Working together is the key, Houston mayor tells BayTran By Mary Alys Cherry
Photos by Mary Alys Cherry
H
ouston Mayor Sylvester Turner thinks it is
imperative that we stop thinking of flooding
or freezes or fires, for example, as an issue for one community, because “what affects
together,” he told the audience that included a number
said, turning his thoughts to Houston’s three regional
goals include making travel safe, connecting
airport and a licensed federal Spaceport. “The City of
of area mayors, adding that “Houston’s transportation neighborhoods, strengthening the economy,
eliminating climate issues such as flooding, and moving people efficiently with fewer vehicles.”
"Houston is the epitome of a regional city,"
one, affects us all.”
he continued. “We don’t have one Central Business
Partnership luncheon at the Hobby Marriott Hotel, he
morning and commutes home from every evening.
Speaking at the Bay Area Houston Transportation
went on to add, “Transportation is exactly the same. People travel just like the weather does . . .they just
want to get where they’re going. All roads should be
safe, sidewalks shouldn’t stop midblock and all buses, trains and bike networks should connect.
“That makes it critical for us. . .to remember
that our region works best when our region works
Executive Director Amy Skicki welcomes several mayors to BayTran’s luncheon at the Hobby Marriott Hotel. They are, from left, Mayors Carl Joiner of Kemah, Thom Kolupski of Seabrook, Mike Foreman of Friendswood, Joe Zimmerman of Sugarland, Kevin Cole of Pearland and, seated, Pat Hallisey of League City.
12
Bay Area Houston Magazine | NOVEMBER 2021
District where half the region commutes into every We have half a dozen different business districts,
each one with different travel patterns. To thrive, we
must have safe, reliable multimodal transportation to each of these districts. Our highway networks must provide access and connectivity without displacing the people they are intended to serve. The future
is not just horizontal travel, but vertical as well,” he
BayTran Executive Director Amy Skicki and Chairman Carl Joiner, from left, prepare to introduce Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who arrived to address the luncheon crowd, and Mayor Pro tem Dave Martin to the luncheon crowd at the Marriott.
airports, which includes Ellington, that is both an
Houston and Houston Airports. . .have invested more than $30 million in Spaceport infrastructure to date.
This supports home-grown Houston companies like
Axiom Space in building a commercial space station,
Intuitive Machines in landing commercial payloads on
the moon, and San Jacinto College to grow the EDGE aerospace workforce development center, providing opportunity for area students and helping meet the demand for highly skilled labor in the aerospace industry.”
He was introduced by Houston Mayor Pro-Tem
Dave Martin after a welcome by BayTran Executive Director Amy Skicki.
Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark, from left, stops to visit with Friendswood Councilor Sally Branson, Houston Mayor Pro tem Dave Martin and Texas City Mayor Dedrick Johnson at the BayTran luncheon at the Hobby Marriott Hotel.
