Shortly after being sworn into office in the early morning of January 1, Houston mayor John Whitmire went on a ride-along with police chief Troy Finner. After making public safety the central issue of his election campaign, the 74-year-old politician appeared eager to get to work. But as Finner turned onto Houston Avenue, a busy thoroughfare northwest of downtown, the police chief seemed more interested in discussing street design. He pointed out a series of concrete medians that had been installed the previous month as part of a so-called “road diet” that reduced the number of lanes from six to four. Finner told the mayor that the changes, intended to slow down traffic and give pedestrians a place to pause while crossing the street, were…
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