The light switches from a red hand to a white figure. Stepping onto the pedals of my bike, I push off into the chasm. The roads are choked full of cars humming along in standby during this peak rush hour period on Main Street. People exiting the medical center eagerly wait for their chance to inch closer to home at approximately one third of the speed limit. As I pedal through purgatory toward the other side of the road, cars blitz by like large bullets, blinded by their desire to get home a few seconds quicker. Having navigated the streets of Houston on bike quite a bit I press forward, hoping the impatient drivers acknowledge my humanity for a few moments. One by one I am denied. A brown SUV thunders by, cutting only a few feet in front of me as I’m in the middle of the road. Secretly I hope she works at the hospital, so if she hit me the irony of the situation would be a bit greater. For the next car threatening to hit me dead on, I lift my hand, make eye contact dead on, and restrain myself from extending a choice finger. Exactly seven moments from when I pushed off, I arrive at safety.
This isn’t an isolated incident by any manner. Riding a bike in Houston is like flirting very consistently with Death. I pray we don’t cement the relationship any time soon. As I push through streets past stop signs and around gaping holes in the road that shudder the chassis of cars and would positively destroy my thin wheels, nothing about the experience feels safe or inviting. Cars, granted supreme privilege in a motor-first city like Houston, treat bikers like another potential form of road kill. Through many intersections I have faced close calls with drivers who in their air-conditioned boxes feel a bit more justified in running me over. The road in their mind is for cars and trucks—not for nuisances like bikes.
Plenty of times the roads I ride are designated for bikes, and in general bikes are permitted to ride on surface streets (with a few reasonable rules tacked on for safety). But to truly protect bikers, people must be prepared to relinquish their privileged view of driving. Their five-star crash safety rating creates a self-centered bubble of protection. Additionally, the notion that roads are made for cars and should be used solely by cars is a farce. Roads provide a means of transportation, regardless of their utilization. The fact that in Houston roads have historically been favored for larger transportation vehicles cannot be denied, but that does not mean it should be honored moving forward. Most Houstonians do not want the city to remain as it was during the boom-bust phases seen in the 70s. To honor the cars-first individualistic mentality would do just that.
Already policy has been shifting. significant allocations have been made for investments in public lands and parks. Look at the glowing example Buffalo Bayou Park offers in this respect. And the utilization of these parks indicates the support they have by community members. People want a more ‘livable’ city than the Houston of past. To preserve and augment Houston’s distinct vitality into the coming decades livability should be a clear priority. Besides parks and downtown beautification efforts, the means of transportation around Houston should not be ignored.
Large-scale spending in raising awareness and improving transportation infrastructure should be prioritized. Many of Houston’s more densely populated neighborhoods including West U, Montrose, The Heights, and EaDo are ripe for increased ridership. Outside of the incredible heat Houston summers bring, Houston has an amicable climate and topology for bike riding. So, the next steps are simply to act in accordance with the environment. Individuals within the city should be made aware of the strong positive benefits biking provides to their quality of life and health. Drivers should be made aware of the improvements to commute times and transportation capabilities increased ridership offers. Business owners can capitalize on new opportunities to serve commuters on their routes. With a vast influx of new residents to the city, 16-lane freeways won’t solve the exacerbated strains on roadways. It would be foolish and near-sighted to continue encroaching on private land through expanded roadways that cut through neighborhoods and communities. It would also not serve as an efficient or effective allocation of public money. But by efficiently utilizing the already strongly established grid transportation system through added bike lanes and smoother roads where bikes are encouraged to ride on, urban residents will be more likely to consider biking as a suitable alternative to driving. The infrastructure spending would also lead to positive unintended consequences like greater sense of community and fitness among Houstonians. And when commute times become unreasonably long (frankly, they already have), people will have the option to turn to biking as a means of commuting.
There is strong data and examples to support these claims. Pedaling out into the road shouldn’t have to feel like a significant risk; it should feel normal and safe. Make Houston more bike friendly, and everyone benefits. Continue to support larger deserts of poorly maintained pavement for cars, and many of the transportation problems currently afflicting Houston will persist as unsolvable behemoths.