Sweet fancy Moses.

.@HoustonChron Here is Houston Ave where Whitmire removed new pedestrian infrastructure. They hit a pipe &this river has been running for 2days. The silt you see in water is undermining which means water rushing out of the pipe is pulling from under the roadway. $$$$ FIX & WASTE. pic.twitter.com/hKZyFYKGYt

— A.Galsgow (@Aefauld) February 20, 2024

I agree....just thought it should be mentioned in the thread....for traffic alert reasons if nothing else...

lunchbox said:

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.@HoustonChron Here is Houston Ave where Whitmire removed new pedestrian infrastructure. They hit a pipe &this river has been running for 2days. The silt you see in water is undermining which means water rushing out of the pipe is pulling from under the roadway. $$$$ FIX & WASTE. pic.twitter.com/hKZyFYKGYt

— A.Galsgow (@Aefauld) February 20, 2024

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Gotta love buddy grift contracts. Half the work at twice the cost.

I doubt this is so much a buddy grift contract (not saying it's not) so much as it is the new mayor having his ear bent by a select group of people.

Whether you were for or against what was built on Houston Ave., to go in and rip it out 1 month after construction is just dumb and wasteful. And now it's even more wasteful with the water line and road repairs that will have to be tacked on top.

Wasn't the catalyst for the installation of the median and turn lane here a bicyclist being killed in a hit and run, but the project lacked adding a bike lane? And the subsequent (total) removal of the medians pursued following the Lutheran church concerns about southbound left turn access, rather than just reworking the left-hand turn and leaving the median pedestrian refuge?

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As the pastor put it, he has been "supportive of of street safety initiatives" but took issue with how the ongoing project's cut of the left turn will make it difficult for older members to get to church.

The City, Dorn continued, would provide the church with a left turn lane to the backside of the property. "But you don't run weddings and funerals from the backside of the building," he said.

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Seems like a good intentions but poorly executed. This city needs better roadway, pedestrian and bike infrastructure, end of story.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/11th-street-whitmire-19013536.php

htxag09 said:

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TX04Aggie said:

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R/houston is gonna have heads exploding at this news. The gnashing over Houston Ave was amazing, wait till 11th st has its come to Jesus meeting.

I dont know why you cant funnel traffic down to one lane each way at the hike/bike trail crossing like it is now, but put it back out to 2 lanes each way the rest of 11th… seems like an easy scenario to fix

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I feel like that would be terrible.

Easy solution, imo….leave it one lane each way, but get rid of the bike lanes and add a turn lane.

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A 2 way protected bike lane on one side of the road seems like a better option than what we have now.

Justifying why I bike near 11th St.

Bike lanes are a waste of time but I'm ok with sidewalks and crosswalks.

Have a bit of patience with those that want to wal across the road - it's not hard.

TheMasterplan said:

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Bike lanes are a waste of time but I'm ok with sidewalks and crosswalks.

Have a bit of patience with those that want to wal across the road - it's not hard.

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i wish we would implement something like they have in many urban areas of the UK. when a pedestrian enters a crosswalk, it automatically triggers flashing yellow lights.

TheMasterplan said:

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Bike lanes are a waste of time but I'm ok with sidewalks and crosswalks.

Have a bit of patience with those that want to wal across the road - it's not hard.

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My problem is homeless camped out in the intersections. Fix that problem not the roads.

htxag09 said:

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TX04Aggie said:

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R/houston is gonna have heads exploding at this news. The gnashing over Houston Ave was amazing, wait till 11th st has its come to Jesus meeting.

I dont know why you cant funnel traffic down to one lane each way at the hike/bike trail crossing like it is now, but put it back out to 2 lanes each way the rest of 11th… seems like an easy scenario to fix

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I feel like that would be terrible.

Easy solution, imo….leave it one lane each way, but get rid of the bike lanes and add a turn lane.

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If I recall correctly, that was the original plan before they decided to add the bike lanes. Basically make it like Studewood.

DustysLineup said:

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I live in the Heights, so I ride in the Heights to get to these sparser areas. I also ride in the Heights doing errands like going to C&D, Premium Draught, commuting to my office off Washington, etc.

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This seems like an oddly specific "I'm a local" post. Do you also ride your bike to get Jeff to cut your hair at Doug's, or go browse Augusta Antiques or get breakfast at Yale Drugs?

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Don't forget the fish sandwich at Someburger.

DustysLineup said:

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Joe Cutrufo, executive director at BikeHouston, whose advocacy helped get this project in place, told Adam Zuvanich of Houston Public Media that he's concerned about the fate of 11th Street.

"If the mayor were to undo this project and revert 11th Street back to how it used to be," Cutrufo said, "I don't think you'd see the city winning any awards for that."

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Because that's what's important....impressing activists by winning the awards that they themselves create and give out.

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you nailed it. These projects earn grant money and circle-jerk awards for their proponents. The proponents then go use their awards as fodder to interview for more "prestigious" jobs in more famous cities. Then they can get bigger grants and and flashier awards.

I don't want awards. I want lower taxes, less crime and less traffic.

If you want to win a ****ing award authorize the reroute of the 45/59 interchange that has been in design phase for 15 years.

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These projects earn grant money and circle-jerk awards for their proponents. The proponents then go use their awards as fodder to interview for more "prestigious" jobs in more famous cities. Then they can get bigger grants and and flashier awards.

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This dork's moving in the wrong direction; he worked for agitators and gadfly organizations in NYC and Boston before coming here:



Or maybe New York and Boston are all fixed up, so now he's turned his benevolent gaze towards Houston.

I wish local news outlets could go just a half-centimeter deeper on all these professional "activists" and "advocates" who make a lucrative career out of ****ing up local infrastructure while pretending to speak on behalf of the local community to which they most recently attached themselves. No doubt they're funded at least in part by companies that install these obstacle courses.

*his X account is a good scroll for those who enjoy conspiracy theories and urban fantasies: https://twitter.com/JoeCutrufo

Looks like he may be going down in terms of city prestige but up in terms of annoying/unwanted pet project prestige. Don't be surprised if his next gig is in lowly Lubbock, Texas but championing installation and construction of light rail lines.

ThunderCougarFalconBird said:

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Looks like he may be going down in terms of city prestige but up in terms of annoying/unwanted pet project prestige. Don't be surprised if his next gig is in lowly Lubbock, Texas but championing installation and construction of light rail lines.

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Lubbock is too smart for that. The old wives tale is that all of their sidewalks are at an angle because they waited to place sidewalks until after buildings were open to see where the students would naturally walk and put sidewalks on the paths created.

Ryan the Temp said:

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I sent a three page letter to Whitmire today detailing many things wrong with the project, most of which we predicted would happen.

I hope he takes a really critical look at the negative impacts.

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Did you include Bakery Donut in your letter?