People are bummed about the bike lanes going up all over Houston.

Motorists mourn the loss of a lane, businesses are organizing to get their parking back, and the bicyclists, die-hard riders and wannabees alike, are so discouraged they're staying away in droves.

In theory, bicycle facilities are supposed to reduce air pollution, ease traffic congestion, promote physical fitness and health, and make the streets safer for everyone. But for the car-dependent, if you have been backed up for 5-6 blocks at the Kirby light on Alabama, or sat endlessly in traffic to pick your kids up from school at 20th Street and Heights Blvd., you're no doubt wondering what wisdom led to the bikeway boondoggle in Houston.

And if you had three flats from glass in the bike lane in one morning on your bike to work, you have to wonder if the City can ever sweep the bike lanes enough to make the seven-year wait for them quite worth it. How did Houston ever get such a bad case of the bike lane blues?

A cynical view is that bad air, the lure of federal funds, and lack of commitment are to blame.

Houston agreed to expand the bikeway system by 300 miles as part of the air quality plan (the so-called "SIP") required by the EPA under the Federal Clean Air Act. Originally pushed by Houston's mayor instead of rail, unanimously approved by City Council in 1993, and funded under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1994-95, Phase I of the bikeways were made a part of the SIP. The bikeways and the SIP now have the force of Federal law. The sanction for non-conformity with the SIP is the forfeiture of all Federal transportation funding for the region, like the EPA did to Atlanta. Thus, Houston has no choice now but to live with its decision and somehow make the bike lanes work.

Unfortunately, the bikeways were designed 4-5 years ago in most cases -- Before inner-loop revitalization swelled the car counts. Before the streets fell apart from the load of Metro's buses and the money to fix them was siphoned off for more sprawling road construction in outlying areas. Before new businesses gobbled up free parking along the selected bike routes. Before we could learn how difficult it was to simply re-stripe and put up a few signs when the City, Metro, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are forced to share red tape on a government project.If the bike lanes had been put in 4-5 years ago, there certainly wouldn't have been the extent of problems we see today.

Inexperience and lack of commitment on the part of the city don't help, either. Some cities adding just 10-15 miles of bikeways have a Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator's Office staffed with 20 employees. Houston is putting in more than 300 miles with a staff of just three. The City's Traffic Department has no experience whatsoever with bikeway facilities. To mildly understate it, the traffic engineers have had a rude awakening to the requirements of a modern transportation system that must now address the safety needs of non-motorized modes as well as the convenience of car occupants.

Is it really any wonder that the bike lanes seem empty?

The bike lanes:

1. are only half-finished, and not signed yet,
2. are full of debris and glass,
3. are too narrow and/or rough/bumpy,
4. do not connect up yet (and some may never connect),
5. are resented by a few motorists who express their anger in their driving habits,
6. are unmapped and unknown to cyclists, and
7. do not provide a place to park your bike when you get to the store.

We can't get rid of the bike lanes, but we can get rid of the bike lane blues. The Traffic Department will eventually figure out, at the problem intersections, how to better transition the bike lanes, and how to configure and time the traffic lights to get the cars through. They will also learn tricks like getting rid of the center turn lane mid-block to put back merchant parking between the bike lane and the curb. Motorists will eventually learn how to merge with the bike lane traffic to make turns, and other legal techniques that help car traffic flow smoother. TxDOT will eventually get the bikeways up to code and safe enough for our ten-year-olds. The Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator's office will eventually get out the word about the spectacular bike lanes and routes and trails linking a linear system of lush parks in the flattest city on earth with year-round cycling weather.

Above all, a few of the car-dependent will see that the bikeways are safe and start using all those bike lanes, routes and trails for some trips under 3-5 miles that they used to drive. The former car capital of Texas will eventually be world-renowned for its walking and cycling.

The bikeways will eventually become part of Houston's mental and physical health, an integral component of our sense of community and place. We'll eventually shake those bike lane blues and leave them in the dust.

DAN LUNDEEN is seen on the Alabama and Weslayan bike lanes every morning and evening on his way to and from his patent law firm in the Galleria area.

Help save the bikeways!

Some simple things you can do to help ensure the future of the bikeway program:

	don't leave them empty: ride your bike in the new lanes whenever you can
	write a letter to your local elected officials including the mayor: tell him you would like the bikeways system expanded, not removed.

Originally printed in HABA News July/August 2000 © Houston Area Bicyclist Alliance 2000. Edited by Lorin Gaertner & Dan Lundeen.