Overview

• METRO confirmed to Councilmember Abbie Kamin that crews will restripe the Westheimer and Taft crosswalks Monday morning, Oct. 20.
• More than 200 residents and advocates rallied Sunday at the intersection to oppose the removal.
• The action follows Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to TxDOT threatening to withhold road funds from jurisdictions with political or ideological street markings.
• METRO cited a 30-day compliance window under federal uniform-marking guidance as the reason to address the nonstandard pavement design.
• Local leaders cast the rainbow crosswalks as both an LGBTQ+ symbol and a safety memorial created after a 2016 fatal crash, and some signaled potential legal challenges or private-property alternatives.