Bike Lanes Don't Increase Passing Distance

Bicycling Magazine's blog has an interesting story on a study conducted in the UK showing that bike lanes don't cause motorists to increase their passing distance.  This is something I think many bicyclists feel intuitively.  Often times I feel the only value bike lanes offer is after a crash.  If my bits and pieces are in a dedicated bike lane the driver won't be able to say they couldn't avoid me.  The take away for riders is, even if you are in a bike loan you need to be aware of your surroundings and aware of traffic.

Houston, America's Most Improved Cycling Town

Bicycling Magazine just released their 2014 Top 50 Bike Friendly Towns in America.  Texas had two cities on the list- # 11 Austin & #48 San Antonio.  I have to admit I am a little surprised by the San Antonio selection.

All is not lost for Space City however.  The editors at Bicycling did acknowledge the great progress Houston has made and named us America's Most Improved City They cite our large Critical Mass ride, 3 feet- it's the law!, the $215 million going to creating a bike network out of the bayous and flood control canals, and active Bike Houston group.  A nice quick read indeed and recognition of the progress Houston is making.

Some National Attention For Houston

Bicycling Magazine's blog The Hub has some positive things to say about the city's bicycle master plan, safe passing ordinance, and undercover sting to catch menacing drivers.  They also give nice props to Bike Houston.  To quote from the blog:

One is simply about size: Houston trails only New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago in terms of population in this country, so this has the potential to benefit a lot of people.

It's great to see the positive press on Houston and the progress the city, mayor, and bike community have made. Again here is a link to the post:  http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2014/04/01/cycling-police-sting-drivers/?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Blog-_-police-sting