Google Maps says your destination is less than half a mile away, why not just walk? Well, here in Houston walking is not an easy task. You will quickly notice the potholes, the unleveled sections, the streets with sidewalks only on the other side and the streets with no sidewalk at all.
Houston, both historically and currently, has been a car city. The bulk of infrastructure projects have focused on road development, Katy Freeway being the widest highway in the country amassing 26 lanes.
Many pedestrian walkways throughout the city seem to start and stop at random with a lack of careful intent behind them– as if pedestrians were an afterthought. The city design makes it clear that the streets are intended for cars, not people. This means for most Houston residents, owning and driving a car is a basic necessity to survive.
Last March, all proposed projects that would modify any vehicle lanes were paused for further review, including proposals to add bike lanes. The city also removed medians and curbs that were added to Houston Avenue as a part of a pedestrian improvement project. The city expressed a desire to prioritize general mobility for Houstonians, and not focus on “recreational projects”.
The concerns of city officials and planners are understandable. Road maintenance is already a significant financial burden, and any proposal that reallocates space for pedestrian improvements may seem like a misallocation of a limited budget. Houston’s infrastructure must accommodate its high volume of drivers, and the city cannot afford to ignore the condition of its roads.
However, pedestrian improvements do not have to come at the expense of motorists. Cost-effective changes such as improved sidewalks and safer crosswalks can be implemented in ways that enhance mobility for all residents without sacrificing road quality. And Houston walker’s are in dire need of reform.
The lack of defined paths for pedestrians to navigate the city forces walkers to weave their way through speeding cars and traffic congestion. According to the City of Houston’s annual Vision Zero report for 2022, pedestrians made up 36% of traffic related deaths.
Houston’s car traffic plagues the everyday motorist as well. The average Houston driver spends 56 hours a year sitting in traffic, and Houston ranks #3 of 15 large metros for worst commuter congestion. Car emissions include harmful air pollutants, harming public health and contributing to Houston having the #2 worst air quality in the nation.
But the city’s car-centricity doesn’t only afflict its residents, cars are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions further advances global warming, something Houstonians are particularly vulnerable to. With our already flood-prone tropical location, climate change exacerbating weather events needs to be a top concern– the potent effects can be seen from Hurricane Harvey.
You might be thinking, Houston is so hot, who would want to walk? Yet, it isn’t a lack of demand for walkability that has created this issue, according to the 2023 Houston Area study from the Kinder Institute, 60% of responders say they prefer mixed-use developments in walkable neighborhoods instead of single-family homes in residential areas. This number has continued to increase over the past decade from a 50-50 split in previous years. Clearly, Houstonians aren’t avoiding walking because of the heat, they are actually demanding walkable neighborhoods at an increasing rate.
When Houstonians are starting to request improvements to walkability, and our climate is demanding it, we need to veer away from our current approach. We need to develop a real plan for pedestrians, and we need to make our streets safe again.
