A Houston attorney is calling on residents to help identify the most dangerous locations for pedestrians in the city.
Attorney Sean Tracey of the law firm Tracey & Fox said the Houston mayor’s stated priority of finding these locations and addressing problems that put pedestrians and bicyclists at risk presents a unique opportunity for people who live in the area.
“The issue of pedestrian safety has the attention of city officials right now,” Tracey said. “And nobody knows which spots are dangerous for pedestrians more than the residents who regularly walk in those locations.”
During his “State of Mobility” address on May 24, Mayor Sylvester Turner said he had asked the Public Works Department to work with BikeHouston and the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee on identifying ten locations of high priority safety concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists. He promised an evaluation of each site and quick action if street design was determined to be contributing to the problem.
Tracey urged residents of the Houston area to contact the Public Works Department with their concerns about specific streets, intersections or other locations that pose a risk to pedestrians.
“This area has had a problem with pedestrian safety,” Tracey said. “Pedestrian crashes take too many lives and leave too many injured. And now we all have an opportunity to try to help make our roads safer for people who are just out walking.”
One study from Smart Growth America ranked the Houston area among the top twenty most dangerous locations for pedestrians in the country. Another study from the Alliance for Biking and Walking determined there were more than 20 pedestrian fatalities in Houston for every 10,000 people who walk to work.
Tracey said pedestrian crashes are often caused by inattentive drivers, but noted that some changes have been made to help reduce the risk to pedestrians, such as lower speed limits, traffic signals and reducing the number of lanes on a roadway.
Houston residents can contact the Public Works Department at 832-395-2500 or pwe.director@houstontx.gov.
About Tracey & Fox
With offices in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, Tracey & Fox is a premier Texas law firm engaged in the practice of personal injury law. The attorneys at Tracey & Fox have more than a century of combined experience handling cases involving auto accidents, pedestrian accidents, catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, insurance litigation, pharmaceutical liability, product liability, and toxic tort.