Mysterious stop signs appear in Houston's Museum District

No one knows who installed a pair of stop signs at a busy Museum District intersection last weekend, and the City of Houston acted quickly to remove them.

Why it matters: The nature of the signs' unauthorized installation looks like undercover tactical urbanism in a car-centric city grappling with the future of its transportation ideology.

Driving the news: Witnesses tell Axios that "official-looking" crews showed up around 4pm Saturday and began installing stop signs on Binz Street at its intersection with Chenevert Street.

• There are stop signs currently for drivers on Chenevert approaching Binz but not on Binz approaching Chenevert.
• The signs both baffled and delighted neighboring business owners, who said they have lobbied the city for years to install traffic control devices at the intersection.
• They felt the city was finally listening to their concerns about pedestrian safety, particularly in a part of the Museum District with growing retail developments and new housing.

Yes, but: The stop signs weren't actually installed by the City of Houston.

• The city received two 311 requests earlier in the week questioning whether the signs were legitimate.
• City crews went to the intersection Wednesday afternoon and told Axios the signs weren't their handiwork. A Houston Public Works spokesperson later confirmed that the city did not install the signs and called them "illegal," saying workers would immediately begin removing them.
• They were no longer in place by Wednesday evening.

The intrigue: It was their small size that likely gave them away.

• A typical Houston stop sign is 36 inches, keeping in step with state and federal regulations. This pair, however, each measured 18 inches.
• The signs did not display any manufacturing information or official City of Houston decals but otherwise appeared to be professionally installed.

On Wednesday afternoon, most drivers who encountered the signs stopped at the intersection, but a handful didn't .

What's next: The chance that the city will install legitimate stop signs at the intersection is slim.

• Houston Public Works says the intersection does not meet the conditions required for a four-way stop.

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