Montrose board slashes designs for safer walks to school, advocates say
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Montrose parent advocates are lamenting changes to a roadway project intended to make it easier for their children to walk to school.
Why it matters: The move further pits Mayor John Whitmire against community members who want safer street designs.
Catch up quick: The Montrose TIRZ, a governmental board that works on roadway improvements and other public projects in the neighborhood, was granted federal funding in 2024 to improve walking routes to three schools in one of the community's most densely packed neighborhoods.
- The improvements are in a part of Montrose bordered by roads on Houston's high-injury network, where car crashes most often occur.
Flashback: Original designs ordered under previous TIRZ board leadership included 4.5 miles of repaved sidewalks, 30 high visibility crosswalks and three new four-way stop signs at intersections in the neighborhood, among other improvements like pedestrian crossing signals and beacons.
- Construction was originally slated to begin this summer.
Yes, but: After Whitmire overhauled the TIRZ board's makeup earlier this year, his appointees ordered new designs for the project, which cut nearly in half the number of high-visibility crosswalks and removed the four-way stops.
- The new designs, revealed last month, double the number of sidewalk replacements and include two pedestrian-activated crossing signals.
Friction point: The changes are in line with Whitmire's transportation policies that seek to alleviate congestion for commuters. Some critics say that's at the expense of road safety features like bike lanes and pedestrian access.
What they're saying: "As a dad who walks his two young daughters to school every morning, my biggest concern is that the new version … walks back the very elements that actually make kids safer," Mehdi Rais, community advocate and co-founder of Walk and Roll Houston, tells Axios.
- "What's left is mostly a sidewalk project," Rais says. "Important, yes — but sidewalks alone don't make crossings safe."
The other side: "The board requested of the city that all features and installations asked for by the public be considered for inclusion in this project," board chair Matt Brollier said in a statement to Axios. "While not all of those requests could be achieved, we are very pleased with the proposed, expanded project."
- Whitmire's office did not respond to questions about why the project was changed.
What's next: Construction is slated to begin in spring 2026 and last into 2027.