Transportation Policy Council Meeting: May 21
|
|
At its May meeting, the Transportation Policy Council approved more than 300 minor amendments to the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan. These amendments are mostly administrative modifications to the plan that clarify certain improvement project descriptions or their timelines. They did not receive any public comments. The Houston-Galveston Area Council held a series of public meetings in December 2020 and April 2021 regarding amendments to the 2045 RTP as well as air quality conformity determination. Thirty-six amendments received 107 (141 total, 36 duplicate) public comments. Because these amendments received so much feedback and engagement from the community, H-GAC scheduled them for policy council review at a future meeting while they thoroughly analyze each public comment received.
The regionally-significant amendments would add improvement projects along eight major corridors to strengthen and improve connectivity of the region's transportation network. They will also better align transit projects with the MetroNext Plan. A preliminary analysis revealed most of the public comments received concerned improvement projects along Highway 36A, Hempstead Highway, segments of IH 10, IH 610, SH 35, and SH 99, and segment 3 of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project. For more information about the RTP amendments and to view a full list of the submitted public comments, visit 2045trp.com.
In some committee organization items, the council approved new members to fill vacant seats on the Transportation Advisory Committee and the Transportation Safety Committee. Heather Jinkins Cantu, deputy director of policy, compliance, and stakeholder engagement at the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and Dr. David Abraham, green infrastructure and sustainability planner at the Harris County Toll Road Authority, will serve as the primary and alternate members, respectively, of Transportation Advisory Committee’s Toll Road position. On the Transportation Safety Committee, Norma Palma with Mothers Against Drunk Driving will serve as the alternate member in the Healthcare/Education/Social Service/Advocacy Groups or Interested Citizens category, and Reece Hardy with the Houston Police Department will serve as the primary member in the Law Enforcement category.
The council also unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the service of outgoing members Natalie Picha, Seabrook City Councilmember, and Paul Reitz, district engineer of the Texas Department of Transportation - Yoakum District. Picha joined the Transportation Policy Council in 2018 as an alternate member representing smaller cities. She also served as chair of the Nominating Committee in 2021. Reitz served on the policy council as an ex-officio representing the TxDOT - Yoakum District from 2016 to April 2020.
|
|
Celebrate Telework Week with H-GAC All Week Long
|
|
Telework Week is here! All this week, H-GAC will host events and activities showcasing the benefits of teleworking for both employers and employees. On June 24 at 11:30 a.m., H-GAC will host a free webinar on leveraging telework in your organization's return to office plans. Click here to register.
H-GAC will also recognize workers, managers, and executive leaders who were nominated by their peers as teleworking champions on our social media pages. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to join in the festivities. For more information about teleworking and resources to help support your commuter programs, visit the Commute Solutions website at yourcommutesolution.org.
|
|
Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?
|
|
Hurricane season is here, and H-GAC wants to make sure everyone in the region is prepared.
Visit TogetherAgainstTheWeather.com for tool kits and strategies on preparing your home and family for a hurricane or severe storm. The page also contains helpful materials for those caring for small children, special need individuals, and those with health conditions.
|
|
H-GAC Reminds Drivers Across the Region to Make Safety a Priority When on the Road
|
|
As travel picks up across the region, H-GAC would like to remind drivers to practice safe habits and use caution when traversing our roads. The region has experienced tremendous population growth and a corresponding increase in traffic-related injuries and deaths. In 2020 alone, traffic fatalities increased by 7% in Texas and by 11% in the eight-county metropolitan planning area. Improving traffic safety will take every one of us working together. Otherwise, we will continue to pay the price.
Visit h-gac.com/paytheprice for tips and resources on how we can improve transportation safety in the region.
|
|
Nuro Discusses Bringing Autonomous Delivery Service to Houston at Latest Brown Bag Webinar
|
|
At its latest transportation Brown Bag webinar on June 21, H-GAC sat down with Dan Mitchell, city and community engagement spokesperson at Nuro. Nuro is an autonomous-vehicle (AV) food and grocery delivery service with partners such as Dominos, Kroger, and Walmart.
Mitchell provided insight into Nuro's AV technology, and he discussed the company's experiences and lessons learned from implementing AV delivery service within Houston's intricate metropolitan transportation network. He also talked about current initiatives and his experiences working with local and national partners. At the end of the presentation, Mitchell took questions from the audience.
H-GAC's next Brown Bag webinar will be at noon, July 19 with Port Houston. For more information and to register, visit the Brown Bag Lunch Series website.
|
|
Livable Centers Study Sponsors Applications Due in July
|
|
H-GAC seeks to identify and fund Full Livable Centers studies and, for the first time, Focused Livable Centers studies. Full Livable Centers studies will be scaled at a community level, and Focused Livable Centers studies will focus on a smaller geographic area and/or specific issue (e.g., transit-oriented development, first/last mile connections). The proposed study must be in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties. Sponsors are limited to local governments or other eligible entities.
|
|
|
Friday, June 25, 2021
9:30-11 a.m.
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
9:30-11 a.m.
|
|
|
|
Follow, Like, and Share
on Social Media!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|