City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee met July 28

City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee met July 28.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

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 (A)

Zion Escobar (P)

Adam J. Williams (A)

Sandra Rodriguez (A)

Com. Kristine Anthony-Miller (P)

Beth Martin (P)

Lisa Graiff (P)

Trevor Reichman (P)

Jessica Wiggins (P)

Yuhayna Mahmud (P)

Nick Hellyar (A)

Judith Villarreal (P)

Amar Mohite (P)

Mike VanDusen (P)

Ana Ramirez Huerta (A)

Nikki Knight (A)

Robin Holzer (P)

Veon McReynolds (P)

Ex-Officio Members:

Ian Hlavacek (A), Lauren Grove attended in his absence

David Fields (P)

Juvenal Robles (P)

1) Director’s Report

• David Fields gave the directors report and opened with a quote: “The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago, when is the second-best time? Today.” He commended the work the BAC and staff are doing on the Houston Bike Plan and said in 30 years the citizens of Houston will be grateful for the work this committee is doing today.

2) Chair’s Report

• Chair Compson gave the chair’s report. Making an analogy to the USA Olympic Team, he said we too are striving for gold by making Houston a Gold level Bike Friendly City by 2027. This will only be accomplished with creating partnerships with the City, TIRZs, TxDOT, BikeHouston, and others. The hard work is paying off.

3) Approval of April Minutes. Motion: Holzer. Second: McReynolds. Vote: Unanimous

4) Approval of Maintenance Report. Motion: Wiggins. Second: Holzer. Vote: Unanimous.

5) Public Comment.

• Ed Pettitt: Why isn’t Cleburne on the Precinct 1 list? The section between TSU and Emancipation has not broken ground yet and the sidewalks need accessible ramps.

• Ben Peters: New cyclist in Houston and finds it hard to know where it is safe to ride. He encourages the city to have more pop-up events or have the events last for longer periods.

• Veon McReynolds: Feels that better signage for cyclists should be posted throughout the city. Some routes require sharp turns and could use better warning.

• Michael Morris: Second ward resident that wants to highlight areas that need improvement. Harrisburg and Drennon near the Harrisburg trail could use more stop signs and repairs to the ones that exist.

6) Bikeways Fatalities and Serious Injuries Year-to-Date, Commander Kristine Anthony Miller

• As of 6/30/2021:

a) 167 crashes involved bicyclists

b) 6 bicycle fatalities: 4 daytime, 2 nighttime

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

7) Quarterly Updates, Brian Smith II

• Bikeways (notable updates)

a) 11th St is at 60% design

b) Lawndale is at 30% design

c) Parker Rd is at 30% design

d) Staff encourages the BAC and the public to visit

https://www.letstalkhouston.org/mobility where we will post updates and gather feedback on bikeway projects

• No Parking in the Bike Lane (as of 7/25/2021)

a) 57 citations issued

b) $3,580 in fees collected

c) 3 completed Bicycle Friendly Driver training in lieu of fee

d) Top 3 locations (blocks): 900 Bastrop St., 200 N. Cesar Chavez Blvd., 1800 Cleburne St.

e) BAC members asked if it is possible fees collected could go back to bicycle projects. Staff will reach out to ParkHouston and ask.

8) Bikeways Prioritization, David Fields

• The 2021 bikeway prioritization work yielded three corridors for the next phase of bikeway projects:

a) Washington-Center

b) Irvington-Cochran

c) Gulfton

• These corridors will be further studied for feasibility and potential routes.

9) 311 Updates, Brian Smith II

• The new 311 Service Portal is online: https://houston311.powerappsportals.us/en-US/

• A video giving a tutorial on how to report on the new system is at http://houstontx.gov/311/images/311-portal-overview.mp4

• 311 will begin developing bikeway-specific reporting categories, but in the interim report bikeway issues as street issues and include that it is a bike lane in the notes e.g., for flooding, potholes, fading marks, debris.

10) Crosswalk Bill Outreach, Chair Tom Compson

• Discussion: Is there a plan for educating law enforcement officials on the Lisa Tory Smith Act

a) This will be included in Houston Police Department’s routine legislative updates

(i) Will also spread the word through social media

11) Announcements/Events

• 7/29, Calhoun-Griggs-MLK Presentation: Staff will present at Sunnyside Complete Communities Meeting about proposed safety improvements in the corridor. Meeting begins at 6:30pm on Microsoft Teams

• 8/25, BAC Infrastructure Subcommittee Meeting

• 9/22, BAC Education Subcommittee Meeting

• 10/27, BAC Meeting

Adjournment. There being no further business brought before the Committee, Chair Compson adjourned the meeting at 4:47pm.

https://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BAC-Minutes_July-2021.pdf