TRANSPORTATiON ImPROvEmENT PROGRAm - Houston ...

ATTACHMENT #3
PO BOX 66532 HOUSTON TX 77266-6532
March 26, 2012
To:
Mr. Alan Clark, Director of Transportation Planning, H-GAC
PO Box 22777, Houston, Texas 77227-2777
(713) 993-4585; alan.clark@h-gac.com
Dear Sirs:
Mr. Bill Tobin, Transportation Program Manager, H-GAC
PO Box 22777, Houston, Texas 77227-2777
Email: Bill.Tobin@h-gac.com
Please find below our comments from the members of the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition
(CTC) regarding the Draft 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
CTC is an all volunteer, nonprofit transportation advocacy organization. We envision
transportation solutions that improve quality of life. We are committed to the idea that public
participation leads to better projects. Since 2004, we have worked to engage residents of the 8-
county Houston-Galveston area in the planning of transportation projects that affect our
neighborhoods.
Because of our all volunteer status, we are not able to comment on all projects, although we are
supportive of all modes of transportation that fit CTC’s general principles and basic
transportation criteria:
Fix it first;
Spend scarce transportation dollars where the people are;
Spend efficiently where the dollars will do the most good;
Make honest evaluations of costs and benefits including mode externalities;
Promote multi-modes and particularly projects for those who cannot drive and projects
that will help HGAC with its air quality issues;
Bicycle, pedestrian, and other non-motorized projects provide inexpensive infrastructure
and right of way, and safe and healthful mobility, particularly for shorter trips;
Promote freight and rail projects that will aid delivery and export of commerce and goods
and service;
Abate damage and harms to communities and property owners caused by transportation
projects such as unlawful noise impacts and disruption of established communities and
businesses caused by suboptimal project designs;
The public should have a reasonable right to participate at all levels of project design and
environmental mitigation, including project changes after approvals are granted;
Require land developers and commercial owners to bear their share of sidewalk, access,