City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee met Oct. 27

City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee met Oct. 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Call to Order. Chair Tom Compson called the meeting to order at 2:36pm.

Roll Call:

Tom Compson, Chair (P)

Alejandro Perez, Vice Chair (A)

Tracy Alexander (A)

Zion Escobar (P)

Adam J. Williams (P)

Sandra Rodriguez (A)

Com. Kristine Anthony-Miller (P)

Beth Martin (A)

Lisa Graiff (P)

Trevor Reichman (P)

Jessica Wiggins (P)

Yuhayna Mahmud (A)

Nick Hellyar (P)

Judith Villarreal (A)

Amar Mohite (P)

Mike VanDusen (P)

Ana Ramirez Huerta (P)

Nikki Knight (P)

Robin Holzer (P)

Veon McReynolds (P)

Ex-Officio Members:

Ian Hlavacek (P)

David Fields (P)

Juvenal Robles (P)

1) Director’s Report. David Fields gave the Director’s Report:

• Now that committee meetings are available to be held in person, he encourages members comfortable to please join in person.

2) Chair’s Report. Chair Compson gave the Chair’s Report:

• Chair Compson gave a summary of BAC and City accomplishments over the last year:

a) The City now has a total of close to 350 miles in high comfort bikeways with another 150 miles in design and construction

b) The No Parking in the Bike Lane ordinance was passed and enforcement has begun.

c) Multiple pop-up bike and pedestrian events were coordinated

d) The BAC was integral in updating the prioritization process for future bikeways and creating a maintenance report to clean existing ones.

3) Approval of July Minutes. Motion: VanDusen. Second: Holzer. Vote: Unanimous

4) Public Comment.

• Ed Pettitt:

a) When will the public see updates on the McGowen bikeways (currently at 60% design)? The McGowen bikeway is a METRO project. Staff will follow up for updates.

b) Who is leading the Columbia Tap Trail study? Study was conducted in 2018 as part of the City-County partnership kickoff. The project did not move forward to design or construction.

c) 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. There are two separate sections of Cleburne: the segment built by Harris Co PCT 1 is complete; the City is kicking off a study of Blodgett and Cleburne to explore extending this bikeway.

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

• As of 9/30/2021:

a) 287 crashes involved bicyclists

b) 8 bicycle fatalities: 5 daytime, 3 nighttime

6) Quarterly Updates, Brian Smith II

• Bikeways (notable updates)

a) City of Houston

(i) Lawndale St. is at 90% design

(ii) Projects on Antoine St., Fulton St., and Fondren Rd. added

(iii) Parker Rd is at 60% design

b) Houston Parks board:

(i) Sections of Hunting Bayou and San Jacinto Bayou are partially complete (ii) WOB extension to Jones Road (HCFCD Project) expected to be complete by spring 2022

c) METRO

(i) Leeland St complete.

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

a) 79 citations issued

b) $5,325 in fees collected

c) 6 completed Bicycle Friendly Driver training in lieu of fee

d) Top 3 locations (blocks): 900 Bastrop St., 200 N. Cesar Chavez Blvd., 2100 Polk St.

7) Maintenance Update. Brian Smith II gave an update on short-term actions outlined in the Bikeway Maintenance Report

• Action 1:

a) 311 has completed updating their system

b) Bikeway options are being added

• Action 2:

a) Staff is cross-referencing most recent contracts with the updated bikeways map

• Action 3:

a) Staff conducted a field inventory and now have a list of protected bikeways less than 10’ (traversable width)

• Next Steps:

a) Complete inventory

b) Follow-up with HPW

(i) What are the capabilities of department’s 8’ sweeper?

(ii) What is the process for adding bikeways to existing contracts?

8) Open Forum

• Veon McReynolds: the focus and commitment of cycling is aligned with the climate change movement. We need to put pressure on those in power for funding to help keep the commitment going.

• David Dick: thanks to all of you who have been working to improve the bicycle infrastructure in Houston. I was a (BAC) member several years ago and remember how difficult it was to get decision makers to buy into the bicycle plan. Houston has finally reached a place where bicycle transportation is an important part of the conversation.

9) Announcements/Events

• 10/28, Safe Routes to School Webinar (Houston Health Department) • 10/30, Ghost Bike Ride (BikeHouston)

• 11/2: Día De Los Muertos Celebration (Harris Co PCT 2)

• 11/20: Moonlight Ramble (BikeHouston)

• Future Meetings:

a) 11/17: Infrastructure Subcommittee

b) 12/15: Education Subcommittee

c) 1/26: Bicycle Advisory Committee

City of Houston

Bicycle Advisory Committee

Adjournment. There being no further business brought before the Committee, Chair Compson adjourned the meeting at 4:05pm.

https://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/BAC-Minutes_October-2021.pdf