Getting Around Town

I don't do too badly right now, to tell you the truth. I'm a couple of blocks from a bus line that runs more-or-less once every half hour.

The route ends about two miles from downtown, but I can transfer (with an additional fare) for the balance.

I've got a nice bike trail going by the bayou, it goes from half a mile from the mall by the Loop to about three quarters of a mile from the Medical Center.

Plus it goes within a mile of the Astrodome (pardon me, the Reliant Energy (formerly Enron formerly Houston Looting and Pillage Corp heavily funded publicly sopnsered because it will create jobs).

If I recall correctly, this little strip of asphalt going from nowhere in particular to nowhere in particular cost rather more than a million dollars.

No, they won't say that, the official "cost" is will cover materials and labor, but the planning and design, for the love of the sweet bleeding baby Jesus on the cross the GRANT WRITERS cost literally millions and don't contradict me 'cuz I've gotten drunk with them.

What's with the one-way busses, huh? Yes, I'm looking at you, Park & Rides. From the exurbs to Downtown in the morning, and reverse route in the evenings. What happens during midday? Hide out and have a big lunch? Hang out at the places where they only allow the Lux rides? Huh?

I used to live near Hobby Airport, and worked in Park Ten. Busses inbound only. Stoopid. Major corridors, a huge employment center there out i-10 West. Can't get there from here. At least not to go to work. I repeat, Stoopid. I live in the Woodlands and work downtown? No problemo. I live in the Med Center and get a great gig with Compac? Buy a car.

Here's something even worse: I lived in Spring Branch and worked 4 miles away in NW Houston. Two transfers, and it drops me off a mile from work. With a minimum of 2 hours transit time. Each way. Not including the walks. In a suit and tie - and if you say use the bike rack on the front of the bus I will forgive you but my employer didn't have an on site shower for bike users, plus I had 2 bikes stolen at the site. (Not by my co-workers. They thought I was a very odd executive, and did not realize that they were making more money than I was.)

The real kicker is this - I got a company truck. A '93 Subhuman. To save me money on transit.