City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee Education Subcommittee met June 23

City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee Education Subcommittee met June 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the subcommittee:

Call to Order: Chair Tom Compson called the meeting to order at 2:33pm.

Roll Call:

Tom Compson, Chair (P)

Alejandro Perez, Vice Chair (P)

Tracy Alexander (P)

Zion Escobar (P)

Adam J. Williams (A)

Sandra Rodriguez (A)

Com. Kristine Anthony-Miller (A)

Beth Martin (A)

Lisa Graiff (P)

Trevor Reichman (P)

Jessica Wiggins (A)

Yuhayna Mahmud (A)

Nick Hellyar (A)

Judith Villarreal (P)

Amar Mohite (A)

Mike VanDusen (P)

Ana Ramirez Huerta (A)

Nikki Knight (A)

Robin Holzer (A)

Veon McReynolds (P)

Ex-Officio Members: 

Ian Hlavacek (P) 

David Fields (P)

Juvenal Robles (A)

1) Chair’s Report

• During the Chair’s Report, Chair Compson congratulated BAC member Zion Escobar, who is also Executive Director of Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy. Freedmen’s Town was recently named Houston’s first heritage  district. 

2) Public Comment. Tabled for the end of the meeting.

3) Bike-Related Legislation Updates

• Joe Cutrufo, Executive Director of BikeHouston, gave updates on the recent state legislative session and bicycle-related laws.

• Legislation that passed:

a) SB1055 (Lisa Torry Smith Act): makes striking and injuring a vulnerable user in a crosswalk a misdemeanor and striking and seriously injuring (or killing) a vulnerable user a felony. Effective September 1.

b) HB3665: Expands the definition of “bicycle” to include tricycles and adaptive bicycles. Effective September 1.

• Legislation that died in committee(s):

a) HCR65: Would have encouraged TxDOT to use more federal money to fund large trail projects.

b) HJR109/SJR40: Would have given voters the opportunity to amend the constitution to increase the percentage of the TxDOT budget dedicated  towards active transportation and transit (currently 3%).

• BAC Discussion

a) HB443 was the next bill that would have went to the full house. It would have given cities the right to lower the prima face speed limit. 

b) BAC members have the opportunity to assist in building a broader coalition around the bills that did not pass. 

4) Bicycle Users and Rider Types

• Vice Chair Alejandro Perez led a discussion on how the Education Subcommittee might classify bicycle users in education and outreach

a) Reaching those who do not know the rules of the road (ex: riding in the opposite direction of traffic)

b) Considering people with tight schedules that cannot attend classes; consider outreach while riding

c) The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s “Four Types of Transportation Cyclists” cited to ground the discussion

(i) Strong & Fearless: will ride regardless of roadway conditions or existence of bikeways

(ii) Enthused & Confident: comfortable sharing the roadway, but prefers protected bikeways or other facilities separated from traffic

(iii) Interested but Concerned: would like to ride but afraid for reasons of  safety, concern for cars

(iv) No Way, No How: will not ride due to disinterest or other reasons 

(v) During initial Bike Plan outreach 83% of survey respondents self-identified as Enthused & Confident or Interested but Concerned

• BAC Discussion

a) Education is important; there’s a need to link these bicyclists with bike clubs and bike stores that give classes

b) Consider visual cues within the bike lanes themselves (ex. directional arrows) 

c) Safe infrastructure will make biking more attractive for those interested but concerned

5) People for Bikes: Houston’s Rating

• Chair Tom Compson and staff member Brian Smith II presented data on Houston’s City Rating according to criteria developed by People for Bikes 

a) Scoring is based on quality and connectivity of the bicycle network and community factors such as ridership and awareness

b) Houston’s Score: 18/100

(i) Network score 9/100

(ii) Community Score 53/100

c) Initial observations

(i) Network score includes the freeway-toll network; almost all local streets were designated “high risk”

(ii) Recently completed bikeways were not on the map yet

(iii) Houston is in the middle when compared to other Texas cities (scored less than Austin and San Antonio but higher than Dallas and Fort Worth 

• BAC Discussion

a) Could high stress local streets be due to higher speed limits? 

b) If the BAC continues to focus on the Bike League’s gold standard these  scores would rise as well. 

c) Consider using the score to justify future improvements, but not depend solely on third party assessments of local conditions. 

6) Public Comment

• Vice Chair Alejandro Perez shared posts from social media that show increased public support for bike lanes. Citizens are defending bike lanes when others post that they do not see the value. 

• Vice Chair Alejandro Perez introduced Martha P Jaimes to the BAC 

a) Martha is founder and president of Bikes 4 Excellence, a nonprofit that awards bikes to students

7) Announcements

• There is a new page on the bikeways website sharing announcements, current events, and detours

• The MKT Spur project is close to beginning the public engagement process. A public meeting will be scheduled in August with construction starting thereafter. Construction is planned to be complete by January 2022

• The MKT Bridge is expected to start construction soon

• 6/29: Spring Branch Trail Phase II Virtual Community Meeting

• 7/10: Bikes 4 Excellence program at Harris Elementary

• Upcoming BAC meetings

a) 7/28: Bicycle Advisory Committee

b) 8/25: Infrastructure Subcommittee

c) 9/22: Education Subcommittee

There being no further business brought before the Committee, Chair Compson  adjourned the meeting at 3:52pm

https://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/BAC-Education-Minutes_June-2021.pdf