Houston Releases Ambitious Bike Plan Aimed Toward Casual Riders

Raj Mankad reports on bike news for bike planning out of Houston, Texas, where the city recently announced a draft of its first bike plan since 1993. The Houston Bike Plan, according to Mankad, plots the way toward a bike infrastructure network that appeals to a much broader cross section of the city's population.

The draft plan was recently released to the public and presented to the city's Planning Commission. Traffic Engineers, Morris Architects, and Asakura Robinson comprised the team behind the draft, with funding from the Houston Endowment funding a chunk of the $400,000 bill for the plan.

Mankad digs into the draft plan, breaking down the plan's focus on "high-comfort," low-stress routes. The article includes a lot of maps and plan details.

The news about Houston's ambitious bike plan has sparked a wide variety of media coverage in the past week. Here's a roundup of major media coverage:

• Dug Begley and Mike Morris provide an overview of the plan for the Houston Chronicle. Mike Morris also writes a separate article that serves as a call to action for the public comment process, which will continue through April 11.
• Meagan Flynn of the Houston Press notes the tragedy of all bike plans, including Houston's: the fate of the plan lies in the hands of drivers.
• Gail Delaughter reports on the release of the draft plan, including an on-air report for Houston Public Media.
• Angie Schmitt picks up on Mankad's coverage for the national arbiter of bike planning—Streetsblog.

For those keeping score at home, Houston isn't totally new to the bike enlightenment. The previous mayoral administration announced a "Goal Zero" policy for bike fatalities in March 2014.