Honkin' Mad

Free drinks and food for transit riders in Los Angeles; an idea whose time has come!

L.A. transit commuters are being offered these deals. Seems like a great idea to me. Of course, I'm biased because I'm always looking for a price break (especially as it relates to food and drinks). But it seems like a lot of upside for businesses -- a low cost publicity draw with little potential for negativity. It could even be billed as a way to promote responsible drinking (not getting behind the wheel).

@gdickson

Big changes for Northeast Loop 820 in north Fort Worth, Haltom City; eastbound lanes moving to new median pavement

Beginning tonight, Northeast Loop 820 will be sporting a very different look for drivers in north Fort Worth and Haltom City - and it's a configuration likely to last six months or so.

The eastbound lanes will be moved to new pavement in the once-grassy median near Haltom Road and Denton Highway (also known as U.S. 377) so workers can rebuild that side of the freeway. The change was expected to begin after 9 p.m. Tuesday night. It's just a shifting of lanes, and no major lane closings are expected, but commuters nonetheless will have to get used to the latest configuration of the snarled roadway.

Also, traffic that normally enters eastbound Loop 820 at Beach Street will have to make a detour.

“Drivers wanting to enter eastbound 820 from Beach Street will be directed along the frontage road though the intersections at Haltom Road and Denton Highway/US 377. They will then be able to merge onto eastbound IH 820 east of Denton Highway,” Lara Kohl, spokeswoman for Bluebonnet Contractors, said in a statement. Bluebonnet is responsible for construction oversight on the work, which is part of the $2.5 billion North Tarrant Express project.

@gdickson

Coin-operating parking meters on the way out in Fort Worth; replaced by hi-tech machines that take credit cards

Solar-powered parking machines that take credit cards and print receipts are replacing the old-fashioned parking meters that are commonly stolen in downtown Fort Worth.

Visit the Fort Worth Stock Show, and leave the driving to bus operators (and cattle herders)

Fans of the Fort Worth Stock Show who don’t like being herded into the Will Rogers Memorial Center’s parking lots – and paying for it – have another option.

Shuttle buses are available 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the weekends, with departures about every half-hour from the Macy’s at Ridgmar Mall, 2008 Green Oaks Road in west Fort Worth, and about every 20 minutes from Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza in north Fort Worth.

Parking is free at the shuttle pickup spots. Fare to ride the bus is $1 per person each way.

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority will operate the shuttles Saturday, Sunday (Jan. 28-29) and the final Stock Show day Feb. 4.

For more information, visit www.the-t.com or call 817-215-8600.

@gdickson 

Heavier trucks may be coming to America's highways; Congress may increase max weight to 97,000 pounds, up from 80,000

Opponents worry that allowing heavier trucks on highways will severely damage roads and especially bridges.

Speed limit going up to 75 mph on another 1,500 miles of Texas highways; 80 mph limit still in place in West Texas

Good news for Texas leadfoots. The speed limit soon will be increasing on nearly 1,500 miles of highway - although motorists are strongly encouraged to obey the old speed limit until they see the new signs.

“The new speed limit is not official until the signs go up,” said Carol Rawson, Texas Department of Transportation traffic operations director.

Highways will be posted for 75 mph in 60 counties after the Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved the change. The decision came after speed studies were conducted on the roads, where the current posted speed limit is 70 mph.

Where will the new speed limits be posted?

• Interstate 10 — 289 miles across the counties of El Paso, Gillespie, Kerr, Kendall, Bexar, Guadalupe, Caldwell, Gonzales, Fayette, Colorado, Austin, Jefferson and Orange.
• Interstate 20 — 423 miles across the counties of Crane, Ector, Midland, Martin, Howard, Mitchell, Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, Eastland, Erath, Palo Pinto, Van Zandt, Smith, Gregg and Harrison.
• Interstate 27 — 109 miles across the counties of Lubbock, Hale, Swisher and Randall.
• Interstate 30 — 139 miles across the counties of Hunt, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Morris and Bowie.
• Interstate 35 — 106 miles across the counties of Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke.
• Interstate 37 — 130 miles across the counties of Nueces, San Patricio, Live Oak, Atascosa and Bexar.
• Interstate 40 — 166 miles across the counties of Deaf Smith, Oldham, Potter, Carson, Gray, Donley and Wheeler.
• Interstate 44 — 11 miles across Wichita County.
• Interstate 45 — 143 miles across the counties of Walker, Madison, Leon, Freestone and Navarro.

Four other highways in Central Texas got the new speed limit late last year. Once all the signs are up, there will be total of 3,063 miles of highway in Texas with a 75 mph speed limit.

And, of course, Texas is famous (safety advocates might say infamous) for its 80 mph speed limit on 521 miles of Interstates 10 and 20 in west Texas.

That's a grand total of 3,584 miles of road in which the speed limit is 75 or greater.

@gdickson

Rescuers throw a line to motorist stranded in Haltom City flood water, but passing drivers hamper the effort

Apparently, some Fort Worth/Haltom City motorists are so eager to get wherever they're going, they're not willing to get out of the way of rescuers trying to throw a life line to person stranded in flood water.

@gdickson

North Texas Tollway Authority board member resigns, takes gig at Texas Historical Commission

The North Texas Tollway Authority is losing one of its nine board members. Robert Shepard of Weatherford resigned from the board late last week.

But the longtime American Airlines pilot apparently plans to stay busy. On Tuesday, an official with the Texas Historical Commission confirmed that Shepard had been appointed to that agency's board.

“As I consider other opportunities to serve the state of Texas, I leave the NTTA board of directors during a time of exponential growth and accomplishment,” Shepard said in his resignation letter. “It has been particularly gratifying to work with my fellow board members during my tenure as we worked to deliver mobility solutions such as the Chisholm Trail Parkway (NTTA’s first project in Tarrant County), Sam Rayburn Tollway, Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge and President George Bush Turnpike Eastern Extension to the citizens of the North Texas region."

Gov. Rick Perry will be asked to appoint a successor to the tollway board. The other eight board members are appointed by the four largest counties in North Texas -- Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Collin.

@gdickson

William Shatner's Priceline TV character killed off; Bus group says commercial is in bad taste

William Shatner's Priceline Negotiator character is apparently killed off in the company's latest commercial - in a fiery bus crash. And the American Bus Association is crying foul.

The association, which represents the long-distance bus industry, says the commercial that began running Monday is "in very poor taste."

"ABA believes the commercial damages the reputation of our industry and the hardworking men and women who drive buses, maintain them and do all of the work to safely carry hundreds of thousands each day," association spokesman Don Ronan said in a press release. "ABA is asking Priceline to take the spot out of circulation immediately."

In it, Shatner's character is among several people on a bus that has crashed into a bridge and is dangling over the edge. He hurries the others out the back of the bus and encourages them to use Priceline to find a hotel and "save yourselves ... some money." The bus then topples over the side of the bridge with Shatner aboard. 

The association also invited the real-life Shatner to ride in a motor coach, so he see for himself how safe the mode of travel really is. To read the bus association's full press release, click here.

@gdickson 

 

Driver in Abilene Christian bus crash may have shut his eyes for a few seconds

Driver fatigue has been linked to a November bus crash that killed one person and injured 15 others, according to this report.

Photo KTXS.com