Mass transit in Houston’s suburbs could get a boost in the coming years, after a committee of the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which is responsible for doling out federal transportation funds, announced last month that highways alone will not support the population growth expected in the region.
The H-GAC’s Transportation Policy Council at its March meeting on Friday voted unanimously to approve creating a task force to study options for building and expanding mass transit in the Greater Houston area.
In a presentation to the group, Alan Clark, director of transportation planning for the area council, told meeting attendees that the Houston region’s population is expected to grow by 80 to 110 percent between now and 2050.
“State demographers believe by then the region could be home to as many as 14 million people,” Clark said. “As we grow as a region we’re going to have a demand for even longer commute trips.”
The task force will have three officers, also approved unanimously on Friday:
Rusty Senac, Chambers County commissioner
Amanda Edwards, Houston city council member
Carrin Patman, chairwoman of the board of directors for Metro, the transit authority overseeing transit in Houston and some surrounding municipalities.
Clark said the goal was to select officers who would represent the city of Houston, areas outside Houston, and providers of public transit.
When one TPC member questioned why a task force was needed instead of the TPC studying the issue as a whole, Clark replied, “Given the lack of progress in implementing new plans, it seems we need something different.”
The rest of the task force will be comprised of TPC members who choose to take part in it.
“This is complementary to, not in lieu of this body,” Patman told the group.
The task force will likely hold its first meeting in April, according to H-GAC staffers. The group will report its findings and recommendations in August 2018.
