new bike paths around town

[hindesky]

[j.33]

A few days ago, Chronicle posted an article about a new bike trail planned in Sharpstown. Here is the link: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/sharpstown-centerpoint-trail-easement-brays-bayou-18684891.php

The project will be 1.8 miles of new trail along the current center point easement. The agencies involved appear to be TIRZ 20, Southwest Management District, and Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones’ office. Proposed budget will be around $3.1 million. 

Proposed map showing the crossing improvements too: 

[Amlaham]

So this is where the trial is supposed to be north of Sands Point (that would eventually connect the Westpark Trail). This issue is also prevalent South of Beechnut (that is supposed to connect to the bayou trail). Is this something that can be fixed? Are  those companies just "borrowing" the area under CenterPoint or is it bought out? Can anyone provide any clarity? 

[j.33]

Some good news! Houston 311 website (linked here: Home  · Customer Self-Service (powerappsportals.us)) finally has a bike lane maintenance tab!!! Previously, you would have to submit to "other" or "pavement markings" (depending on the issue) and public works would transfer it to bike lane maintenance. Now, any issues with bike lanes that you see can be placed under this tab. 

How to reach it: 

 

Step 1 - Click on Report a Problem

Step 2 - Click on "Streets - Bridges - Drainage"

Step 3 - Click on "Bike Lane Maintenance"

Step 4 - Select the issue with the bike lane: debris removal, bike lane pothole, damaged bike lane barrier

Step 5 - fill out the address and click the link provided to submit your request

[004n063]

Bicyclists: Hey, so it can get pretty dangerous out there for us. Maybe you could use bollards as modal filters to help calm traffic...

 

City of Houston: Heard ya loud and clear

[sapo2367]

I feel safer already 🤣

[Amlaham]

Seems like an interesting location for a bike/ pedestrian path, this route is all warehouses on one side and a huge freeway on the other. Nonetheless, better than nothing. Really wish they would start on the bike/ pedestrian routes under the utility towers/ along the trains, that could really connect the entire city by bike/ walkways without going after the car centric people. Also, seems like the safest and least disruptive option. 

[JClark54]

If the description is accurate, that's nothing new.

It's the latest segment of TxDOT's revamp of Hempstead Highway from W. 12th Street to the Washington Avenue-Old Katy Road fork. Part of the project entails widening the railroad underpass surface area, making it possible to construct shared-use paths underneath. 

You may recall it's been in the news lately, with businesses claiming work hadn't occurred in months or something to that effect. The stall caused customers to make multi-point turns for access, they claimed, leading to lost sales.

I attended the Hempstead project's public hearings many years ago out of interest. For the East End, where train-roadway interactions are a fact of life, I was jealous.

Supports vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in an underpass form rather than an overpass, and the decline grade is such that five blocks of cross streets aren't cut off. Of the East End's separations, only one has all of those attributes.

Ironically, it's the aging Polk underpass that TxDOT, CoH claim won't be replicated. Its drop starts after Milby and is back up by St. Joseph. Supports motor vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. 

The others either support only cars and sidewalks or, in the case of the Navigation underpass, only cars. Others are overpasses spanning many blocks or, in the case of the Harrisburg underpass, cut off five blocks of streets as the drop is more gradual. 

Edited June 7 by JClark54

[staresatmaps]

The new half mile section on West Alabama looks great. Little by little I suppose.

[bobruss]

I'm sorry if I'm asking an inappropriate question or maybe there is a topic on my inquiry. I happened to be looking at a satellite map of west Houston around Beltway 8 and I -10. I noticed that just east of Wilcrest Drive actually one block east of Wycliffe it appears there is an old right of way. It runs south from I-10 all the way to Terry Hershey trail, and then on across Buffalo Bayou and farther south. It also goes north from I -10 to Jersey Village. It appears to have some construction on the south side . I don't know how old this satellite image is, and whether this has already become a bike trail but it sure looks like it should be with some possibly great connectivity to Brays Bayou on the South end. I'm sorry if I'm way behind and unknowledgeable about this, but it sure seems like it should be. Can some one direct me to the topic or at least fill me in on this possible connector. I live on the Brays bike trail near U of H so just don't know much about that side of town, as far as bike trails go. I did grow up just off Gessner at Spring Woods in the fifties and used to ride our bikes out to addickes and Barker spillways when we were kids. There was no-one out there in the fifties. Thanks

[Ross]

1 hour ago, bobruss said:

I'm sorry if I'm asking an inappropriate question or maybe there is a topic on my inquiry. I happened to be looking at a satellite map of west Houston around Beltway 8 and I -10. I noticed that just east of Wilcrest Drive actually one block east of Wycliffe it appears there is an old right of way. It runs south from I-10 all the way to Terry Hershey trail, and then on across Buffalo Bayou and farther south. It also goes north from I -10 to Jersey Village. It appears to have some construction on the south side . I don't know how old this satellite image is, and whether this has already become a bike trail but it sure looks like it should be with some possibly great connectivity to Brays Bayou on the South end. I'm sorry if I'm way behind and unknowledgeable about this, but it sure seems like it should be. Can some one direct me to the topic or at least fill me in on this possible connector. I live on the Brays bike trail near U of H so just don't know much about that side of town, as far as bike trails go. I did grow up just off Gessner at Spring Woods in the fifties and used to ride our bikes out to addickes and Barker spillways when we were kids. There was no-one out there in the fifties. Thanks

That's a power line right of way

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7659128,-95.5737066,3a,75y,22.69h,79.86t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_LDS2I5VnzVqQvFObI5Nyg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D_LDS2I5VnzVqQvFObI5Nyg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D22.68560939787306%26pitch%3D10.136150758024456%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7813431,-95.5735978,3a,75y,346.05h,86.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sZL1jLpJtAg5W_vBYpHIvPA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DZL1jLpJtAg5W_vBYpHIvPA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D346.05142843060867%26pitch%3D3.8566093125873238%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu

[j.33]

Yes, it is a utility easement corridor, but it is in the Houston Bike Plan and HCTRA's Tollways to Trailways Plan identified that corridor as a potential trail as well. 

22-2873 - Tollways to Trailways Draft Plan 4.25 (houston.org)

[bobruss]

So as Ross said, and I figured that's what it was. So is there any way that they would allow bike trails in that right of way or because of the nature of it being a power line too much of a hazard to permit bike usage. It seems like a waste. It would be nice if they could create a fenced corridor to keep trespassers away from the lines but allow for passage. I know it wouldn't make for a very pretty ride but it would definitely tie different areas together. Just a thought.

[j.33]

I think the Emnora Hike and Bike Trail/Spring Branch Trail is a perfect example of it being done. It is just a matter of getting the right people/entities at the table to make it happen. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hjSFpekGH1gfRtN69

Edited July 5 by j.33

[Ross]

16 minutes ago, bobruss said:

So as Ross said, and I figured that's what it was. So is there any way that they would allow bike trails in that right of way or because of the nature of it being a power line too much of a hazard to permit bike usage. It seems like a waste. It would be nice if they could create a fenced corridor to keep trespassers away from the lines but allow for passage. I know it wouldn't make for a very pretty ride but it would definitely tie different areas together. Just a thought.

The Legislature passed a law in 2013 that was signed by Rick Perry to limit power company liability  for injuries on trails and such along power line easements:

The bill, which applies only to Harris County, would make CenterPoint liable only for a serious injury or death caused by its "willful or wanton acts or gross negligence." It also would grant the utility expedited appeals and enable it to require partner governments to provide insurance to cover its litigation costs. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/bill-moves-ambitious-bike-trails-plan-closer-to-4484681.php

We will hopeful see more trails along the power easements

[samagon]

On 7/5/2024 at 4:01 PM, Ross said:

The Legislature passed a law in 2013 that was signed by Rick Perry to limit power company liability  for injuries on trails and such along power line easements:

The bill, which applies only to Harris County, would make CenterPoint liable only for a serious injury or death caused by its "willful or wanton acts or gross negligence." It also would grant the utility expedited appeals and enable it to require partner governments to provide insurance to cover its litigation costs. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/bill-moves-ambitious-bike-trails-plan-closer-to-4484681.php

We will hopeful see more trails along the power easements

thanks for doing the leg work, I was going to say I seem to recall something from about a decade ago now that made using these easements for specific types of recreational use very easy.

[Houston19514]

I too remember that being pretty big news.  Here's an article from 2014.  I wonder what happened to these plans. 

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2014/07/29/houstons-plan-to-make-bicycle-interstates-out-of-its-utility-network

 

[j_cuevas713]

The Sharpstown trail is in the works and had a groundbreaking this year. The Spring Branch trail finished Phase 1 from Blalock to Wirt Rd. Phase 2 is supposed to be complete by the end of the year. I'm not sure if there will be delays due to the hurricane.

Edited July 15 by j_cuevas713

[j_cuevas713]

Here is a video of the Spring Branch segment and the Sharpstown groundbreaking

 

 

Edited July 15 by j_cuevas713

[hindesky]

Patrick “Pat” Walsh Bikeway Naming

The City received a request to name a bikeway after past Planning & Development Department Director Patrick “Pat” Walsh. Pat was appointed the City’s Planning Director in 2014, a position he held until his death in 2018. During his tenure he led the adoption of both the City’s first general plan (Plan Houston(External link), 2015) and the first update to the City’s bicycle master plan in almost 25 years (Houston Bike Plan(External link), 2017).

The City proposes to name an existing, high-comfort bikeway on Woodhead Street from Vassar Street to Westheimer Road the Patrick “Pat” Walsh Bikeway. The Woodhead Street segment is almost completely within Montrose, the neighborhood Pat lived in at the time of his passing and where his family currently resides.

This existing north-south bikeway creates a designated bicycle connection to the commercial corridors of Westheimer Road, West Alabama Street, and Richmond Avenue, as well as to the east-west high-comfort bikeway on Hawthorn Street.

The public comment period on the proposed naming is open until Sunday, September 8, 2024. Please submit your comment below or contact the Transportation Planning team via email at mobility.planning@houstontx.gov.

 

[004n063]

On 8/22/2024 at 12:31 PM, hindesky said:

Patrick “Pat” Walsh Bikeway Naming

The City received a request to name a bikeway after past Planning & Development Department Director Patrick “Pat” Walsh. Pat was appointed the City’s Planning Director in 2014, a position he held until his death in 2018. During his tenure he led the adoption of both the City’s first general plan (Plan Houston(External link), 2015) and the first update to the City’s bicycle master plan in almost 25 years (Houston Bike Plan(External link), 2017).

The City proposes to name an existing, high-comfort bikeway on Woodhead Street from Vassar Street to Westheimer Road the Patrick “Pat” Walsh Bikeway. The Woodhead Street segment is almost completely within Montrose, the neighborhood Pat lived in at the time of his passing and where his family currently resides.

This existing north-south bikeway creates a designated bicycle connection to the commercial corridors of Westheimer Road, West Alabama Street, and Richmond Avenue, as well as to the east-west high-comfort bikeway on Hawthorn Street.

The public comment period on the proposed naming is open until Sunday, September 8, 2024. Please submit your comment below or contact the Transportation Planning team via email at mobility.planning@houstontx.gov.

 

Hmm...

I ride on Woodhead every day on my way to work, and before I moved used to ride Hawthorne every day as well.

As somebody who rides a bicycle in a city every day, I feel comfortable enough on both routes, and I think it is sensible to designate them as bike routes, since they have the combination of lowish car volumes and traffic signals at major intersections that make for a solid route.

But to me, the term "high-comfort" ought to be more or less synonymous with "universal," and reserved for the kinds of bikeways that could be comfortably and independently navigated by your average schoolchild, elderly person, or hesitant/novice bicyclist.

The bayou trails, the northern end of the Columbia Tap, the MKT, and the Nicholson bikeway all roughly fit that definition more or less, but I think we do our city a disservice in claiming it for Woodhead and Hawthorne, especially with their most recent intersection-only "protected" lane treatments, which, apart from an awareness-raising effect, are largely counterproductive. 

The closest Woodhead gets to being high-comfort is the segment between Westheimer and Peden, whre the intersections are daylit and narrowed for all. 

I don't say this to complain about either route - they're well chosen and the combination of treatments make them both pretty accessible to moderately confident urban bicyclist. But I think we should keep in mind that that's a phrase that only describes maybe about 10% of the population, if that. 

I also don't think it's necessary to construct an expensive separated trail along either street à la Nicholson. Nor do I think we should just give up on the whole "neighborhood bikeway" thing. 

Rather, I think we should continue thinking about (and looking for global exemplars that show) how to make whole streets that prioritize bicycles, micromobility, and pedestrians, and we should use our existing designated bikeways (including these two and many others) to develop our municipal toolbox thereunto. 

For instance, we could start with temporary modal filters - say, planters on Woodhead at Welch, Fairview, Hawthorne, and Kipling and/or on Hawthorne at Garrott, Graustark, and Mulberry.

We could segregate the bike signal cycles from the car signal cycles at the intersections with those fifty-foot bike lanes. (Though I really think the solution is to platform all of those intersections.)

We could "narrow" the streets with painted lines and/or zigzag patterns.

We could use planters to install temporary chicanes.

And we could daylight all of the intersections with subordinate streets (e.g. Branard) with paint. 

Throw the lot at the wall and see which ones create more headache than they're worth. Then ditch those and slowly make the others permanent. Maintain 5-10ft sidewalks on both sides at constant elevation through intersections. Curb out microparks for chicanes and modal filters. Overlay textured pavers that become uncomfortable at speeds over 20mph.

In other words, make it a condiderably less appealing cut-through for drivers without significantly impacting residents' driving access. 

And on that note, I think I'll head back outside...