The City of Houston said it’s working to install a new crosswalk system to help students cross Westheimer safely.
HOUSTON — Less than 24 hours after KHOU 11 News aired a story about a student who was struck by an SUV on Westheimer Road near Lamar High School, the City of Houston said it’s stepping in to increase safety measures.
The story aired on Wednesday, and shortly after, Mayor John Whitmire showed up at the crosswalk where the incident happened. He posted photos to social media saying that he directed Public Works to install a HAWK signal at the intersection of Eastside Street and Westheimer.
The anticipated High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk will allow students to activate a red light for drivers to see while they cross the road. Currently, there’s just a student crossing sign, but no buttons or lights to alert drivers.
The incident
A 15-year-old boy was crossing Westheimer at Eastside earlier this week when he was hit by an SUV.
The incident was caught on video.
In the video, the teen can be seen waiting for traffic to die down before he starts crossing the road. He was about halfway across when he was hit by an SUV. The teen was injured but is expected to survive.
The 85-year-old SUV driver was cited for failure to yield the right of way.
Changes coming
In addition to the HAWK signal, Houston Independent School District officials said they were coordinating with the Houston Police Department to get traffic enforcement officers in the area through the end of the week.
“HISD PD is coordinating with HPD and METRO Police to strengthen traffic enforcement in the area. The safety and security of our students is our top priority, and families can expect to see officers in the area during arrival and dismissal times as we work with our partners to support safe crossings,” the district said in a statement.
However, on Thursday morning, KHOU 11 reporter Ugochi Iloka was at the intersection and didn’t see any officers directing traffic. She said there were a lot of close calls between students and vehicles as they were trying to cross the road, even when the pedestrians had the right-of-way.
She also said she tried to walk through a pedestrian-only crosswalk and another crosswalk with signs and lights — both a block away from the Eastside and Westheimer intersection — and she said she had to make hand gestures at vehicles to get them to stop for her.
Students and others were encouraged to be extra cautious while plans to increase visibility during arrival and dismissal are put in place.
Got a news tip or story idea? Text it to us at 713-526-1111.