To help direct your questions and concerns to METRO about the rail on Richmond Avenue, here is a list of questions that may be helpful in generating some thoughts you or someone else might want to include on the comment forms:  
 
  
- How will 50 additional traffic lights affect your business or residences?
  
- How will the CLOSING of all current MEDIANS on Richmond Ave affect your business or neighborhoods?      
 
- How will it affect your business or neighborhoods, when all LEFT turns be at Metro signalized lights.
  
- What will happen to your businesses or residences, when no buses or tractor trailers can turn LEFT at any of the new Metro signalized lights.  What will happen, to your residence when tractor trailers are going through the neighborhoods?
  
- How will it affect the Richmond Ave Streetscape when all the TREES in the esplanades are removed and replaced with concrete?  Will this affect your property?  How will it affect your property when all the TREES, on the City of Houston right of way, so far uncounted by Metro, are removed between the current street curbs to the sidewalks?  
  
- How will it affect your business or residence, when Metro takes away the 12 ft traffic lane and reduces that width to 10 or 11 ft?
  
- There are 285 possible PROPERTY TAKINGS on the Richmond Line.  Metro may need more property at each of the NEW signalized lights and for other reasons --how will this affect your property?  
  
- How will it affect your business or residence when utilities are disrupted?  How will it affect the water line in the center of the street, the storm sewer line, and the communication lines?  Can your business stand ANY down time on these services?
  
- Metro has not studied FLOODING issues.  How will it affect your business or residence, it the new guide way in the center esplanades, creates ADDITIONAL flooding problems all along Richmond Ave.
  
- How will it affect your business or residence, If you are unlucky enough, to be near a transit station with the constant coming and going of a vehicle and the VOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS in Spanish and English all day long.
  
- How will it affect your business or residence, with the LOSS of 30-35 bus stops along Richmond Ave and having only one station per mile for the true transit commuter?

- Traffic Signal Pre-Emption---how will it affect your business or residence if all the major North- South Traffic Intersections (S. Shepherd, Kirby, Buffalo Speedway, Weslayan) are backed up due to the transit vehicle on Richmond Ave ALWAYS having a green light?  Will traffic back-up on these major intersections hurt your ability to get home or to make your location convenient to customers?
  
-  Can your business sustain a LOSS of 20-50%, if not more, in revenue?
  
-  Can your business sustain 3-4 years of constant construction and utility issues?
  
-  Can your business sustain the LOSS of the City Right of Way, losing ingress or egress and Parking Places to make room for Metro's guide way.
  
-  Can your business sustain the LOSS of having tractor trailers NOT be able to make deliveries?
  
-  Can your business sustain any long term LOSSES in revenue?
  
-  Will losing the ability to left turns and medians create a BETTER Richmond Ave?

- How will your business, residence, children, family, driving route, and/or job be affected by the proposed rail?    

- Do you fear for the safety of your children with a rail close by?    

- How do you feel about doubling and tripling your travel time to work everyday?    

- Will your costs go up with a rail?
    - If you spend more time on the road, you’re spending more money on gas every week (on top of       already high gas prices).
    - If your office is losing parking spaces, your office traffic slows down forcing your business to       compensate by increasing shipping costs.

- The noise level will be high, possibly impeding your ability to work or reside in your home peacefully.
 
- If private businesses cannot sustain themselves due to the rail effects, it may be necessary to close or lay off employees. Hundreds of Houstonians could lose their jobs.

- Property takings will occur by METRO — in effect, taking the land of businesses and residences to allow for the rail to be built.

- Businesses affected by the rail will not receive any sort of compensation for their lost revenue or business.

- Flooding is a huge issue. Without the rail, Richmond floods often and spontaneously, making the roads dangerous for drivers. Add a rail to the mix and the dangerous hazards multiply astronomically.

- Traffic will be significantly worse and accidents (like the fatalities on Main Street) are bound to happen with the confusing signs that supposedly warn drivers of the rail.

- Initial construction to even generate the rail will not only cause undue congestion, but create more backup as drivers trying to avoid 59 traffic find themselves in a worse situation on Richmond.