Houston has long faced issues with dangerous intersections. From The Woodlands to Pearland and Pasadena, the greater Houston area is noteworthy for its many number of dangerous intersections.
LINK Houston and other agencies worked together to identify and improve dangerous intersections. Here are their findings.
Houston’s Most Dangerous Intersections
According to LINK Houston’s initiative, Houston’s other most dangerous intersections include:
- Long Point and Gessner
- Fondren and West Bellfort
- Bissonnet and Wilcrest
- Shepherd and Allen Parkway and Kirby
- Taylor and Spring and MKT Trail
- Hawthorne and Spur 527 and Holman
- West and Airline
- Bellaire and South Gessner
- 11th and Nicholson
- Patterson and Washington
Factors in the Ranking of Hazards
Factors in the ranking of hazards included:
- poor signage,
- not enough time to cross the street, and
- fading paint on crosswalks.
Other Dangerous Houston Intersections
Beltway 8 and Genoa-Red Bluff Road
Aside from those mentioned, the fork between Beltway 8 and Genoa-Red Bluff Road is a common site for severe car crashes. This is likely because the intersection is wider and longer than a standard intersection, requiring additional time for vehicles to cross, which increases the room for error.
Highway 6 at Westheimer FM 529
Other hazardous intersections include Highway 6 at Westheimer and Highway 6 at FM 529. Poor timing of traffic signal lights at these junctures contributes to their high auto accident rates. Intersections built on steep inclines – such as the one between Highway 59 and FM1960 – also pose dangers because the hills will limit a driver’s line of sight. It can be easy for someone to miss a stop sign and/or fail to react in time to oncoming traffic.
Although the Texas Department of Transportation should be responsible for providing effective accident-prevention mechanisms at all intersections, it is ultimately up to drivers to practice safe driving habits.
Dangerous Houston Intersections for Pedestrians
According to LINK Houston the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in Houston:
- Westheimer and Dairy Ashford,
- Bellaire and Ranchester
- Fannin and Pierce
- Longpoint and Gessner
- Westpark Drive and US 59
- Old Spanish Trail and 288
- Fondren and West Bellfort
- Bissonnet and Wilcrest
- West and Airline
Authorities say that factors such as wider corners play a part in making intersections dangerous for walkers and bike riders. The wider corners allow cars to turn faster than usual, decreasing the time vehicles have to stop for people crossing the street.
On average seven pedestrians or cyclists are hit per day in the greater Houston area.
Bellaire and South Gessner
Houston city officials have been collaborating with the Federal Highway Administration to determine which intersections are among the most dangerous for pedestrians and bikers. Near the top of the list is the intersection of Bellaire and South Gessner. Officials theorize that certain neighborhood factors contribute to more pedestrian accidents happening in certain intersections than others.
For example, 17 percent of the families near Bellaire and South Gessner don’t have cars. This naturally leads to a higher level of foot traffic. More foot traffic, in turn, leads to a higher potential for pedestrian accidents.
Other factors are more citywide – Houston was designed when it housed fewer people and fewer cars. The increase in population and drivers make our roads more congested. This increases the odds of a collision and the likelihood of frustration-induced driver error.
