraid driving next to the trolley or slightly behind it, it won’t swerve into you like cars, buses, or trucks can.
If you stop, look, and listen before crossing the trolley tracks just as you should for any railroad tracks, you should not have any problems.
Metro Light Rail is a disaster and in time, the rail line will be shut down. But if the rail line is shut down, that leaves the city liable for the crashes that occured. So until fancy lawyers figure a way to shut it down with no recourse, we will continue the chaos.
Hey, I can see why people are scared of the Light Rail, but it’s really just like driving next to an 18 wheeler except you can be sure that it won’t change lanes into you! I think the rail is perfectly safe, and I happen to ride it every day I’m in town, often several times. Houstonians are very bad about following basic rules of traffic protocol, and that’s the root of the problem. By the way, I read earlier this year that the number of accidents along the rail corridor is actually down slightly over 50% since they put in the rail; that 7 1/2 mile stretch of road has always been dangerous! Anyway, there’s no way it’s going away; it’s busy as hell- I hardly ever get a seat anymore.
I drove next to one for the first time a few weeks ago going to see The El Orbits at The Continental Club and it kind of freaked me out. I just don’t like sharing the road with anything like that.
Ooh, I did too when I was near Hermann Park a few weeks ago! It was going as fast as I was (~40 mph I think) and it was just freaky to have it on my side like that. It finally slowed down for a stop and I kept going.
The lightrail is really messed up. I was scared to drive alongside it with my little Malibu, but of course I had to anyways. o_O
When I’m in town I usually take in an Astros game and everytime I am down there someone almost gets hit. I really do not think it is light rail problem though, it is more of people not being used to them running and don’t pay attention.
In any case I would love to see the light rail extended out to Sugar Land, Pearland, The Woodlands, etc. because that is something Houston has been missing for a long time, public transportation that works.
I have to go downtown to the courthouses at least once a week. It’s so much easier to park in the museum district for free and then hop on the train for $2 roundtrip then to try and fight your way into a meter space (with rising costs now, about $1.25 an hour) or pay $7-12 for a lot/garage.
But they are monstrosities, and have had alot of accidents. Of course we all know Houston drivers really suck anyways, so it was to be expected.
It’s about time they came up with public transportation that goes at a reasonable speed. People who rely on buses and trolleys should not have to endure a slower ride just because a few people with their own cars won’t obey the law. Maybe we should take some more gas tax money to improve the roads along the trolley line, perhaps in the form of a Chicago style El for the trolleys to run on.
You should not feel afraid driving next to the trolley or slightly behind it, it won’t swerve into you like cars, buses, or trucks can.
If you stop, look, and listen before crossing the trolley tracks just as you should for any railroad tracks, you should not have any problems.
Metro Light Rail is a disaster and in time, the rail line will be shut down. But if the rail line is shut down, that leaves the city liable for the crashes that occured. So until fancy lawyers figure a way to shut it down with no recourse, we will continue the chaos.
Hey, I can see why people are scared of the Light Rail, but it’s really just like driving next to an 18 wheeler except you can be sure that it won’t change lanes into you! I think the rail is perfectly safe, and I happen to ride it every day I’m in town, often several times. Houstonians are very bad about following basic rules of traffic protocol, and that’s the root of the problem. By the way, I read earlier this year that the number of accidents along the rail corridor is actually down slightly over 50% since they put in the rail; that 7 1/2 mile stretch of road has always been dangerous! Anyway, there’s no way it’s going away; it’s busy as hell- I hardly ever get a seat anymore.