The University of Houston isn't teaching the value of pedestrian infrastructure. As one Reddit user's post shows, flooded sidewalks on campus are a problem.

Two photos show waterlogged sidewalks. Even worse, the first sidewalk has a ramp where the pooling occurs, making it harder for wheelchair users to navigate after the rain. The original poster bluntly wrote: "Cars get 30ft wide roads while thousands of students walking get 5ft wide sidewalks that flood. We deserve better."

The Cougar — The University of Houston's student-run publication — reported campus sidewalks have accessibility issues partly from delivery robots taking up space and sometimes blocking the ramps.

Walking infrastructure enables healthier bodies and a cooler, cleaner planet. Skipping the driving for more walking or biking can strengthen the heart and lungs and improve weight loss by burning calories. A simple 20- to 30-minute nature walk has even more benefits tied to mental health and better concentration, per the National Park Service.

However, these benefits are hard to obtain when pedestrians only have limited designated paths or ones made inaccessible due to poor human behavior or maintenance.

Such bad behavior includes blocking sidewalks with vehicles —  an ongoing issue in the United States and beyond. According to the journal Elsevier, parked cars dominate sidewalk pavement in Bucharest, forcing pedestrians to constantly walk around them.

One Texan's TikTok shared how what should have been an easy 1-mile walk to a new eatery became hazardous thanks to crumbling and sometimes nonexistent sidewalks.

Houston and UH's constant flooding also shows how harsher weather patterns from climate change are making it more difficult to enjoy the outdoors. A former student remarked: "I went to UH more than 15 years [ago] and the sidewalks were always flooded."

Less reliance on driving and more walking reduces the carbon exhaust that traps heat, leading to more intense rains and floods.

However, future students may enjoy safer and more accessible walks, runs, and biking on campus, as several commenters mentioned the university's upcoming Centennial Plan. According to the University of Houston website, the updated landscape "will create memorable experiences in a pedestrian-first environment."

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Regarding UH's poor sidewalk design, another chimed in: "I have degrees from three Texas universities. They were all like this."

"That's the price for a country in love with cars instead of pedestrians, bicycles, and public transportation," one commenter expressed.

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