With Metro, future of world-class city continues to unfold

No one has had a bigger influence on transportation and transit in Houston than Bob Lanier.

Although he passed away in 2014, his immense and visionary legacy — as chairman of what now is the Texas Transportation Commission and later as Metro board chair and mayor of Houston —remains critical to our region’s ability to keep pace with growth.

Understanding that Houston’s economy depends on adynamic transportation system, he played defining roles in establishing a multimodal system that includes cars, buses and light rail. Over a productive three decades, he planned and promoted regional highway expansion and road repairs, coordinated traffic through the creation of his brainchild Transtar, crafted an express network with a highly successful park-and-ride program and ultimately backed a sensible light-rail plan after two decades of stalemate over the issue.

Mayor Bob, as we called him, understood that successful transit requires flexibility, because no single solution can properly address the many complex challenges facing our great city. He believed that taxpayer-funded projects should be fiscally responsible, cost effective, fact-based, and market driven. He called those principles “Baytown economics” in honor of his childhood neighbors who understood agood deal.

As the three of us reflect on his record, we are confident that he would support the MetroNext plan on the Nov. 5 ballot, which calls for a broad array of transit projects designed to prepare our region for its explosive growth from 7 million people today to 10 million by 2040.

Under MetroNext, the transit agency will issue $3.5 billion in bonds in prudent increments over the next 20 years, with no additional taxes. Metro has proved itself to be a good shepherd of public resources, earning high ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service and praise from both Democratic and Republican watchdogs.

The bonding authority will allow Metro to seek as much as $3.5 billion in federal matching money that, with $500 million in local funds, will finance $7.5 billion in transit projects that will work together to enhance mobility and connectivity.

Mayor Bob liked a plan that had something for everybody. MetroNext’s 500 miles of transit improvements include 110 miles of improvements to the regional express network, 75 miles of MetroRapid (bus-rapid transit that operates similarly to rail at one-third to one-half the cost), 16 miles of light rail extensions where they make sense, improvements to the local bus system, and enhanced accessibility for our elderly and disabled residents. And MetroNext will continue funding for street, sidewalk and drainage repairs to the tune of $4 billion, a concept Mayor Bob implemented in his public service career.

Such a multifaceted plan not only results in an effective transportation system, but also rests on the type of broad political consensus that will withstand the test of time.

MetroNext is projected to more than double Metro ridership by 2040, thus helping manage congestion, to reduce the wasteful time commuters are stuck in traffic, and to lower our region’s carbon footprint, while literally keeping our economy moving.

After examining Metro’s proposed $3.5 billion bond referendum, we are confident Mayor Bob would endorse it. The plan is in the best interest of our community. It makes good fiscal sense. It addresses traffic congestion. And it is a multimodal approach that focuses on a broad array of transit solutions.

As a result, we support MetroNext, as well.

Lanier is the widow of former Mayor Bob Lanier. Burge and Crosswell were Metro board chairmen nominated by Mayor Lanier.