Tag Archives: bicycles

Why aren’t we investing more in non-road transportation?

Houston Tomorrow has some disturbing news. A proposal to limit bike, pedestrian, and livability funding in the 2011 Transportation Improvement Program will come before the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) this Friday, February 25, at a public meeting in the … Continue reading

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Sugar Land contemplates its transportation options

Via Houston Tomorrow, here’s an interesting story about how Sugar Land is thinking about the effect of the planned baseball stadium and Imperial Sugar Mill redevelopment on traffic. Both projects mean this older part of Sugar Land is likely to … Continue reading

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Metro lets more bikes on the trains

I’ve mentioned the efforts by BikeHouston and other activists to expand bicycle access to light rail trains. This past week, they scored a victory on that front. Bikes are still barred during peak travel hours in the morning and afternoon, … Continue reading

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A Montrose/Studemont walkability update

Back in 2008, I put together a photo essay on density and walkability in Montrose, in particular on Montrose/Studemont between West Gray and Washington. It included this photo, taken in front of what was then the old Ed Sacks Waste … Continue reading

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Bikes on trains action alert

Via email from Peter Wang: Thursday, February 11, 2:00 pm Support Bikes on Trains at the Houston Transportation Committee Meeting. If you ride in Houston, please attend this important meeting! Houston-area cyclists- This Thursday, February 11, the Houston City Council … Continue reading

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Bikes in the Mayor’s race

Local bicycle activist Peter Wang contacted the four Mayoral campaigns to ask what their position is on getting METRO to install bike hangers in the light rail vehicles and allow bicycles in the vehicles during rush hours. Here’s how they … Continue reading

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Election tidbits for 9/30

While it’s an interesting story, I don’t quite see what the fuss is about Rick Perry using monetary rewards for volunteers who get people to sign up with his campaign. As the story notes, rewards of some kind, usually campaign … Continue reading

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The veto that keeps on giving

Bicyclists are still pissed off at Rick Perry for his veto of the Safe Passing bill. The man does have a talent for making people dislike him.

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Austin to ban texting while driving

After considering it for a long time, the city of Austin is set to ban texting while driving. Council members Mike Martinez and Chris Riley and Mayor Lee Leffingwell are proposing to prohibit writing, sending or reading text messages, instant … Continue reading

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Harper-Brown vows to try again on Safe Passing bill

The bicyclists will not go away despite the setback on the Safe Passing bill. A state legislator’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a “safe passing” bill for cyclists said Wednesday that an accident involving her granddaughter has renewed her interest in … Continue reading

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Safe Passing bill still in the news

Nice. The father of a driver accused of killing two bicyclists last summer recently urged Gov. Rick Perry to veto a bill that generally would have required motorists to give vulnerable road users more space when passing them. Cyclists believe … Continue reading

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The bicyclists strike back

I know that circulating a petition isn’t the sort of thing that means much in politics, but sometimes a show of names can have an effect. BikeTexas, which is still chafing about the veto of the Safe Passing bill, has … Continue reading

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And here are the vetoes

Here’s the full list, with links to statements about individual bills, here’s his press release, and here’s his budget statement. A few points of interest: – Perry wimped out and allowed HB770, the Wayne Christian Homestead Bill, to become law … Continue reading

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Perry reportedly to veto Safe Passing bill

The veto deadline is fast approaching, and with it comes word of various potentially doomed bills – indeed, according to Rep. Garnet Coleman, Governor Perry has already nixed one of his bills, HB3485 – so expect to hear some urgent … Continue reading

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Legislative wrapups

With sine die in the rearview mirror, tis the season for legislative wrapups. Here are a couple I’ve come across. – First, from Bike Texas, which had the fairly easy task of just following one bill: The final version of … Continue reading

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Safe Passing Act moving forward

The Chron has an overview of the Safe Passing Act. Cyclists always worry about close calls with motorists. That’s why many are paying attention to legislation making headway with Texas lawmakers this spring aiming to make drivers more responsible for … Continue reading Continue reading

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Senate passes Safe Passing bill

Via email from the CTC: On Tuesday, the Texas Senate passed the Safe Passing bill on the third reading. Thanks to each of you who contacted your senator: you helped make it happen! Before it passed, Senator Patrick proposed two … Continue reading

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Safe Passing Act in the Senate

I’ve blogged before about SB488, the “Safe Passing Bill”. Via email from Jon Boyd of the CTC, I’m told that the bill will be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security this week. Bike Texas has the … Continue reading

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The Tour de Houston

Are you looking for a bicycle race, but without all those tedious mountains and drug tests? Well then, the Tour de Houston is what you’re looking for. The 2009 ride date will be Sunday March 22, beginning and ending downtown … Continue reading

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More on the safe passing bill

Bike activist and frequent commenter Peter Wang gets some press. Bicyclist Peter Wang considers Houston traffic a tameable wilderness. He’s dodged his share of open car doors, but over the years, he’s learned how to maneuver around unaccommodating drivers. “You … Continue reading

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Multiways

Andrew continues the ongoing discussion of transit options in Houston with a look at multiway boulevards. Basically, a multiway is an urban thoroughfare combining express through lanes in the middle with local access lanes on the sides. These local lanes … Continue reading

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District H CIP meeting report

Here’s the Chron story on that CIP meeting for District H that took place last week. The highlights: Jane Cahill West, president of the combined Washington Avenue/Memorial Super Neighborhood Council, said she was glad to see the MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) … Continue reading

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Give bikes a little space

MTBLawGirl passes on word of a bill that will be of interest to bicyclists. Earlier this month, Texas Senator Rodney Ellis and Representative Linda Harper-Brown filed the Safe Passing Bill in the Senate (SB 488) and House (HB 827) respectively. … Continue reading

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