Seeks Bike Trail for the Heights
December 2, 2004 -- Mayor Bill White today announced the Houston Is On A Roll Campaign, a series of activities and programs to help build a more bicycle-friendly Houston during the next year. The mayor also agreed to work an interlocal agreement on possible community uses, including a bike-and-hike trail, for the right of way being acquired by the County Toll Road Authority through the Heights.
“The Toll Road Authority is a financing mechanism that has a broad mandate,” said Mayor White. “Our elected officials won’t support a toll road built through the Heights over community objections. I’ve spoken with Harris County officials about exploring uses such as walking and bicycling trails.”
The Houston Is On A Roll Campaign includes activities to promote cycling and to increase bicycle awareness, with components for motorists, cyclists, City of Houston employees, and those considering riding a bike. The campaign also is scheduled to involve an organized bicycle ride this spring to tour various Houston neighborhoods as part of the training season that leads to the annual MS 150 bike ride to Austin.
“We lead the nation in the number of miles of bikeways and we’re proud of that, but we believe we can do more,” said Mayor White. “Cleaner air, better health, less traffic, more fun, a better quality of life for our neighborhoods … the list of good reasons to be more bike-friendly is almost as long as our bikeways.”
The mayor also unveiled the Bike Smart handbook scheduled to reach 300,000 Houstonians and three school districts. Project partners at the Houston Chronicle will deliver the handbook on Sunday, December 5, 2004. The project includes an education component at three independent school districts: Houston, Spring Branch and Alief. Wrapping up the scholastic year will be a contest to reinforce the components of the handbook and provide students the opportunity to win one of two bicycles and helmets.
The mayor and Public Works Director Mike Marcotte also presented the new Houston Bikeway Network Map which includes over 290 miles of the most current on-street and off-street facilities as well as trails proposed for construction in 2005 and 2006. The new map includes bike rack locations, schools, libraries, museums and other points of interest across the city.
More information on the planned activities, partnerships and sponsors of the Houston Is On A Roll Campaign will be posted on the Web site link located at www.houstonbikeways.org. The map and handbook will also be available on the Bikeway Program Web site.
- Descriptions of the programs involved (.pdf file)