The biggest revolution of all

The most-novel thing arising from System Re-imagining is not the Frequent Network.  It's not the fact Northwest Transit Center will boast more routes connecting with it than anywhere else in METRO's service area.

Currently, a good number of local bus routes do not have service on Sundays.  In fact, on Sundays, our Frequent Network is reduced from about ten routes (weekdays) to only service running directly on Westheimer to Hillcroft from Downtown, especially between Hillcroft and Chimney Rock (81/82/53).  Saturdays is a little bit better with about two or three streets running Frequent Service.  But even on Saturdays, there are a good number of routes that have greatly-reduced service or no service at all.

With the Draft Proposed Network Map, all but about four or five routes will run seven days a week with frequency equivalent to weekday/midday!  Those routes not running on weekends are odd routes that serve only weekday-rush hour spans of time.

True seven-day-a-week service in mass-transit of any sort...  This, I do not believe, has ever been done in the history of our region, and may very well be for many people the single-greatest game-changer with the coming new network of local bus service.

With this and the grid-based paradigm on which the new network will be based, METRO finally abandons the age-old ridership model of going to work in Downtown and going right home again with nothing in-between and with only a little bit of service on weekends for grocery trips.  I also see in this a strong attempt by METRO for the first time ever at making local mass-transit much-more appealing to people other than those who cannot afford an automobile.

Upon further thought, though, perhaps the biggest revolution with System Re-imagining is not even seven-day-a-week service, but that the fact the agency is even being allowed to pursue this project in the first place.  Again, I say this: please, next Mayor of Houston, for Heaven's sake, please don't appoint a do-nothing METRO Board who will mess this all up!