new bike paths around town

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Contractors have been placing these curbs at the intersections of Taft and Westheimer and on Woodhead St. at W. Gray St. I could see the metal frames for more all along Woodhead at the intersections. They remind me of the type of shared bike path on La Branch St and Austin St in the Museum District.

[j_cuevas713]

OMG is this real!!!??? 😮

I'm going to assume they plan to paint these lanes and add new curbs/sidewalks?

Edited March 29, 2023 by j_cuevas713

[004n063]

Cullen Boulevard reconstruction is pretty far along. Wide paths on both sides of the street, soon to be continuous from Brays Bayou to I-45 (where we have to settle for armadillers). 

[004n063]

On 3/29/2023 at 3:36 PM, hindesky said:

Contractors have been placing these curbs at the intersections of Taft and Westheimer and on Woodhead St. at W. Gray St. I could see the metal frames for more all along Woodhead at the intersections. They remind me of the type of shared bike path on La Branch St and Austin St in the Museum District.

To be honest, I was a little confused by these pictures, so I went out to try them in action.

I remain confused.

Crossing Westheimer, it was sort of nice to be able to skip the traffic line on the right. But then I had to merge back after about 20 feet of protection on the other side, between traffic coming from behind and parked cars in front. 

I'm no John Forester, but this felt less safe than vehicular cycling through the intersection.

I have no problem with this if they extend the protected lanes at least a full block in both directions, but as it is it feels janky and more dangerous than what was (not) there before.

(I also saw something that looked like it might be similar on the south side of Hawthorne between Stanford and Roseland, though that may just be for an extended sidewalk, in which case I'm all for it.)

Ultimately, while I think these corner bits seem questionably thought out, I'm more chagrined by the fact that they seem to have been built in places where they were easy to build, not where they were most needed (i.e. on Westheimer and Montrose).

Not mad about it, but just sorta nonplussed.

[hindesky]

Waiting on the bike signals, I expect them to similar to the ones on Austin St. and Gray St. where the bike gets the green light first and later the cars.

 

[samagon]

that's going to be good for pedestrians actually, it will allow for a bit of a pedestrian bump out, and narrowing the lanes will slow traffic.

this will be messy when someone in a big vehicle wants to turn right onto Taft from Westheimer and there's a car sitting at the red light on Taft. not a lot of space for maneuverability. 

[004n063]

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

Waiting on the bike signals, I expect them to similar to the ones on Austin St. and Gray St. where the bike gets the green light first and later the cars.

 

With advanced signaling, this makes a whole lot more sense.

[hindesky]

Assuming the new trail will connect the north bank side of Brays Bayou from Calhoun St. bridge to Wheeler Ave.

[samagon]

3 hours ago, hindesky said:

Assuming the new trail will connect the north bank side of Brays Bayou from Calhoun St. bridge to Wheeler Ave.

looks like they'll be doing some very needed updates for the entire road, but also including a bicycle element.

it will be great since MLK is fairly updated, and the bridge over the bayou is brand new. hopefully the intersection with N. MacGregor Way will be updated, it's awkward to turn right from Calhoun onto N. MacGregor Way.

[004n063]

On 4/5/2023 at 11:56 AM, hindesky said:

Assuming the new trail will connect the north bank side of Brays Bayou from Calhoun St. bridge to Wheeler Ave.

That would be great. That can be a pretty annoying detour now.

[samagon]

it's roughly 1 mile to get from N MacGregor Way to Wheeler and MLK on a bike path.

as opposed to less than 1/4 mile down Calhoun Road, and hopping on sidewalks.

depends if you're cycling for exercise or for getting places

[004n063]

1 hour ago, samagon said:

it's roughly 1 mile to get from N MacGregor Way to Wheeler and MLK on a bike path.

as opposed to less than 1/4 mile down Calhoun Road, and hopping on sidewalks.

depends if you're cycling for exercise or for getting places

Yes, definitely. The "getting places" value (and potential value) of the bayou paths tends to be underestimated, in my opinion, but the various mild inconveniences that come from their being typically on only one side or the other contributes to that underestimation.

[hbg.50]

I rode my bike recently to The Highline and was really impressed with the number of people walking on the paths (I had to weave in and out of people walking).  When I got to the Highline the park across the street was full of people playing in the field.   The city has done a great job with all the bayou trails.   I think the bike paths on the roads, however, are underutilized and inefficient but I understand that was a prerequisite to getting federal funds.  I do appreciate the bike islands for crossing the streets though. 

[004n063]

3 hours ago, steve1363 said:

 I think the bike paths on the roads, however, are underutilized and inefficient but I understand that was a prerequisite to getting federal funds. 

Can you explain how they're inefficient? Or which you're referring to? I think the underutilization has more to do with the overall network of on-street facilities being insufficiently continuous.

[004n063]

Woodhead @ Richmond. Wasn't there this morning.

[j_cuevas713]

This is great. It also prevents drivers from doubling up and making right turns which is even worse for pedestrians

[004n063]

3 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

This is great. It also prevents drivers from doubling up and making right turns which is even worse for pedestrians

Yeah, you can't see it in the picture, but they've installed a bike signal (not functional yet) and a "No Right On Red" sign as well.

[TXK]

6 hours ago, 004n063 said:

Yeah, you can't see it in the picture, but they've installed a bike signal (not functional yet) and a "No Right On Red" sign as well.

I'd be curious if there's any data on how effective No Turn on Red signs are - it seems like drivers ignore them more than most other signs (except maybe yield/stop for pedestrians in crosswalks). I've noticed it happen most along the Austin St bikeway downtown but have even seen it in other cities as well.

[004n063]

Woodhead at Westheimer as well.

I've got to be honest. I've used all of these a few times now, and while I know that there will eventually be bike signals, I'm still not a fan. 

I've never outright opposed physical barriers before, and I'm usually overjoyed to see new bike infrastructure. But every time I've used these, they've felt either pointless or like they were making me less safe. 

They seem to invite me to "skip the line," which is cool (I guess) for about five seconds, but then you're forced to merge again. The advanced signaling might help with that merge, but it's also going to put me at the front of a line of cars. And believe it or not, that's not where I want to be.

I do think that there are some positive likely side-effects, though. The first would be that most drivers will approach the intersections more cautiously. The second is that more drivers will avoid Taft and Woodhead, which will help make the roads more pleasant. The third is that if the city wants to extend the curbs, it'll probably be easier to push through now than it would have been without these.

Also, all of this is anecdotal experience. For all I know, there could be valid evidence supporting the effectiveness of these measures. But while I am far from an advocate of vehicular cycling, the one place where I really do think it's best to just follow the car rules is at an intersection of two streets without protected lanes.

[j_cuevas713]

I'm more surprised they aren't painting a green lane like most bike lanes. Isn't Woodhead supposed to become a bikeway like Hawthorne is? I love Hawthorne

[004n063]

17 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I'm more surprised they aren't painting a green lane like most bike lanes. Isn't Woodhead supposed to become a bikeway like Hawthorne is? I love Hawthorne

I agree. Before the recent construction, I used Hawthorne and Woodhead daily as part of my commute. 

But as someone who rides daily in a city with bike infrastructure that could be best described as "emerging," I recognize that my comfort level exceeds the threshold of comfort required to bring new riders into the fold. I definitely see how new/younger/older/nervous riders would still prefer more separation from cars, though, esLpecially on the section west of Montrose. 

In theory, adding some protection at the intersections of comfortable neighborhood streets and busy arterials is a step in the right direction, but in practice I've personally found it more nerve-racking, due to the additional merge.

Not an either-or situation, but I personally would have been much happier to see real protected lanes go in on the arterials so that we didn't always have to rely on the snakey routes. Obviously Richmond from Edloe to Wheeler is off the table because of the ULBRT, but Alabama from Columbia Tap to Weslayan and Richmond from Edloe to the Westchase District Trail would sure be swell.

[BigFootsSocks]

The first segment of the bridge over I-10 near the Northwest Transit Center has been installed. 

[TacoDog]

8 hours ago, BigFootsSocks said:

The first segment of the bridge over I-10 near the Northwest Transit Center has been installed. 

What project is this for?

[BigFootsSocks]

44 minutes ago, TacoDog said:

What project is this for?

I'm not sure, but I thought I saw someone mention it was a bike lane. I could be wrong though, but maybe it was to replace or move the existing bike lane on the Post Oak bridge over I-10 after the BRT line was added.

[j.33]

1 hour ago, TacoDog said:

What project is this for?

It is the completion of the sidepath (so bikes and pedestrians) along Post Oak. Sidepath will run from Memorial Dr to Old Katy Rd. It currently ends at IH10, so the bridge will be the final link. 

[Sunstar]

They’ve added bike lanes as part of the interminable road reconstruction on Shepherd and Durham south of I-10. 
 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Sunstar

[Ross]

6 minutes ago, Sunstar said:

They’ve added bike lanes as part of the interminable road reconstruction on Shepherd and Durham north of I-10. 
 

 

That's actually South of I-10, and South of Washington.

[004n063]

13 hours ago, Sunstar said:

They’ve added bike lanes as part of the interminable road reconstruction on Shepherd and Durham south of I-10. 
 

 

This is excellent. Looks like a 2ft buffer, so I'd be surprised if they don't add armadillos. If this extends down to Buffalo Bayou, then this plus the forthcoming massive 6th-610 Shepherd/Durham reconstruction will mean continuous protection from Buffalo Bayou up to 610.

This isn't exactly news, but until the barriers are installed, I'm always cautious with my optimism.

[j_cuevas713]

On 4/24/2023 at 6:22 AM, 004n063 said:

This is excellent. Looks like a 2ft buffer, so I'd be surprised if they don't add armadillos. If this extends down to Buffalo Bayou, then this plus the forthcoming massive 6th-610 Shepherd/Durham reconstruction will mean continuous protection from Buffalo Bayou up to 610.

This isn't exactly news, but until the barriers are installed, I'm always cautious with my optimism.

I thought they decided to add the regular concrete barriers

Edited April 26, 2023 by j_cuevas713