Thursday, January 1, 2009

Safety around the parking lots


One of my co-workers was coming in early to do overtime, since the end of the year tends to be a busy season for a number of state departments. While she was getting out of her car, two men appeared and tried to demand money. Despite a number of firm statements, the men did not leave, so it was fortunate that she made her way to work and that her car remained unharmed.

To have a long stream of parking lots with no businesses or people is unsafe, and that is exactly the case from 15th Street to 11th Street on San Jacinto and Trinity. There is no constant fluctuation of foot traffic because there are no restaurants or stores for people to go to, and there are no residents who watch out for themselves and others. Even the Texas Residential Construction Commission is swallowed by its isolation next to those parking lots, as there are no businesses to support the safety of the area.

Downtown does not have to be unsafe at any part. While it is important to have parking lots because so many people insist upon driving (although that could potentially change), there should not be blocks and blocks of parking garages that have little to no foot traffic. Those areas create unsafe environments for the very workers who park their cars there.

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