HOUSTON – You’ve probably seen them as you walk, bike or drive around Houston.
Giant LED touchscreen kiosks tower over city sidewalks all throughout the region. The kiosks are part of a program launched in 2021 by the Mayor’s Office of Innovation.
In total, 75 of the screens were installed in various parts of the city. They offer a plethora of information, like where to eat, transportation information and even a camera to snap a quick selfie.
FULL STATEMENT FROM CITY OF HOUTON:
“The digital kiosk program was approved by City Council in May 2021 and there are currently 75 kiosks installed throughout the City. Each location is reviewed and approved by the district councilmember, the TIRZ and management district, if the kiosk will be located within the respective boundaries. Although not required, each property owner is also contacted and notified far in advance of an installation to ensure coordination and to minimize any disruption to the neighboring businesses. Locations undergo an extensive design process and plans must be approved by the City Engineer’s Office and Right-of-Way (ROW) Permitting to ensure the kiosk does not impede traffic sight triangles or otherwise present an obstruction to motorist, bicyclists or pedestrians in the ROW.”
“The digital kiosks do far more than advertise. They also provide information about all the businesses, cultural institutions, museums, restaurants, entertainment venues, and retailers within proximity to the kiosks so that people can enjoy all that the local communities have to offer while they are visiting. This is an important service, especially for small businesses that may not have marketing resources. In addition, the kiosks connect job seekers to job boards, access to social services information such as homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs, and food support.”
However, some residents say they also are a giant obstacle in the middle of an already tight walking corridor.
“It’s in the middle of the sidewalk,” said Denise McCray, who lives in Houston Heights.
Like a bad weed sprouting between the cracks in the concrete, you can’t miss the 8-foot tall signs.
“It’s nice and it’s big,” McCray added.
Some are tucked away at an intersection and others are along one side of the sidewalk. Others, are smack dab in the middle of the walkway.
One of the most egregious examples we found of this giant touchscreen is along Shepherd Drive near Alabama Street.
Here, there’s less than three feet of clearance on the one side nearest the road. On the other, just over three feet, thanks to an addition the city had to install on the sidewalk.
It definitely makes it awkward to bike through here,” said a biker that had to maneuver around the sign.
Not all of them are tough to get around. But when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
“No, not all of them are hard to get around,” said Gabe Cazares, Executive Director of Link Houston, a transportation advocacy group. “But it’s particularly concerning when you have these kiosks in the middle of sidewalks, because that creates problems for folks who are using wheelchairs.”
Cazares isn’t worried about the signs that have plenty of room around them. Rather, the ones that offer little to no extra room beyond the ADA requirements.
“We don’t have a great connected sidewalk network, so every time we lose space on a sidewalk, it creates problems for pedestrians,” he said.
There are currently 75 of the kiosks throughout Houston. If all goes well and the city likes them, an additional 50 kiosks could be installed, bringing the total to 125.
If you still aren’t loving them, the ads that play on the screens are expected to bring in an estimated $35-50 million over the next 12 years.