robertwade
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To Galveston from Missouri City via Bayou Vista - 2007/03/26 01:57
For completeness' sake, I thought I'd tell you of my story across the causeway after synthesizing all the advice that I got.
In spite of the advice that I got from TxDot's Bill Babbington, that, in fact, bicycle travel across the Galveston Causeway IH-45 is not illegal, it is. There is a sign on either side of the causeway indicating as much, but only just before the actual bridge. I believe furthermore that there are no exits available after that sign that would allow bicyclists to move safely off the road and make other arrangements. Luckily, I decided not to chance it -- pun intended.
Arriving at Bayou Vista along Texas highway 6 just before Texas highway 146, the traffic on northbound IH-45 intimidated me. I called a cab company on the mainland, called Busy Bee. They were happy to provide me with transportation across, but for an outrageous fee of thirty dollars.
I elected to call my hotel and instead ask for advice. The hotel's proprietor heard me out and did not judge me for failing to plan appropriately. In fact, he drove all the way out to Bayou Vista and gave me a ride right to my hotel on the Seawall. FYI, the hotel was the Commodore.
Although the statements Bill Babbington of TxDOT suggested to me that bicycle traffic across the causeway were prohibited only temporarily during the period of construction, the "No bicycles or pedestrians" sign was large and suggests to me that such prohibition existed long before the construction and will probably exist long after.
There are websites that indicate that there may have been plans to include pedestrian and cyclist access to Galveston Island via Bayou Vista and the causeway. Whether or not such plans ever existed, they've clearly been abandoned. While the new causeway is beautiful, easy to navigate, clean, and should accommodate traffic for a good many years to come, there is clearly no provision for access to Galveston island to those not traveling with four wheels and a ton of metal beyond the zero that is available right now.
The disregard with which TxDOT provides transportation opportunities with such discrimination is despicable. It is clear that no one in the state or local government cares at all about cyclists: Bill Babbington of TxDOT flat-out lied to me [I shudder to consider the consequences if I had tried to cross the causeway -- it would have been extremely dangerous and definitely illegal] and the Galveston Island tourist and convention bureau failed to even answer to my inquiries.
Meanwhile, I was honked at and buzzed a dozen times throughout Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston counties on my transit of Texas Highway 6. Some jerk-off in Galveston County threw an ice-cream at me from behind and a Missouri City cop told me to get into the debris -filled and roughly-graded shoulder; he would accept no argument. The manager of an Alvin Subway Sandwiches offered no accommodation for my bicycle, not having even a light post to secure it to, opting instead to dismiss my business. I must have exceptionally bad luck with people or perhaps I just have a look about me that people think 'This punk is just asking for some shit to happen to him.'
Part of my disgust may stem from the fact that I spent four years outside of Texas in Colorado; Coloradoans' embrace of cyclists is absolutely extraordinary compared to that of Texans.
In any case, my stay in Galveston was amazing; I miss the island every time I leave it. My hotel was a great value. The spring break atmosphere doubled the typical vitality of the seawall. Great restaurants and friendly islanders.
To conclude, I absolutely recommend this trip to cyclists, but with qualification: one must have thick skin and the courage to ignore those who might throw ice cream at him and tell two-bit suburban traffic cops to go to hell.
Post edited by: robertwade, at: 2007/03/26 10:59
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