IMHO: Westpark Tollway goes from Hot to Not

What to do? Yes, it's easy to complain about Houston traffic, but that's because it's outrageous. And the whole point of having Steve in office is to make our lives better, by officiating parks, playgrounds, and freeways. He's the boss of all that! So if Radack were doing a better job, and suggesting better ideas, traffic might not be so very outrageous. But he's not. And I hope he gets stuck in traffic everyday of his life, and I hope that one day he won't be able to afford the tolls on his little monster Westpark. It may seem as though I'm being harsh, but he's been in office for a long time, and there's no excuse for his ignorant attitude.

So, since he's clearly not solving any problems, or even attempting to with any kind of rational thinking, I'll give it a try. Here are some possible solutions, all of which are better than Steve's Richmond suggestion:
1. Redirect traffic flows by encouraging and/or subsidizing off-site parking garages for companies with the most commuters. Then shuttle them to and from their office with - wait for it - shuttles. That many fewer cars would be off the smaller streets.
2. Encourage/subsidize the creation of corporate incentive programs for workers that carpool. Tax breaks, anyone?
3. Stop constructing. Start fixing. Look at how efficiently traffic lights are working, and streamline them to work best with REAL and CURRENT traffic conditions. That might mean removing some lights or adding new ones, but figure it out. Then, coordinate roadwork so that traffic won't be exacerbated as you make fixes.
4. Ask the freaking voters for ideas! If you don't know what to do, ask for help. Didn't we learn that in 3rd grade?
5. Y'all tell me - throw out some...

*Also, though it's a case of shoulda/coulda/woulda, the lame-o thinking that has been directing our Westpark traffic disaster isn't exactly new. How on earth could someone build a freeway in 21st century Houston - expecting it to solve traffic problems - and then make it have 2 lanes that narrow to ONE? Now, I'm no advocate of 20-lane plans, not in the least. But, I mean, once you're up there, once you're building those ridiculous ramps, why not go ahead and create a solution that fits the crime? 2 lanes? Come on. Apparently cost-benefit analysis was not part of the plan.

And, if you didn't know, Radack has been in office for a long time. That means, that everything that has happened to Houston traffic in the past decade has been under his watch. Raise your hand if you think he's solved any problems in 10 years. Now raise your hand if you think it's gotten WAY worse. Exactly.

So...Radack: get it together. If the best idea you can come up with for dealing with Houston's traffic problem is to have Richmond become the poor man's Westpark, go ahead and step down. I bet I'd try harder, and it can't get any worse.

I'm mad as hell, and we shouldn't take it anymore.