[Earth Day HTX: Putting the Mass in Transit]
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GOOD MORNING.IF YOU ALL CAN JUST FIND YOUR SEAT AS THE MODERATORS ARE GETTING SEATED AS WELL.
AS THE PANELISTS ARE GETTING SEATED, BETH IS GONNA FIND HER WAY UP HERE PRETTY SOON AND WE'LL GET STARTED.
UM, SO WE ARE GONNA HAVE ONE SESSION RIGHT NOW IN THIS ROOM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE A PARALLEL SESSION ON HOUSTON'S WATER FUTURE IN THE MAIN READING ROOM.
UM, SO JUST WANNA LET YOU ALL KNOW IT'S UPSTAIRS AND WE ARE DOUBLE TRACKING SESSIONS.
IF YOU ALL HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT OUR SCHEDULE ONLINE, PLEASE DO TAKE A LOOK.
WE ALWAYS HAVE TWO SESSIONS, UM, GOING ON, EXCEPT FOR THE LUNCH AND THE KEYNOTES, WHICH WE WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO ATTEND.
SO, JUST FYI, UM, WE'LL GET STARTED IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
BROOKS WAS THERE THIS WEEKEND, SO, OH, NO, WE HAVE THE FOLKS AT THE BACK.
PLEASE HAVE A SEAT SO WE CAN GET STARTED.
SORRY, MELISSA, WE ARE GONNA GET STARTED.
DO YOU GUYS WANNA SIT DOWN? YEAH.
UM, SO THIS IS OUR FIRST PANEL OF THE DAY IN THIS ROOM.
UH, THE NAME OF THIS PANEL IS THE M WORD, PUTTING THE MASS IN TRANSIT, TRANSIT, TRANSPORTATION, AND RESILIENCE.
AND WE HAVE A WONDERFUL PANEL HERE, UH, FOLKS REPRESENTING NOT JUST THE CITY, BUT ALSO OUR KEY PARTNERS, UM, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, SO WE, THE WAY THAT WE ARE GONNA ORGANIZE OURSELVES IS WE'LL START WITH INTRODUCTIONS, UM, AND WE'LL DIVE DEEP INTO THE PANEL WITH QUESTIONS.
SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN OF GREAT INTEREST TO ME IS OFTENTIMES WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION, I MEAN, THE CORRELATION IS REALLY EVIDENT.
IT HELPS GET PEOPLE OUTTA CARS, ONTO MASS TRANSIT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE THINK ABOUT REDUCTION IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
FOR ME PERSONALLY, I THINK THERE'S AN EVEN STRONGER CORRELATION TO COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, PROVIDING FIRST AND LAST MILE, PROVIDING ESSENTIAL MOBILITY, PUTTING OPPORTUNITY, PUTTING EDUCATION, PUTTING RECREATION, PUTTING JOBS AND RESIDENCES IN EASY ACCESS AND WITHIN REACH OF, UM, EVERYONE.
AND SO WE WANNA KIND OF, UM, TALK ABOUT THAT, THE CONNECTION OF RESILIENCE, UM, AS IT RELATES TO TRANSIT, TRANSPORTATION, AND ALL THE WORK THAT THESE GREAT PANELISTS ARE DOING.
SO LET ME START BY ASKING OUR PANELISTS TO DO A QUICK INTRO, UH, OF THEMSELVES.
UM, DAVID, LET'S START WITH YOU.
I'M THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S CHIEF TRANSPORTATION PLANNER.
THE WORK WE DO IN OUR GROUP, UH, IS TO MAKE HOUSTON'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM SAFER, MORE RESILIENT AND EQUITABLE FOR EVERYBODY.
WE DO THINGS, UH, LIKE, UH, LEAD THE CITY'S VISION, HU UH, VISION ZERO PLAN, SO WE CAN ACHIEVE ZERO FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES ON OUR ROADS BY 2030.
AND THAT IS A HUGE MISSION, BUILDING OUT OUR BIKE PLAN WITH 1800 MILES OF HIGH COMFORT BIKE FACILITIES WITH MANY OF THE PEOPLE HERE HELPING US.
UM, AND THEN, UH, UH, WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS, INCLUDING BETH, BUT ALSO METRO, AS WELL AS THE ADVOCACY COMMUNITY ON THINGS LIKE METRO NEXT, SO THAT EVERYBODY ACROSS THE CITY HAS TRANSPORTATION CHOICE.
I AM THE DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PLANNING FOR LINK HOUSTON.
WE ARE A NONPROFIT THAT ADVOCATES FOR A ROBUST AND EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK SO THAT ALL PEOPLE CAN REACH OPPORTUNITY.
AND WE ENVISION A HOUSTON WHERE IT'S POSSIBLE TO BE A FIRST CLASS RESIDENT WITHOUT OWNING A CAR.
UM, AND JUST, THIS WILL PROBABLY COME OUT A LITTLE LATER IN THIS, UH, SESSION, BUT I WORKED AT THE CITY FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS IN DAVID'S GROUP, WORKING WITH THE PARTNERS ON THIS, UH, PANEL RIGHT HERE.
I'M KIM WILLIAMS. I'M THE CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER FOR HOUSTON METRO, ALSO KNOWN AS THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY, FOR THOSE WHO GO BY OUR FULL NAME.
BUT HOUSTON METRO IS YOUR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER.
WE LIKE TO SAY IF IT ROLLS, IT'S US.
SO WE DO LOCAL SERVICE, COMMUTER
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SERVICE, PARATRANSIT, VAN POOL, LIGHT RAIL.AND WE'RE EVEN SOMEWHAT IN THE CAR BUSINESS BECAUSE WE DO OPERATE SOME OF THE HOV AND HLT LANES IN THE REGION.
WE HAVE ABOUT 1200 VEHICLES, UH, THAT WE OPERATE.
SO THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN, BUT METRO IS ALSO THE PROVIDER FOR COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY ARE GOING THROUGH DISTRESS BECAUSE OF CLIMATE ACTION RELATED EVENTS.
AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU THIS MORNING, BETH.
I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HOUSTON PARKS BOARD.
WE'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE 1976, CREATING, IMPROVING, PROTECTING, AND ADVOCATING FOR PARKS FOR EVERYONE.
UM, YOU MAY KNOW US FROM THE OVER 250 PARKS WE'VE WORKED IN AROUND THE SYSTEM, UH, WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OUR WORK WITH HARRIS COUNTY.
THE SIGNATURE, UH, PROJECT BEING, UH, BIO GREENWAYS, UH, WHICH IS 150 MILE SYSTEM OF LINEAR PARKS AND TRAILS ALONG HOUSTON'S MAJOR BIOS, 132 MILES.
HE'S OUR CHIEF PLANNING AND STRATEGY OFFICER.
UM, SO WE'RE DELIGHTED TO BE HERE AND PARTICIPATE.
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TO HEAR.
SO LET'S START WITH THIS QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED WITH THE TOPIC OF RESILIENCE.
THE RESILIENCE PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN 2020.
WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT RESILIENCE IN THE WORLD OF HEAT RESILIENCE, FLOOD RESILIENCE.
I WANNA HEAR FROM EACH OF YOU.
I MEAN, THE, THE HOUSTON PARK SPORT, YOU SAID WAS INCORPORATED IN 1976 WHEN THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN CAME, UM, ALONG AND ONLINE.
HOW DID YOU, UM, FIND YOUR WORK AND, AND HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO FRAME WHAT YOU DO WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF RESILIENCE? THAT'S SUCH A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, 2020 WAS A MOMENTOUS YEAR.
OUR PROJECT, WHICH STARTED IN 2012, WAS CALLED BIO GREENWAYS 2020.
UM, WE HAD HOPED TO HAVE THE SYSTEM IN PLACE BY THAT TIME.
UM, GOT INTERRUPTED WITH A FEW HURRICANES AND FLOODS, UM, AND ALSO WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL TO MAKE SURE WE WERE STAYING OUT OF THEIR WAY AS THEY WERE DOING THEIR WORKS OF SHIFTING SCHEDULES AROUND.
THE RESILIENCE PLAN WAS REALLY A WELCOME EXERCISE.
UM, MARISSA AHO, YOUR PREDECESSOR, UH, DID A TREMENDOUS JOB IN PULLING TOGETHER EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT MADE IT SO POWERFUL.
AND AS WE HEARD THIS MORNING FROM OUR TWO WONDERFUL SPEAKERS, THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES.
SO THE, THE COLLABORATION, THE DEDICATION, AND THE, UM, INVESTMENT IN THE TIME OF LISTENING TO ONE ANOTHER, OUR WORK, UH, IS AT A MASSIVE SCALE.
IT IS REALLY TAKING A 100-YEAR-OLD PLAN, THE COMEY PLAN, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, LOOKING AT THE BIOS AS A BACKBONE OF A PARK SYSTEM, BUT IT'S ALSO THE BACKBONE OF AN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
IT ALSO HELPS WITH FLOOD DETENTION.
SO, UM, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL, SO MANY BENEFITS OF THE SYSTEM.
SO THE RESILIENCE PLAN WAS REALLY AN ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE FOR HOW WE ALL WORK TOGETHER IN THIS COMMON GEOGRAPHY THAT, THAT'S VERY ENCOURAGING TO HEAR.
WE OFTEN DO USE THOSE WORDS AS AN ORGANIZING DOCUMENT, A FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT, AND ORGANIZING AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
UM, KIM, YOU'VE BEEN AT METRO AND FULL DISCLOSURE, BEFORE I CAME OVER TO THE CITY TO BE THE CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, I WAS AT METRO FOR A DECADE, VERY FAMILIAR.
UM, IT'S STILL A SECOND HOME FOR ME, VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT METRO WAS DOING IN 2020, BUT, UM, KIM, COULD YOU TELL US, IN 2020 WE HAD JUST PASSED, UH, THE REGION HAD PASSED METRO NEXT PLAN.
RIGHT? HOW DID YOU ALL RESPOND TO THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN IN THE WORK OF PROVIDING MASS TRANSPORTATION? ABSOLUTELY.
PART OF WHAT WE LOOKED AT WITH METRO NEXT IS HOW WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR PERSONAL PASSENGER VEHICLES ONTO THE FLEET.
WE SEE THAT AS A BIG CONTRIBUTION TO REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES IN THE REGION.
AND SO PART OF WHAT METRO NEXT IS BUILT AROUND IS GIVING THE COMMUNITY 20% MORE SERVICE REACHING AREAS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN REACHED BEFORE, TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CHOOSE PUBLIC TRANSIT AS AN OPTION.
AND WE FEEL LIKE THAT HELPS TREMENDOUSLY WITH RESILIENCE, BECAUSE WHEN SITUATIONS DO HAPPEN, THEY HAVE MOBILITY CHOICES THAT MAYBE THEY DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, AND THEY CAN MAKE THOSE STEPS TO TRY AND RESUME THEIR NORMAL LIFE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE LOOKED AT WITH METRO NEXT ARE OUR FACILITIES.
UM, SOME OF THEM WERE, THEY'RE DEEPLY IMPACTED BY, UH, HURRICANE HARVEY AND SOME OTHER STORMS. AND SO WE REALLY NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FACILITIES WERE RESILIENT, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE REBUILT THEM, WE REALLY LOOKED AT THAT TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE SAFE PLACES.
WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT OUR FACILITIES AS SAFE HAVENS FOR PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN SITUATIONS WHERE MAYBE THEY CAN'T BE IN THEIR HOMES OR ARE DISPLACED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
SO JUST REALLY JUST CHANGING THE MINDSET
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OF HOW WE USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND RETHINKING WHAT ROLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CAN PLAY IN RESPONDING TO RESILIENCY AND CLIMATE CHANGE OTHER THAN JUST BEING REACTIVE IN AN EMERGENCY.UM, SO THAT WAS OUR THOUGHT PROCESS, DEFINITELY WITH METRO NEXT.
SO KIM, YOU MENTIONED ESSENTIAL MOBILITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY FOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE REALLY IN THE EYE OF THE, THE, THE, THE FLOOD IMPACTS.
THE HEAT IMPACTS, SO ONGOING SHOCKS AND STRESSES.
PETER, I KNOW AS PART OF LINK HOUSTON LINK IS A HUGE ADVOCATE FOR TRANSIT EQUITY.
SO HOW DID YOU ALL RESPOND TO THE RESILIENT HOUSTON FRAMEWORK AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO USE THAT AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE? SURE.
SO WHAT'S SO HELPFUL ABOUT THE RESILIENT FRAMEWORK IS IT'S A SINGULAR STRATEGY THAT SHOWS HOW WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER ON THE SHARED SORT OF MISSION.
I WON'T REGAL YOU WITH OUR MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT AGAIN, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THERE WITH A SINGULAR FOCUS JUST ON TRANSIT, TRYING TO GET A BUS ROUTE ON EVERYBODY'S STREET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THIS HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HOUSING.
WHERE ARE PEOPLE LIVING? WHERE ARE THE JOB CENTERS? UM, WHAT IS THE DEVELOPMENT CODE THAT CULTIVATES THIS SORT OF, UM, CITY THAT WE LIVE IN? AND THE RESILIENT STRATEGY IS THAT SINGULAR HOME TO SHOW HOW WE'RE ALL MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION TOWARDS THOSE LARGER GOALS.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, FOR ME IT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING TO HEAR BECAUSE THE RESILIENT HOUSTON STRATEGY IS WHAT WE LIVE BY IN OUR OFFICE.
THAT'S WHAT WE IMPLEMENT AND WE LOOK AT IT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
UM, DAVID, AS THE CITY'S CHIEF TRANSPORTATION PLAN, I KNOW VISION ZERO IS A HUGE, UH, UH, PROJECT AND INITIATIVE THAT YOU'RE LEADING.
UM, HOW DO THE PRINCIPLES OF THAT TIE UP TO COMMUNITY RESILIENCE? SO, THE PLAN IS PRETTY AMAZING BECAUSE IT IS THIS ORGANIZING STRATEGY.
BUT IF YOU ARE A TECHNICIAN, IF YOU ARE IN THE TRENCHES, THERE'S LANGUAGE IN HERE THAT REALLY ECHOES FOR ALL THE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO YOU CALL IT RESILIENT, REALLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE CALL IT MULTIMODAL, OKAY? BECAUSE WHAT WE KNOW IS WHEN WE BUILD FOR ONE MODE, THERE IS A VERY HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMETHING'S GONNA GO WRONG ONE DAY.
AND WHEN YOU BUILD FOR ONE THING AND SOMETHING GOES WRONG, EVERYTHING GOES WRONG.
BUT WHEN YOU BUILD FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT CHOICES, WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG WITH ONE MODE, YOU HAVE A BACKUP, YOU HAVE RESILIENCY.
AND THAT IS WHAT MULTIMODAL REALLY MEANS TO US.
THAT WORKS ON THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCALE.
WHEN, UH, COVID HIT AND EVERYBODY WAS OUTSIDE, MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO WALK AND BIKE, WERE JUST GRABBED AT, EVERYBODY WANTED THEM.
AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAD ALREADY HAD THOSE FACILITIES, PEOPLE WERE OUT DOING IT A LOT MORE.
AND WE TRIED REALLY HARD TO PIVOT QUICKLY TO GET MORE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WEREN'T, UM, ON THE MORE LOCAL LEVEL.
UM, METRO'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNER HAVING A TRANSIT SYSTEM, BUT IN AN EMERGENCY, THAT TRANSIT SYSTEM BECOMES AN EVACUATION SYSTEM THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO US BECAUSE WE HAD DONE THE GROUNDWORK WHERE YOU HAD ALL DONE THE GROUNDWORK IN ADVANCE.
AND THEN I ASK YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
YOU MAY DRIVE EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR ENTIRE COMMUTING LIFE, BUT THERE MAY BE ONE DAY WHERE YOUR EYESIGHT ISN'T AS GOOD, OR YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN, OR YOUR LEGS DON'T WORK THE WAY THEY USED TO, AND YOU CAN'T DO THAT THING.
AND IF WE WAIT FOR THAT DAY TO PROVIDE A SIDEWALK, TO PROVIDE A PARK TO GET TO PROVIDE TRANSIT, WE WILL NEVER GET THERE IN TIME.
BUT IF WE PROVIDE ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS FOR EVERYBODY EVERY SINGLE DAY, THEY'RE AVAILABLE FOR US ON THE NATIONAL, THE LOCAL, AND THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL EVERY DAY, WE NEED THEM.
UM, DAVID, AND, AND YOU TOUCHED UPON SOMETHING THAT IS A, A, A SEGUE FOR WHAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT NEXT.
UM, AS YOU HEARD IN THE PREVIOUS PANEL THAT WAS HERE, NONE OF THIS WORK IS REALLY POSSIBLE WITHOUT COLLABORATION.
UM, OUR OFFICE IS, UH, THE, THE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE, BUT WE HELP COORDINATE.
WE ARE PART OF DISCUSSIONS ACROSS THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE CITY BECAUSE THE, THE, THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, THE, THE OTHER AGENCIES, THEY REALLY OWN A LOT OF THE ASSETS, UM, AND THE PROGRAMS. DAVID, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, WORKING WITH METRO.
SO PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION IS REALLY HUGE, A HUGE FACTOR FOR SUCCESS.
SO KIM AND DAVID, UM, I KNOW Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON METROS FLAGSHIP, UM, UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR, BRT PROJECT, UM, ON THE FIRST AND LAST MILE WORK THAT DAVID, YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
WHAT DOES THIS COLLABORATION IN ACTION LOOK LIKE? A LOT OF MEETINGS.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, LET'S BE HONEST, THIS IS A BIG ISSUE, RIGHT? AND NONE OF US CAN DO IT ALONE.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO DO IT IN PARTNERSHIP.
UM, AS AGENCIES, WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES.
SO TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE AND BUILD ON OUR RESPECTIVE RESOURCES HELPS MAKE THESE PROJECTS HAPPEN.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT METRO NEXT, BUT ONE OTHER PROJECT IS RED LANES, AND THAT DAVID AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON, WHEN YOU LOOK AT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, IT MAKES UP LESS THAN 1% OF THE EMISSIONS IN THE REGION.
SO IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE GREENEST WAY TO WAYS TO TRAVEL.
YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT A BUS, YOU MAY NOT INITIALLY
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THINK THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.WHEREAS 40% OF THE EMISSIONS ARE COMING FROM PERSONAL PASSENGER VEHICLES.
SO IF WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE, MAYBE NOT EVEN EVERY DAY, BUT TO JUST SUBSTITUTE ONE OR MORE OF YOUR PERSONAL PASSENGER TRIPS WITH A TRIP ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, EVERYBODY CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES.
BUT YOU HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION, HOW DO WE DO THAT? HOW DO WE GET MORE PEOPLE ON THE SYSTEM? AND WHAT PEOPLE ASK FOR DURING METRO NEXT WAS WE WANT A FASTER, MORE RELIABLE TRIP.
AND SO ONE OF THE CONCEPTS THAT HAVE COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC REALLY IS A CONCEPT CALLED RED LANES, WHERE YOU CREATE THESE MARKED BUS LANES USING RED MARKING AND STRIPING, BUT IT ALLOWS THE BUS AND IT GIVES ALL THE USERS AND THE NETWORK CLEAR DIRECTION OF WHAT LANES ARE FOR WHAT.
AND IT ALLOWS THE BUS TO HOPEFULLY, THE, THE THOUGHT IS TO MOVE FASTER, MORE EFFICIENTLY THROUGH THE CORRIDORS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE THAT FASTER, MORE RELIABLE TRIP.
SO DAVID AND I WORKED ON INSTALLING ACTUALLY THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S FIRST RED LANES ON MILAM AND TRAVIS, IF YOU GO OUT NOW, YOU'LL SEE THEM.
AND SO WE'RE, WE LAUNCHED THAT IN JANUARY.
UM, AND SO WE'LL SOON BE COMING OUT WITH SOME ANALYSIS AND DATA ONCE WE HAVE SOME MORE TIME, UM, WITH THE LANES TO, TO GATHER THAT.
BUT THAT'S ONE OF THOSE GREAT PROJECTS WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT SIGNAGE, LOOKING AT PARKING, LOOKING AT CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT, ALL TOWARDS THAT ULTIMATE GOAL OF MAKING THIS MOBILITY OPTION MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN AN OPTION THAT HAS HIGHER IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO, UM, DAVID, UM, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY WAS THE, WHEN IT COMES TO THE METRO CITY COORDINATION, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, UH, METRO IS RUNNING, THE SERVICE OPERATES, THE BUSES RUNS THE SCHEDULES, UM, THE CITY OWNS THE STREETS.
HOW DOES THAT LOOK FOR THE UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR MEETINGS THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING? FIRST, I ACTUALLY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SOME PEOPLE WHO REALLY DESERVE SOME CREDIT.
SO KIM AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY ON SEVERAL OF THESE PROJECTS, AS HAVE MANY OF YOUR COLLEAGUES.
UM, THERE'S NO ONE PERSON OR GROUP IN THE CITY WHO DOES THIS ALONE.
PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS ARE IN IT LIKE THIS TOGETHER PLANNING PUBLIC WORKS AND METRO OR LIKE ALL OF THIS TOGETHER.
AND IT, AND IT GROWS AND GROWS FROM THERE BECAUSE THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL OF US TO WORK TOGETHER.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY IT'S GOING TO GET DONE.
THE OTHER SHOUT OUT THAT I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE BEFORE COVID COMMUTING TO DOWNTOWN, 40% OF COMMUTERS DID NOT DRIVE ALONE.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT KIND OF IN THE INDUSTRY, THAT IS EAST COAST TRANSIT, LEGACY, TRANSIT CITY TYPE NUMBERS.
SO, AND PEOPLE DON'T REALLY THINK OF IT AS TRANSIT, THEY THOUGHT OF IT AS COMMUTER BUS BUSES.
AND I DON'T HONESTLY CARE AS LONG AS YOU AND 39 OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE GETTING ON A BUS EVERY MORNING, CALL IT WHATEVER YOU WANT, RIGHT? AND THAT IS BECAUSE GOOD SERVICE WAS ALREADY BEING RUN, WHICH LED TO THE DOWNTOWN RED LANES PROJECT, WHICH WAS AN IDEA THAT, UM, THE BUSES WERE GETTING STUCK IN GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC, MOSTLY DOWNTOWN.
IT WAS SOME OF THE SLOWEST TRAVEL TIMES, AND WE HAD SOME CONTROL OVER THAT.
WE DECIDE HOW THAT LANE SPACE GETS ALLOCATED.
SO METRO HAD THE DATA, THEY HAD THE VISION FOR IT, THEY CAME TO US AND SAID, MAYBE DURING COVID WE CAN GET SOMETHING DONE HERE.
'CAUSE MAYBE A LITTLE POST COVID THINGS TAKE A LITTLE TIME.
BUT IF YOU GO AND WALK JUST DOWN THERE TODAY, YOU WILL SEE THIS.
AND YOU'LL SEE IN GENERAL, THESE BUSES ARE MOVING A LOT BETTER.
GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC IS STAYING OUT OF IT, AND THEN IT'S A REAL WIN.
UM, AND THEN ONTO UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR, WHICH WE ARE JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT, IT'S A 25 MILE LONG BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT IS GOING TO CONNECT SO MANY DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, SO MANY DIFFERENT KEY SERVICES.
LIKE CREA WAS TALKING ABOUT THE UNIVERSITIES SHOPPING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, AND WE'RE DOING THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, THE CITY OWNS THE STREETS, BUT METRO'S GOING TO RUN THE SERVICE AND IT WILL ONLY GET DONE BY DOING IT TOGETHER.
THE FEDERAL, UH, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IN THEIR CURRENT BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDED $150 MILLION FOR THIS STILL RELATIVELY EARLY PROJECT, WHICH IS A REAL STATEMENT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS GET DONE.
SO FOR THOSE, UM, WHO ARE INTERESTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE METRO UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR, BRT, IT WILL BE, I THINK WHEN IT OPENS THE LONGEST BRT UH, BUS, RAPID TRANSIT, UM, SERVICE LINE IN THE COUNTRY IN HOUSTON, I THINK IT INTERSECTS WITH ALL THREE OF OUR RAIL LINES.
SO IT'S GONNA PROVIDE THAT ESSENTIAL MOBILITY, UM, MULTI MOBILITY FROM BUS TO RAIL, RAIL TO BUS, AND OF COURSE ACROSS ALL NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION I HAVE FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF YOU IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE CONVERSATIONS DON'T GO SO WELL? AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF PUSH PULL AS IT HAPPENS WITH, YOU KNOW, WHEN BIG AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER.
WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS OF FINDING CONSENSUS, UM, LOOK LIKE? I THINK THE STARTING POINT IS THE VISION.
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO GET TO? THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A TRADE OFF IN STREET SPACE AND
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WHAT WE CALL RIGHT OF WAY SPACE.SHOULD A SIDEWALK BE WIDER? SHOULD THE VEHICLE LANE BE THERE? YOU KNOW, IS THIS THE RIGHT SOLUTION? BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO IS THIS PROJECT THAT WILL CHANGE HOUSTON, FUNDAMENTALLY, THERE'S GONNA BE NOTHING LIKE THIS THERE.
THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT ONCE IT GETS DONE, GENERATIONS FROM NOW ARE GOING TO SAY, WOW, SOMEBODY DID THAT.
AND IF WE CAN KEEP THAT IN MIND, THE INDIVIDUAL PRO, UH, PROJECT MEETING WHERE WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE, HOW TO COME TO A CONCLUSION, I THINK WE CAN GET THROUGH THAT.
WHAT A GREAT ANSWER THAT GIVES ME HOPE AND ALL OF US, I'M SURE.
SO MOVING ON TO BO, PETER AND BETH.
UM, SO METRO AND THE CITY REPRESENT AGENCIES THAT OWN ASSETS, THAT OWN INFRASTRUCTURE.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE COMING INTO THIS AS A NONPROFIT FROM AN ADVOCACY PERSPECTIVE? I KNOW LINKED DOES A LOT OF TRANSIT AND EQUITY, UH, EQUITY AND TRANSIT ADVOCACY.
BETH, YOU ARE PART OF THE, UH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE HOUSTON PARK SPORT.
SO GETTING STUFF DONE, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NONPROFIT? BETH, LET'S START WITH YOU.
UM, I THINK THAT THIS FOCUS ON COLLABORATION IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO REALIZE, IT'S REALLY HARD.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT SHARING.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE LEARN THOSE LESSONS AS YOUNG CHILDREN THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHARE, BUT AS DAVID SAID, IF THERE'S A COLLECTIVE VISION, IT MAKES THAT PROCESS A LOT, UM, EASIER.
BUT I I ALSO THINK THAT THE, OUR ORGANIZATION HAS MADE A COMMITMENT FOR THE LONG HAUL.
AND I THINK IT'S THAT PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, KEEP, KEEP MOVING FORWARD, BUT ALSO BUILDING TRUST AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU APPROACH THE WORK FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
UM, WE'VE COLLABORATED WITH LINK, UM, GOT TO KNOW LINK REALLY WELL DURING THE, UM, BUILD I OR, UH, MAKE I 45 BETTER COALITION WORK WHEN PETER WAS WORKING AT THE CITY.
AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS SO FUNDAMENTAL TO REALLY AS A COMMUNITY THINKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND THIS ORGANIZATION THAT EMERGED THROUGH LINK TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, JOBS, AND ALSO PARKS AND GREEN SPACE.
AND I THINK THE, THE BIO GREENWAYS BEING ABLE TO TAKE ON THAT INITIATIVE AS THE PROJECT MANAGER, IF YOU WILL, FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, WAS REALLY A GAME CHANGER.
IN 2012, THERE WAS A BALLOT MEASURE THAT WOULD DEDICATE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD BIOG GREENWAYS OF PUBLIC MONEY.
UM, THE, THE CONVERSATION WAS ORIGINALLY WITH MAYOR PARKER.
UM, SHE SAID YES, IN THE FIRST MEETING, THE ORGANIZATION, UH, MADE THE COMMITMENT TO RAISE ANOTHER 125 MILLION TO MATCH THAT.
AND THEN THERE WAS OVER 60% OF THE VOTERS EMBRACE THIS BALLOT MEASURE.
SO THE COLLABORATION, UM, IS SO IMPORTANT, AND YOU HAVE TO APPROACH IT FROM THAT WAY.
AND I ALSO WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL.
THEY ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF RECREATION.
THEY'RE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF LAND CONSERVATION.
I SEE JAIME GONZALEZ SHAKING HIS HEAD, BUT THERE WAS A CHANGE IN THE STATE LEGISLATIVE, UM, SESSION EARLY, EARLIER, UH, AROUND 2012, THAT ALLOWED HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL TO HAVE THEIR LAND USED FOR RECREATION.
AND THAT LITTLE WINDOW OPENED UP AN INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP.
AND THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADDRESS THIS CORRIDOR THAT PROVIDES SO MANY BENEFITS.
SO ONE OF THE ROLES WE SEE FOR OURSELVES AT LINK IS PROVIDING THAT 35,000 FOOT VIEW AND FIGURING OUT WHERE WE CAN FILL IN THE GAPS, BECAUSE SURE, THESE TWO AGENCIES OWN THE INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT THEY DON'T OWN ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
DAVID OWNS THE STREETS, KIM OWNS THE BUSES, EMPLOYS THE OPERATORS, BUT STILL, LIKE THEY'RE GONNA RUN UP AGAINST SOME SORT OF OBSTACLE OR SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN'T DO ALONE.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THEY'RE NOT COLLABORATING.
OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE HEARD PLENTY OF EXAMPLES JUST NOW OF ALL THE GREAT WAYS THAT THEY'RE COLLABORATING AND CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE, BUT STILL THEY WILL RUN UP AGAINST SOME SORT OF OBSTACLE OR SOME SORT OF ASPECT WHERE, UM, JUST THEIR SINGULAR OR BILATERAL COLLABORATION ENOUGH, UM, ISN'T ENOUGH BY ITSELF.
UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT LINK HOUSTON AND THE PARKS BOARD GOT INVOLVED WITH THE I 45 PROJECT.
THE I 45 PROJECT IS NOT SINGULARLY A CITY PROJECT.
IT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN OR REALLY HAVE THE TIME OR THE STAFF TO DO BY THEMSELVES.
BUT BECAUSE THIS WAS SO IMPORTANT, NONPROFITS LIKE LINK HOUSTON, LIKE THE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD ENCOURAGED THE CITY TO GET INVOLVED AND CAME TO THE TABLE WITH SOME RESOURCES THAT ALLOWED THEM TO GET INVOLVED.
UM, THAT'S WHY RECENTLY, UH, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN AUSTIN, UM, AT THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION ADVOCATING FOR THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE THE JOBS OF DAVID AND KIM EASIER.
UM, WE ARE ADVOCATING FOR A BILL THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR CITIES TO LOWER SPEED LIMITS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS FOR CITIES TO DO THEIR JOBS AND KEEP THEIR CITIZENS SAFE.
UM, THERE'S THIS VERY LONG PROCESS THAT THEY NEED TO GO TO, TO REDUCE SPEED LIMITS TO WHAT WE WOULD ALL ACCEPT AS A VERY NORMAL SPEED.
[00:25:01]
THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALSO ADVOCATING FOR, UM, ALLOWING THE STATE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE IN THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING THAN IT HAS RIGHT NOW.THE VAST MAJORITY OF STATE TRANSPORTATION REVENUES ARE RESTRICTED TO HIGHWAYS AND ROADS, AND THAT IS NOT REALLY IN LINE WITH THE GOALS OF RESILIENT HOUSTON AND THE FOLKS IN THE STATE RIGHT HERE.
WE NEED TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE AND MORE EFFICIENT AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE.
SO, UM, THE, THESE ARE THE ROLES YOU CAN HAVE WHEN YOU DON'T NECESSARILY OWN THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
BRINGING ALL OF THOSE FOLKS TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, UM, WORKING TO THE TOP OF THEIR ABILITY.
AND, UH, I'M SORRY, CAN I AHEAD ADD ONE THING? UM, YES.
DAVID HAS THE STREETS, WE HAVE THE VEHICLES AND THE OPERATORS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS BOILS DOWN TO PEOPLE.
AND THAT'S WHY EVEN PARTNERSHIPS WITH LINK ARE CRITICAL BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT OUR USERS, THE RIDERS, THE PUBLIC, AND THEY HAVE INSIGHT AND INFORMATION WE MAY NOT GET.
SO I THINK THOSE PARTNERSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT.
OUR DESTINATIONS ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN ACCESS, SO WORKING WITH THE PARKS BOARD TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO RECREATION AND OTHER THINGS.
SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SYNERGY BETWEEN ALL THAT WE DO, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL PART OF THAT, THAT CYCLE.
AND YOUR QUESTION BEFORE ABOUT HOW WE MANAGE CONFLICT OR ANY DISAGREEMENTS IS REMEMBERING HOW MUCH WE ARE SYMBIOTIC TO EACH OTHER.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT SEGUE INTO WHAT I'M GONNA ASK YOU ALL NEXT.
SO THESE ARE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES, RIGHT? WE ALL COME INTO THIS AND WE KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SOLVE FOR CLIMATE ACTION, FOR RESILIENCE.
THE, THE, THE PROBLEMS THAT WE ARE NOW FACED WITH WITHOUT THIS MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION.
UM, ONE OF THE, THE ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE IS SITTING, SITTING IN MEETINGS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO FOLLOW SOMETHING THAT'S NOT WITHIN MY WHEELHOUSE.
AND YET WE'VE BEEN, WE ARE NOW CHALLENGED TO BE THOSE PARTNERS AND TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S NOT WITHIN YOUR WHEELHOUSE.
SO I WANNA START WITH YOU, UM, DAVID, AND ASK YOU, UM, WHEN YOU ARE IN A, IN A, IN A MEETING LIKE THAT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT REALLY HELP YOU GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS THAT HELP YOU EDUCATE AND WALK AWAY WITH SOMETHING THAT'S A, A WIN? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE, WITH, WITH THE AUDIENCE HERE? UM, SO I'M VERY, VERY LUCKY.
UM, WE HAVE A VERY GREAT STAFF THROUGHOUT THE CITY, SO I'M NOT ALONE USUALLY IN THOSE MEETINGS.
UM, I AM, I CONSIDER MYSELF A TRANSPORTATION EXPERT AT THIS POINT.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN EVERYTHING THAT COMES UP IN THESE MEETINGS.
UM, BUT I HAVE COLLEAGUES THAT I CAN RELY ON WHO WILL TELL ME THE HONEST TRUTH.
BUT THE HONEST TRUTH ISN'T NECESSARILY, YES, THAT IS A TRUE STATEMENT, BUT MORE YES, THAT'S A THING WE AS A CITY COULD ACTUALLY DO.
SO IMAGINE A MEETING WITH, YOU KNOW, 10, 12 STAKEHOLDERS AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET SOMETHING DONE AND EVERYBODY'S GOT A LIST AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A REASONABLE PROPOSAL.
BUT SOMETIMES IT'S MORE VALUABLE TO BE AROUND THE TABLE AND SAY, THAT'S A REASONABLE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEYOND OUR RESOURCES TODAY.
TO KNOW GOING IN WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T DO ACTUALLY HELPS SET THE FRAME ABOUT WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET DONE.
SO BEING ABLE TO BE PREPPED BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE, HAVING THEM IN THE ROOM WITH ME, AND KNOWING THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE ME HONEST ADVICE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE VERY UPFRONT ABOUT YES, OR MAYBE WE CAN PUSH A LITTLE, OR IF WE BRING IN PARTNER X OR Y WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BECOMES A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN JUST KIND OF SITTING THERE NODDING AND THINKING WE CAN GET EVERYTHING DONE.
UM, PETER, I KNOW YOU ALL DO A LOT OF DATA ANALYSIS.
I KNOW, UH, WHEN WE WERE DOING METRO NEXT LINK, IT PUT TOGETHER THIS FULL ANALYSIS OF HOW A PROPOSED PLAN DID NOT QUITE MEET, UM, SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WERE ESSENTIAL IN SOME OF OUR MINORITY COMMUNITIES.
HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT BRIDGE FROM THE WORK THAT YOU DO FROM TRANSLATING THE, THIS DATA INTO ACTIONABLE, UH, MESSAGING? SURE.
SO, UM, EVERY YEAR SINCE LINK HOUSTON'S INCEPTION, WE PUBLISHED AN ANNUAL REPORT CALLED EQUITY AND TRANSIT, WHICH IS TRYING TO BRIDGE THAT GAP BETWEEN THE DAILY RIDERS OF METRO AND THE AGENCIES THAT ARE PROVIDING THE SERVICE.
UH, IN THIS LAST ITERATION, WE FOCUSED ON THE GULFTON NEIGHBORHOOD IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON.
WE INTERVIEWED OVER A HUNDRED BUS RIDERS.
AND THESE IN, IF YOU'VE EVER DONE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS CHECKING THE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS OR SHOWING UP TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS OR GET ABLE TO ACCESS ZOOM AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU REALLY NEED TO MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE.
UM, AND IT REALLY WAS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF LINK WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, WITH, UH, STUDENTS AND, UM, OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE HIRING THEM AND ALLOWING THEM TO DO SOME OF THE RESEARCH FOR US.
UM, AND THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GLEAN FROM THOSE INTERVIEWS, THAT'S NOT ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY IN THE FORMAT.
THAT'S EASY FOR METRO TO UNDERSTAND AND KNOW HOW THEY CAN TRANSLATE THAT INTO BETTER SERVICE.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S A ROLE THAT LINK PLAYS AS FILLING IN THAT GAP, COMPLIMENTING THE REAL LIFE TESTIMONIALS THAT WE HEAR FROM RIDERS WITH HARD DATA AND TURNING THAT INTO ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS
[00:30:01]
FOR THE AGENCIES ON THE STAGE RIGHT HERE THAT END UP PROVIDING THE SERVICE.UM, SO YEAH, THAT'S ONE OF THE GAPS THAT WE SEE AND HOW, UM, WE USE, WE COUPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES FROM FOLKS WITH HARD DATA, UM, TO LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A REALLY TOUGH QUESTION.
UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, UM, IF YOU USE IT, YOU GET IT, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T USE IT AND DON'T GET IT, RIGHT? SO IT, WE HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME GETTING OUR STORY OUT AND, AND HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE VALUE PROPOSITION IS.
UM, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE A PERSON, I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME FROM PEOPLE, OH, I, I, I'D NEVER TAKE THE BUS, OR I'M ALWAYS IN MY PERSONAL VEHICLE.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO DO IS HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS A PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU MAY NOT TAKE IT, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DO THAT NEED ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT, TO HEALTHCARE, UM, TO, TO, UH, EDUCATION.
AND IT IS A PART OF KEEPING YOUR COMMUNITY STRONG AND VIBRANT, RIGHT? UM, I REMEMBER A LONG TIME AGO, AND YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THIS, WHEN WE WERE HAVING, WE WERE GONNA HAVE A RAIL LINE ON POST OAK, RIGHT? AND I'M TALKING TO THE GALLERIA AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TAKE THE BUS, WE DRIVE IN.
I'M LIKE, BUT YOUR EMPLOYEES DO.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, AH,
SO IT'S JUST REALLY DOING THE JOB OF CONNECTING THE DOTS.
SO I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THOSE OF YOU IN THIS AUDIENCE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T TAKE METRO, LIKE TRY AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE VALUE IS IN TERMS OF THE REST OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
THAT MAY NOT BE YOUR SITUATION, BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE, THIS IS HOW THEY TRAVEL AROUND THE REGION AND HAVING THEM ON THE SYSTEM VERSUS IN THE CAR NEXT TO YOU MAKES YOUR LIFE EASIER TOO,
UM, SO I, I THINK THAT THAT IS STILL A CHALLENGE THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH QUITE HONESTLY, IS, IS GETTING OVER THAT US VERSUS THEM TRANSIT VERSUS CAR.
IT'S ABOUT HAVING EVERYTHING IN THE TOOLKIT THAT KEEPS THIS REGION MOVING.
UM, 'CAUSE YOU HAVE WHAT DOUBLE THE POPULATION COMING IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS MM-HMM
LIKE, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO COEXIST AND WE CAN'T ALL DO IT ON THE FREEWAY.
SO COULD I ADD SOMETHING TO THAT BEFORE GONE? YEP.
UM, SO THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT IN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, TRY TO BE THERE AROUND 4:00 PM DRIVE IN, GO TO YOUR APPOINTMENT, HOWEVER YOU NORMALLY DO IT, BUT GO DOWN TO THE LIGHT RAIL LINE.
THE LIGHT RAIL PLATFORMS AT 4:00 PM IN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER ARE PACKED.
AND THEN IMAGINE YOU GOING TO YOUR APPOINTMENT IF ALL THOSE PEOPLE WEREN'T TAKING THE RAIL, BUT WERE TRYING TO DRIVE IN OR OUT AT THAT SAME TIME.
IT IS THE SINGLE BEST EXAMPLE I CAN THINK OF WHERE METRO HELPS YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, EVEN IF YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO TAKE IT.
AND, AND, UH, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TWO THINGS THAT DAVID SAID.
UM, ONE THAT ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING TO DOWNTOWN ARE NOT IN THEIR CARS, ARE NOT IN SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES, THEY'RE CARPOOLING, TAKING TRANSIT, ANYTHING BUT BE IN THEIR SINGLE OCCUPANCY CARS.
THE OTHER THING, UH, IS THAT, WHICH I LEARNED AFTER I JOINED METRO, IS THE RE THE RED LINE THAT RUNS NORTH AND SOUTH, THAT CONNECTS THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER ALL THE WAY DOWN TO U OF H DOWNTOWN.
AND THEN BEYOND INTO, UM, THE NORTHERN PART OF, OF THE CITY IS THE, I DON'T KNOW IF THESE STATISTICS ARE STILL TRUE, BUT THE SECOND MOST, UM, HIGHLY TRAVELED, HIGHLY UTILIZED LIGHT RAIL LINE IN THE COUNTRY.
THESE ARE NOT THINGS THAT FOLKS USUALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, CORRELATE TO HOUSTON, BUT THAT IS A FACT.
THE RIDERSHIP PER REVENUE MILE PROBABLY IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN, IN THE COUNTRY.
SO PLEASE DO TAKE THE RED LINE IF YOU HAVEN'T.
UM, IT CONNECTS SOME AMAZING DESTINATIONS, BUT I DO WANNA COME TO YOU, BETH.
SO WE HEARD FROM DAVID MULTIDISCIPLINARY, UM, YOU KNOW, TEAMS THAT CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK THE TRUTH AND COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS.
BUT WE CAN NO, BUT WE CAN DO THIS.
PETER, YOU SAID TRANSLATING DATA INTO REAL LIFE, UH, OR SUPPLANTING DATA WITH REAL LIFE, UM, EXAMPLES, CONSISTENT ENGAGEMENT, CONSISTENT MESSAGING, PERSISTENT MESSAGING, PROBABLY.
UM, KIM BETH, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE EDUCATING ACROSS MULTIPLE, UM, DISCIPLINES FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM THE PARKS BOARD, UH, PERSPECTIVE? WELL, ALL THREE OF THE POINTS THAT WERE MADE, UM, HAVE TO BE EMBRACED.
AND I WOULD SAY A COMMON THEME AMONG US IS YOU HAVE TO BE A GOOD LISTENER.
IT IS SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU ARE IN, UH, ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITY, THAT YOU LISTEN TO WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
AND PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO TELL THEIR STORIES, NOT JUST CONTINUE TO TELL OUR STORIES, WHICH WE NEED TO DO.
AND THE, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN DATA AND HUMANS
AND I THINK THAT'S ALL OF OUR ROLE IS TO BE SORT OF THAT TRANSLATOR IN TERMS OF WHAT RAW DATA MEANS, OR A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE 4:00 PM TAKE A LOOK AT THE, THE, UH, PLATFORM AND SEE HOW MANY CARS THAT WOULD
[00:35:01]
BE ON THE ROAD.UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID WHILE WE'RE BUILDING BIOG GREENWAYS IS TAKE ON A PLANNING EFFORT CALLED BEYOND THE BIOS.
AND, UH, THANKS TO HOUSTON ENDOWMENT, WHO ALSO PROVIDED THE SUPPORT FOR THE WORK ON, UH, I 45, THEY ASK US, OKAY, YOU'RE PUTTING THIS IN PLACE, 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE WILL BE WITHIN A MILE AND A HALF OF BIO GREENWAYS, WHAT'S NEXT? AND WE'RE LIKE, WHAT
NO, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THINKING FORWARD.
AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS LOOK AT WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING AND COLLECT ALL OF THOSE PLANS, SEE WHERE TRAILS AND PARKS WERE BEING BUILT, AND THEN WHAT'S MISSING, AND THEN GO OUT AND TALK TO THOSE COMMUNITIES AND SEE WHAT THEY NEEDED.
UM, MAYOR TURNER SPOKE VERY ELOQUENTLY ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.
UH, WE ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAYOR AND, UH, PARKS AND REC, GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP TO LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.
THERE IS NO CONSERVANCY FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.
UM, WE'RE THE CITYWIDE CONSERVANCY, IF YOU WILL, BUT THE VERY FIRST THING WE DID WAS TO SEE WHAT IS, WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS? WHAT, WHAT ARE THEY MISSING? AND THEN HOW DO WE ENGAGE THEM? SO THAT, THAT IS JUST SO IMPORTANT BEING THAT CONNECTOR AS UH, PETER SAID, AND AS KIM SAID SO ELOQUENTLY, IT'S LIKE, WE'RE THE MIDDLE GROUND, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GOVERNMENT, WE'RE NOT, UH, FOR-PROFIT.
AND SO WE'RE THE CONVENER, THE FACILITATOR OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WORK HARD TO DO.
SO I KNOW WE ARE DOING PRETTY GOOD ON TIME.
WE HAVE A FEW MORE MINUTES, SO I WANNA ASK ALL OF YOU ONE LAST QUESTION.
UM, YOU ARE ALL LEADERS AND PRACTITIONERS.
UM, WHAT ARE SOME, UH, SOME OF THE INSIGHTS, UM, AND I THINK WE'LL START WITH YOU BETH.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE INSIGHTS THAT YOU HAVE GAINED THAT YOU WANNA SHARE WITH THE AUDIENCE? A PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD WHEN YOU STARTED IN YOUR ROLE? UM, I LOVE THAT QUESTION.
AND WHEN YOU ASK US WHAT, WHAT HAVE I LEARNED, UM, THAT I DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE TAKING THIS JOB, THAT'S A UNIQUE QUESTION FOR YOU BECAUSE
I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS THE LAST FEW DAYS, AND THE FIRST THING I DIDN'T KNOW IS I DIDN'T KNOW HOUSTON.
I MEAN, I KNEW SORT OF STATISTICALLY WHAT HOUSTON WAS.
UM, I HAD VISITED ONE TIME TO GO TO A RETREAT IN GALVESTON AND DROVE THROUGH THE CITY.
BUT LISTENING TO STEPHEN KLEINBERG AND FOLKS LIKE TOM BACON, THE, JUST THE MASSIVE SCALE OF HOUSTON, I MOVED HERE FROM CHICAGO, I THOUGHT THAT WAS A BIG PLACE, RIGHT? BUT CHICAGO, PHILADELPHIA, BALTIMORE, AND DETROIT CAN ALL FIT IN THE FOOTPRINT OF HOUSTON.
SO WRAPPING YOUR HEAD AROUND THE SCALE AT WHICH WE WORK WAS SO EXCITING AND COMPELLING.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT WAS A GREAT INSIGHT ABOUT THE CITY.
AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT SORT OF FUNDAMENTALLY WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW SO MANY PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME HERE, BUT HOW DO THEY FIT IN? HOW DO THEY BEGIN TO CONTRIBUTE? AND, UM, THAT I THINK HAS HELPED A LOT IN TERMS OF ANY OF THE MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COMMUNITIES AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT FORWARD.
UM, AND AGAIN, THE, THE OTHER INSIGHT, AND THIS IS A REMINDER, UM, POLITICAL WILL IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND I HAVE TO GIVE SO MUCH CREDIT TO MAYOR TURNER AND THIS IDEA OF TWO YEAR TERMS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, I REMEMBER TALKING TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, CHICAGO, YOU COULD BE MAYOR FOR LIFE.
UM, TWO OF THEM ALMOST DID, BUT
BUT TO, TO HAVE THAT DYNAMISM ALL THE TIME.
AND THEN THE DELIBERATE CHOICE AND BIG EFFORT TO CREATE TWO FOUR YEAR TERMS. 'CAUSE WHAT CAN YOU GET DONE IN TWO YEARS AND, AND THAT CHANGE, THAT VIBRANCY, IT'S STILL, IT, IT IT'S PALPABLE IN HOUSTON.
AND SO IF YOU CAN EMBRACE THAT, UM, AND THINK ABOUT THINGS AT SCALE, YOU REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BUT YOU CAN ALSO DO IT IN REALLY SMALL WAYS.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS DANIEL BURNHAM SAID, MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE, YOU DON'T DISTURB MEN'S BLOOD, BUT SOMETIMES YOU DO HAVE TO MAKE LITTLE PLANS.
BUT HOW DO THE LITTLE PLANS FIT INTO THE BIG PLANS? SO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH AND OPERATE IN THAT, IN THAT MIDDLE GROUND.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED, JUST TO TAKE YOUR QUESTION, UM, DON'T JUMP AHEAD OF PEOPLE.
UM, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WE ARE PRACTITIONERS.
SO WE THINK THESE ARE GREAT IDEAS, RIGHT? UM, AND WE THINK EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA AS WELL.
BUT SOMETIMES I DON'T THINK WE, UM, BRING PEOPLE WITH US AS WE ARE DEVELOPING THESE IDEAS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE HOW, THE WHY, WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME OR WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM.
LIKE, I, I THINK SOMETIMES WE, WE, WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT
[00:40:01]
WE'RE DOING THAT WE, WE DON'T STOP TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, GRAB SOMEBODY'S HAND AND SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHY WE'RE GOING IN THIS DIRECTION.AND I THINK THAT'S ONE THING I'VE BEEN VERY HUMBLED
NOT JUST IN MY OPINION, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR THEM PERSONALLY AND FOR THEIR COMMUNITY IN GENERAL.
SO BEING GOOD LISTENERS, REMAINING TEACHABLE.
SO I WENT TO ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, IT REMINDS ME OF ONE OF MY PROFESSORS, UM, AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON PROBABLY RELATED THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE SO USED FALL IN LOVE WITH OUR WORK.
LIKE ALL OF, WE THOUGHT WE WERE LIKE SO GREAT, THESE CREATIVE BUILDINGS AND WHATEVER WE CAME UP WITH, HE USED TO TELL US, TAKE YOUR MODEL LIKE THAT WE HAD SPENT LIKE THE WHOLE NIGHT MAKING NOW PUT IT ON THE GROUND AND STEP ON IT.
SO IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE, DON'T FALL AND REMAIN HUMBLE, DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR WORK, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU'RE GONNA SERVE.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A APPRECIATION OR PATIENCE FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO GET BIG THINGS LIKE THIS DONE.
LIKE DAVID WAS HINTING AT IT'S VERY MUCH A TEAM EFFORT AND WHO COMPOSES THOSE TEAMS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE FOLKS THAT ARE ON STAGES LIKE THIS.
UM, IT'S FOLKS THAT ARE IN OFFICES RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY CHIPPING AWAY AT THE BIG PLANS THAT, UM, POLITICIANS AND LEADERS HAVE PROCLAIMED.
UM, FOR, FOR CITIES LIKE HOUSTON.
UM, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN THIS STUFF.
BEFORE I TOOK A JOB LIKE THIS, I WAS, I WOULD, IF I WAS NOT IN A JOB LIKE THIS, I'D PROBABLY BE THE PERSON EMAILING MYSELF OR EMAILING DAVID, WHAT THE HELL'S TAKING SO LONG?
UM, AND HAVING, HAVING WORKED IN THIS FIELD FOR, FOR, FOR QUITE SOME TIME, REALLY HAVING AN APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF THE STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, PASSIONATE TEAM MEMBERS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO GET STUFF LIKE THIS DONE AND WHO DO THEIR DARNEDEST TO BREAK OUTSIDE OF THE SILOS THAT ARE, ARE JUST SO DIFFICULT, UM, TO THAT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BOX PEOPLE INTO A SINGLE TASK TO TACKLE THESE MUCH LARGER PROBLEMS. THANK YOU.
WELL, I HAVE TWO AND ONE ECHOES WHAT BETH WAS SAYING BECAUSE I'M ALSO STILL A RELATIVELY NEW TRANSPLANT A FEW YEARS IN.
UM, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF HOUSTON KNOW JUST HOW MUCH IS GOING ON IN HOUSTON.
NOBODY OUTSIDE OF THIS REGION UNDERSTANDS METRO NEXT OR THE BIKE CLAN OR HOUSTON BAHAR BOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, A A, A METRO SYSTEM THAT CARRIES THIS MANY PEOPLE, A BIKE TRAIL SYSTEM THAT'S GOING TO CONNECT TO SO MANY PLACES.
THESE AREN'T HOUSTON CONCEPTS OR, OR BELIEFS OF WHAT HOUSTON WOULD BE OUTSIDE.
ISN'T HOUSTON JUST BIG ROADS WHERE EVERYBODY DRIVES FAST EVERY SINGLE DAY ON EVERY SINGLE TRIP THEY MAKE? THAT'S NOT THE REALITY.
THERE'S A LOT GOING ON AND IT TAKES BEING HERE A WHILE TO TO, TO LEARN ANY OF IT.
UM, BUT THE OTHER, GOING BACK TO THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN IS RESILIENCE IS NOT BINARY.
THERE'S NO SHINING CITY ON THE HILL THAT IS RESILIENT.
WE'RE ON A SPECTRUM THAT WE'RE AIMING TO GET THERE.
AND PEOPLE WOULD PROBABLY SAY HOUSTON'S PRETTY FAR ON ONE END OF THAT SPECTRUM, BUT I THINK WE'RE MUCH FURTHER ALONG THAN PEOPLE GIVE CREDIT FOR.
AND THAT'S A REALLY POSITIVE MESSAGE THAT WE'RE ALREADY MUCH FURTHER THAN WE THINK AND WE CAN STILL MAKE A LOT OF GREAT STEPS ON THAT PATH TO, TO KEEP GOING.
UH, DAVID, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
I MEAN, I THINK IT ALSO GOES BACK TO HOW WE HAVE DEFINED RESILIENCE.
IT'S NOT JUST, LIKE I'VE SAID, I SAY IT ALL THE TIME.
IT'S NOT JUST HEAT, RESILIENCE, FLOOD, ALL OF THOSE ARE VALID.
IT'S WITHIN THE, THE ENTIRE TOOLKIT.
BUT RESILIENCE IS REALLY ABOUT BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS FOR EVERYDAY HOUSTONIANS, UH, OR CITIZENS OF THE EARTH.
UM, AND WHEN WE START TO DEFINE RESILIENCE LIKE THAT, WE LEVERAGE THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ALL OF YOU ARE HERE REPRESENTING THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE WORK THAT ALL OF YOU'RE DOING.
AND I WANNA SAY TO THE AUDIENCE, THERE'S A RES, I MEAN, I HAVE THE TITLE OF RESILIENCE OFFICER.
I THINK EVERYONE'S A RESILIENCE OFFICER.
EVERY ONE OF YOU IS A RESILIENCE OFFICER BECAUSE YOU CAN ALL BE, OR ARE ALREADY ARE RESILIENCE PRACTITIONERS OR PRACTICING CONSERVATION OR PRACTICING MANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
I THINK THE IDEA REALLY IS TO KEEP AT IT, UM, TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UH, BE PATIENT, APPRECIATE THE PROCESS AND REMAIN TEACHABLE.
UM, AND I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS WHAT SHOULD GIVE ALL OF US HOPE, UM, THAT THIS INDEED CAN BE DONE.
UM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THAT'S THE END OF OUR PANEL, BUT, UM, FIRST OF ALL, A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO OUR AMAZING PANELISTS.
SO, UM, WE DID REALLY WELL ON TIME.
UM, WE HAVE TIME FOR A, A FEW QUESTIONS.
IF YES, I THINK WE HAVE A MIC COMING UP IF ANYONE HAS A QUESTION.
I THINK THERE'S A MIC COMING UP BEHIND YOU.
[00:45:02]
I'M, I'M SORRY FOR MY QUESTION.I APOLOGIZE FOR THE QUESTION BECAUSE IT'S NOT A FRIENDLY QUESTION.
UH, FOR MY JOB, I HAVE, UH, THE NECESSITY TO GO AROUND THE CITY, UH, TRAVELING FROM THAT ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER ONE.
AND IT IS, IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING FOR ME.
UH, ALL THE WAITING TIMES, ALL THE STRESS, ALL THE FRUSTRATION ON THE TRAFFIC.
AND I THINK IT IS NOT EQUAL FOR EVERYBODY BECAUSE IF WE ARE, WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE ONE LINE FOR THE BIG HIGHWAYS LIKE I 45, 69 I 10, AND MAKE IT AN HOV LINE, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT ALSO MAKE IT A TALL, UH, LINE THAT YOU PAY AND YOU USE IT EVEN IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ALONE.
CAN WE DO THE SAME FOR THE, UH, TALL, TALL WAYS LIKE A BELTWAY EIGHT AND 99 TO MAKE AN HOV LINE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE USING THE CAR FOR MORE THAN ONE PERSON AND MAKE IT EQUITABLE FOR ALL OF US? KIM, I THINK YOU'RE THE BEST PERSON TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
UM, THAT COULD BE DONE, BUT IT WOULD TAKE A POLITICAL DECISION.
SO, UH, METRO OWNS SOME OF THE H-O-V-H-L-T LANES.
UH, THERE'S ANOTHER ORGANIZATION CALLED HARRIS COUNTY TOW ROAD AUTHORITY THAT MANAGES OTHER LANES.
AND SO WE HAVE BEEN GIVING, GIVEN OUR CHARTERS, BASICALLY BY FEDERAL LAW.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY SOME OF THEM ARE HOV AND SOME ARE HLT.
UM, BUT THAT IS, THAT'S A POLITICAL DECISION.
I MEAN, WE WANT AS MANY PEOPLE MOVING THROUGH THE CORRIDORS AS POSSIBLE.
UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF, UH, CONVERTING SOME OF THE HOS TO HOV.
UM, AND I THINK THAT MAY BE WHY POLITIC POLITICALLY IT MAY BE CHALLENGING, BUT IT'S REALLY A POLITICAL CALL.
IF I COULD JUST ADD SOMETHING TO THAT WITHOUT SPEAKING FOR AN AGENCY THAT I DON'T REPRESENT, I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK INTO THE WORK OF THE HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY.
THIS WAS AN AGENCY THAT WAS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED JUST TO BUILD TOLLWAYS, BUT HAS A NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, A NEW DIRECTION FROM COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND IS LOOKING TO DO SOME VERY INNOVATIVE THINGS.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK MORE INTO THE HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY.
I'M DR. THOMPSON, UM, THE CHIEF OF H AND D MAGAZINE.
I HAVE A QUESTION WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT IN LINE WITH YOUR, UH, PANEL TITLE.
THE MASS IN TRANSIT IS VERY TRICKY.
'CAUSE FIRST, WHEN YOU SAY THE MASSES, I'M SURE NONE OF YOU IN IN THAT PANEL WANT TO IDENTIFY WITH THAT STATEMENT.
SO WE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL HOW WE ACTUALLY, UH, PLACE TITLES FOR PANELS.
I DON'T THINK WE WANT JUST THE MASSES.
SO WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF CO COMPARISON NEW YORK AND WHY MOST NEW YORKERS, THEY'RE VERY RICH ONES LIKE ME, ARE IN THE SOFTWARE.
IN THE SOFTWARE, IN THE BOSSES AND THE VERY RICH ONES HERE, LIKE ME, DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE SUBWAY IN, WITH THE TRAIN AND EVERYTHING.
AND PEOPLE SAYING THAT, OH, YOU ARE IN RIDING THE TRAIN, YOU ARE VERY POOR.
HOW CAN YOU REALLY PUT CONTEXT IN THAT AND USE SELVES AS EXAMPLE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT M AND MASS IN TRANSIT? THANK YOU.
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK YOU IDENTIFY WITH THE MASSES.
SO SARAH, I'M, I'M NOT SURE I AGREE WITH YOUR PREMISE.
I, I'VE WORKED FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR THREE YEARS.
I COMMUTE NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DAY RIGHT HERE AROUND THE CORNER.
I'VE NEVER DRIVEN TO WORK NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I TAKE EITHER THE 30 OR THE 40 BUS.
I KNOW THE DRIVER, I KNOW THE DOZEN PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE BUS WITH ME EVERY SINGLE DAY.
OCCASIONALLY, UM, DEPENDING ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
I MAY BIKE BECAUSE I USE BEST BIO GREENWAY TRAILS COMING DOWN.
UM, I COMPLETELY CONSIDER MYSELF PART OF THAT MASS ON THE MASS TRANSIT.
I MEAN, MY WHOLE HOUSING CHOICE WAS BECAUSE THESE SYSTEMS WERE AVAILABLE TO ME.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK JUST LIKE ME ON THAT BUS.
AND I THINK MY SUGGESTION IS MAYBE TAKE A RIDE YOU WOULDN'T NORMALLY DO.
YOU'LL SEE MORE PEOPLE WHO LOOK JUST LIKE YOU ON THAT SYSTEM, ON THE BUS, ON THE BIKE, NOT DRIVING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REAL CREDIT TO HOUSTON.
UM, SO I, I GREW UP IN DETROIT ORIGINALLY AND
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I GREW UP ON THE DETROIT BUS SYSTEM, WHICH QUITE FRANKLY IN MY YOUTH WAS NOT GREAT.UM, AND I, I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.
THERE WAS ALWAYS AN IMPLICATION.
I MEAN, DETROIT, LIKE HOUSTON IS A CAR CITY, RIGHT? YOU HAVE A CAR, YOU'RE RICH, YOU'RE ON THE BUS, YOU'RE POOR.
AND THERE WAS DEFINITELY, UM, AN IMAGE ISSUE.
THERE WAS DEFINITELY A PERCEPTION ISSUE AROUND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AT THAT TIME.
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT THAT HAS COMPLETELY GONE.
AND I MEAN, TO, TO DAVID'S POINT, I DISAGREE WITH THE PREMISE TOO.
'CAUSE I'M VERY MUCH A MASS PERSON.
I AM NOW AT A POINT IN MY LIFE WHERE I CAN AFFORD A CAR.
UM, BUT I STILL TAKE THE BUS TO WORK.
UM, AND I THINK THE PERCEPTION AROUND BUS RIDING IS DIFFERENT.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S VERY GENERATIONAL, RIGHT? I'M SURE IF I TALK TO MY FRIENDS IN MY GENERATION BACK HOME, THEY WOULD STILL HAVE THAT PERCEPTION IN THEIR MIND.
BUT LIKE, MY DAUGHTER HAS NO ISSUE GETTING ON THE BUS.
IT'S JUST A WAY TO TRAVEL AND IT'S GREEN AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
LIKE THEY, THEY'RE THOUGHT PROCESS ABOUT THE PUBLIC GOOD IS VERY DIFFERENT, UM, THAN I, MY GENERATION WAS.
SO I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I DO THINK THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
UM, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THAT GENERATION, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THAT SEGMENT.
CHANGE, YEAH, THAT, WELL, I THINK THE FUTURE GENERATION IS MUCH MORE OPEN, MUCH MORE ACCEPTING AND LESS JUDGMENTAL ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSIT VERSUS CAR DRIVER OR OTHER MODES.
BUT I DO THINK SOME OF THAT REMNANT, UM, YOU KNOW, OF THE NEGATIVE CONNOTATION IS STILL THERE WITH SOME OLDER GENERATIONS.
I MEAN, IT JUST, THAT'S MY OPINION.
BUT YEAH, BECAUSE WE HAVE BUSES WHICH ARE PROPERLY DESIGN, THEY'RE PROPERLY CLEAN, THEY'RE SEATS, EVERYTHING, RIGHT? SO IT LOOKS LIKE FOR US, THE RICH ONES, AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE MANY BUSES WHICH ARE FOR THE MASS.
WHEN YOU SAY THINGS HAVE CHANGED, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
AND IF YOU SAY, I WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARRIVED, LET ACTUALLY GO OUT THERE AND DO THE SERVICE.
THE BOSSES OTHER PLACES ARE NOT THE SAME BOSSES THAT THE, SO THE OF THE, THAT SO POINT.
WELL, AND I GUESS, AND THAT'S GET INTO A BACK AND FORTH, BUT I GUESS YOU'RE COMPARING THE PARK AND RIDE TO THE LOCAL SERVICE.
I'M A LOCAL RIDER, SO I DEFINITELY DISAGREE WITH THAT.
I MEAN, MY, MY BUS IS AS COMPARABLE TO A PARK AND RIDE, UM, AS ANY OTHER.
SO, UM, I THINK WE JUST AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THAT.
AND, AND IT IS DIFFERENT BUSES.
SO YOU HAVE THE PARK AND RIDE BUSES, WHICH ARE OVER THE ROAD COACHES.
YOU HAVE LOCAL BUSES, WHICH ARE THE LOW FLOOR BUSES.
SO THE EXPERIENCE MAY BE DIFFERENT.
I'M NOT SAYING ONE IS WORSE OR BETTER.
MY EXP I MEAN, I'VE WORKED FOR METRO FOR 10 YEARS.
I USED TO TAKE THE PARK AND RIDE.
I USED TO LOOK FORWARD TO MY RIDE IN THE PARK AND RIDE.
I IDENTIFY WITH THE M WORD, PUTTING THE MASS IN TRANSIT.
I RIDE, I DRIVE AN ELECTRIC CAR RIGHT NOW, BUT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A TRANSIT RIDER WHEN I'M DOWNTOWN AND I WANNA GO, UM, UP THE STREET TO VISIT METRO.
SO, UM, I THINK WE CAN, UM, YOU DEFINITELY HAVE A BACK AND FORTH OR, UM, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE PANEL, BUT TIME FOR ONE MORE QUESTION.
I KNOW THIS, UH, LADY'S BEEN VERY PATIENTLY.
HI, I'M, YEAH, I REALLY APPRECIATED, UH, THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE UNIQUENESS OF HOUSTON.
I THINK, UH, I GREW UP IN SOUTHEAST HOUSTON AND I DID NOT THINK THE METRO WAS AS ACCESSIBLE TO ME.
I THINK FOR A BIG REASON SHADE.
SO IF YOU HAD TO WALK TO, UM, A STATION, IT'S JUST TOO HOT TO WALK TO IT.
WHEREAS, UM, NOW I LIVE IN MONTROSE AND IT'S SUCH A DIFFERENT SITUATION.
I'M NOTICING I'M WALKING MORE BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY BEARABLE TO WALK.
AND I, I MOVED AWAY SOMETIME AND I NOTICED THAT I WAS COMPARING THE OTHER CITIES THAT I THOUGHT WERE, WERE WALKABLE AND WERE, UH, ACCESSIBLE WITH TRANS TRANSPORTATION.
AND NOW I'M REALIZING LIKE IT'S INCOMPARABLE.
YOU CAN'T COMPARE NEW YORK, YOU CAN'T COMPARE CHICAGO TO HERE.
UM, BUT I AM INTERESTED TO KNOW IF, AND ANY OF YOU GUYS, I, I DO THINK HOUSTON DESERVES HOUSTON SOLUTIONS AND PEOPLE WHO WORK IN IT TO BE FROM HOUSTON AND UNDERSTAND HOUSTON JUST BECAUSE WE'RE SO DIFFERENT.
BUT DO YOU EVER DO WORK OR COLLABORATION OR JUST GET IDEAS OR WORK WITH OTHER CITIES OR, UM, GET, UH, INSPIRATION FROM OTHER CITIES PROJECTS AND TRY TO BRING THAT HERE? OR DO YOU THINK THAT WE SHOULD JUST REALLY FOCUS ON CENTERING HOUSTON IDEAS ONLY? I MEAN, I GO AROUND A LOT AND GET IDEAS.
UM, WE ARE A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC TRANSIT, UH, AGENCIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
SO WE KNOWLEDGE SHARE ALL THE TIME.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT'S VERY VALUABLE.
WE DO HAVE TO KIND OF PUT THE HOUSTON LENS OVER IT, LIKE WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR HOUSTON, WHAT WOULD PEOPLE USE,
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WHAT WOULD THEY BE COMFORTABLE WITH? BUT I MEAN, WE ARE A GLOBAL SOCIETY, SO IT'S IMPORTANT.PEOPLE WILL COME BACK I WAS IN EUROPE AND, AND YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THIS AND THAT AND I THINK THAT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR THINGS FOR US TO LOOK AT.
SO AT THE TIME, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING AN AMAZING AUDIENCE.
PLEASE GIVE YOURSELF A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
AND ALSO FOR THE PANELISTS, THANK YOU ALL.
UM, SO WE HAVE THE NEXT PANELIST IS GETTING, UH, ALL MICD UP.
SO THE NEXT PANEL IN THIS ROOM IS, THERE IS NO PLANET B, UM, SOME SPECIFIC, UH, HOUSTON ENVIRONMENTAL, JUST, OH, SORRY, I THINK I'M BRINGING THE WRONG ONE.