America’s oil capital was moving away from cars. Then a new mayor arrived | Houston faces choices confronting many U.S. cities. Billions of federal dollars are available for them to upgrade rail and bike transit, but some are balking

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>This epicenter of the oil and gas industry was ready to shed its reputation of being a car-centric city. Bicycle infrastructure projects were underway and the city had secured federal funding to expand public transit. Voters in Harris County, home to Houston, had approved billions of dollars to improve public transportation.

>But after Mayor John Whitmire took office in January, everything changed. The city’s chief transportation planner left, bike infrastructure projects were stalled, and the region’s transit authority — largely appointed by the mayor — delayed parts of a $7.5 billion public transit expansion.

>Advocates for transit and “safer streets” in Houston say they now suffer from whiplash, and fear the city is turning the clock back on transportation alternatives. It comes at a critical time for many U.S. cities that want to be part of the climate solution and make a meaningful shift away from reliance on the automobile. Whether America can make this shift could depend on the outcome of city-by-city battles.

>“Some people think it’s controversial to take away a lane from cars and to put in a bike lane. I think it’s controversial to only have one way of getting around,” said Joe Cutrufo, a cycling advocate in Houston. “We have choices in all other parts of our lives, but when it comes to transportation, we only have one option.”

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>Whitmire, an attorney and former Democratic Party state lawmaker, did not respond to several requests for comment. But in past speeches and statements, Whitmire has dismissed bicycle lanes as “recreation projects” and said he wants to prioritize spending on road repairs. In the 2023 election, he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from energy companies, construction firms, real estate and big-ticket donors, and he vastly outspent his opponent, the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.).

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>The need for multimodal transit is also an environmental health issue, advocates say. The Houston region has the worst air quality in the country after Los Angeles, and cars and trucks on the road are bigger emitters of air pollutants than the fossil fuel and concrete industries.

>Poor air quality can result in chronic health issues, and it tends to be worse in lower-income communities because of their proximity to highways and manufacturing facilities, said Molly Cook, a registered nurse at the Medical Center and state senator for the 15th district.

>“People are exposed to toxins because somebody is not willing to invest,” Cook said, referring to policymakers who falter on transportation improvements. This lack of investment, she said, is “partly because of inertia, partly because of vested interests.”

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>**Texas has recorded a death on its roadways — motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists — every day since Nov. 7, 2000, with an average of 12 deaths per day**, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. In Houston, a lack of protected bike lanes and the crumbling sidewalks make cyclists and pedestrians more vulnerable. Some say road rage and fast driving has also contributed.

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>The Texas constitution requires 97 percent of TxDOT’s $15 billion annual budget to go toward roads, a law similar to those in other states. Little is left over in TxDOT’s funding to spend on multimodal transit, meaning that Houston seeks most of its funding for multimodal projects from the city, which is strapped for cash, or Harris County, which has a little more wiggle room.

!ping YIMBY&HEALTH-POLICY&USA-TX