City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee Infrastructure Subcommittee met Nov. 17

City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee Infrastructure Subcommittee met Nov. 17.

Here are the minutes provided by the subcommittee:

Call to Order. Chair Tom Compson called the meeting to order at 2:35pm.

Roll Call:

Tom Compson, Chair (P)

Alejandro Perez, Vice Chair (A)

Tracy Alexander (A)

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 (P)

Nick Hellyar (A)

Judith Villarreal (A)

Amar Mohite (P)

Mike VanDusen (P)

Ana Ramirez Huerta (A)

Nikki Knight (A)

Robin Holzer (P)

Veon McReynolds (A)

Ex-Officio Members:

David Fields (P)

Ian Hlavacek (P)

Juvenal Robles (A)

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

• President Biden signing the new infrastructure bill is exciting. This is an opportunity for BAC Members and constituent organizations to think big of potential projects that could get started with incoming funding. BAC should think of hosting a workshop for projects the BAC could prioritize and who could lead the funding process.

2) Public Comment: None

3) Bikeways Deep Dive: Westchase Management District. Irma Sanchez from Westchase Management District gave a presentation on new and upcoming bikeways projects planned for the Westchase area.

• Projects recently completed/underway:

o CityWest/Deerwood Side Path (complete)

o Walnut Bend roadway construction (ongoing)

o Elmside/Woodchase Side Path (complete)

o Trails along CenterPoint utility corridors: identified parcels of land adjacent to trails to add bicycle amenities

• Trail activation: the district often pairs bikeways and trails with activities to encourage people to use them

4) New Infrastructure Bill: What it means for bikeways. Joe Cutrufo form BikeHouston gave a presentation on the newly signed Federal Infrastructure Bill and how the increase in funding can impact the bike projects at state and local levels

• $645 billion is allotted for transportation

o $300 billion extends the existing transportation funding bill

o $345 billion is new money (transportation alternatives is 1%)

• Transportation Alternatives (TAP) funding

o Funding directly available for biking and pedestrian projects

o TAP is increased by 60% and will continue to grow

o Limits on when and how much a state can transfer

• Other

o Introduces vulnerable road user safety assessments in order to receive funding

o Proportional allotment for vulnerable road users ( if >15% of roadway fatalities are vulnerable road users, >15% of funds must be spent on vulnerable road user safety

o Improves the New Car Assessment Program to include rating on ability to avoid crashes with vulnerable road users

5) Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Projects in Houston. Ian Hlavacek from Houston Public Works gave a presentation on projects funded in 2020 by the Highway Safety Improvement Plan

• 14 Projects were funded

o 4 traffic signal installations, 1 traffic signal improvement

o 3 roundabouts

o 3 channelizations

o 2 pedestrian hybrid beacons

o 1 lane conversion (4-lane to 3-lane w/ bike lane)

• 2 projects were denied. HPW staff is working with the community to improve applications for next funding cycle

• Current staff draft list for next funding cycle has 39 locations

6) Floating Bus Stops: Lessons Learned. The BAC held a discussion on the composition of floating bus stops and improvements made with every iteration of construction.

• Concerns around early iterations of construction of floating bus stops were about safety, such as narrow cuts around bus stops, need for more lighting and reflective surfaces

• METRO provided a design for retrofitting existing bike lanes

• James Llamas from Traffic Engineers, Inc. gave examples of best practices from newer designs on recently finished stops along Harris County Precinct 1 bikeways.

7) Open Forum.

8) Announcements and Events:

• Events:

o 11/17: Inwood Recreation Plan Virtual Community Meeting, 6pm

o 11/18: Safe Routes to School Webinar, 3pm

• Announcements:

o TIRZ 15 is conducting a mobility plan for East Downtown. A virtual tour and mobility survey is available until 11/24.

o The Kinder Foundation awarded a $2+ million grant to the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy for completing bikeway projects.

• Next BAC meetings

o 12/15: Education Subcommittee

o 1/26: Bicycle Advisory Committee

o 2/23: Infrastructure Subcommittee

Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 4:48pm.

https://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BAC-Infrastructure-Minutes_Nov-2021.pdf