Residents and stakeholders have another opportunity to share their thoughts on how to make getting around the Houston-Galveston region safer and better for years to come. H-GAC will host a second round of public meetings now through early December to decide the top transportation priorities and strategies for its 2045 Regional Transportation Plan – which is being updated – and how they will drive the plan’s vision moving forward.

Check out the flyer below for the full schedule of meeting dates, times, and locations (click it to enlarge). All the public meetings will have Spanish language interpreters and American Sign Language interpreters for the deaf community. The Fort Bend County and Harris County public meetings will also have Mandarin and Vietnamese language interpreters. Residents and stakeholders can learn more information about the meetings and how to get involved at www.h-gac.com/RTP, or read our online news release.

David Fink, H-GAC transportation manager, joined with representatives from Houston TranStar, AAA Texas, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at a press event showcasing the importance of the Texas ‘Move Over, Slow Down’ Law. This law requires drivers to move over one lane or slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when approaching emergency vehicles, law enforcement, tow trucks, utility service vehicles, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles, or other highway construction or maintenance vehicles using visual signals or flashing lights activated on the roadside.

Tow truck drivers representing the Gulf Coast Regional Tow and Go Program are among many emergency and roadside assistance vehicles that regularly assist motorists that find themselves stranded on our freeways. By obeying the ‘Move Over, Slow Down’ Law, drivers help protect these critical first responders, along with the stranded motorists they assist, from dangerous or even deadly crashes.

To learn more about the importance of the ‘Move Over, Slow Down’ Law, visit the TxDOT website. To learn more about Tow and Go and how to call for assistance if you find yourself stranded on the freeway due to mechanical failure or flat tire, visit towandgo.com. 

'Train Your Bike' classes are back this fall! H-GAC and CyclingSavvy are partnering to bring bike safety classes to various communities in the region. The first session will be on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Galveston, Texas. For more information and to register for a class in your community, visit the H-GAC Bike Safety page. 

Waller City Councilmember Nancy Arnold was recently named president-elect of the Texas Association of Regional Councils. Arnold currently serves on the H-GAC Board of Directors representing General Law Cities. She also serves on the Transportation Policy Council. She and her fellow TARC officers – Judge Robert Johnston, who serves as president of TARC, and Alderman Kavon Novak, who serves as vice president – were officially sworn in at the end of September and will serve through 2023. Congratulations to Nancy Arnold! 

H-GAC Transportation Director Craig Raborn joined METRO and Harris County Precinct 2 to cap off Commute Solutions Month in September and celebrate the opening of the METRO HOV/HOT lanes on weekends. Increasing the operating hours of the lanes to seven days a week is a critical milestone in the effort to combat traffic congestion in the Houston-Galveston region. Read more about the HOV/HOT lanes opening at their press release online.

We’re less than one month away from celebrating Houston Area GIS Day! The event takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the University of Houston - Clear Lake campus (2700 Bay Area Blvd., Bayou Building). The Houston Area GIS Day is a free, one-day celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for local GIS professionals, universities, high school students, and teachers.

This year’s activities include:

• Live educational presentations for students
• Live geospatial presentations for professionals
• College and university GIS program exhibitors
• Geospatial exhibitors and vendors
• Student GIS activities and games
• URISA Texas “Mappy Hour” post-event
• Professional map contests and more!

For more event information, including sponsor/exhibitor opportunities, speaker opportunities, map contest registration, and general attendance registration and information, please visit the links for each specific part of the event or visit the 2022 Houston Area GIS Day web page.

H-GAC MPO in the News

• Houston-Galveston Area Council announces public meetings on 2045 regional transportation plan
• Public meetings will help set the vision, top priorities of H-GAC’s long-range transportation plan
• Precinct 2 mobility study calls for $3.6B in projects, including Old Conroe Road improvements
• Pearland residents have opportunity to request hearing on $17.7M expansion of Mykawa Road
• Move over, slow down: Dangerous driver habits putting roadside crews at risk
• What to do when your vehicle stalls on the freeway
• PHOTOS: Get an inside look at Houston TranStar
• Woodlands OKs funds for $10M project to extend David Memorial Drive to Texas 242
• Developing a Tool Suite to Address Resilience Return on Investment in Transportation Infrastructure
• Houston launches integrated Mobility on Demand
• Katy, counties get slice of $488M from H-GAC for storm projects