Ripping out the Abandoned Rail on Walker St.

[cspwal]

Why fill in the medians with concrete instead of greenscaping? I noticed the same thing on the medians on Hwy 3 in clear lake

[samagon]

probably maintenance costs. 

I agree though, if a point of the city is to make cooler, then you'd think things like this would be a perfect opportunity for green.

[HoustonMidtown]

Signals being installed

 

[004n063]

It appears that there will be curb-protected bike lanes on both sides of Walker from St. Emmanuel to Emancipation, where Walker briefly pedestrianizes as the trailhead of the Columbia Tap trail.

These connect to the EaDo/Stadium stop (Green and Purple lines) via the path that runs behind (west side of) the Dynamo stadium, and to the Polk St. protected bike lanes by way of the Bastrop promenade.

Through-traffic volumes in EaDo are generally pretty low - mostly just people trying to park. But explicitly bike-oriented infrastructure like this is still valuable for a couple of reasons:

1) Due (I'm assuming) to its warehousey history, EaDo's streets are wide. This can lead to higher speeds than are appropriate, so the protected infrastructure helps improve safety.

2) An obvious, visible network in the neighborhood helps bring more people - be they children, seniors, or just people who hadn't really thought much about biking before, but who are frequently frustrated by EaDo parking - into the fold. 

However, while this is encouraging, there are still important gaps. I would personally like to see facilities on McKinney, Samson and/or York, Texas and/or Rusk, and (in my dream$) a railyard flyover (and Purple Line stop!) from Ennis@Rusk to Velasco@Texas. These would help complete the connections to Downtown, Second Ward, and Eastwood.

[JClark54]

3 hours ago, 004n063 said:

Through-traffic volumes in EaDo are generally pretty low - mostly just people trying to park. But explicitly bike-oriented infrastructure like this is still valuable for a couple of reasons:

1) Due (I'm assuming) to its warehousey history, EaDo's streets are wide. This can lead to higher speeds than are appropriate, so the protected infrastructure helps improve safety.

2) An obvious, visible network in the neighborhood helps bring more people - be they children, seniors, or just people who hadn't really thought much about biking before, but who are frequently frustrated by EaDo parking - into the fold. 

Through traffic on Walker alone, or the streets it crosses? At least one photo covers Walker at Emancipation, which is the second most traveled east-west roadway in the east end. Emancipation at Harrisburg is one of only two separated crossings of the Galveston Sub (the other being Wayside, some three-plus miles away), so by nature traffic is quite high all the time. The high vehicle traffic volume is why the signalized, protected crossings are going in. 

Edited September 16, 2023 by JClark54

[JClark54]

3 hours ago, 004n063 said:

However, while this is encouraging, there are still important gaps. I would personally like to see facilities on McKinney, Samson and/or York, Texas and/or Rusk, and (in my dream$) a railyard flyover (and Purple Line stop!) from Ennis@Rusk to Velasco@Texas. These would help complete the connections to Downtown, Second Ward, and Eastwood.

The designs for the York underpasses are not yet finalized, but those used in the grant application show bike lanes and sidewalks. 

 

[004n063]

16 minutes ago, JClark54 said:

Through traffic on Walker alone, or the streets it crosses? At least one photo covers Walker at Emancipation, which is the second most traveled east-west roadway in the east end. Emancipation at Harrisburg is one of only two separated crossings of the Galveston Sub (the other being Wayside, some three-plus miles away), so by nature traffic is quite high all the time. The high vehicle traffic volume is why the signalized, protected crossings are going in. 

I totally forgot to include Emancipation in my "needs facilities" list. But I meant Walker and just most of the streets in EaDo. It's a tight grid without a ton of commuter traffic, so outside of Polk, Leeland, Emancipation, Samson, and York, traffic volumes and speeds are usually pretty low.

However, only the area enclosed by Emancipation, Polk, St. Emanuel, and Walker has the wider sidewalks, bulbouts, etc., that make it both safer and more inviting for pedestrians. 

The rest of the neighborhood still has the "bones" for great walkability (though a small market would be nice), but the actual pedestrian facilities are mediocre. 

I really like the approach they've taken to urbanizing the neighborhood - that is, by starting with the core and then rippling out. I just hope they keep that going, that's all.

[JClark54]

2 hours ago, 004n063 said:

I totally forgot to include Emancipation in my "needs facilities" list. But I meant Walker and just most of the streets in EaDo. It's a tight grid without a ton of commuter traffic, so outside of Polk, Leeland, Emancipation, Samson, and York, traffic volumes and speeds are usually pretty low.

However, only the area enclosed by Emancipation, Polk, St. Emanuel, and Walker has the wider sidewalks, bulbouts, etc., that make it both safer and more inviting for pedestrians. 

The rest of the neighborhood still has the "bones" for great walkability (though a small market would be nice), but the actual pedestrian facilities are mediocre. 

I really like the approach they've taken to urbanizing the neighborhood - that is, by starting with the core and then rippling out. I just hope they keep that going, that's all.

Oh, yes, Walker in EaDo sees little traffic. It breaks up twice -- once for the trail/light rail and again at the freight rail line -- thus making it not ideal for through transit. The EaDo TIRZ reps told me they were pushing something sturdier than armadillos due to the abundant freight truck traffic in the area. They break armadillos with ease. The EED did the same on Lawndale, and is planning to follow suit on the Polk revamp. 

Edited September 17, 2023 by JClark54

[cspwal]

Yeah the armadillos are definitely being decimated by trucks along Polk

[samagon]

worse than decimated.

I know when my office was in downtown, commuting from Lawndale and Telephone, I'd jog up to McKinney at York/Samson to make my commute into downtown. quick and easy access.

according to my mom, both of my grandparents chose to commute down McKinney as well, they had a house near Lawndale and Dismuke and both worked for SP. 

kind of interesting to me that I would have naturally gravitated towards the same route they chose for their commute. McKinney was so good because it is relatively unused, wide, and also has very few intersections with stoplights.

[HoustonMidtown]

Stripes going down.....they are also adding a stoplight at Emancipation

 

[HoustonMidtown]

 

[hindesky]

[004n063]

Imagine a future in which every street in EaDo looks like this or the redone Dallas/Lamar/Hutchins. 

Separated bike facilities on McKinney and Emancipation feel like priorities to me, though I could see St. Charles instead of Emancipation, since it's a better candidate for a road diet. And if the facilities were to cross the tracks (zigzag ped gate across the purple line, bridge over Harrisburg and the RR tracks, then it'd be a great connection to the future facilities on Commerce.

[JClark54]

I don't have concrete evidence to support future McKinney bike lanes, but I feel it's in the works. The York/Commerce/Navigation grade separation grant proposal included a graf and bullet point covering a future pedestrian bridge on McKinney over the below-grade York section. With the street being as wide as it is through EaDo, there must be a plan to add hike-and-bike or bike lane infrastructure on that road if a pedestrian bridge is in the works. 

[samagon]

On 10/10/2023 at 7:12 AM, 004n063 said:

Imagine a future in which every street in EaDo looks like this or the redone Dallas/Lamar/Hutchins. 

Separated bike facilities on McKinney and Emancipation feel like priorities to me, though I could see St. Charles instead of Emancipation, since it's a better candidate for a road diet. And if the facilities were to cross the tracks (zigzag ped gate across the purple line, bridge over Harrisburg and the RR tracks, then it'd be a great connection to the future facilities on Commerce.

I was imagining if something like this were tried in the Heights.

which naturally led to me imagining the number of entitled drivers that would either run into this, or complain of how unsafe it is, or impossible to navigate with their oversized emotional support trucks.

[HoustonMidtown]

They were removing all the barrels on blockades to open up Walker - the street lights were also turned on

[Andrew Ewert]

On 10/17/2023 at 9:06 AM, samagon said:

which naturally led to me imagining the number of entitled drivers that would either run into this, or complain of how unsafe it is, or impossible to navigate with their oversized emotional support trucks.

hate how accurate this is

[wilcal]

Dynamo still paying to close street and park over bike lanes

 

[JClark54]

Yeah, I saw that, too. The people reverse-parking the vehicles in the bike lanes were wearing stadium polos. 

[JBTX]

On 10/17/2023 at 9:06 AM, samagon said:

oversized emotional support trucks.

I like that. I'm gonna steal that.

[004n063]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:42 AM, wilcal said:

Dynamo still paying to close street and park over bike lanes

 

Why is this legal?

[cspwal]

I'm sure they're paying for it.  Street closures seem to happen a lot more in east downtown than other places - for a while 8th wonder was just casually closing down dallas every other week - usually when I was wanting to walk to get some coffee

[wilcal]

On 11/1/2023 at 5:54 PM, 004n063 said:

Why is this legal?

It is a permitted street closure

23 hours ago, cspwal said:

I'm sure they're paying for it.  Street closures seem to happen a lot more in east downtown than other places - for a while 8th wonder was just casually closing down dallas every other week - usually when I was wanting to walk to get some coffee

It is annoyingly cheap. I believe I have posted elsewhere but maybe $150? $200? Why pay for your own private property when you can monopolize public property for a fraction of the cost?

[cspwal]

Only $200? I might close my street for my next birthday party

[august948]

5 hours ago, cspwal said:

Only $200? I might close my street for my next birthday party

For only $200 I might close my street just to annoy my neighbor.

[wilcal]

Guys, I'm so sorry. A street function closure permit is $62, not $200.

 

The form is linked here. Go wild! https://www.houstontx.gov/specialevents/faq.html#applystreetfunction

[cspwal]

$63 is low enough to legit do it for a block party or a birthday party

[JBTX]

For sure. HAIF block party when?

[august948]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:01 AM, wilcal said:

Guys, I'm so sorry. A street function closure permit is $62, not $200.

 

The form is linked here. Go wild! https://www.houstontx.gov/specialevents/faq.html#applystreetfunction

Awesome news...I can afford to annoy my neighbor weekly!