Houston Mayor and Bay Tran

Working together is the key, Houston mayor tells BayTran

By Mary Alys Cherry Photos by Mary Alys Cherry

Houston 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 one, affects us all.”

Speaking at the Bay Area Houston Transportation

Partnership luncheon at the Hobby Marriott Hotel, he 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 together,” he told the audience that included a number of area mayors, adding that “Houston’s transportation goals include making travel safe, connecting 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," he continued. “We don’t have one Central Business District where half the region commutes into every morning and commutes home from every evening. 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 said, turning his thoughts to Houston’s three regional airports, which includes Ellington, that is both an airport and a licensed federal Spaceport. “The City of 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.

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. 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. 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.