MORE ROADS WILL NOT EQUAL LESS CONGESTION, SAYS URBAN MOBILITY STUDY
by Sarah Morgan

Cities across the United States are losing the traffic battle despite efforts to relieve congestion by building more roads, according to a new report released Sept. 7, which shows Houstonians are spending more time than ever in traffic.

The 2004 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute, ranks Houston as eighth in the total number of hours spent in traffic for 2002. Out of the 85 urban areas studied (all US areas with a population over 500,000), Houston loses an estimated total of 123 million person-hours a year to traffic congestion. The average Houston driver on the roads during peak travel times (6 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7 pm) spent 58 hours in traffic in 2002, up one hour from 2001 and more than drivers in New York City, Miami, and Chicago.

The good news, when the data are examined on a broader scale, is that Houston seems to be fairing better than many other cities. In 1982, Houston drivers spent an estimated 39 hours a year in traffic, 19 fewer hours than in 2002. The nationwide annual average is far worse. According to the study, the average nationwide time spent in traffic in 2002 is up by 30 hours over 1982. Drivers in cities such as Dallas and Los Angeles spent almost 50 more hours in traffic in 2002 than 20 years ago.

What all of this means, according to TTI researchers, is that the urban traffic problem has grown too quickly and is too complicated to have a single solution. The problem must be addressed from all angles, including public transportation projects, more efficient use of current roadways, and better planning and management, researchers said.

"We’re facing an increasingly urgent situation," said Tim Lomax, research engineer for the Texas Transportation Institute, in a press release. "To make real progress, it’s critical that we pursue all transportation solutions – short-range, small-scale projects and policies, mid-range efficiency programs, and, longer term, more significant projects and programs that require more planning and design time."

David Crossley, president of the Gulf Coast Institute, emphasized this point: "Congestion has grown everywhere and occupies more of the day everywhere." The solutions are complex and every solution needs to be used." Solutions he mentioned included those in the TTI report, but for Houston, Crossley said that providing land use options that reduce the effects of growth is an underutilized strategy.

"Nearly all other metro areas are employing a land use strategy. We are not," said Crossley, referencing the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan, Houston’s plan to guide transportation projects through the year 2025. Because the 2025 RTP does not include strategies for land use, Crossley said that this lack of planning, in the long term, will necessitate more spending on new roads, leading to loss of open space and habitat, poor air quality, and an increase in the distances Houstonians drive.

This year’s TTI report also estimated the annual cost of traffic congestion and excess fuel used while cars idle in traffic. For Houston, 199 million gallons of fuel were wasted in 2002. Researchers estimated that the time lost while stuck in traffic during that same year cost $2.2 billion.

"Congestion is a fact of urban life and realistic expectations are part of the solution," said Crossley.

BAYPORT APPEAL MOVES FORWARD

A coalition of cities and citizens’groups is continuing to challenge the Port of Houston Authority’s Bayport permit on the grounds that it violates federal environmental laws protecting estuaries. The coalition’s brief for the appeal must be filed with Fifth Circuit Court by October 11. A response to this from Corps and Port lawyers is due by about Nov. 10, and the coalition may file a reply by about Nov. 24, 2004. The date of oral argument before the Court of Appeals has not yet been set. Plaintiffs making up the coalition include the cities of Shoreacres, Seabrook, Taylor Lake Village, and El Lago, communities that would be most heavily impacted by truck traffic, air pollution, and industrial sprawl if the project were to proceed. Citizens’ groups standing with the cities include Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association, Galveston Bay Foundation, Gulf Restoration Network, and the Texas Committee on Natural Resources.

NATURE WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER TO SPEAK AT PINEY WOODS WILDLIFE SOCIETY MEETING

Houston Chronicle nature writer, Gary Clark, and his wife, photographer Kathy Adams Clark, will present "The Story Behind the Stories" at the Piney Woods Wildlife Society’s meeting on Sept. 21. The program will highlight some of the couple’s adventures gathering information for Gary Clark’s weekly column and will include some of the Clarks’ favorite photographs. The public is invited to the meeting, which begins at 7:30 pm at the Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield. For more information, contact Carole Allen at (281) 444-6204.

2004 BAY DAY FESTIVAL

The Galveston Bay Foundation will hold the 2004 Bay Day Festival on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9 am to 4 pm, at Sylvan Beach in La Porte, Texas. This event will feature a variety of bay activities including a scavenger hunt, live alligators, a waterslide, touch tanks, and other hands-on exhibits, activities, and demonstrations. The festival will also feature live music, food courts, and arts and crafts. Other activities and demonstrations include water, canoe, scull, and kayak demonstrations, wetlands exhibits, and a fishing tournament. Bay Day will focus on developing public awareness of the diverse resources and multiple uses of the Galveston Bay system and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.galvbay.org or call (281) 332-3381 ext. 207.

RICE UNIVERSITY SHELL CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY FALL 2004 SEMINARS

The Rice University Shell Center for Sustainability is hosting a series of free seminars this fall. The next seminar will be Sept. 14 from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Rice University McMurtrey Auditorium and will discuss climate change. Speakers and panelists will include Charles Christopher, an internationally recognized expert on greenhouse gas issues and improved oil recovery; Christian R. Holmes, who serves as executive director of both the Shell Center for Sustainability and the Environmental and Energy Systems Institute at Rice University; and other accredited researchers and analysts. Upcoming seminar topics include Houston air quality, particulate matter, and implementing the clean air act. All seminars are free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~eesi/scs/.

RICE UNIVERSITY CSES SEEKS DIRECTORS’ ASSISTANT

The Center for the Study of Environment and Society at Rice University is seeking an assistant to the directors. This benefits-eligible position could be full or part time. The assistant will work in a stimulating academic environment with students, faculty, and staff. The position offers an excellent opportunity to learn about a broad range of environmental issues, while also improving the environment both on and off campus. The assistant’s duties include maintaining CSES and course web sites, coordinating and preparing readings for and participating in the faculty’s weekly environmental reading group, coordinating other special events, acting as administrator and webmaster for the Lowrey Arboretum, assisting with production of CSES and Lowrey Arboretum publications, and acting as a teaching assistant for environmental issues courses. To apply or for more information, please contact Paul Harcombe, PhD, at (713) 348-4924 or harcomb@rice.edu.

CONSUMER GUIDE DETAILS ILLS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMON PRODUCTS

A free online consumer guide published in March by the Worldwatch Institute describes the environmental, social, and health harms associated with a wide range of products, including appliances, baby products, DVDs, clothing, cell phones, and food. The guide takes a behind the scenes look at how products are made, and offers simple advice and alternatives that enable people to reduce some of the ills associated with the things they buy.
For each product, the guide also describes successful efforts by governments, businesses, and nonprofit groups around the world to reduce negative impacts associated with common products.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff

NEW REPORT IN PARKS FOR PEOPLE SERIES

The Trust For Public Land’s Parks for People initiative works in cities across America to ensure that everyone--in particular every child--enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. A new Parks for People report by Peter Harnik, director of TPL's Center for City Park Excellence, highlights the need for parks in Newark, New Jersey. The report's release follows by several months the publication of TPL's Parks for People white paper, which makes the case for new city parks nationwide. Upcoming Parks for People publications will focus on other US cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13843&folder_id=175

A HANDBOOK FOR ACTIVISTS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Forever has created a handy-dandy guide to taking action. Learn how to draft your own action letters, organize enjoyable activism events, and get in touch with local media.
To obtain your own tree-free version of the guide:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/action/index.html
Learn more about the Wilderness Act:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/act.cfm

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