Counter Argument To The Energy Corridor's Dutch Junctions

Counter argument to the Energy Corridor's Dutch Junctions

Northwest corner of I-10 frontage rd and Eldridge

Houston's Energy Corridor Getting Dutch Inspired Intersections

Today the Energy Corridor Business District just announced that intersections at Highway 6, Eldridge, and Dairy Ashford along the I-10 frontage road will get new pedestrian and cycling friendly redesigns.  The article goes into detail but this video is a great explanation of the design coming soon to the Energy Corridor:

                                        Video explaining "Dutch Junctions"

New Commute, The Good, Bad, & Ugly

I'm now commuting from Katy to an office building on the North I-10 frontage road and Kirkwood.  It's 19.5 miles each way and in many ways encompasses the best and worst of bike commuting in Houston.  With the shared use paths on the Bayous,George Bush & Terry Hershey parks, roughly 18 of the 19.5 mile commute is car free and safe as can be.  It's a scenic ride where I've seen deer, armadillo, rabbits, squirrels, alligators, coyotes, opossum, snakes, cygnets, swans, vultures, hawks, ducks, etc.  18 really great commuting miles.

Route Using Kirkwood Heading North

The other 1.5 miles or so isn't as great.  If I take Terry Hershey East to Kirkwood (screen shot above) I then travel North on the Kirkwood "bike lane".  This designated bike lane is maybe two feet wide and usually filled with debris.  The painted lane is faded and almost nonexistent in many spots.  It's the type of bike lane that is more dangerous than good.

Commute Using Terry Hershey Park  North of I-10

If I take Terry Hershey North of the I-10 (screen shot above), I ride on the sidewalk of the I-10 frontage road like a dork.  In the morning I'm going against traffic and in the evening constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure I don't get slammed by a right turning car.  I then cut up Eldridge for a block, again dorking it on the sidewalk, to get to Dairy Ashford and another 2 foot bike lane, albeit with less debris than Kirkwood.  This bike lane takes me to another off street shared use path at the Addicks Reservoir.  The weird thing is that heading East on Dairy Ashford there is no way to make a proper left turn onto the shared use path.  They built this great path and then also put a concrete median in the middle of Dairy Ashford blocking the path from East bound riders.  I end up riding in the painted median, cutting across Dairy Ashford and riding in the gutter against traffic for maybe 50 yards before I can make a left onto the path.  In the evening going home heading West the cars lining up to go right on Eldridge end up pinching the 2 foot bike lane.  I haven't clipped a side mirror yet but it won't surprise me when I do.

Map of Energy Corridor paths found on Addick Reservoir bike path.  North is the bottom of this map

Start of shared use path at Addicks Reservoir just off Dairy Ashford.  I need to take a photo of the jacked up median on Dairy Ashford that blocks this entrance

North I-10 frontage road facing East just after exiting Terry Hershey Park

Start of Terry Hershey Park North of I-10

Thought the Texas flags were a nice touch on this day.  This is the path around the Barker Reservoir that takes you towards George Bush Park.

I've seen riders on the street of the I-10 frontage road, and they have my respect, but I just don't feel comfortable sharing the road with that heavy car traffic.  Lately with all the rain George Bush Park has been flooded and I haven't been able to use the path.  I know I can take city streets to get to work, and in the morning sharing the roads isn't so bad, but in the evening when the roads are crowded and drivers are impatient...I just don't want to do it.  Four cyclist have been killed on our streets in the last month and that just chills me.  So there you have it.  A great workout, wonderful safe ride with beautiful scenery, and some frustratingly not well planned bike lanes on city streets.  And Mother Nature throws her twists in as well.

Energy Corridor Bike To Work Day 2015

Today makes two years in a row I didn't commute via bike on Bike To Work Day.  Last year George Bush was flooded and this year there is supposed to be lightning in the PM.  I don't mind riding in the rain, and kind of enjoy it actually, but after a too close for comfort ride in a lightning storm two years ago I am now extremely gun shy about riding if there is supposed to be lightning.  Ah no, I got to call bullshit on me.  I just wanted to sleep in an extra hour this morning!  Either way there was no biking to work today.

Here is the Energy Corridors bike to work site  http://www.energycorridor.org/mobility/bike-to-work

I can't seem to get their maps to work but I posted them last year
http://cyclingspacecity.blogspot.com/2014/05/energy-corridor-bike-to-work-site.html

Coming soon I'll post the details of the route to my new work site.

Road Rage On The Bike Path

So commuting by bike is supposed to be my healthy alternative to the madness that is commuting by car in Houston, but tonight I got in a bit of a row on my commute home.  This happened where the shared use path around Barker Reservoir ends at Sergeant Hatch Park.   You know where people who drive their cars, to go ride their bikes, end up parking.  So I am coming upon the exit of the path and there is another rider approaching from the other side to enter the path.  There is only room for one bicyclist at a time to pass.  So who has right of way when two cyclists are approaching at nearly the same time?

My first rule is if there is a brutal wind whoever is eating the 20-30 mph headwinds has my respect and the right of way.  Barring that I think it should be the person exiting.  Here is my reasoning:

1) Do you barge onto the elevator when the doors open and before people have a chance to get off?
2) In this case I was in the middle of my ride/commute and the other rider hadn't even started his ride, he can wait.
3) I'm riding with fully loaded panniers on each side of the bike.  Cut a guy some slack.
4) But mostly his ride hadn't even started.  Let the other rider exit the path and then go!

So as I approach the exit the other rider makes no assertive move or clear intention that he thinks he has the right of way.  He was kind of paused before the gate and I decided he was waiting for me and I made my move.  As I passed through the gate we came close to each other and he looked uncomfortable, I almost think he was having trouble getting in and out of his clips, and loudly called me an "idiot".  I didn't take to this at all.  I stopped my bike dropped a "F You" back to him, invited him to stop, turned my bike around and went through the gate, re-invited him to stop, and called him a spiteful woman with a 5 letter word but he kept riding away. Of course I am going to keep my eyes out for Mr new bike, new kit, can't get in his clips, drive to go ride his bike, shit talker.  I got a couple ideas for him.

Then a couple miles into George Bush Park I saw a young girl getting helped to the trail parking area.  It looked like someone was calling her an ambulance.  From the way they were immobilizing her arm at the elbow I think she had a broken collarbone.  Just a nasty injury.  I feel terrible for her.  I want people out on the shared use paths enjoying their bikes.  I guess in retrospect I'm glad the "idiot" caller didn't take me up on my offer.  We should be having fun out there folks!

Scoping New Work Commute Routes

So I have a new job that will have me working at Enclave Parkway near Briar Forrest in the Energy Corridor for the next 2 months.  I decided to try out possible routes from Katy on a Sunday afternoon.

Scoping Out New Work Commute Routes

With the multi-use path through George Bush Park and Terry Hershey Park I can ride most of the roughly 16 miles car free.  I was hoping there would be an exit from Terry Hershey right next to my new office but there wasn't.  If I exit at Enclave Parkway it is a fairly short ride to Briar Forrest Rd and there is a bike lane.  Always a welcome sight to see a bike lane

Bike Lane on Enclave Parkway

The shortest and quickest route is to skip Terry Hershey and instead take Briar Forrest from the end of George Bush park.  Unfortunately the bike lane on Briar Forrest has a lot of debris and sections where construction has blocked the path.  As nice as it is to see a bike lane, sometimes in Houston they can be pretty impractical.  So my choices are the winding , and in the early evening crowded with joggers, dog walkers, families, etc Terry Hershey path, and Briar Forrest with its less than stellar bike path and rush hour cars.  Guess that will be a game time decision.  Either way I am looking forward to commuting via bike again.

Flooded Out Bike Path For Bike To Work Day

In 2013 I commuted a tad over one-thousand miles via bike.  Four things kept me from commuting more: business trips, work from home days, lightning, and flooding. So far in 2014 I have commuted just over a hundred miles by bike because I'm now a full-time teleworker.  So I was really looking forward to May 15th's Bike To Work Day.  I used the day as a reason to schedule meetings in the office and made plans to meet up and commute with a fellow Katy dwelling coworker and MS 150 teammate.  So of course we get 8 inches of rain the last two days and the path through George Bush Park is flooded out the night before Bike To Work Day.  Unfortunately the only alternate routes I know of involve streets with heavy car commuter traffic.  Next year then! 

Check out these pictures I took of the mixed use path through George Bush Park on May 14th at around 7:00 PM.

Bench that looks over the river that runs through the park.  This is west of the boardwalk

Entrance to boardwalk from west side

Heading East towards Barker Cypress just after the boardwalk

Heading East towards Barker Cypress just after the boardwalk

Energy Corridor Bike To Work Site

In advance of May 15th's Bike To Work Day I came across the Energy Corridor District's great Bike To Work site.  They are having an event on Bike To Work Day from 6:30 to 7:30 AM at the Gazebo, just off Memorial, in Terry Hershey park featuring a free breakfast, raffle, and giveaways.  They will have Bike Champions leading commutes from several points in the surrounding area (Alief, Heights, Sugarland, Katy) into the event at Terry Hershey. The longest commute I saw was 19 miles. You can sign up for a ride or email a champion for more info.  These route maps are a keeper. 

My commute from Katy is pretty close to one they are doing, though I add a mixed use path from Fry & Mason to Westheimer instead of proceeding further North on Fry.  I just like being off the roads especially during commute hours.

These route maps are a keeper for both commuting and weekend ride ideas..