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Texas lags in high-speed rail
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry never misses an opportunity to tweak California.
Its massive budget deficit, often dysfunctional state government and high unemployment make the Golden State an easy target…
Report slaps Capital Metro
Friday, April 23, 2010
Capital Metro mismanaged a $200 million reserve fund, opened MetroRail with potentially unsafe bridges and has high operating costs for its bus service that are not sustainable, according to a…
Resizing the CAMPO Tent
Thursday, December 10, 2009
When Austin state Sen. Kirk Watson announced last week that he would step down as chair of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization – the body of elected officials that…
Trips to the airport could get easier
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Getting to the airport, which involves negotiating a gantlet of traffic lights from every direction, might get easier in the not-so-distant future.
The Texas Transportation Commission next week is likely…
Developing Stories: Driving in Two Directions
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Are Central Texans ready to drive less so that we can become a more sustainable region? Well, about half of us are, suggests a recent survey by the Capital Area…
Sparks fly between Watson and TxDOT over Rail Relocation Fund
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sen. Kirk Watson spent most of last session negotiating the budget rider for a modest pot of seed money for the long-anticipated rail relocation fund, only to find out recently…
Interim Cap Metro chief picked
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Capital Metro board on Monday named Doug Allen to lead the transit agency on an interim basis during the search for a permanent general manager.
Allen, Capital Metro's executive…
There is hope for the future at Capital Metro
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
It's hard to talk about Capital Metro, the region's primary transit agency, without falling back on years of familiar frustrations.
Like countless Central Texans, I find it hard to believe…
Backseat seat belts stays alive
Saturday, May 23, 2009
With its original bill apparently dying in the House, the Texas Senate this afternoon kept alive a high-profile proposal to require seat-belts for back-seat passengers.
How? Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin,…
Trio of bills would change rules of the road in Texas
Friday, May 15, 2009
The rules of the road for Texas drivers are veering toward change.
Under proposals speeding through the Legislature this week, two things would have to change before the car even…
Back-seat buckle-up bill passed by Senate
Thursday, May 14, 2009
All Texans would have to buckle up in the back seat of their vehicles under a bill that the Senate passed on Thursday with little debate. The measure by Sen.…
Keith Self doesn’t speak for all of Collin County
Friday, March 20, 2009
Collin County Judge Keith Self has opposed bond elections to build roads, accused regional leaders of socialism and made fighting a bill that would give people the right…
Sunset review calls for more oversight of TxDOT
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, in a rebuke to the Texas Department of Transportation, called Tuesday for putting the agency on what amounts to a four-year leash.
The commission's staff,…
CAMPO Decision Tree Takes Root
Thursday, May 08, 2008
"It's a very significant point in the history of transportation planning in this community," heralded Sen. KirkWatson. After five months, the Transit Working Group this week unanimously endorsed a new,…
Streetcar Blow-Up
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Contrary to what was reported in a front-page Statesman article and editorial this past week, the city of Austin has not in fact abandoned plans for a streetcar, nor has…
