Safety Awareness – Willow Pointe HOA

In case of an emergency, always call 911. For non-emergencies, call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) at 713-221-6000. The HCSO patrols the unincorporated areas of Harris County. Do not be afraid to call HCSO to report a suspicious person, vehicle, activity, or for Vacation Watch. If possible, obtain license plate numbers, color, make and model of vehicle along with a description of the person(s). Note if the suspicious person was walking, riding a bike, their location, etc. Provide as much information as possible. The call can be anonymous or you can leave your contact information so deputies can follow-up with you.

Harris County Precinct 3

Redistricting maps were approved by the Harris County Commissioner’s Court in late 2021 and Willow Pointe is now part of Precinct 3, served by Commissioner Tom Ramsey. Your property address and zip code are in Houston; however, Willow Pointe is situated outside the Houston city limits in an un-incorporated part of Harris County. The County is led by 5-Commissioners Court members, made up of 4-Commissioners and 1-County Judge, who determine tax rates and are responsible for allocating nearly $6 billion worth of funding for the criminal justice system, infrastructure, flood control, hospital district, public health, and much more.

To report potholes, drainage issues, curb maintenance, missing street signs or traffic safety concerns, and more, contact Commissioner Ramsey’s office by phone at 713-274-3000 or 713-755-6306 or visit the website at: www.pct3.com.

Security Tip

Here is an additional security tip you might like. Google Street View offers a view of your home to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Sometimes Google even captures a photo of you, or the license plate of your vehicle. Did you know you can blur the view by pulling up your address in Street View, clicking on the three vertical dots on the toolbar, and choosing “Report a Problem”. Then select the option to “Blur” and select “My Home” and drag the red box over the part of the view you want to obscure. You may be required to add more information, and then click “Submit”. Anonymity will soon be yours.

NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND PARKING HAZARDS

Dear Neighbors,

We love our kids, animals and neighbors. Since safety for all is a high concern we would like to make everyone aware of the added safety issues created by parking on the streets instead of in the garage and driveways.

Traffic and parking safety is becoming a high priority among our association membership. Our winding and busy streets create parking and driving challenges that threaten lives and emergency vehicle access. We feel that forcing neighborhood drivers to dodge and weave around cars parked on the street, causing them to cross the center line into oncoming traffic is a traffic hazard that needs to be addressed and eliminated.

In many cases there are direct solutions to this problem:

Clean out garages and use them for their intention (parking your vehicle) There is an upcoming Garage Sale that can help you with this.
Move vehicles that are not used on a regular basis to another storage site.

This street parking is a growing hazard to motorist, bicyclists and pedestrians. As the neighborhood grows, so does the number of commuters driving to work, school, errands, ballgames, practice for the kids, and church which increases the traffic hazards

As you know it is difficult to get around parked cars on the streets and at any time there could be a child darting out or riding a bicycle or playing that can not be seen around these vehicles. Also since our streets are busy and curvy, other vehicles come up suddenly and create hazards and a greater potential for accidents.

We all work hard to have a safe and inviting place to live and these vehicles parking unnecessarily on the streets creates traffic flow issues and potential death traps for our kids. Also, as much as we all try to keep our pets on a leash and under control, there are times when an animal may pull loose and dart into the street causing additional issues.

If an accident occurs there could be heavy liability on the vehicle owners if they are perceived to have caused the accident that happens. We know that there are times with extra family visits, friends, family parties and more, that vehicles must be on the streets; however, there are those who continue to use the streets as their personal drives and property and it is causing dangerous situations for all.

There have also been several reports of potential newcomers not wanting to move here because of an abundance of street parking. So along with the safety issues our property value is being affected.

We will be looking into increased attention being paid to the consistent offenders if necessary but would hope that all neighbors would care enough about children and others that this problem will become less an issue with a little effort from everyone.

Those vehicles parked on the streets are also very likely targets for crime and vandalism. They are also an invitation to criminals as they become an easy target and a deterrent and traffic hazard to officials who might need to get through to address a neighborhood issue.

We are hoping that this common sense appeal to all neighbors who park on our busy streets and particularly to those who park on potentially hazardous streets such and Trail Ridge, Pony Express and Willow Crossing will constitute immediate and voluntary steps to alleviate dangerous parking congestion and driving obstacles.

On behalf of all neighbors in Willow Pointe we thank all those who identified priority areas as well as other areas where traffic is hindered by street parking.

No Soliciting

Soliciting is NOT allowed in Willow Pointe.

Vacation Safety Tips

As you prepare for vacation you may want to consider the following suggestions:

Put a timer on all lights.

Stop your paper or ask your neighbor to pick it up.

Ask your neighbor to pick up and store your recycle bin and garbage can.

Tell your trusted neighbor you will be away.

If you have an alarm system, turn it on.

If you will be away for an extended period, arrange for someone to mow your lawn.

Contact Harris Country Sheriff’s Vacation Watch division and request additional security. Their number is 281-290-2100.

Do everything you can to give the appearance your home is occupied.

Harris County Sheriff Reports

Harris County Precinct 3

Security Tip

NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND PARKING HAZARDS

No Soliciting

Vacation Safety Tips