Texas
How Houston’s Sprawl Makes It Harder to Cope With Storms Like Harvey
While any city would be overwhelmed by so much rain in so little time, land use in the Houston region has made a difficult situation worse.
August 28, 2017
Downtown Austin’s Parking Crunch Can Be Solved Without Adding Tons of Parking
Cities and towns are constantly fretting about downtown parking. But what they often perceive as a "parking shortage" isn't caused by a lack of parking -- it's the result of poor management of the parking they already have. The upshot is that many cities, seeking cheap and plentiful car storage, pursue policies that make their parking and traffic problems worse, not better. Now a downtown Austin business coalition aims to chart a better course.
June 23, 2017
El Paso’s Suburbs Are Getting Sidewalks and Local TV News Talked to Pedestrians About It
A refreshing change from the typical NIMBY-centric coverage of "controversial" sidewalks.
May 31, 2017
The Human Toll of Normalizing Distracted Driving
Nowhere is the culture of permissiveness more apparent, or deadly, than in Texas, where about 3,500 people lose their lives in traffic every year. It is one of just four states that doesn't ban texting and driving.
April 19, 2017
Cities Want to Save Lives With Lower Speed Limits, But States Stand in the Way
Many cities want to prevent traffic deaths by designing and managing streets so drivers travel at safe speeds. But first they have to overcome state laws that obstruct local action.
December 22, 2016
Hero Mom Fined By Police for Vigilante Traffic Calming
She wanted her kids to be safe in the front yard, so she held the sign over her head and stood in the middle the street. Police slapped her with a jaywalking ticket.
December 22, 2016
Private Toll Road Backed By $430 Million in Federal Funds Goes Bust
From the beginning, there were plenty of reasons to suspect that Texas 130 -- a private toll road between San Antonio and Austin -- was a bad idea.
October 18, 2016
A “Dutch Junction” With Glow-in-the-Dark Bike Lanes Now Exists — in Texas
It's America's first unsignalized "Dutch Junction" -- a type of intersection with protected space for cycling. It even has solar luminescent bike lanes. And here's the kicker -- it's in the heart of Texas.
October 7, 2016
What Killed Eduardo Dill: ‘Failure to Yield Right of Way’ or Awful Streets?
Tragedy struck El Paso again on September 22, when 27-year-old Susanna Lozano, driving her F-150 pickup truck, struck and killed 53-year-old Eduardo Dill as he attempted to cross a neighborhood street in his electric wheelchair.
October 4, 2016
El Paso’s Bid to Create a Regional Active Transportation Network
A lot of regional transportation agencies talk a good game when it comes to improving biking and walking, but El Paso's Metropolitan Planning Organization is actually doing something about it.
September 6, 2016