What’s the real cost of new freeways in Houston?

When drivers on Waugh approach the intersection with Allen Parkway, they can turn east toward downtown without having to stop or slow down. It’s called a “slip lane.”

Pedestrians crossing there into Buffalo Bayou Park, though, do have to stop and slow down. When I walk to the park to exercise, I crane over my shoulder and try to guess whether drivers will stay speeding north or turn east through the slip lane, and I wait for my chance at the crosswalk. There’s a yield sign, of course, and there’s also a Texas law that requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. But there’s not much yielding going on. So I have to rush to the hunk of concrete in the intersection called a “refuge island,” hide behind the signal pole, say a prayer to the patron saint of vulnerable road users and then hurry across a few more lanes into the park. Who needs cardio after an exercise like that?