METRO to host community meetings on new mobility plan

Art Murillo

By GILBERT HOFFMAN

ALDINE– Metro spokesman Art Murillo pointed out in a report to ACID last Tuesday night, that the Houston area population will grow by 2 million persons in the next 20 years, and all of those may be driving in your roadway. This potential jam could be avoided, if METRO implements its long range Mobility Plan.

The public will get an opportunity to see this plan and comment on it, in a series of public meetings around the city. In the Aldine area, a meeting is scheduled for May 15th, from 6 to 8 pm at MacArthur High School, according to Murillo.

The plan consists of a mix of Light Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, (Guided Track), HOV lanes that will be designed for 2-way use, and Connectivity to existing lines at Transit Centers.

Murillo pointed out that the real issue is quality of life, which it affected by mobility. Crafted over 18 months with community input and expert analysis, METRO Solutions examined several high-traffic corridors including 1-45 North/Hardy; Southeast-Universities-Hobby; Uptown-West Loop; Katy Freeway; Harrisburg; Tomball-State Highway 249; State Highway 288; and Westpark.The studies considered a variety of transportation options, depending on the location, such as bus, bus rapid transit, light rail, commuter rail and HOV lines.

After further technical and financial analysis, along with community comments1 the final plan will be presented to the METRO Board in June and considered for formal adoption in July.

Community meetings to present the METRO Solutions Draft Plan will be held at the following locations:

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, May 5 – METRO Headquarters, 1201 Louisiana, 16th Floor Board Room

• 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 – Kashmere Multi Service Center, 4802 Lockwood, and Bleyl Middle School, 10800 Mills Road

• 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday May 7 – Hobby Hilton, 8181 Airport Blvd.

• 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8 – Sunnyside Multi Service Center, 4805 Wilmington, and The Power Center, 12401 S. Post Oak Road

• 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 12 – Acres Homes Multi Service Center, 6719 West Montgomery, and Southern Chinese Daily News Building, 11122 Bellaire Blvd.

• 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 – Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Lane, 2nd Floor, Conference Room A

• 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 – NCI Ripley House, 4410 Navigation, and The Courtyard by Marriott, 12401 Katy Freeway

• 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 15 – MacArthur High School, 4400 Aldine Mail Route Road, and Spring Branch Community Center, 8575 Pitner

• 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 19 – Greenspoint Mall, Community Room, 12300 North Freeway, Suite 200

Each meeting will include a 30-minute presentation of the METRO Solutions Draft Plan and a 30-minute question and answer period, preceded by and concluding with a 30-minute “open house.”

All meetings will be held in wheelchair-accessible locations. People requiring language interpretation or special communication accommodations may contact the project’s public participation coordinator at 713-739.6049 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.
For bus route and schedule information, call METROLine at 713-635-4000 or visit www.ride metro.com