Residents march to protest METRO light rail route in N. Houston

(2/13/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- METRO's plan to put a light rail line through north Houston is being met with cheers and with some protests.

Many who live in the north side agree and appreciate the need for expanded transportation through light rail, but not everyone agrees on how METRO is going about the process.

A group of protestors walked from Northline Mall beginning at 9am Tuesday. They plan to continue walking to Moody Park and then to City Hall this afternoon in protest of this rail line.

The protestors say the route will hurt the north side neighborhoods and businesses. They also believe the rail line will endanger school kids. They say the ballot referendum specified Hardy Road as the rail route and they say that's what they voted for.

"They misled the community by having North Hardy on the ballot," said protestor Mario Umanzo. "Because people, when they read North Hardy, automatically comes to my mind, North Hardy not North Main."

"METRO was never really specific about what route they were going to use. They just wanted it to come north and north it's coming," said Richard Leal with ACORN.

Community leaders and residents staged a press conference today to support the METRO plan. They say, yes, growth can hurt, but that the long term benefits make this a very viable and important measure to go ahead with and they feel like it's the right thing to do.

The referendum was passed a while back. The METRO rail line will likely go from downtown up North Main over the boundary and then up North Fulton. Construction is set to begin in July.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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