New bike trail to be added to city's bikeway network

Bicycles promoted as a commuting alternative

The City of Houston has reportedly begun construction on another segment of its bikeway network along the abandoned MKT railroad line. The new bike trail, designated the MKT/SP Trail, will be 4.62 miles long with a 10 foot wide concrete path lined with trees and standard street lighting. The trail will run from West 26th Street and Nicholson in the Heights to downtown and connect with other bike trails along the way.

The MKT/SP Trail is one of many bike trails that Houston has built in a 345 mile network of on- street bike lanes, bike routes, bayou trails, and other multi-use paths spanning across 500 square miles of the city. The network is part of the City's Comprehensive Bikeway Plan approved in 1992 to create a bicycle-friendly community. Funding for the MKT/SP Trail will come from federal grant money and local funds at a of cost $5.1 million.

One of the leading proponents of the city's bikeways is David Dick, chair of the Houston Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, and certified instructor under the League of American Bicyclists. At a Houston Property Rights luncheon in September, Mr. Dick emphasized the need for "effective cycling," which is a safer, faster method of riding a bicycle. He referenced a book written by John Forrester entitled "Effective Cycling." In the book Mr. Forrester lays out the skills needed to deal with traffic and says that "cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." The author admits that cycling is not like driving a car. The cyclist, he says, is slower than other traffic, but is also narrower and can ride safely with little disturbance to motorists. Forrester maintains that "participating in, cooperating with the traffic system, obeying the same rules of the road as other drivers, acknowledging their right while claiming your own" is the "key to safe and confident cycling in traffic."

David Dick says his role on the advisory committee is to discuss issues that affect cyclists and pedestrians and give the City his advice on improving bikeways. He says that one of the issues for bikeways is the source of funding. Transportation legislation in Congress since 1991 has earmarked funds for bikeways in urban areas to improve commuting. However, he believes the City needs to be proactive in funding bikeways because in federal grants the City is responsible for overages. This means the City ends spending $50 million on bikeways instead of $9 million. The City, he says, can construct bikeways cheaper on its own. Minneapolis has an extensive bikeway program and funds most of it on their own, he says. Cycling there accounts for 3 to 4% of trips by commuters. Houston's trip total, he says, is less than 1% but he hopes new bike trails will improve that number.

Much of the discussion at the luncheon focused on the safety problems with bike lanes. Since many are on busy thoroughfares, drivers and cyclists often find themselves vying for room in heavy traffic. Mr. Dick says that if the lane is the required 14foot width, there should be plenty of room to share the lane. However, if the lane is less than 14 ft. the law says the cyclist can take the lane. Wesleyan has been retrofitted for bike lanes but Dick says that the lane is not the standard 14 feet. Other bike lane hazards to cyclist are rough road surfaces and cars parked in the lane, he says.

Although bikes are not allowed on sidewalks downtown, some townships in the Houston area require cyclist to remain on the sidewalk and not the street. This means the bicyclist loses status as a vehicle, according to Dick. "The bicyclists are served best," he says, "when they are treated the same as a car and ride the same way cars are driven."

David Dick says that bike racks on Metro buses have been popular and he hopes more will be added. He would also like to see racks placed on light rail as well. This will encourage more commuter cycling, he believes, which will help the environment and save energy.

Whether Houstonians will take to bike riding in large numbers is uncertain. According to a Reuters report the majority of American still don't consider the bicycle a means of transport even with high gas prices. Some of the low numbers may be due to an aging population and the use of other wheeled vehicles such as scooters and motorcycles. Many commuters have too far to travel, and others may be nervous about riding on traffic filled streets.

The League of American Bicyclists maintains that there are signs people are looking at cycling and alternative transportation modes because of air pollution, energy conservation and personal health. Houston and other cities are banking on the fact that there will be more interest in cycling in the future, and are determined to provide the infrastructure to meet the need.

(The Banner, September 7, 2008)