Let's take a walk

That's just what I did at lunch today in the Texas Medical Center. I love to walk and appreciate urban areas that cater to pedestrians. The Medical Center has the highest concentration of people afoot in the entire city. It is also the largest employer in town, so there are a lot of shoes a flappin' around here. Given this information you would think that sidewalks and traffic signals in the Medical Center would be optimized for the pedestrian. Think again.

In most areas the sidewalks are adequately wide to handle the flow of people; however, certain sections are very narrow and tend to be below grade. Besides causing a traffic jam when it rains they become mini-reflecting pools unsuitable for use except by ducks. Hopefully the constant construction and influx of more jobs will stimulate a rapid expansion of the sidewalks.

Now let's talk about traffic signals. These things are screwed up beyond belief thanks to MetroRail. If you are crossing Fannin anywhere between Methodist Hospital and Children's Hospital expect to get a tan in the process. It can take up to 2 minutes for the lights to cycle through and give the walk signal. Throw in a passing train and you can be standing on the corner waiting for 5 or more minutes. To add insult to injury, occasionally the police hand out Jaywalking tickets to the tune of up to $200. They had a big push on tickets last summer claiming it was a safety issue and that on average 25% of pedestrians were breaking some ordinance or other. Maybe they should look at the root of the problem instead of trying to curb the symptom. Fix the signals so that people can cross the streets in a reasonable amount of time!