Peter Brown Wants to Keep Houston Moving

Peter Brown is cranking the policy initiatives and going full steam ahead in this Mayoral race. Brown has released his “Keep Us Moving- A Transportation Blueprint for an Even Better Houston” which you read here or download here at your convience.

Peter Brown claims:

“To deal with traffic, we’ve got to get the basics right: cut congestion, give residents real transportation choices, and focus on getting people where they want to go. As Mayor, I’ll use my experience and practical, pragmatic solutions to get results and keep us moving.”

How will we get those basics right, you may inquiry?
Well, Brown has laid them out in six points:

• Get Roadwork Done Right: Faster, Better and Without Congestion
• Build on our Progress with Traffic Solutions
• Give Houston Real Transportation Choices
• Encourage More Flexible Movement of Workers and Commuters
• Make Houston a City Built to Save Time
• Shape a Vision for the Future to Keep Us Moving

I recommend checking out the plan in its entirety. For those that would like just the highlights from my perspective … here goes.

I was intrigued by the concept of synchronizing our traffic lights because this is a no given but I am appalled that it has not been expanded after Mayor Bill White began it. I cannot tell you how many times I will go through four green lights to stop at one red light as the other lights after that red light are green. It doesn’t take rocket science … I mean we could have figured this one out after a year of having more than one street light. I am glad that Brown will be proactive on that measure if elected.

Brown would continue the SAFEClear program that was implemented by Mayor Bill White and has caused some controversy. I for the one hand support it and see no issues. Perhaps, it is because I live within the Loop and have traveled outside the city and saw firsthand cars abandoned on the freeway for days on end … see Dallas and I-30 heading Westbound any given Sunday and you will know what I am talking about.

Peter Brown has a long term vision for transportation and this is what really excites me. As a young adult that plans on living in Houston for my adult life, I want the best and I deserve it, don’t I. I lived in Austin for close to four years and I love that city and in fact I retreat to it at least once a month. The only thing I dislike about the city other than the lack of diversity is … traffic and believe me, I do not think they have a working solution planned for anytime soon.

Currently, folks experience a traffic commute of 50 minutes here in Houston. That figure will jump up to three hours by 2035. That is unacceptable and it is up to the leaders in City Hall to address this issue and begin tackling the issue.

I enjoyed entertaining the idea of changing commuting patterns in order to reduce congestion. Brown will offer incentives for those employers that “offer flexible schedules and stagger shift times to avoid rush hour commutes.”

Brown would also like to encourage “denser mixed-use growth and development near public transit to help reduce car trips and save time.” A big plus for me and if implemented with a more bike friendly environment … this is the Houston I can only dream about.

I will note that Annise Parker released “Engineering a Stronger Houston and a Healthier Economy” an infrastructure initiative in mid-June. After comparing both though, Peter Brown’s is more in depth and exciting to say the least.

What are your ideas on how to change Houston for the better? How do we tackle this elephant in the room we call traffic?