HOUSTON — Signs went up in early June alerting pedestrians at Forest Oaks Park in north Harris County to yield to vehicles. A post on the neighborhood app, NextDoor, questioned if the signs were correct. The KHOU 11 Verify Team went to the park's management team and spoke with an associate law professor to clarify the confusion on Texas pedestrian traffic laws.
THE QUESTION
Are the signs at Forest Oaks Park telling pedestrians to yield to vehicles real or a mistake?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
The signs at Forest Oaks Park telling pedestrians to yield to vehicles are real and are not a mistake.
WHAT WE FOUND
Harris County Water and Control Improvement District No. 110 (MCID110) operates Forest Oaks Park for residents of its district. Throughout the park, signs warn pedestrians, "Watch for vehicles in the park. All park pedestrians should yield right of way to all vehicles on the road."
MCID110 said its crews use the road as much as they can to preserve the park's grounds and protect equipment like sprinkler heads and irrigation lines. According to Forest Oaks Park management, the signs went up in early June 2024, to ensure people are more aware of their surroundings. In an email response to the KHOU 11 Verify Team, MCID110 says, "...Most (park patrons) have headphones on and don’t hear vehicles approaching."
According to the Texas Transportation Code, there are situations when pedestrians have to yield to vehicles. South Texas College of Law Houston Associate Professor Emilio Longoria told the KHOU 11 Verify Team that the park's policy is supported by Texas law.
"I can imagine the surprise that some of these park visitors have in seeing the sign, but it makes sense. If we understand the sign and the law to create baseline expectations of reasonableness that we adhere to. So just like you would want the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk next to you to be aware of your circumstances, not jump out in front of you, give you opportunities to slow down. You'd want the same. and the law is trying to, copy those expectations," Longoria said.
Texas Drivers still shoulder responsibility on the road and face more legal consequences within the state law if a pedestrian is seriously injured or killed.
"The law always expects drivers to be reasonable. So it means even in the event that someone crosses outside of an intersection, that you still have a responsibility to exercise due care. Which means if you can stop, you should, if you have an opportunity to slow down and it's safe and you're not jeopardizing, other drivers around you, you should take caution," Longoria said. "Pedestrians aren't off the hook. They also have to be safe as well. They can't just jump out in front of cars, and they shouldn't be crossing outside of the marked areas where they're supposed to be."
Forest Oaks Park plans to add more paving in the coming months, which will allow more areas of the park to be accessible to pedestrians. That also means the park's policy, of pedestrians yielding to vehicles will extend to those areas.
