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Heights, Westheimer and Eleventh Street users press council as safety features are removed
Summary
Multiple residents and cycling advocates told the council that recent removals of protected bike lanes and a raised crosswalk have reduced street safety. Speakers cited city studies showing fewer injury crashes and urged retention of safety elements while asking for public evidence and transparent decisionmaking from Public Works.
Residents, cycling advocates and school commuters made a series of appeals to City Council on March 31 after the removal of physical bike protections and raised crosswalks on several streets.
Christina Ronneberg, a board member of A Tale of Two Bridges, asked the council to ensure that protective devices removed from Heights Boulevard are replaced with equally protective infrastructure and sought clarity on administration plans for Eleventh Street after a HAWK signal installation. She said the previous safety elements "are working" and appealed to the council that removing them would be "destructive" to neighborhood safety.
Andrew Snead and Jacob Cuevas described community engagement and technical review that preceded the improvements. Snead noted the city study of Eleventh Street found the redesign "contributed to reduction in speeding, a complete elimination of injury crashes within the study period, and an increase in pedestrian crossings at 2 intersections." He urged the city to release evidence if it proposes removal.
Why it matters: Speakers said removed or weakened safety features — including armadillo-style lane separators and raised crosswalks — had measurably reduced speeds and injuries and that ad hoc removals undermine public trust. School parents said children bike and walk along Eleventh Street and that design changes have improved safety.
Council response and next steps: Council Member Kamen and others said they had received dozens of constituent messages about the removals and requested more frequent responses from the administration when modifications occur. Speakers asked for public documentation proving traffic diversion into neighborhoods and requested that Public Works publish data supporting proposed removals.
Ending: No formal policy change or vote occurred at the meeting. Council members urged the administration to provide data and further community engagement before reversing safety infrastructure.
