Tag Archives: bicycles

CURBS Houston

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

In my last post about the West 11th Street project, I’ve noted that opposition to the project has been featured in news stories about it, but I have not seen any mention of organized support from the neighborhood – BikeHouston … Continue reading →

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I don’t really know what the White Oak Bike Trail extension is going to look like

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not a whole lot of change since the last update a month ago, at least in terms of how things look and what the final shape of the update might be. There are two particular areas of question for … Continue reading →

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Yeah, we’re still talking about West 11th Street

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We can’t help it, sorry. When Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner assured concerned Heights residents he’d take “a closer look” at plans to reduce 11th Street to one lane in each direction, he likely didn’t expect a sightseeing tour to give … Continue reading →

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The MKT Bridge has reopened

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This pleasant surprise came out on Thursday evening. A vital and long-unused bridge in a buzzing Houston neighborhood is set to reopen. The M-K-T Bridge, located in The Heights near White Oak Bayou, will be accessible to users on Friday, … Continue reading →

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Yes, you can use toll road funds for non-road projects

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew? Surplus revenues from Harris County’s toll road system for years have paid for improvements to nearby roads and infused funds into street rebuilds around the county. Now, the Harris County Toll Road Authority is about to go off-road. … Continue reading →

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We’re still talking about West 11th Street

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

My neighborhood sure can monopolize the discussion. Sorry about that. A discussion planned to laud Houston’s efforts to expand bicycling access Thursday turned into a debate on the merits of a two-mile stretch of 11th Street. The city’s plan to … Continue reading →

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The White Oak Bike Trail extension starts to come into focus

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

When last we visited the White Oak Bike Trail extension construction, we were puzzling over what the deal was with whatever they were doing next to the trail itself. I couldn’t tell where it was going or why it was … Continue reading →

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The next street safety project my neighborhood will be fighting about

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

My wife came back from this month’s civic association meeting and handed me a flyer for this, along with more or less the exact words I’ve used in the title of this post. North Main Street runs north from I-10 … Continue reading →

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White Oak bike trail extension update

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I drive by the construction work being done to extend the White Oak bike trail so that it connects to the Heights bike trail on the north side of the MKT Bridge. I’ve been keeping an eye on its progress … Continue reading →

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More on the 11th Street project

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board mostly approves of the city’s plans for 11th Street in the Heights. Ever since Mayor Sylvester Turner unveiled his Vision Zero Action Plan — an ambitious program to end traffic fatalities by 2030 — the city … Continue reading →

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The White Oak bike trail extension is officially under construction

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Actual photo of the construction activity, from this past Thursday: See here for the background. I first noticed some construction equipment in place maybe two weeks before that, and actual activity the following week, which is to say the last … Continue reading →

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The 11th Street makeover

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be interesting to see how this turns out. A main thoroughfare through Houston’s Heights is the latest street where city officials are preparing for fewer car lanes, in an effort to consider more ways that people get around. The … Continue reading →

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MKT Bridge repairs finally on the schedule

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Houston Parks Board has good news to share about the MKT Bridge! The plan documents needed for the additional repairs to address damage caused by the August 2020 fire have received expedited approval by the City of Houston … Continue reading →

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On speed limits

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Food for thought. Speeding is a national health problem and a big reason why this country is increasingly an outlier on traffic safety in the developed world. More than 1 in 4 fatal crashes in the United States involve at … Continue reading →

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The Shepherd and Durham Major Investment Project

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for some major construction, but the end result will be well worth it. Beginning next month, those who travel along North Shepherd Drive and Durham Drive in the Heights are going to have to cope with road construction … Continue reading →

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Rolling coal

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. A teen who struck six cyclists while allegedly blanketing them in black smoke along a Waller County road faces six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. “One for each of the people he almost … Continue reading →

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MKT Bridge repairs delayed

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. Months after a fire closed a key Houston trail link, opening day for the M-K-T Bridge remains up in the air, after workers discovered more repairs are needed to the old railroad crossing. “They found additional damage caused by … Continue reading →

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Bike trail connections news

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s something nice and simple and good, because we could use that. The White Oak Bayou Greenway and MKT Trail will soon be connected. The city announced Thursday that the two trails will be linked by a 850-foot connection, which … Continue reading →

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Can you tell me how to get (safely) to Memorial Park?

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Safety is nice. A $200 million-plus plan to improve [Memorial Park] is aimed at making it a signature destination for all Houstonians. With that success, though, will come the same challenges anything popular in Houston faces: How will people get … Continue reading →

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Update on the bike trail bridge

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have an estimate for repairs. Weather-permitting — and the sky this weekend likely will not look that permitting — runners and cyclists along a popular Heights trail will have a key connection back by September. Houston Parks Board officials … Continue reading →

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Scooters banned from sidewalks

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. Houston has scuttled scooter rentals along city sidewalks, and kicked riders of the two-wheel transports in busy areas into the street. City Council on Wednesday approved changes to Houston’s codes outlawing any rental activity that impedes public … Continue reading →

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More bike riders, more bike fatalities

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We should try to do something about this. The COVID pandemic sparked a surge in bike sales and bike riding across the Houston region at a time when pedaling — and driving — area streets is deadlier than ever. A … Continue reading →

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Waiting for our bike trail bridge to be fixed

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest mostly in my neighborhood, but it’s my blog, so. Bike riders who pedal through the Heights will need to keep burning calories past a key connection closed by fire in the region’s growing trail system. Just in time … Continue reading →

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Bike lanes for the Red Line

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I approve. The belief that Northside Houston residents will bike to buses and trains if it is safer to do so is bringing more curb work to Cavalcade, paid for out the same pot of federal money that brought the … Continue reading →

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Harris County reaches bike trail deal with CenterPoint

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Biking between bayous in Harris County is closer to reality, now that local leaders and the monopoly that manages local power lines have inked a deal. Harris County officials Tuesday approved an agreement between the county and CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading →

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Don’t park in a bike lane

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s illegal now, and you will get a citation. Houston city council on Wednesday made it illegal to park in or otherwise block the city’s expanding network of bike lanes, a long-sought change by cyclists fed up with dodging cars … Continue reading →

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Dallas ends its scooter experiment

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Over in Dallas, never started in Houston. Tis better to have scootered and stopped than to have never scootered at all. That is the consensus of a handful of Houston proponents of rental scooters as they watched Dallas this week … Continue reading →

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Bike lanes coming to Shepherd/Durham corridor

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Houston officials with some regional help have nearly solved funding a $100 million rebuild of Shepherd and Durham that adds bike lanes, wider sidewalks, improved drainage and new concrete to one of the most car-centric corridors within Loop 610. … Continue reading →

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Here come the electric bikes

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Houston’s growing bike share system will jump into over-drive in the coming months, fueled by $250,000 in Harris County funds that will put 100 new electric bikes on city streets. An amended plan by Harris County Precinct One Commissioner … Continue reading →

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Driving may be down, but traffic fatalities are not down as much

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a bit of a conundrum. COVID-19 can keep millions of Texans at home and cut vehicle travel roughly in half in many cities, but cannot keep hundreds from dying on state roads — continuing a stubborn trend of carnage … Continue reading →

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City moves forward on Vision Zero

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday adopted a plan that aims to end traffic fatalities and serious traffic injuries in Houston by 2030. The “Vision Zero Houston” plan is considered a significant step in the city’s mobility strategy and will … Continue reading →

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A call to embrace scooters

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Chron business writer Chris Tomlinson is a fan of scooters. After years of riding bicycles in traffic, I’m comfortable riding a scooter on the street where they belong. I find them a convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to automobile congestion. But … Continue reading →

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San Antonio bans scooters from sidewalks

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of where scooters do and do not belong: Dockless electric scooters can’t be ridden on San Antonio sidewalks, per a new City ordinance that went into effect Monday, but many say they’re concerned about how well it will be … Continue reading →

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Biking and breweries

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, this makes perfect sense. This started off in the gray area between a good idea and a bad one. Two years ago, Jason Buhlman and Brian Kondrach got about 30 of their friends together for an afternoon of two-wheel … Continue reading →

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