More Problems Downtown
The Comical's petulant transportation columnist, Lucas Wall, is grouchy today:
Metropolitan Transit Authority officials also would be smart to improve their relationship with millions of their constituents, some of whom have written me in recent weeks with various complaints. And I have gripes of my own.
Downtown leaders have been irate with Metro after its police officers issued a pile of jaywalking tickets to pedestrians at Main Street Square, which my colleague Rad Sallee reported last week. That is certainly no way to make pals.
Most people think pedestrian-crossing lights are advisory. If the blue man is glowing, you have the right of way. If the orange hand is lit, you don't. In either case, you should look both ways before crossing. If no vehicles or trains are coming, you should be free to cross.
After all, this is how millions of American pedestrians traverse city streets every day. We're not stupid; we're not going to walk in front of a car or train. But we're also not going to stand baking under the 95-degree sun when we can clearly see no traffic heading our way.
The priorities of Metro police are odd. I ride MetroRail almost every day. It has been four months since I have seen a police officer on a train checking for tickets and providing security. We all know about the crash problem, yet I rarely see Metro police patrolling the rail line for drivers making illegal turns and running red lights.
A man has recently robbed at knifepoint a few riders waiting at McGowen Station in my neighborhood, and some passengers have told me they've been harassed on board by homeless people who don't appear to have bought a ticket.
All this is going on, but officers are sent to Main Street Square to ticket people walking across the street?
The City of Houston certainly has misplaced priorities when it comes to downtown policing. As Wall points out, the City can't seem to protect downtown bus/rail stops. Nor can it protect private property downtown. But it can ticket folks actually making a living downtown and making this city go. Unbelievable.
This one can't be blamed on former Mayor Pothole. It's Mayor White's police department now, with the (uniformless) Chief and command staff that Mayor White picked.
Unfortunately, the crime problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, as retirements and inadequate police cadet classes lead to manpower shortages over the next few years.
Good to know Mayor White and Czar Saperstein pushed through expanded parking meter hours, and that Dr. Councilwoman is working on a goofy smoking ban while the city can't even provide adequate police services downtown (and hasn't even addressed the coming manpower issue).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/30/04 22:42 | Houston | Technorati
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