Houston cyclists paint bike lanes where the city won't

Houston cyclists paint bike lanes where the city won't

Written by Jay. R. Jordan

March 16, 2021

Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" should be Houston's official book of poetry.

At least, if it's changed to "Where the Bike Lane Ends."

That's a problem around Houston, with long stretches of hike and bike trails often dead-ending into busy roadways – kicking walkers and bike riders to the street where cars and trucks dominate the mode of transportation.

There are plans in place to fix this problem, but far too few, bicyclists say.

To make their point, advocates have been working with Houston's Planning and Development Department and Public Works to make bike lane pop-ups: Sections of street normally dedicated to cars which are temporarily painted to resemble a bike lane for riders.

Houston is notorious for piecemeal trails, often built along long-forgotten rail lines that snake through the city. But some pathways, like Harrisburg Rail Trail in Houston's East End, abruptly end on a busy street.

On Saturday, dozens of community members (with the help of the city) shut down Commerce Street between Milby and Drennan streets and hand-painted lanes for bicyclists.

"We are showing the community what could be achieved if we had a little bit more high-comfort bike lanes in our neighborhoods," Planning and Development Director Margaret Wallace Brown said.

"High-comfort bike lanes" is government speak for the green lanes dedicated to bicyclists you might see around town. They're popping up more and more in communities across the city.

In 2017, Houston city council members approved the Houston Bike Plan that kickstarted the expansion of bike lanes. A $10 million boost from Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis in 2018 helped build a large portion of the projects in his precinct that overlaps with city limits, Houston Chronicle reporter Dug Begley wrote.

A handful of bike lanes have opened since, and more are currently under construction, according to the Houston Bike Plan website.

But it's not enough to make Houston a truly bike-friendly city, according to BikeHouston Executive Director Joe Cutrufo.

"Filling gaps in the city’s high-comfort bike network should be a top priority," Cutrufo said. "This is the low-hanging fruit right here, and we’re eager to see it become permanent."

At the pop-up Saturday, Rene Gonzalez said the city has been working to improve bike lanes – but more could be done.

"I think the city is doing a decent job," Gonzalez said. "I think they could be doing a lot, lot, lot more. By doing something like this, this is a start."

Gonzalez is a counselor at Milby High School and founded Wellness on Wheels, an organization that uses bike-riding as a form of therapy for downtrodden kids.

With more bike lanes, more people – including his students and mentees – can enjoy the outdoors on two wheels. 

Commerce Street was chosen by Second Ward community members, mostly because of how it intersects with the Harrisburg Rail Trail. That section of Commerce isn't on the Houston Bike Plan, according to Houston transportation planner Brian Smith.

However, the upcoming East End Bike Plan – put together by Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia's office – will list Commerce Street as a priority bike lane project, Smith said.

That series of hopeful projects will likely be announced during a public comment meeting at 6 p.m. on March 31. More will be announced about the meeting in the coming days.

Jay R. Jordan writes about how we get around Houston, among other topics like the environment and hot takes on complimentary bread.