Petition updateForce a Re-think on “Road Diets” – 11th street lane reductionPlease continue to help resolve the 11th street redesign/reduction
Heights ResidentHouston, TX, United States
Mar 31, 2022

Hello - Thank you for signing the petition! It takes concerned residents like you to make a difference!  If we could ask you to do one more thing: PLEASE send a quick email to the Mayor and Council Members (see below) and let them know you are not in favor of the cities plan for 11th street and the reason why.  Additionally, if you do not feel the city communicated the plan effectively, please let them know!  You can use this fact document to identify one or two facts to include in your email. Here are the email addresses:  Guidance from At-Large Council Members who are behind us say: REMEMBER - The Squeaky Wheel gets the Grease!! BE LOUD!  They need emails in order to help our fight!

Mayor - mayor@houstontx.gov

District C- ABBIE KAMIN 832-393-3004 districtc@houstontx.gov 

District H- KARLA CISNEROS 832.393.3003   districth@houstontx.gov 

AT-LARGE POSITION 1- MIKE KNOX  832.393.3014  atlarge1@houstontx.gov 

AT-LARGE POSITION 2- DAVID ROBINSON- 832.393.3013   atlarge2@houstontx.gov 

AT-LARGE POSITION 3 - MICHAEL KUBOSH 832.393.3005   atlarge3@houstontx.gov 

AT-LARGE POSITION 4 LETITIA PLUMMER- 832.393.3012   atlarge4@houstontx.gov 

AT-LARGE POSITION 5- SALLIE ALCORN-832.393.3017    atlarge5@houstontx.gov 

David Fields Chief Transportation Planner DPW- 832-393-6600  David.Fields@houstontx.gov 

 

11th Street Redesign Fact Sheet - Additionally please visit https://www.letstalkhouston.org/11th-street-bikeway for other concerns residents have brought forward

    11th Street was NOT identified as a problem street in the Houston Vision Zero Plan in the “high injury network” map.  See page 15 https://houstontx.gov/visionzero/pdf/VZAP_Final%20Report.pdf

    The City of Houston has adopted a plan to reduce the number of lanes on numerous thoroughfares in a campaign to drastically alter the driving behaviors of Houstonians. 

     The city is developing a plan to reduce the number of lanes on 11th Street from 4 lanes to 2 lanes without turning lanes from Shepard to Heights BLVD and is considering this for numerous thoroughfares

    The data that the City has provided for the 2010-2019 time period shows that crashes on 11th street did NOT result in any fatalities during that time period.

     The data also indicates that 70% of the crashes are at 6 intersections - Fix these intersections 1st to see impact on crashes if this is truly a safety issue

 

    The City has not provided the reasons for the crashes but only implies they are due to speeding and erratic lane changes.  Other factors such as driver distraction (cell phone), driving under the influence, inadequate turn signals or turn lanes was not quantified. This question was posed on “Let’s Talk Houston” on March 20, 2022

 

     11th Street was NOT identified as a problem street in the Houston Vision Zero Plan in the “high injury network” map.  See page 15 https://houstontx.gov/visionzero/pdf/VZAP_Final%20Report.pdf

 

     Implementation of the City’s plan will NOT only increase congestion and safety concerns especially at these intersections but it will inevitably cause traffic overflow on interior streets putting children, pedestrians and cyclist at risk

    Historic population growth in the Heights is 250% greater than the city has used in their forecast models. 

    Even using the outdated traffic volume and capacity data, 11th street already exceeds traffic capacity Federal guidelines for “road diets” for a two-hour period during evening rush hours

      (note: Using FHWA’s Road Diet Guidance 3.3.6  a Road Diet is “Probably feasible below 750 vphpd” vehicles/hr./direction. The City’s data shows east bound 11th street this guideline is exceeded for a 2-hour period starting at 4 pm)

    Using a 2.5% population growth rate, this guideline is exceeded for a 3 hour period starting at 4 pm for east bound traffic on 11th street

 

  The city’s plan uses a “road diet” strategy that has generated controversy in other cities and has resulted in several projects reversed.

 

  Given that 11th Street currently meets Vision Zero goals; attention should be focused on improving safety at key intersections. 

 

 

Thank you all! ARTS - Alliance for Reasonable Traffic Solutions

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