In this KHOU-11 story about Mayor White’s new bike program, there’s a quote that should be music to the ears of Heights residents worried about the possibility of a toll road running through their backyards:
The mayor also agreed to work on an agreement on possible community uses, including a bike-and-hike trail, for the right-of-way being acquired by the County Toll Road Authority through the Heights.
“Our elected officials won’t support a toll road built through the Heights over community objections. I’ve spoken with Harris County officials about exploring uses such as walking and bicycling trails,” Mayor White said.
As we have seen, Mayor White can get what he wants. If he puts his weight behind the efforts to block a toll road going through the Heights, that might actually be a hopeful sign for those residents.
One other problem though is the light rail. No one is bringing up the point that Metro has an interest in that old rail right-of-way. Would the mayor and the Heights residents support that? We don’t know yet, but here’s something to consider when light rail trains run through neighborhoods:
Residents in Noe Valley and the Outer Sunset [San Francisco] say the screeching sound of Muni’s light rail vehicles through both neighborhoods are making their lives unbearable. The noise, which can be mitigated by lubrication, is caused by the train’s metal wheels rubbing against metal tracks and is particularly bad when the vehicles go around turns.
Muni says it is doing all it can to respond to resident complaints, including cleaning and lubricating the tracks whenever complaints are lodged, and is training its operators to drive around sharp turns more slowly.
Many neighbors, however, say it’s not enough.
Noise from the Noe Valley tracks has gotten significantly worse in the past year, said Joby Shinoff, a resident of Church Street for 18 years. Shinoff, who owns the building he lives in and rents out several units, said the screeching is keeping people up and night and has gotten so bad that several of his tenants have considered moving.
UPDATE: KHOU-11 has another story on this, this time quoting Harris County Judge Robert Eckels as saying, “there is no plan to build a toll road through the Heights.”
And this:
“The right of way must remain in the public domain for the benefit of the community,” said Eckels.
The right of way is ideally suited for a recreational or transit use as a hike and bike trail or possible extensions of the Metro Light Rail or other Trolley systems to link the Houston Heights to other communities. In most of the old rail line there is enough right of way for both.
“I have deep roots in the old Houston Heights,” said the Judge. “My grandparents moved into the area over 90 years ago. My mother is a graduate of Reagan High School. My sister won the “good brick” award for historical preservation at her Heights area home in 1992. There is no need for toll lanes beyond the immediate Hwy 290/Loop610/I-10 interchange and I will not support a tollway through this neighborhood,” added the Judge.
That middle paragraph above is odd. If it is a quote from Judge Eckels, it is not attributed. If it’s not a quote, then it’s a whole lot of editorializing on the part of the KHOU writer.
