New bikeway to connect Downtown, Midtown and the Museum District on La Branch and Austin

[wilcal]

Planning Department having a public meeting on 8/30 to discuss a change to the HCC portion of the Austin St Bikeway.

I'm assuming HCC doesn't want the bikeway running through the middle of campus. I have personally been told by an HCC police officer that I had to go around campus once. 

So that is a thing, I guess. 

 

[dbigtex56]

22 minutes ago, wilcal said:

Planning Department having a public meeting on 8/30 to discuss a change to the HCC portion of the Austin St Bikeway.

I'm assuming HCC doesn't want the bikeway running through the middle of campus. I have personally been told by an HCC police officer that I had to go around campus once. 

So that is a thing, I guess. 

 

I'm confused. Has that portion of Austin St, been abandoned by the COH? Is it no longer a public ROW?

[Houston19514]

45 minutes ago, wilcal said:

Planning Department having a public meeting on 8/30 to discuss a change to the HCC portion of the Austin St Bikeway.

I'm assuming HCC doesn't want the bikeway running through the middle of campus. I have personally been told by an HCC police officer that I had to go around campus once. 

So that is a thing, I guess. 

 

Weird.  That's not good for anyone, HCC included. Or, rather, especially HCC.  Not a good move for them to try to figuratively wall themselves off from their surrounding community.

[wilcal]

24 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

I'm confused. Has that portion of Austin St, been abandoned by the COH? Is it no longer a public ROW?

Abandoned.

[Ross]

1 hour ago, wilcal said:

Planning Department having a public meeting on 8/30 to discuss a change to the HCC portion of the Austin St Bikeway.

I'm assuming HCC doesn't want the bikeway running through the middle of campus. I have personally been told by an HCC police officer that I had to go around campus once. 

So that is a thing, I guess. 

 

Wow, that sounds totally bogus. What next, pedestrians have to walk around the campus instead of through? If bicycles aren't allowed through the campus, then there have to be signs on every entrance to that effect, given it's public property.

I had a conversation with someone at HCC when they were seeking public input on closing La Branch. Seemed like HCC didn't really give a crap about the impact of their activities on the surrounding community.

[dbigtex56]

4 hours ago, wilcal said:

Abandoned.

IMO the COH has abandoned streets with, well, abandon. The only criterion seems to be what effect it will have on automotive traffic. 
 

[samagon]

6 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

I'm confused. Has that portion of Austin St, been abandoned by the COH? Is it no longer a public ROW?

the path is actually on a sidewalk for a bit. worst idea ever, and I'm not shocked that HCC doesn't want people cycling there. if they kept it on LaBranch street (or at least the ROW that was once LaBranch street) that would be something entirely different, I'm sure.

from the south the bike path enters HCC on LaBranch, then it jogs over (on the sidewalk) to what used to be Austin St. it should have stayed on LaBranch until Holman, then jogged over to Austin.

screenshot of google maps, with bad penmanship to illustrate how the current signage indicates that you should go to stay on the bike path:

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by samagon

[Texasota]

I believe the bike plan had it running along Austin until Alabama, which, through HCC, has plenty of space for bikes and pedestrians. If the signage currently has it moving to that one block of (what used to be) Winbern to Alabama, my guess is that was always intended to be temporary. Because that is definitely just a sidewalk.

 

Interestingly, the bike plan GIS page appears to have been updated with the new route: Houston Bike Plan Network (arcgis.com)

It shows it turning at Holman then going down La Branch. Which is fine, but it also shows them initially putting in bike lanes on exactly one block of Holman. Which will be weird.

[samagon]

jogging the lane from LaBranch to Austin on either Alabama, or Holman makes sense (well, Alabama makes more sense), but the path sharing the sidewalk formerly known as Winbern is right out. my wife (admittedly, not the best on a bike) had to get off and walk that bit because the corners are tight, and the sidewalk is narrow. never mind if there are two people coming from opposite directions at the same time, and forget having students on campus.

[Texasota]

Never mind. it looks like that block of Holman will just be a shared street at first. whomp whomp

[j_cuevas713]

I don't see it as an issue that HCC doesn't want random cyclists riding right through their campus. I mean we also have to consider people who litter and vandalize property as well. So I think they want to minimize their risk of stuff like that happening. 

[Texasota]

HCC is a public entity on publicly owned land. Of course they want to minimize their risk, but picking and choosing who is able to access their campus is not a reasonable expectation.

Also, I don't see how someone on a bike is any more likely to litter or vandalize than anyone else.

[X.R.]

2 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I don't see it as an issue that HCC doesn't want random cyclists riding right through their campus. I mean we also have to consider people who litter and vandalize property as well. So I think they want to minimize their risk of stuff like that happening. 

The Columbia TAP goes through Texas Southern and its well lit and always clean. And their security peeps are always very nice, and so are the students. Harris County has multiple bike paths going through UoH. Random people jog and bike around and through Rice and UoH and Texas Southern. So we have precedent for this. If I was the city would carve up HCC tbh if they are getting upset and remind them that, as @Texasotasaid, they are a public institution. 

Edited August 25, 2021 by X.R.

[j_cuevas713]

36 minutes ago, X.R. said:

The Columbia TAP goes through Texas Southern and its well lit and always clean. And their security peeps are always very nice, and so are the students. Harris County has multiple bike paths going through UoH. Random people jog and bike around and through Rice and UoH and Texas Southern. So we have precedent for this. If I was the city would carve up HCC tbh if they are getting upset and remind them that, as @Texasotasaid, they are a public institution. 

That's very true

[samagon]

the problem is though that to get from LaBranch to Austin the signs within the HCC campus direct you to take this sidewalk:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7358657,-95.3751558,3a,75y,328.79h,92.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2M9I6uce7ZDtHRKNb8U_aQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

none of the paths that are bike friendly on any other campus are that narrow.

even without cycling this sidewalk is woefully inadequate to move students to/from classes, so yeah, I can understand the concern. basically, HCC needs to upgrade their s**t. honestly, they should have worked better with the bike plan to be able to upgrade that sidewalk at the same time, it's probably a thing that they would have been willing to eat/split the cost.

Edited August 25, 2021 by samagon

[Houston19514]

3 hours ago, samagon said:

the problem is though that to get from LaBranch to Austin the signs within the HCC campus direct you to take this sidewalk:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7358657,-95.3751558,3a,75y,328.79h,92.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2M9I6uce7ZDtHRKNb8U_aQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

none of the paths that are bike friendly on any other campus are that narrow.

even without cycling this sidewalk is woefully inadequate to move students to/from classes, so yeah, I can understand the concern. basically, HCC needs to upgrade their s**t. honestly, they should have worked better with the bike plan to be able to upgrade that sidewalk at the same time, it's probably a thing that they would have been willing to eat/split the cost.

That sidewalk portion is a very odd  and awkward little section that would be easily fixed and there's plenty of room for the fix right along the same path.

[wilcal]

Finally got to listen to the full audio last night.

TLDR: yes it is going down Holman to LaBranch like I anticipated.

Holman will be getting an on-street separated bike lane for eastbound bikers

Intersection at LaBranch is getting some safety improvements including curb extensions, conversion from traffic lights to a four-way stop, and a redesigned curb ramp layout that is more conducive to biking.

 

Honestly, this is way more than I anticipated happening and almost makes it as good as the previous iteration. All-in-all, not bad. 

No timeline for construction or completion.

HCC specifically said that the former Austin St was being used more as a plaza than a walking path, and from events over the last year they would like for it to be moved (lol, lots of events during COVID, eh?).

HCC-wide facilities guy asked if the city ever considered not using HCC property at all and Amar from Harris County explained that the point of the bike network is so people can safely get to destinations like colleges and that all of the other colleges were or were going to be connected.