An extensive survey of Houston's sidewalks doesn't really offer many surprises. Those most likely in poor conditions are in the poorest areas.
Posted by
Qale (aka Qale)
Oct 1 '24, 12:09
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For example, in my neighborhood only 37% of them are rated good. Most are considered fair and 5% are rated as poor.
The one that I work in? 2nd worst in the Houston area. Once again 37% have a good rating. But the poor rating climbs to a whopping 17%.
The worst of the worst is in the El Dorado area, a 65% majority Hispanic neighborhood. There the good rating only manages 21% and is outclassed by a poor rating of 35%.
For funzies, River Oaks, the richest neighborhood in the city you get a statistical 0% rating of poor. (0.08% to be exact.)
But that doesn't tell the whole story, of course. There are large populations of residents who have no sidewalks at all. And that's where you'll find Sunnyside, a much-maligned area that is predominately Black. There you'll find a low per-capita sidewalk and high per-capita non-car owning population, a particularly dangerous combination.
It is generally the responsibility of the owner to build and maintain sidewalks on their property. This does tend to cause newer developments to create so-called "sidewalks to nowhere." But instead of addressing this issue in the affirmative, Fake-Ass Democract Mayor John Whitmire went the other way, expressing a desire to get rid of requirements for developers to put in any sidewalk if it isn't connected to an existing one.
Additionally: In fiscal year 2023, there were 67 applications for new sidewalks to boost accessibility for those with disabilities, the city’s highest priority sidewalk construction projects. There were also 165 applications for new sidewalks near schools and 96 applications along major thoroughfares. As of early September, only 72 of those 328 applications were approved.
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