The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire struck down another proposed bike lane in his apparent war on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, reports Dominic Anthony Walsh for Houston Public Media.
As Walsh explains, “The 1.6-mile West Alabama Street reconstruction project stretches between Shepherd Drive and Spur 527, from Upper Kirby through Montrose to Midtown. It includes street repaving, drainage improvements, sidewalk expansion, street lighting and new traffic signals.” However, Whitmire rejected the proposed bike lane, which would have reduced the width of car lanes and potentially required the removal of old-growth shade trees.
“Marlene Gafrick, a planning advisor to Whitmire, said in a statement Thursday the new design concept ‘complies with the Mayor's Guiding Mobility Principles by maintaining the general purpose mobility lanes, providing for pedestrian safety with 5-6 foot wide sidewalks and safe pedestrian crossings.’” Gafrick added that cyclists can ride in traffic lanes or on sidewalks — a practice prohibited in Houston’s business districts.
Read the full story: Montrose loses another planned bike lane as Houston Mayor John Whitmire preserves width of car lanes
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