We Woke Up to Bulldozers on Austin Street. That Shouldn’t Be How Decisions Are Made in Houston
Not long ago, residents near Austin Street in Midtown woke up to the sound of bulldozers—not to build something new, but to start tearing out something the community had long fought for: a protected bike lane.
The project, part of a growing network of improvements for people walking and biking, was designed to calm traffic, improve safety, and connect key neighborhoods with downtown. It had already been approved and installed. But before sunrise, without any public notice, it was being dismantled.
After a wave of public backlash, Mayor Whitmire announced a partial reversal: instead of removing the bike lane entirely, the city would leave a single unprotected lane. But the protective curbs—the key safety element—were gone. The decision wasn’t made through community dialogue, public hearings, or a council vote. It was made unilaterally. A similar decision led to the removal of the protective armadillos on Heights Blvd.
This isn’t just about a bike lane. It’s about how decisions are made in Houston—and who gets to make them.
Right now, Houston has one of the strongest mayor systems in the country. That means the mayor can reverse years of planning, eliminate public safety infrastructure, or delay vital mobility projects—all without meaningful council input or public notice. And as we saw on Austin Street, that kind of unchecked power undermines trust, wastes taxpayer dollars, and makes our streets less safe. This is not what the voters of Houston want, more people voted for Prop 2 than for Mayor Whitmire in the last election. The people of Houston want oversight and accountability.
That’s why we support Council Member Ramirez’s proposed ordinance to bring transparency and oversight back into Houston’s infrastructure process.
The legislation is simple and commonsense:
The administration must report to City Council any proposed cancellation, delay, or redesign of infrastructure projects previously approved within the last three years—if the change is more than 5% of the contract or $50,000.
If at least three council members object, the item must come before the full council for a public vote.
And if requested by a council member, a public hearing must be held before major right-of-way work begins—such as street widening, signal changes, or bike and pedestrian improvements.
This isn’t bureaucracy. This is democratic oversight. It’s a safeguard against top-down decisions that erase years of community engagement and endanger the public.
Some may argue the mayor needs flexibility to respond quickly. But Austin Street was not an emergency—it was a unilateral policy change. Public infrastructure should not be quietly dismantled based on shifting political winds.
Houston deserves better.
We deserve a city government that treats approved projects as commitments, not suggestions. One where council members aren’t learning about removals on social media, and residents aren’t waking up to bulldozers.
This ordinance won’t stop progress—it will protect it, by ensuring that the public and their elected representatives have a say before years of planning are thrown away.
Let’s make sure what happened on Austin Street doesn’t become the norm. Let’s build a city where the public is heard, where transparency is standard, and where our infrastructure reflects the values of the people who use it every day.
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