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Proposal to ban standing on traffic medians draws HPD caution about code overlap
Summary
Council considered an amended ordinance to prohibit standing or walking on traffic medians except to cross the street, render aid, or perform authorized work; HPD warned the proposed rule may conflict with existing municipal code and urged language harmonization. Crash and pedestrian‑fatality figures were cited by public‑safety staff.
The Proposition A Committee considered an amended ordinance on May 27 that would make it an offense to stand or walk on traffic medians, with exemptions for lawful crossing, rendering aid or performing authorized work. Supporters framed the proposal as a public‑safety measure to reduce pedestrian fatalities and driver distractions; law‑enforcement and public‑safety staff advised the committee to reconcile the new language with existing municipal code.
Matt Simon of the Houston Police Department raised a statutory conflict concern: he noted that Section 40‑27 of the municipal code already allows standing in the roadway provided the person does not unreasonably impede traffic, and warned that passing the new ordinance without harmonizing language could create contradictory enforcement standards. "If you pass this ordinance as is, I will have…a contradiction," Simon told the committee.
Sergeant Derek Hall, who oversees crash reconstruction for HPD, and Houston Fire Department representatives discussed pedestrian collisions and fatalities. Fire department staff provided preliminary figures: 117 pedestrian fatalities in 2024, 98 in 2023, and year‑to‑date figures cited by staff indicated 51 pedestrian fatalities in the current year; staff said producing a median‑specific crash report will require more detailed data extraction because incident narratives do not consistently flag median involvement.
The draft ordinance includes exemptions for crossing the roadway, rendering aid, and performing authorized work; committee members asked staff to review the draft alongside Section 40‑27 and other traffic code provisions to avoid duplication or contradiction. Committee members and speakers noted recurring public complaints about people — including people with children or animals — standing on medians near busy intersections and said enforcement tools that focus on safety and protection of vulnerable people would be useful.
What’s next: Staff will reconcile the draft median ordinance language with existing traffic code (Section 40‑27) and provide updated language and supporting crash data for further committee consideration. No vote was taken at the committee meeting.
