Tag Archives: bicycles

Still more microtransit

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Now in the Near Northside. METRO’s free, on-demand electric shuttle service has expanded to Houston’s Near Northside neighborhood, with service there launching Monday. The “Community Connector” initiative launched as a pilot program in the Third Ward in 2023. It has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, buses, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, light rail, Metro, Near Northside, RYDE, sidewalks, Third Ward | 8 Comments

Houston First does its own Polk Street study

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Everything will be fine, don’t worry about it. As Houston residents continue to push for Polk Street to remain open through the planned $2 billion George R. Brown Convention Center expansion, Houston First has released a traffic study it says … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, buses, construction, downtown, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Houston First, I-45, John Whitmire, Jolanda Jones, Metro, People for Polk | Comments Off

The Montrose texts

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A look behind the curtain at what was happening with the Montrose TIRZ as the original plan for redoing Montrose Blvd got significantly changed by Mayor Whitmire. For over a year, Montrose residents have fiercely debated redesign plans for their namesake boulevard, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged Abbie Kamin, bicycles, Houston, John Whitmire, Montrose, pedestrians, sidewalks, Sue Lovell, TIRZ, trees | 1 Comment

The death of bad bills is always worth celebrating

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, good, good. A handful of bills that would have stopped local governments from enacting their transportation priorities and hamstrung local transit efforts are likely dead. The measures failed to pass before key deadlines as the legislative session draws to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Austin, bicycles, bike lanes, Dallas, DART, Harris County, HCTRA, Houston, John Whitmire, light rail, Paul Bettencourt, pedestrians, Senate, sidewalks, Texas, The Lege, toll roads | Comments Off

One more thing about microtransit in the Heights

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is from the latest edition of the Woodland Heights Civic Association newsletter, which I got in my inbox late on Friday. METRO recently announced a new micro-transit service (in partnership with the City of Houston and Evolve Houston) to provide an … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, buses, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, light rail, Metro, RYDE, sidewalks | 2 Comments

How much does Houston want to piss off its neighbors?

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is me, shaking my head. A proposal to cut Houston in on revenue generated through the county’s toll roads is threatening the city’s relationship with county officials and neighboring jurisdictions. The legislation making its way through both the Texas House … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Adrian Garcia, bicycles, budget, Commissioners Court, deficit, Hardy Toll Road, Harris County, Harris County Fire Marshal, HCTRA, HFD, Houston, HPD, John Whitmire, Laurie Christianson, Lesley Briones, Noe Diaz, Pasadena, Paul Bettencourt, Senate, Texas, The Lege, toll roads | 2 Comments

What is this microtransit for, anyway?

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Since I first blogged about the arrival of those Evolve Houston microtransit shuttles in the Heights a week or so ago, I have seen one of those shuttles three times. The first time it was in motion and presumably in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, buses, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, light rail, Metro, RYDE, sidewalks | 9 Comments

Let’s hear it for the pro-11th Street people

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Get out of your bubble, Mr. Mayor. Small business owners, community advocates and residents are rallying together to fight against Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s proposal to reverse 11th Street’s 2023 redesign. The coalition sent a letter last week—authored by Gerald Fuentes, an organizer of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged Abbie Kamin, accidents, bicycles, bike lanes, Christina Morales, Department of Public Works and Engineering, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, Mario Castillo, pedestrians | 1 Comment

Microtransit comes to the Heights

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whoopie. Houston transit officials on Monday said on-demand microtransit would expand to provide rides in the Heights. Metro, with the city of Houston and Evolve Houston, expanded the Community Connector service, which has been serving downtown Houston, Second Ward and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, bike lanes, downtown, driverless cars, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, Metro, RYDE, sidewalks, University line | 1 Comment

Taking from Harris to give to Houston

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This story from Tuesday perplexed me a little at first. Harris County would have to turn over tens of millions in toll road dollars to the city of Houston for use on public safety and emergency services under a bill … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Adrian Garcia, bicycles, budget, deficit, Hardy Toll Road, Harris County, HCTRA, HFD, Houston, HPD, John Whitmire, Nathan Johnson, Noe Diaz, Paul Bettencourt, Senate, Texas, The Lege, toll roads | 1 Comment

Just make up your damn mind about West 11th already

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I swear, I am so sick of this. After Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration removed cyclist protections along Heights Boulevard and Austin Street in March, advocates for a contentious safety project on 11th Street in the Heights neighborhood are worried it could be next on … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged accidents, bicycles, bike lanes, Christina Morales, Department of Public Works and Engineering, Heights, Houston, John Whitmire, pedestrians | 1 Comment

More on Austin Street, Whitmire, and bike lanes

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna do this as a link roundup so I can get this out of my system. See here for the starting point. Whitmire stresses maintaining public safety as fears grow over future of Houston’s bike lanes. Emphasizing his priority toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, Department of Public Works and Engineering, Harris County, Heights, HFD, Houston, John Whitmire, Midtown, Rodney Ellis | 6 Comments

Why are we now tearing up bike lanes?

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. Without prior announcement, the city of Houston has begun removing the dedicated bike lane on a key street, raising concerns among residents about transparency and the city’s commitment to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The potential loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, Harris County, Houston, John Whitmire, Rodney Ellis | 7 Comments

Modified Montrose construction to begin on Monday

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Workers will break ground Monday on the first phase of a hotly debated plan to revamp Montrose Boulevard from Allen Parkway to West Clay Street. The final roadmap retains the original intent to include an expansive … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Abbie Kamin, accidents, bicycles, density, drainage, flooding, Houston, John Whitmire, Montrose, pedestrians, sidewalks, TIRZ, trees, Trees for Houston, urbanism, Vision Zero | 1 Comment

2024 was a bad year for traffic deaths in Houston

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise, unfortunately. Asked amid a flurry of design changes and shifts in street policy whether he was abandoning Houston’s goal of eliminating vehicle deaths by 2030, Mayor John Whitmire in February 2024 said a goal for the future … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged accidents, bicycles, Bike Houston, Harris County, Houston, John Whitmire, LINK Houston, pedestrians, Sylvester Turner, Texas, Vision Zero | Comments Off

More construction chaos on the bike trails

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell, man? Not one, but two popular trail bridges spanning White Oak Bayou were struck by loose construction materials from ongoing work along Interstate 10, closing both spans as well as a key stretch of trail, isolating portions … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike trails, construction, Department of Public Works and Engineering, Heights, Houston, I-10, I-45, MKT Trail, TxDOT, White Oak Bayou | 1 Comment

A look at that new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I managed to get a better view of the new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail to Studemont: Even without the MKT Bridge being out of commission again, the trail network is completely disrupted by the I-10 elevation … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, bike trails, construction, Heights, Houston, I-10, MKT Trail, TxDOT, White Oak Bayou | 2 Comments

MKT Bridge closed again for repairs

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. The 100-plus-year-old MKT Bridge in Houston, a popular pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, is closed for an indefinite amount of time as the Texas Department of Transportation evaluates significant damage to the bridge after equipment from a nearby construction … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, bike trails, construction, Heights, Houston, I-10, MKT Trail, TxDOT, White Oak Bayou | 2 Comments

Expanding Metro’s micro-transit

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay fine, but show me the numbers. Metro will expand on-demand rides of its micro-transit to include services in Second Ward, Third Ward and downtown Houston through a partnership with the city of Houston and Evolve Houston. The expansion comes after … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, downtown, Election 2019, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Houston, John Whitmire, Metro, RYDE, University line | Comments Off

Whitmire’s Montrose Boulevard plan passes on second try

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. A controversial Montrose Boulevard redesign plan is set to move forward with key revisions introduced by the Whitmire administration after board members of the area’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone voted to accept the changes Friday morning. The Nov. 1 meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Abbie Kamin, accidents, bicycles, density, drainage, flooding, Houston, John Whitmire, Montrose, pedestrians, sidewalks, TIRZ, trees, Trees for Houston, urbanism, Vision Zero | 2 Comments

Not so fast on Whitmire’s Montrose Boulevard revisions

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Probably fleeting, but still nice. After months of delays, the controversial redesign of Montrose Boulevard was still in limbo Monday night when a split vote at a contentious public meeting stalled the project yet again. The Whitmire administration favors a design that would … Continue reading →

A small followup on the West 11th Street safety study

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This doesn’t really add much to what we had before, but I figured a little low-stakes story about something good was a thing we could use. 11th Street in the Houston Heights area became safer for everyone, including drivers, after … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged accidents, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Heights, HFD, Houston, John Whitmire, pedestrians, sidewalks, Sylvester Turner, Texas Public Information Act | Comments Off

Metro to fund RYDE services

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, fine. Transit officials are poised to pick up the tab for another six months of funding on-demand rides around Second Ward and Third Ward. If approved by the Metropolitan Transit Authority board on Thursday, the agency would spend $216,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, BRT, Election 2019, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Houston, John Whitmire, Metro, PBSC, RYDE, Uber, University line, Uptown line | 1 Comment

City report calls 11th Street a success

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? A Houston Public Works draft report obtained by Axios states that measures to slow traffic along 11th Street in the Heights have achieved key safety goals. Why it matters: The project — a polarizing rebuild completed under … Continue reading →

B-Cycle’s reprieve runs out

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sad to see it go. Houston’s long-struggling system of on-demand bicycles is reaching the end of the trail. BCycle, the system of kiosks with available bikes spread around downtown, Midtown and other locations will close June 30, officials with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, Bike Houston, budget, electric bicycles, Harris County, Houston, Houston Bike Share, John Whitmire, Metro, PBSC, Sylvester Turner | Comments Off

Shepherd-Durham project back on track

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

First, I got this in my inbox, from the Mayor’s office. Mayor John Whitmire and the Memorial Heights TIRZ have reached a compromise on the design of the Shepherd Durham Phase II project that maintains the terms of the Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Abbie Kamin, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, construction, Heights, Houston, I-610, John Whitmire, Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority, pedestrians, Shepherd, sidewalks, urbanism | 4 Comments

On “bold things” for mobility

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor John Whitmire started a noontime discussion about transportation in the region by saying he was “fired up” about the opportunity to improve the city’s mobility and infrastructure. […] 2. “I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, Harris County, Houston, John Whitmire, Mayor, Metro, pedestrians, sidewalks, Sylvester Turner, traffic, urbanism | 11 Comments

On increasing ridership at Metro

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m open to hearing more. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is under new leadership, but the goal of increasing ridership remains the same. While the number of riders steadily has increased across the system since the peak of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, BRT, electric buses, Elizabeth Brock, Evolve Houston, Houston, HPD, John Whitmire, light rail, Metro, PBSC, police, RYDE, Tom Jasien, Uber | 3 Comments

Shepherd-Durham project halted

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. Houston city officials have put the brakes on the middle piece of a planned redesign of Shepherd and Durham drives along the edge of the Heights, a decision that community officials and others … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, bike lanes, construction, Heights, HGAC, Houston, I-610, John Whitmire, Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority, Montrose, pedestrians, Shepherd, sidewalks, urbanism | 22 Comments

Montrose Blvd project officially delayed

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Permitting for an overhaul of Montrose Boulevard, a project that has drawn ire from residents pushing to protect the road’s oak trees, has been delayed at City Hall after Mayor John Whitmire’s staff asked project organizers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Abbie Kamin, accidents, bicycles, Bob Lanier, buses, density, drainage, Election 2023, flooding, Houston, John Whitmire, Kathy Whitmire, Mayor, Metro, monorail, Montrose, pedestrians, sidewalks, Sylvester Turner, TIRZ, trees, Trees for Houston, urbanism, Vision Zero | 3 Comments

“If you’ve ever gardened, you know you have to weed”

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What Allyn West says. I moved to Montrose in 2008, just in time for Hurricane Ike to welcome me to the Gulf Coast formally, and I lived on Crocker at Avondale during the pandemic. When Hurricane Harvey claimed the Honda … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, density, Houston, Montrose, pedestrians, sidewalks, TIRZ, trees, Trees for Houston, urbanism | 8 Comments

Do I really need to worry about West 11th Street?

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Houston Mayor John Whitmire is reevaluating several street infrastructure projects for effectiveness, including the completed 11th Street redesign despite the controversy surrounding the recent removal of pedestrian and cyclist upgrades on Houston Avenue. Whitmire, who took office … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Attorney General, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike lanes, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Heights, Houston, Houston Avenue, John Whitmire, pedestrians, sidewalks, Sylvester Turner, Texas Public Information Act | 6 Comments

The Houston Avenue hullabaloo

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It seems like every new Mayor makes at least one dumb self-inflicted error early on in their tenure, because being Mayor is hard and there are lots of things that need to be done with priority. I’d say this goes … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, David Fields, Department of Public Works and Engineering, Election 2023, Houston, Houston Avenue, John Whitmire, LINK Houston, Mayor, medians, pedestrians, Sylvester Turner, urbanism | 1 Comment

Mayor Whitmire appoints a new Metro Chair

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday announced CenterPoint Energy executive Elizabeth Brock would lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of directors. If approved, Brock would be the first Hispanic woman to lead the transit agency. “She brings … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, BRT, buses, Commissioners Court, Election 2023, Elizabeth Brock, Federal Transit Administration, Harris County, Houston, John Whitmire, LINK Houston, Mayor, Metro, Rodney Ellis, sales taxes, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Sylvester Turner, University line | 1 Comment

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