Bicycle Lanes

[HeightsGuy]

As much as I am a proponent of the on-street program, I think it might be a hinderance to other potential dedicated bike trails with the exuse of: "we have 260 miles of on-street bike lanes, why do we need to build more dedicated bike paths?".

The real prize is the bayou system and old railroads. Can you envision a Houston where every bayou and abandoned rail ROW has a trail on it? Houston is getting there slowly, I am eagerly anticipating the dedicated trail that will connect the Heights to UH Downtown, but so much more could be done.

[sunsets]

Now I take the "back way" through Woodland Heights to Watson/Taylor/Sawyer through the 6th Ward through HPD property to Bagby, up through Midtown behind Specs across to Crawford then down to the park and across to MD in the med center. It actually is a better trip for me, health wise.

nmainguy: This route would work better for me - I live in Woodland Heights. How, exactly, do you make it through the mess of Allen Parkway and the 45 interchange to get to Bagby? I see what you mean about the HPD property, but what street do you access it on? Also, how reasonable are the neighborhoods - I have the added handicap of "biking while female" (which is why the Heights/Waugh route - intersection of the damned notwithstanding - was also attractive)

Dammit, I'm trying to be healthy here! I realize that Houston isn't the most bike-friendly place on earth (and there are way more than "tens" of bike commuters out there), but there has to be some way to do this.

p.s. nmainguy - hope all is well for you if you have to make repeated trips to MD.

[Subdude]

Bike lanes are a JOKE. Lee Brown should be ashamed, and I want my money back. You'll be risking death if you think that a little stripe cutting the right lane will keep those 2 ton cars from squishing you like a Texas garden roach. Not to mention Metro buses with teeth. Houston is not a biking city. (I've biked MS150 numerous times, plus thousands of miles around town. not *IN* town. so don't tell me I'm not a biker.)

Houston is not a bike friendly city. You want to bike here? Get a motorcycle. Bike lanes are/were the biggest waste of money in this city. $2.6B for the Katy freeway will be a miniscule cost divided by the number of people who use it EVERY DAY. Count the few tens of people who use the disintegrating "bike lanes" and you got a damn good bargain at $2.6B.

Seriously, I've never thought it was that bad riding here. The bike lanes are a nice idea, but since they're not well maintained I have kind of given up on them. Bicycles are allowed on most streets, and for me it works fine just to do that. There's plenty of side streets so you can generally get where you want without fighting heavy traffic.

[Highway6]

Long shot here, but I figured I'd ask you guys....

Does anyone know if there is a non-lethal bike route from the Heights to the general Rice U/TMC area? I would love to ride into work a few times a week, but frankly the "bike routes" I've seen look like suicide runs to me. The main thing I am worried about is getting from the Heights across 10 - seems like too much traffic entering and exiting the freeway and access road.

I've tried bikehouston.org, and looked at the city created bike maps, but those have been no help.

I think this route might be impossible, but maybe someone on here knows something I don't....

Thanks!

Its not direct, but its a nice ride.

When i want to do something similar, I'll ride my hybrid instead of my road bike.

I live Wahsington at westcott.

I take the buffalo bayou trails to downtown.

Then Fannin or another south bound street to the med center/ village area.

All the streets downtown and midtown i actually find very unintimidating because they are evry wide, cars have lots of ways to go around you nad they have no problem doing so.

Even if you have a road bike and dont want to use the trail.. Washington or Center arent bad for the first half of that trip.

[TheNiche]

It works for me and many others here in the Heights. Many of us value exercise and the simple pleasure of escape from our many times too busy lives. A healthy, clean bike ride to maybe no where just for the pleasure and exercise of it or a trip to the store far out weighs the "convinence" of a 5 mile, single passenger, 6'-7" foot wide SUV trip to a Baskin and Robbins or an Atkins meeting as compared to the approx. 27" width on my bike.

In no way is this a waste of my tax dollars. On the contrary, I find that my tax dollars have for once been selfishly well spent.

Healthy? Bike riding? Nah. Too high a risk of a crash.

Now walking through the expansive sauna that is a parking lot out in front of a Wal-Mart, then getting inside and having to walk a half-mile-or-more round-trip between the goods that you want to buy and the cash register...that's excercise...and its safe. Then you've got to go back out to the blacktop sauna, often carrying bulky goods if you aren't the shopping cart type of person, and climb into your 6'-7" foot wide SUV which is a blazing 120-something-degrees. Now that's how you burn calories.

[Orikal]

I think Houston's a great biking city, with a decent infrastructure. I commute to work and run errands on my bike, as well as weekly pleasure rides, and I've yet to find a place inside the city that can't be reached (some much easier than others ).

I personally don't care whether there are bike lanes or not. However, they do make travelling by bike more convenient and (for the most part) less stressful. I think real bike/pedestrian infrastructure comes from MUP's that are completely cut off from motorized vehicle use. Someone mentioned earlier about connecting/building all the trails along the bayous, in conjunction with a rails-to-trails initiative, which I feel would put the city up with the likes of Portland, et al.

[Subdude]

The idea of building/connecting bike trails along the bayous is a good one, but they would still only handle a minority of bike trips. Most destinations will always require you to still ride on the streets. When I ride downtown I go maybe half the time on the Allen Parkway trail, and the rest down W. Dallas.

[Highway6]

The idea of building/connecting bike trails along the bayous is a good one, but they would still only handle a minority of bike trips. Most destinations will always require you to still ride on the streets. When I ride downtown I go maybe half the time on the Allen Parkway trail, and the rest down W. Dallas.

There are different degrees of cyclists and cycles in Houston. Some bike trails, like the crushed gravel along buffalo bayou park, are unsuitable for faster road bikes. Not to mention, they go faster speeds, and cant exactly share a sidewalk with dogwalkers and parents with strollers.

So eventhough a network of trails along bayous and RR ROWs sound nice and would be welcome, adding them wouldn't negate the needs for addtional bike lanes.

For some cyclists, streets with or without bike lanes are the only option.

[Orikal]

There are different degrees of cyclists and cycles in Houston. Some bike trails, like the crushed gravel along buffalo bayou park, are unsuitable for faster road bikes. Not to mention, they go faster speeds, and cant exactly share a sidewalk with dogwalkers and parents with strollers.

So eventhough a network of trails along bayous and RR ROWs sound nice and would be welcome, adding them wouldn't negate the needs for addtional bike lanes.

For some cyclists, streets with or without bike lanes are the only option.

I wholeheartedly agree. I didn't mean to infer that MUP's are the only solution for a well built bike network, just that an extensive trail from A to B bolsters the network more than any bike lane could. I'm not against well-placed bike lines however. Houston has issues with placing lanes on some of the worst streets possible and/or striping a street and having it abrubtly end with no place to go but the sidewalk. I'm all for vehicular cycling, but I don't think I'd last too long riding on Westheimer.

[nmainguy]

nmainguy: This route would work better for me - I live in Woodland Heights. How, exactly, do you make it through the mess of Allen Parkway and the 45 interchange to get to Bagby? I see what you mean about the HPD property, but what street do you access it on? Also, how reasonable are the neighborhoods - I have the added handicap of "biking while female" (which is why the Heights/Waugh route - intersection of the damned notwithstanding - was also attractive)

Dammit, I'm trying to be healthy here! I realize that Houston isn't the most bike-friendly place on earth (and there are way more than "tens" of bike commuters out there), but there has to be some way to do this.

p.s. nmainguy - hope all is well for you if you have to make repeated trips to MD.

I have 2 routes. I can take Watson to I-10; go across and continue south on Taylor/Sawyer to the overpass at Memorial, stay on the service road to Bagby and hang a right at the Hobby.

My other route is the same except I turn off Sawyer at Crockett or Winter-depending on my mood and go east to Houston then south to Washington/Franklin then east to Bagby. I don't suggest the Crockett or Winter route to you as you are a "biking while female" [did you mean white because when I'm biking a remain a male ]

I won't tell you my HPD secret route because one of these days I'll get caught and that won't be pretty.

BTW, Thanks for your kind concern

[RedScare]

Sunsets, I believe nmain is talking about Lubbock Street. It crosses Houston Ave. going east and curves around to the south and intersects Rusk. Take Rusk across the bayou to Bagby.

You can also take the parking lots from Washington between the Municipal Courts and HPD to get to Lubbock, skipping the traffic going to court on Houston.

Another easy way to Bagby is Houston Ave. to Washington. Take Washington east to Bagby. Big, open streets with few obstructions. I would think biking while female would be OK on these streets.

Good luck!

[torvald]

I'm a frequent biker, but I have to admit I'm of two minds about the bike lanes. They aren't well used, and as a result they accumulate a lot of gravel, glass, etc., so the designated lanes tend to be rough rides. Rather than find a designated lane, I just take the most direct side streets I can. Failing that, sometimes I just ride down the more main streets. If they don't want a bike lane on Alabama, fine, I just ride on the main lanes. That probably annoys some drivers, but it's legal and overall I've always found Houston to be a fairly bike-friendly city. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't the occasional jerk out there who thinks that bikes don't belong on streets.

Sunsets, if I were going from the Heights to Rice U/Med Center, I would probably take Heights-Waugh to where it turns into Commonwealth (that stretch has a bike lane). Before you hit Westheimer cut west on Fairview for a couple of blocks, then south on Mandell to Bissonnet, and then past Sunset to Rice. It's a pretty straight shot, and traffic isn't so bad.

Btw, I think bicycle lane funding comes from ISTEA, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act, or something like that.

i mostly bike wherever i can -- about 95% of the time. it's mostly concentrated between downtown, forth ward, montrose and the upper kirby district (where i work). i try to use bike lanes where i can but will admit that my usual routes are a hodge podge of neighborhood and major streets, bike lanes, sidewalks and parking lot cut throughs.

after the bike lanes were removed from w. alabama i got "nudged" a few times by cars and yelled at by a few (something like "there's no bikelane, $%^hole" or "get off the street!"). i was certainly sticking to side and figure those folks were probably frustrated because the whole switcharoo lane was confusing and people were honking and screaming obscenities out the windows at each other anyway. after that i switched to sidewalk riding in that area more. i know we shouldn't but especially on w. alabama it seemed necessary. i have recently gone back to w. alabama riding though as that sidewalk is horrible and folks have seemed to calm down from the switharoos.

i mostly use the bike lanes on waugh and fairview.

as a side note my strongest complaint on biking in houston -- no bike racks in front of larger businesses or strip centers. most grocery stores have them, libraries do... even some bars and cafes do. my secondary complaint would be that many places do have them but they aren't fully bolted to the ground. always give then a tug if you're going to lock you bike there, sometimes one side comes right up.

[Highway6]

after the bike lanes were removed from w. alabama i got "nudged" a few times by cars and yelled at by a few (something like "there's no bikelane, $%^hole" or "get off the street!").

To be honest.. we don't need bike lanes. Cyclist are allowed to be on any city street, and if they are are required to follow the same traffic laws cars do.

Yes, bike lanes are nice, and safer.. but someone shouting from a car "Hey, there's no bikelane !!!"

Doesn't matter. We have every bit as much right to be on that street that they do.

[Subdude]

To be honest.. we don't need bike lanes. Cyclist are allowed to be on any city street, and if they are are required to follow the same traffic laws cars do.

Yes, bike lanes are nice, and safer.. but someone shouting from a car "Hey, there's no bikelane !!!"

Doesn't matter. We have every bit as much right to be on that street that they do.

Amen. Occasionally people honk or yell "Get off the road", but you just have to ignore them (like that rude lady who kept honking at me in Hermann Park. I hope you're reading this! ). The streets I don't feel comfortable riding on sometimes are downtown where they have the bus only right lanes. If you ride in that lane you are surrounded by smelly buses, but if you ride in the next lane drivers get really upset that you aren't in the far right lane.

after that i switched to sidewalk riding in that area more. i know we shouldn't but especially on w. alabama it seemed necessary.

I always thought it was illegal to ride on sidewalks, because of the danger of hitting pedestrians. Also they are too narrow.

as a side note my strongest complaint on biking in houston -- no bike racks in front of larger businesses or strip centers. most grocery stores have them, libraries do... even some bars and cafes do. my secondary complaint would be that many places do have them but they aren't fully bolted to the ground. always give then a tug if you're going to lock you bike there, sometimes one side comes right up.

Also the strip centers that not only don't have bike racks, but where the signs are designed to be too wide to lock a bike. Usually it doesn't seem to be a problem though.

[Highway6]

Amen. Occasionally people honk or yell "Get off the road", but you just have to ignore them (like that rude lady who kept honking at me in Hermann Park. I hope you're reading this! ).

ahh memories... my first fist fight...

About a decade ago back in highschool, was riding on a semi-rural road near my neighborhood in NW houston.

Minivan passed by honking and shouted get off the road.

My gut reaction was to flick the minivan off... Notwise.

They screeched to a halt, and what do you know.. 4 gangbangers slightly older than me.... in a minivan.. Damn !!

Luckily only one felt like fighting and we only through a few punches..

Moral of the story...

A ) You can't outbike a car

B ) Identify who's in the honking car before extending middle finger.

[Subdude]

Lessons well learned! Giving them the finger is rarely the right strategy. A few years ago some people were honking and yelling at me. I saw them turn off into a parking lot, and so I followed them in, and when they got out of their car I chewed them out for being so rude. Face to face, of course, they got really apologetic.

[pineda]

Last year, a friend of mine was out on his bike training for the MS-150. He was clearly on the shoulder, but apparently a couple of teens driving by in a pick-up didn't think he should be out there at all.

One of them yelled something at him and then threw a full can of beer at his head from behind. It hit him so hard and unexpectedly that he flipped off his bike into a ditch.

The teens roared with laughter and drove off. My friend actually had the presence of mind to remember the license plate of the truck and contacted the constables when he got back home.

The constables paid a little visit to the house of the teen later that day. Turns out the truck belonged to the teen's dad, who was a Harris County Sheriff, who was not pleased to hear about the incident the two teens had thought was so funny.

The teen that threw the can was actually a senior at the local high school and was being considered for scholarships for college football, which he could have kissed good-bye because of the simple assault charges brought against him.

After everything was said and done, my friend decided not to press charges because he didn't want to ruin their futures. (The dad wanted to press charges, to teach them a lesson.) They both lost their car priveleges for the rest of their senior year, but were able to go on to college without criminal charges on their records.

[west20th]

After everything was said and done, my friend decided not to press charges because he didn't want to ruin their futures. (The dad wanted to press charges, to teach them a lesson.) They both lost their car priveleges for the rest of their senior year, but were able to go on to college without criminal charges on their records.

Should have pressed charges. Got to respect his dad on the the way he handled it though.

[Subdude]

I wonder if I would have been as forgiving as your friend. Believe it or not, DJs have encouraged drivers to throw things at bicyclists.

Saturday, November 1, 2003 Posted: 1:39 PM EST (1839 GMT)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- Bicyclists are demanding that the nation's largest radio group be punished because disc jockeys at three stations made on-air comments they say encouraged drivers to throw bottles at bike riders or hit them with open car doors.

They say the morning show hosts at Clear Channel Communications stations in Cleveland, Houston and Raleigh, North Carolina, also suggested motorists blast horns at cyclists, and speed past them and slam on their brakes in front of them.

The company won't release transcripts or tapes of the broadcasts, but the three stations apologized on the air and Clear Channel donated $10,000 and air time to promote bicycle safety.

Link

[sunsets]

At least the kid's dad punished him. I hate crap like that.

My former boss's 15 year old son was hit by a full can of soda thrown from a car while he was out running. Thankfully, it hit him in the back and not the head, but it knocked him over. He and his traning partner were too stunned to get the license number of the car, unfortunately.

This was in Michigan, proving that ignorant jerks prowl the roads throughout the U.S.

[dbigtex56]

These assaults aren't restricted to bicyclists. Pedestrians get their share of car-thrown missles, too.

Which brings up another point; how is someone supposed to get the licence number? Try it sometime. By the time one focuses on the licence plate of a car travelling at even at 30 mph, it has retreated to a distance that renders it illegible.

The current size licence plate was determined about 100 years ago, when cars rarely exceeded 10 mph. I think numbers and letters should be lit and a minimum of 6" tall.

I'm also working on a pedestrian "car taser" but that one might take a while.

[RedScare]

I'm also working on a pedestrian "car taser" but that one might take a while.

The Iraqis have developed a solution to this problem that uses cell phones....but, that may be frowned upon here.