TURF’s propaganda machine is in a tizzy
Well, I’ve been holding off on a toll road related post for a while, but TURF’s latest round of propaganda has forced me to respond.
Next week, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will meet to determine whether to remove the tolling component of plans to upgrade US 281 and Loop 1604. Terri Hall and her myriad of special-interest groups—primarily TURF— have once again seized upon this as an opportunity to disseminate their persistent and prolific exaggerations, hyperboles, half-truths, and just plain fallacies about toll roads.  Below are just some of their false assertions and the actual facts; each TURF claim is linked back to where it is published.
History Roads: classic cars Roads
by Hugh
Comments Off on San Antonio Car Clubs
San Antonio Car Clubs
Automobile fanaticism runs deep in San Antonio. There are at least thirty different car clubs in the city, from the Ford Model A to the Nissan Z and all points in between. There are enough car shows for at least one every weekend of the year. Some are specific to one manufacturer or even model type, others are general invite. In the cause of full disclosure I should admit I am heavily involved in organizing two of them, one in the spring and the other in the fall. Each focuses on entirely different parts of the spectrum, Ford Model Ts and military vehicles, and yet even here there is overlap, in the form of World War One ambulances.
 By and large it is a masculine preoccupation. There are most welcome exceptions, with skills to put the best to shame, but when all is said and done, it’s a guy thing. Male enthusiasms are invariably inexplicable, mainly because they are essentially illogical. Why do some get so involved in stamp collecting? What’s the big deal about football? Can’t it be said with some certainty who won the Civil War and what happened at the Alamo? And why are you still playing with trains at your age? What’s wrong with you? Nothing, actually. We each seem to have some activity that floats our boat, or perhaps more appropriately in this context, a key that starts our engines.
SPUI comes to Texas
Rendering of SPUI on US 75 at Parker Rd. in Plano
Work is underway on the North Central Expressway at Parker Rd. in the Dallas suburb of Plano on what, to my knowledge, will be Texas’ first Single Point Urban Interchange, or SPUI (pronounced “spoo-ee”). (If anyone knows of an existing one in Texas, please post it!) Popular in several other states, a SPUI is a type of intersection between a surface street and a freeway’s entrance and exit ramps.
Two freeways closed this weekend
Construction workers will shut down both directions of Interstate 35 and also eastbound Loop 410 this weekend so they can do bridge work.
Near Fort Sam Houston, crews demolishing a bridge will close all I-35 main lanes between AT&T Parkway and New Braunfels Avenue from 11 p.m. Friday to as late as 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
On the North Side, workers setting beams will close eastbound Loop 410 at Nacogdoches Road from 8 p.m. Friday to as late as 5 p.m. Saturday.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Forecast predicts sunny skies Saturday and Sunday, with temps in the upper 70s.
IÂ predict mighty slow going for motorists who don’t find better alternate routes, with tempers in the upper ranges.Â
Useful links:
Commuting Roads: electric cars
by Patrick
Comments Off on So where do you plug in an electric car?
So where do you plug in an electric car?
Chevy Volt
With the all-electric Chevy Volt headed to buyers next year, and Ford’s Focus and other amped-up models soon to follow, a lot of people are about to find out that plugging in might not be as simple as it sounds.
Does your garage have a 120- or 240-volt outlet? What permits or inspections do you need? Will you be able to juice up at work or other places? And what kind of money are we talking about?
In other words, there’s a battery of questions about how to keep electric cars going.
History: gas stations Humble Oil
by Brian
Comments Off on Humble Oil station wins contest
Humble Oil station wins contest
The old Humble Oil station south of downtown San Antonio, discussed here earlier this week, has won the national “The Place Matters” contest! The abandoned station, which I stumbled upon several years ago and found so impressive that I created a special sidebar page about it on my own site, was the winner among 12 finalists in the first-ever contest sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. According to Saturday’s Express-News article, the property’s current owner has no plans to tear-it down and, in fact, would like to see it restored. Given its historical designation with the City, it is eligible for local and federal tax credits for restoration work. Here’s hoping that someone will find a good use for it soon and restore it back to its former glory.
Bicycles Commuting History Oil and gas prices Safety Transit: Bicycles Commuting gas prices Safety Transit
by Hugh
Comments Off on Dude, where’s my bike rebate?
Dude, where’s my bike rebate?
I recently acquired, at surprising expense, a bicycle, a seven speed commuter bike with full mudguards and a wire basket that can hold two single gallons of milk. It is even more “green” inasmuch as it has a dynamo for its lights, with a neat little capacitor to keep them lit when stopped at traffic lights, not a good place to be unilluminated. My main goal, at the time of purchase, was to avoid yet another piece of garage art, well intentioned but ignored after the initial enthusiasm wore off.
Construction and closures Roads: Loop 410 Perrin Beitel weather
by Patrick
Comments Off on Loop 410 closed Saturday
Loop 410 closed Saturday
Starting tonight, workers plan to close both directions of Loop 410 on the Northeast Side through Saturday afternoon so they can set bridge beams.
Seems this morning’s heavy rain and thundery bluster might say otherwise, but the National Weather Service predicts sunny skies by Saturday, with a high at a mellow 73 degrees.
If the weather backs off as expected, crews will close all main lanes of Loop 410 at Perrin Beitel from 11 p.m. tonight to as late as 3 p.m. tomorrow, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Motorists should use alternate streets such as Nacogdoches Road and Wurzbach Parkway, and Harry Wurzbach and Austin Highway.
Useful links:
Railroads Roads Toll roads Transit: I-35 rail Texas Department of Transportation Texas Transportation Commission Toll roads Trans Texas Corridor
by Patrick
Comments Off on Sometimes “no” really does mean “no”
Sometimes “no” really does mean “no”
Click for larger map
A few years ago, then Texas transportation czar Ric Williamson shrugged off a citizen revolt against grand plans to build cross-state toll lanes and rail lines along Interstate 35. At the time, tens of thousands of people were showing up at dozens of public hearings to lash out at the planned Trans Texas Corridor’s I-35 leg.
Williamson, who was the Texas Transportation Commission chairman, said public hearings aren’t a vote but rather an effort to find out WHY people oppose or support a proposal and then to address those concerns.
He said:
The purpose of public hearings is not to take a survey. It is not a matter of not having sympathy for those who will have their land lost. Somebody has got to do something about (Interstate) 35. Not 10 years from now and not 25 years from now but right now.
Well, today the Texas Department of Transportation said the best way to address those concerns is to do nothing, at least for now.
Bicycles History Oil and gas prices Roads Travel: classic cars Travel Welcome
by Hugh
Comments Off on Hello from Hugh Hemphill
Hello from Hugh Hemphill
Right off the bat, I’m not from these parts. I hail, let’s get this out of the way right now so we can forget about it, from Scotland. And yet I sound like an Englishman. Go figure. I’ve been here since 1991, eighteen years, almost two-thirds of my adult life. I came here at thirty and as I stare fifty right in the face let me tell you that coming to Texas remains one of my better decisions. I like it here. A lot.