New Houston Mayor Whitmire pulls the ye old, wishing you well on your future endeavors, as they let go chief transportation planner as well as...
Posted by
Qale (aka Qale)
Feb 6 '24, 13:36
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...a public works director for traffic and drainage.
Over the last several years, the city has become more welcoming to bike and pedestrian traffic as many projects came to fruition involving wider sidewalks, reconfigured intersections, and bike lanes.
Fields’ departure comes as Whitmire slows or reverses many of the street redesigns he shepherded. On Monday, because of what Whitmire called a “bad design,” crews removed a recently installed median along Houston Avenue south of Washington that led to complaints from nearby residents and businesses, notably Trinity Lutheran Church. In the past two months, a large truck and a Metropolitan Transit Authority bus both got stuck on the median, though other heavy trucks and buses routinely navigated the street.
Road safety advocates, pedestrians and bicyclists, meanwhile, called the median a needed buffer between them and speeding cars, developed after 14 months of community meetings and efforts by Fields and other city officials.
Combined, the departures, removal of the medians and Whitmire’s willingness to reconsider projects that took months of planning leave some advocates frustrated and uncertain about the future.
“I can say to me concern is an understatement,” said Mehdi Rais, a Montrose area resident who recently helped form Walk Roll Houston, a group aimed at pedestrian safety, especially around schools.
Rais said the recent changes at Houston Avenue, coupled with the departures, signal the city is unwilling to make any changes if they draw ire from certain people.
“All of that work was unraveled by a phone call from a pastor,” Rais said.
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