Bike Infrastructure Makeover Underway in Houston

Emily Nonko details the evolution of bike infrastructure planning, and bike infrastructure project delivery, in Houston.

"[O]ver fifty new miles of bike lanes and trails now grace roadways, or are under construction, across Houston," writes Nonko. "And there are more to come. The city is now implementing an ambitious bike plan that calls for, ultimately, 700 miles of on-street lanes."

Nonko traces the evolution of the city's approach to bike planning back to former Mayor Mayor Annise Parker, who called in 2013 for the city to implement a complete streets policy.

"A year later, construction started on the Bayou Greenways 2020 project, which aims to connect 150 miles of hike-and-bike trails to parks and neighborhoods across the city’s nine major bayous. (In 2012, 68 percent of voters approved a $166 million bond issue to build it — at the time the best performance of any bond issue in city history.)"

A lot has happened since them, including the Planning and Development Department taking a leadership role in place of a transportation department—which the city of Houston lacks.