Transportation
An efficient and effective transit system provides accessibility to the city’s central core. This was a priority in the early years of Central Houston and the organization continues to seek transit and accessibility options to fuel the thriving hub.
Beyond the borders of Downtown, Central Houston seeks to consider the bigger picture of the broader central city to enable a prosperous future for Houston. The concentrations of people and essential businesses in the collective Downtown-Uptown-Texas Medical Center area are integral to the future of the entire city and region.
In a growing city, where many people travel 10, 30 or even 70 miles a day, it is crucial for transit and all forms of mobility to be appealing, efficient and accessible across the board. That’s why, since its beginning, Central Houston has worked with METRO to help inform decisions and outcomes, often through elections and successful referenda. Central Houston has collaborated with METRO on Regional Transit Plans that received wide community support. The organizations worked together on the Downtown Transit Streets project to improve transit service and sidewalk and street conditions for transit patrons and pedestrians. Central Houston and METRO worked together, again, on the light rail plans and today, Central Houston is a vigorous advocate of METRO’s new System Reimaging Network, a transit system for the Houston region that lets more people get to more places, more quickly, more of the time.
Effective transportation planning seeks to expand access and connectivity for all modes. Central Houston has conducted six Downtown commute surveys since 1987 to better understand travel behavior of their stakeholders. In addition to METRO bus and rail, Central Houston supports multi-mode transit access, including Houston’s bike share program, Houston BCycle; the first two-way cycle track on Lamar Street connecting Buffalo Bayou Park to Discovery Green and the new cycle track on the newly reimagined Bagby Street; and other services such as the City’s new taxicab app, rideshare programs and car-share provider Zip Car.
Two long-range and very high-profile projects Central Houston is deeply involved with include TxDOT’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project and the proposed high-speed rail line, specifically its connection to Downtown and other major employment centers in the central city.