Bike Month & Bike To Work Day

Once again it is Bike Month featuring Bike To Work rides throughout the city.  You can get the details at Bike Houston.  Here is a list of events.

Rides & Events

May 6th Bike to Work Texas Medical Center

May 12th Bike to Work Greenway Plaza/Galleria

May 13th Bike to Work Sugarland

May 19th Bike to Work Energy Corridor

May 19th Bike to Work NASA

May 20th Bike to Work Downtown

May 21st Bike to Work Woodlands

I have skipped this event the last couple years but am going to make it a priority this year.  My concern always around this time of year, and what has stopped me from joining this event in the past, is lightning.  I don't mind riding in rain, sometimes it draws out some boyhood fun, but I'm not looking to get zapped.  Also George Bush Park is flooded and will probably stay that way for a few more weeks meaning I have to ride around the park and deal with more cagers.  Usually in the morning if I leave early enough it is fine, but the evening sometimes can be a bit of a hassle.  Hope to see you out there on your bikes.

Draft Of Houston Bike Plan Released

The other day I passed a group of cyclists who were stopped at the end of George Bush Park and I heard one of them say, "I've heard that from the last 4 mayors".  I'm sure they were talking about the newly released draft of the Houston Bike Plan and the new mayor stating he wanted to make Houston a more bike friendly city.  The release of the plan has generated a good amount of publicity.  Bike Houston had their annual meeting last night and the release of the draft was a major part of the agenda.   You can read more at the following links:

The plan has it's own web site:  Houstonbikeplan.org

Bike Houston is a major driver of the plan: Bikehouston.org

Local papers have written about it:
Houston Press

Houston Chronicle February 23 article

Houston Chronicle  February 22 article

Houston Chronicle  February 21 article

Tribune.com

Local TV:

KHOU TV

And here is a report from January on PBS News Hour

Bike Houston "Why I Bike Houston" Campaign

Bike Houston has short video "Why I Bike Houston" where people discuss why they ride. They are encouraging everyone to add a video or photo of why they ride to their social media accounts.  I'm gonna have to think on what I post...check it out.


Why I BikeHouston from BikeHouston on Vimeo.

Vote With Cycling In MInd

With tomorrow's election you have the option to consider cycling into your decision.  Bike Houston has sent a candidate questionnaire to mayoral and city council candidates.  You can review there responses here.  One candidate who has bicycling as a central aspect of their lives is Tom McCasland running for the City Council At Large #1.  McCasland has commuted in Houston exclusively by bike and public transit, he wrote the grant to turn utility easements into shared use paths, and was critical in the three foot safe passing law getting passed in Houston.  So go read up on the candidates at Bike Houston's web site and don't forget to vote tomorrow.

Houstonia Magazine Cyclists Guide To Houston

Back in July Houstonia Magazine published their Cyclists Guide To Houston and it is a good read.  They have articles on What's Next for B-Cycle, a guide to various bike rides that hits the major points, a style guide for the best bike for you, an article on Bike Houston and the 3' safe passing ordinance, and an essay on the unexpected joys of being a bike commuter that I enjoyed.  Here is a quote that I can relate to:  I’ve become a connoisseur of Houston’s street art, my knowledge of the Montrose rental market is encyclopedic, and I see history everywhere. Yes, history. People who think this is a city without one just aren’t looking very hard.

Check out the article.  It is worth your time.

Bike Houston's Annual Meeting

Bike Houston had their annual meeting this past Tuesday March 24th at the Ensemble Theatre just across from their offices.  The main takeaways were that the organization is growing, they currently have 800+ members and a fulltime staff of three.  This is small compared to bike advocacy groups in other cities but progress from where they were just over a year ago with 80 members and no fulltime staff.  Also the city has been receptive to the organizations input on the Bike Master Plan

If you want to become a Bike Houston member sign up here
If your broke but want to let it be known you support safe cycling in Houston sign up here
You can always like Bike Houston's Facebook page here

Chair of Bike Houston Regina Garcia

Ballot for Bike Houston Board of Directors vote

Michael Payne- Executive Director of Bike Houston

Edward Gonzalez Houston City Councilman.  He is being term limited out of office this year- a shame

Pat Walsh City of Houston Director of PLanning

Cathy Halka City of Houston Planning Dept and Project Lead for the Houston Bike Master Plan

Geoff Carleton from Traffic Engineers, the firm hired for the Houston Bike Master Plan

Houston Bike Master Plan Funded By City

The Houston City Council has voted to fund a Bike Master Plan. A consultant will be hired to develop a master plan to help make Houston easier to navigate by bike.  The city has budgeted $125,00 and Bike Houston has promised $100,000  You can read about it in this Houston Press Article

Interesting to me is the Houston-Galveston Area Council is supposed to kick in $100,000 for the study.  That is the group that came up with West Houston Mobility Plan that cuts off the bike path through George Bush Park and shows streets that don't exist.

Proposed Road To Cut Through George Bush Park

Last night another cyclist told me that the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT)  has approved a road connecting Highland Knolls Dr. with Briar Forrest Dr.  This new major thoroughfare would cut right through the North section of George Bush Park and effectively kill off a green space area and a multi-use path used by thousands of joggers, walkers, and cyclist every month.

I'm still trying to get more details but this article gives some info.  The proposal is part of the West Houston Mobility Plan (link to plan) from the Galveston-Houston Area Council (whatever the hell that is).  This plan was finalized December 18th with the expectation that TXDOT will approve it this month.  What that means for actually getting built, I have no idea.  This is a terrible plan.  There are already 4 East-West thoroughfares through the area: 1-10, I-10 frontage road, Westheimer Pkwy, West Park Tollway.  I believe this new route would cut through a reservoir, mess up the regional flood protection, and kill of a major cycling route.

Here is a map of the recommended changes.  If my color blind eyes are reading this right, it shows existing streets connecting Kingsland Blvd with Memorial and Barker Cypress running through the park.  Hard to have faith in this study with such major errors.

My best hope right now is that this is some study that gets approved and then sits on a shelf for years without ever getting implemented.

Texas Transportation Commission To Vote On Moving Bike Funds

Bike Houston Facebook page posted this update about an upcoming vote allowing TxDOT move funds from bike projects to general highway projects.

Details Here along with a sample letter to send to Robin Carter Office of General Counsel Robin.Carter@txdot.gov

The Folks over at Bike Texas are leading this charge.  Good looking out guys 

>>>>>Update 9/17/14 10:30 Central Time>>>>  Emails to Mr. Carter are getting this response:

Thank you for your correspondence.  If you are contacting me concerning an agenda item for the upcoming commission meeting, please use the link below to register your concern: http://www.txdot.gov/contact-us/form.html?id=transcom-email

Thank you

 

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.

Dedicated, Separated, Bike Lane Coming To Downtown!

Houston's Downtown area is going to get a seperated bike lane.  Sometime in October a separated bike lane will be installed on Lamar St.  This new bike lane will connect the Buffalo Bayou Bike Trail to Discovery Green. You can read about the project here Chronicle Article.

What makes this really exiting is that there is currently work going on to connect the four mile Columbia Tap Trail to Discovery Green.  This will make a 7+ mile separated urban path.

Bike Houston Is Hiring

Bike Houston, the bicycle advocacy group in Houston, is hiring.  You can see the listings here Bike Houston  They are looking for:

• Development Director
• Director of Gov & Community Affairs
• Marketing Associate

They are also looking to fill out their board of directors.

Getting paid to work on making a better community for bicyclists sounds great to me. 

Bikes at the Art Car Parade

Even at Houston's iconic Art Car Parade some nice bikes were on display.  The good folks at Bike Houston had an entry.  From their web site:

This year BikeHouston will show that the Art Car Parade is not only about cars, but about having fun while being on the streets. If it is for a fun ride, to go to the shops or to go to work. Just like driving a car, cycling is for everyone and does not require special clothing.

They were promoting the City of Houston's Safe Passage ordinance with most of the bikes carrying the "three feet it's the law" flags Dan Morgan created.

Low Riders!

Macrame?

Bearded Bike

Elephant Bike

Dragon

Bike Houston's entry

Bike Houston's entry.  Critical Mass riders will recognize Dan Morgan

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

Houston Bike Safety Segment On NPR- Houston Matters

The local NPR affiliate KUHF has a noon time show called Houston Matters and last Thursday they did a segment on bike safety.  You can listen to it here Houston Matters (the first 14 minutes are abut bikes the rest motorcycles). The guests were Mike Payne from Bike Houston and the Sustainability Director for the City of Houston, Laura Spanjian.  It's a very civilized conversation discussing recent bike safety improvements in Houston and the future.