Ensure Inclusive Mobility 
Safety and Accessibility for Equitable Sidewalks
 
LINK Houston recently piloted S.A.F.E. Sidewalks (Safety and Accessibility for Equitable Sidewalks) in Second Ward to help raise awareness of the importance of safe and accessible infrastructure. Together with residents and volunteers, we audited sidewalks across a half square mile in the Second Ward neighborhood, collecting data and images of the infrastructure. To view what we found and how you can advocate for improvements, visit our S.A.F.E. Sidewalks Storymaps (available in English and Español).
The image shows two pictures of sidewalks in Second Ward. The photo on the left shows accessible, safe, and well-connected sidewalks on a stretch of street in the neighborhood. The photo on the right show a broken, unsafe, and inaccessible sidewalk in another part of the neighborhood.
 
 
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LINK Houston Logo. Earth Day 2022. Two people holding the Earth. Three images: Image 1: LINK Houston team Jonathan Brooks, Ines Sigel, Mara Gomez, and Ashley Johnson at the 51/52 routes bus stop in Near Northside with plants and gardening tools. Image 2: Ashley Johnson, Jessica Brooks, Jonathan Brooks and their three-year old son, Mara Gomez and Ines Sigel. Image 3: Ashley Johnson stands by the bus stop sign as Jonathan and his son plant a small shrub. Mara Gomez stands behind them.
Step out of your car for Earth Day… and beyond!
 

For this year’s Earth Day, we teamed up with BikeHouston, Air Alliance Houston, and others to call on our local elected officials to go car free on April 22nd. The Climate Action Plan and the Resilient Strategy status report shows that Houston is nowhere near reducing vehicle miles traveled and is trending away from achieving Vision Zero. While we are meeting metrics for building bikeways and improving access to high-frequency transit, we urge our local leaders to prioritize resources to truly move the needle on some of these issues to improve outcomes for Houstonians, particularly those of us who need it the most.

We challenge all leaders, and you, to get out of cars to really experience what it’s like to navigate Houston on foot, bike, or by bus to get to work, meetings, grocery stores, and other appointments.

The LINK Houston team regularly rides transit, bikes, and walks, and we commit to doing so on April 22nd. Additionally, in honor of Earth Day our team helped LINK’s Policy and Planning Director Jonathan Brooks kick-off caring for his family’s adopted METRO bus stop, by helping to clean up the surrounding area and adding a little native landscaping. Jonathan and Jessica, and their son, recently moved into Near Northside’s Ryon area and adopted their bus stop, which is served by METRO Routes 51 & 52 and has a new concrete pad from the agency’s universal accessibility initiative. Learn more about adopting a stop here.
 
Two images depicting the new ramps at the entrance of the Houston-Galveston Area Council taken from inside a Metro Lift vehicle.
Advocacy for More Accessibility and Safety
 

After years of strongly advocating for more accessibility at the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), LINK Houston’s Board Member Janis Scott finally saw the hard work pay off. She recently attended an in-person meeting at H-GAC and saw a ramp at the front entrance of the Greenway Plaza building.

Ms. Scott, also known as “The Bus Lady,” has used a cane for several years to navigate Houston streets and uneven sidewalks. She underwent knee surgery in 2021 and now uses a walker. Ms. Scot recalled how her walk from bus stop 539 on the corner of Richmond at Timmons to H-GAC offices had been so challenging and inaccessible at the front entrance to the H-GAC building. Over the years, H-GAC management told Ms. Scott that they leased several floors and needed to work with the building owners to add the ramp and ensure accessibility. The ramp was finally put into place during the Covid-19 lockdown. “This more equitable mobility scenario brought tears to my eyes,” Ms. Scott told us in a note. She and many others who use canes, walkers, wheelchairs, or have other disabilities now have a safer and more accessible access to one of our regional bodies of government.

“Yes, that ramp sure brightened my day! Even better mobility for all now to HGAC – 3555 Timmons Lane. Hurray!”
 

Keep Communities United 
Mara Gomez presents on the I-45 expansion and explains the process to provide comments to the FHWA to a group of residents seated at tables at a community meeting.
 
Impacted Residents Continue to Push for Design Changes in the North Houston Highway Improvement Project
 

LINK Houston partnered with BakerRipley to provide an in-depth overview of the current state of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) to residents in Near Northside. We shared information and data in English and Spanish related to the officially recognized impacts of the proposed project, answered community members’ questions, and assisted them in providing their feedback to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to aid in the federal civil rights investigation. Residents who attended the community meeting care deeply about the impacts of the proposed project and eagerly shared their feedback and opinions.

While the FHWA has paused the I-45 expansion project in Houston, the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) continue to press on with outdated and inequitable projects and policies in Houston and many other regions in the state. That’s why we’ll join advocates and community members from El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin at the April 20th TTC commission meeting to demand changes that efficiently, effectively, and equitably improve outcomes for all Texans.