Houston FTW: Transit Execs Aim to Fix Sorry Bus Stops

METRO sees fixing things outside of their vehicles -- namely sidewalks and bus stops -- as a critical way of boosting ridership. That means coordinating with lots of other players. "In order to have accessible shelters, you need to have the City of Houston fully on board," Patman said. She says METRO will be more involved in public and private planning efforts and suggested she wants to explore the idea of asking private developers to install bus shelters when they’re making major improvements to their properties.

Tom Lambert, METRO’s CEO, said the agency intends to create an urban design position on its staff. Already, METRO’s planning staff is working to coordinate with the city’s planning department, its public works department and the area’s management districts on how to align sidewalk improvements with METRO’s improved bus service. Lambert also discussed his interest in building out bus infrastructure at so-called “super stops” where multiple, high-frequency bus routes intersect and thus create busy transfer points.

While on the topic of coordination, Lambert also mentioned that METRO is working with Houston’s public works department on a pilot project to give some buses signal priority -- technology that would reduce or eliminate the need for buses to wait at red lights -- in order to improve throughput. That technology could be particularly useful for dedicated bus lanes.