Honkin' Mad

Saggy pants ban on Fort Worth buses is working

The Star-Telegram's Bob Ray Sanders wrote this column updating the Fort Worth Transportation Authority's policy that prohibits the saggy pants look on T buses.

'America's Highways from Hell' - Loop 820 ranks No. 5 on the list (Enjoy your summer, commuters)

Fort Worth-area commuters who spend time on Northeast Tarrant County roads are going through hell right now, figuratively speaking. The latest proof comes from The Daily Beast, which included a three-mile stretch of Northeast Loop 820 between Grapevine Highway and Denton Highway on its list of "America's Highways From Hell."

A car that runs on air - Why didn't I think of that?

Check out this Discovery story about development of a car that runs on air. Future generations may wonder why it took us so long to figure out how to use this fuel.

Traffic jams a good thing at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Texas Rangers players, who are playing in front of massive crowds this year, don't mind getting stuck in a little traffic after work.

Photo: dfw.cbslocal.com

 

Keller Old Town railroad car scrapped for parts during Memorial Day weekend - merchants who wanted it restored cry foul

Updated at 2:40 p.m. with comments from the Keller mayor:

"It's a shame to destroy a vintage car." -- Keller Mayor Pat McGrail, who toured the scene Tuesday (photo above)

A handful of Old Town Keller merchants is livid that a vintage passenger railroad car the group had hoped to restore was instead partly scrapped for salvage parts during the long Memorial Day weekend. This afternoon the group is standing guard over the old rail car, saying they're willing to go to jail to stop any further scrapping of the car, and are seeking a court injunction.

"We have been railroaded in Keller," said Terry Thomas, who owns Memories and Treasures Antique Mall in Keller. "Over the weekend, somebody came out and decided to start cutting it up."

But Edward Kirkwood, a Keller insurance agent and president of the Old Town Keller Merchants Association, said the decision to scrap the rail car was reached by a majority vote during a meeting in May. A majority of members, he said, believed restoring the car wasn't a wise use of funds.

"It's obvious this car has already been scrapped," Kirkwood said. "It's an eyesore. It's a hazard."

A contractor was hired to remove metal and other parts from the car, Kirkwood said in a phone interview. The work was done over the holiday weekend simply because that's when the contractor could do it, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, advocates of restoring the car showed pictures of the car's condition before someone entered it over the weekend and began removing parts. They said ceiling fan motors had been taken, metal chunks had been removed -- apparently with industrial tools -- and duct work had been ripped out.

The group posted flyers on the rail car windows warning others not to enter the car, and saying they would seek a cease and desist order to prevent further salvaging.

The vintage rail car, which was believed to be in operation until the 1930s, was bought and moved to the city's historical center last year year using proceeds from five years worth of Crawfish Krawl events in Keller, Thomas said. The total cost was about $18,000.

However, Kirkwood said, other merchants want no further crawfish event funds used on the project.

But the leadership of the merchants association is even now in question. Thomas and association secretary Pat Fisher said Kirkwood was removed as president during an emergency meeting Monday night. They said vice president Mike Lloyd had been voted in as new president. But on Tuesday Kirkwood maintained he was still president, saying only he could call such a meeting.

The city authorized the merchants association to display the rail car on city-owned land along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, just a block west of Main Street - also known as U.S. 377 or Denton Highway. That part of Keller has become a popular evening and weekend destination, with restaurants, bars and other retailers creating a bit of a parking shortage. Some members of the merchants association have talked about the need for additional parking near the railroad tracks.

But the city also has supported promoting Keller's railroad history, and gone along with the merchant association's plans to create a train-watching area along the line. The city owns a diesel locomotive and two other rail cars that are displayed on the same spur as the scrapped rail car.

On Tuesday afternoon, Keller Mayor Pat McGrail toured the scrapped rail car and shook his head.

"It's a shame to destroy a vintage car," McGrail said. "We can't allow the city to be in the middle of this. But if nothing else, if this car can't be restored here, it needs to be sold and relocated, not destroyed."

@gdickson

 

Texas not ready for bigger ships coming through Panama Canal

Texas and other Gulf states are scrambling to take advantage of a potential increase in freight shipments across their borders after a Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2014.

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Two Airport Freeway ramps in Hurst will close for a month

North Tarrant Express construction will close the Norwood Drive on ramp to westbound Texas 121/183 and the Precinct Line Road off ramp from westbound Texas 121/183. Both ramps will be closed at 10 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed for about a month, so crews can build new ramps in the area.

Traffic entering westbound Texas 121/183 from Norwood will use a new frontage road to the on-ramp at Precinct Line Road. Drivers who want to reach Precinct Line Road must use the Norwood Drive exit.

The work is part of a $2.5 billion project scheduled for completion in 2015. It includes reconstruction of frontage lanes and main lanes on Northeast Loop 820 and Airport Freeway, and the addition of managed toll lanes, between Interstate 35W in Fort Worth and Industrial Boulevard in Euless.

For more details on this an other closures, see northtarrantexpress.com..

Fort Worth Dallas trains, buses a bit harder to find during long Memorial Day weekend

Buses and transit for people with disabilities will operate Monday, but on a reduced schedule. Here are some details about public transportation in the Fort Worth area during the elongated Memorial Day weekend:

On Monday, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) will operate its fixed bus routes and door-to-door services for people with disabilities on a reduced, Sunday-style schedule.

Molly the Trolley downtown rubber-tire streetcar service will run on a regular schedule Monday, with 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. service.

The Trinity Railway Express will not operate on Memorial Day.

The T’s administrative offices will be closed, but customer service phones will be answered 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 817-215-8600.

For more information, visit the T online.

@gdickson

Texas police crack down on seat belt violations during Memorial Day weekend

Buckle up if you're driving through Texas this weekend. At any given moment, there are probably several hundred officers on the street peeking into cars and aiming to pull over vehicles with an occupant not strapped in. That includes everybody in the front and back seats.

@gdickson

Road trip! See roadside America on somebody else's dime - Motel 6 seeks 'correspondents' to travel the U.S. this summer

Anyone out there itching to see roadside America -- on somebody else's dime?

Motel 6 is putting out the call for three "open road correspondents," who would travel one of three classic routes July 16 to Sept. 3 - using social media to document the journey.

The hotel company's 50th anniversary contest also has a green angle; 'correspondents' will use environmentally-friendly vehicles and digital map applications, and will stay at Motel 6 locations that have been updated with recycled flooring, low-flow toilets and energy-efficient lighting.

The Carrollton-based Accor North America is accepting contest entries on its Facebook page.

Winners and one companion each will travel one of these three routes:

• Route 66 (Amarillo, Texas, to Santa Monica, Calif.)
• The Pacific Coast Highway (Tumwater, Wash., to Santa Barbara, Calif.)
• Southern Route (Austin, Texas, to Destin, Fla.)

Each prize package is valued at $6,000 and includes two third generation, 64GB, Wi-Fi enabled iPads, according to a Motel 6 press release.

Candidates are asked to submit a two-minute video by June 15, explaining what would make them a good correspondent.

Facebook fans will vote on finalists, then winners will be notified by July 6.

Candidates must be U.S. residents and at least 21 years old, with a valid driver's license.

@gdickson