Tag Archives: bicycles

Council approves B-Cycle, and other bike news

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One other item that Council approved on its last day of business for the year was to clear the way for the city to start up bike sharing with B-cycle. As you know, I’ve been following this along, and am … Continue reading →

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Parking feedback

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of weeks ago I noted that the city is undergoing a review of its 1989 Off Street Parking ordinance. The idea is to recognize some changes in the real estate market, especially having to do with entertainment and … Continue reading →

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San Antonio B-Cycle expands

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Seven months after beginning, San Antonio’s bike sharing program has completed an expansion. B-cycle, San Antonio’s bike share program, now boasts 20 docking stations and 200 bikes. […] Yearly memberships for $30 are still available by visiting sanantonio.bcycle.com and using … Continue reading →

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New parking regulations

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hair Balls last week had a good discussion of a proposal by the city to revamp its 1989 Off Street Parking ordinance. Currently, bars — which are defined as having alcohol make up more than 75 percent of their sales … Continue reading →

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Biking to work

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More Houstonians than before are riding their bikes to work, though in absolute terms it’s still a pretty small number. Figures from the League of American Bicyclists show a 62 percent increase in the number of Houston residents who commute … Continue reading →

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Bike sharing comes to New York

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’d have thought – or at least, I’d have thought – that New York City would have been a very early adopter of bike sharing. Turns out they’re just getting started now. At a press conference [last Wednesday] afternoon, the … Continue reading →

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Bike sharing in London

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Write On Metro notes the one-year anniversary of London’s bike sharing program. In London’s first year of operating a bike-share program, it has proven so popular that riders can’t always find a bike, and when they finish their trip, often … Continue reading →

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Connecting bike trails

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Marty Hajovsky makes a keen observation. Bike trails in the Houston area are all-too-frequently a joke at best and dangerous, hazardous, life-threatening situations at the worst.  I’m sorry, but painting a solid white line in the drain gutter on a … Continue reading →

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Bike to the ballpark

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the CTC email list, this is very cool: Bike to the Ballpark – May 1 Play Green Week at Minute Maid Park runs today through Sunday, May 1st. Throughout the week, the ballclub will be raising awareness of green … Continue reading →

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Austin wants to get on the bike sharing bandwagon

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. San Antonio became the first city in Texas to install a bike-share system last month, when it opened 14 B-cycle stations within a few miles of downtown. Now Austin is considering spending about $1.8 million, plus operating … Continue reading →

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San Antonio bike share

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I love the idea of B-Cycle, San Antonio’s new bike sharing program, I’m just not sure how well it will work. “I think it will encourage faster infrastructure for bike lanes and all the things we need because suddenly it’s … Continue reading →

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TPC splits the difference

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bike advocates get a partial victory as the Transportation Policy Council voted to keep the last $12.8 million of unallocated federal funds on alternate mode projects instead of redirecting it towards roads. “Whatever we do in this room is supposed … Continue reading →

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Today’s the day for the TIP

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That postponed Transportation Policy Council meeting to determine how to allocate unprogrammed federal transportation funds happens today. A proposal before the regional Transportation Policy Council last month could have clawed back $12.8 million in funding set aside for bicycle and … Continue reading →

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HGAC hearing on TIP

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Houston – Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council will host a public hearing to discuss citizen priorities for the use of discretionary funds in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program on March 25, 2011 at 8:45am at … Continue reading →

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TPC delays vote on TIP

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow: The Houston-Galveston Area Council’sTransportation Policy Council (TPC) unanimously voted on Friday morning to delay by thirty days its vote on a full $79.8 million allocation of unprogrammed federal transportation funds toward Mobility – roadway and freight rail – … Continue reading →

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More on H-GAC and the TIP

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I received some feedback from Judge Ed Emmett’s office regarding this post about H-GAC’s Friday Transportation Policy Council (TPC) meeting, at which funding in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) will be discussed and voted on. There’s some context missing … Continue reading →

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Why aren’t we investing more in non-road transportation?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow has some disturbing news. A proposal to limit bike, pedestrian, and livability funding in the 2011 Transportation Improvement Program will come before the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) this Friday, February 25, at a public meeting in the … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land contemplates its transportation options

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via Houston Tomorrow, here’s an interesting story about how Sugar Land is thinking about the effect of the planned baseball stadium and Imperial Sugar Mill redevelopment on traffic. Both projects mean this older part of Sugar Land is likely to … Continue reading →

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Metro lets more bikes on the trains

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned the efforts by BikeHouston and other activists to expand bicycle access to light rail trains. This past week, they scored a victory on that front. Bikes are still barred during peak travel hours in the morning and afternoon, … Continue reading →

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A Montrose/Studemont walkability update

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2008, I put together a photo essay on density and walkability in Montrose, in particular on Montrose/Studemont between West Gray and Washington. It included this photo, taken in front of what was then the old Ed Sacks Waste … Continue reading →

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Bikes on trains action alert

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from Peter Wang: Thursday, February 11, 2:00 pm Support Bikes on Trains at the Houston Transportation Committee Meeting. If you ride in Houston, please attend this important meeting! Houston-area cyclists- This Thursday, February 11, the Houston City Council … Continue reading →

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Bikes in the Mayor’s race

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Local bicycle activist Peter Wang contacted the four Mayoral campaigns to ask what their position is on getting METRO to install bike hangers in the light rail vehicles and allow bicycles in the vehicles during rush hours. Here’s how they … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/30

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While it’s an interesting story, I don’t quite see what the fuss is about Rick Perry using monetary rewards for volunteers who get people to sign up with his campaign. As the story notes, rewards of some kind, usually campaign … Continue reading →

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The veto that keeps on giving

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bicyclists are still pissed off at Rick Perry for his veto of the Safe Passing bill. The man does have a talent for making people dislike him.

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Austin to ban texting while driving

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After considering it for a long time, the city of Austin is set to ban texting while driving. Council members Mike Martinez and Chris Riley and Mayor Lee Leffingwell are proposing to prohibit writing, sending or reading text messages, instant … Continue reading →

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Harper-Brown vows to try again on Safe Passing bill

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The bicyclists will not go away despite the setback on the Safe Passing bill. A state legislator’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a “safe passing” bill for cyclists said Wednesday that an accident involving her granddaughter has renewed her interest in … Continue reading →

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Safe Passing bill still in the news

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The father of a driver accused of killing two bicyclists last summer recently urged Gov. Rick Perry to veto a bill that generally would have required motorists to give vulnerable road users more space when passing them. Cyclists believe … Continue reading →

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The bicyclists strike back

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I know that circulating a petition isn’t the sort of thing that means much in politics, but sometimes a show of names can have an effect. BikeTexas, which is still chafing about the veto of the Safe Passing bill, has … Continue reading →

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And here are the vetoes

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list, with links to statements about individual bills, here’s his press release, and here’s his budget statement. A few points of interest: – Perry wimped out and allowed HB770, the Wayne Christian Homestead Bill, to become law … Continue reading →

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Perry reportedly to veto Safe Passing bill

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The veto deadline is fast approaching, and with it comes word of various potentially doomed bills – indeed, according to Rep. Garnet Coleman, Governor Perry has already nixed one of his bills, HB3485 – so expect to hear some urgent … Continue reading →

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Legislative wrapups

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With sine die in the rearview mirror, tis the season for legislative wrapups. Here are a couple I’ve come across. – First, from Bike Texas, which had the fairly easy task of just following one bill: The final version of … Continue reading →

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Safe Passing Act moving forward

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has an overview of the Safe Passing Act. Cyclists always worry about close calls with motorists. That’s why many are paying attention to legislation making headway with Texas lawmakers this spring aiming to make drivers more responsible for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Senate passes Safe Passing bill

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the CTC: On Tuesday, the Texas Senate passed the Safe Passing bill on the third reading. Thanks to each of you who contacted your senator: you helped make it happen! Before it passed, Senator Patrick proposed two … Continue reading →

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Safe Passing Act in the Senate

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve blogged before about SB488, the “Safe Passing Bill”. Via email from Jon Boyd of the CTC, I’m told that the bill will be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security this week. Bike Texas has the … Continue reading →

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