Bike Stations

Continuing on my earlier comments on ways to make Houston friendlier to cycling, the Phoenix area is to open its first bike station in downtown Tempe.

Bike stations, already popular in Europe and places like California and Washington State, provide a central location featuring cycle-related services, showers, lockers, etc and allow cyclists to rent space to store their bikes. Many have 24/7 security, security cameras and require key card access to reach secure areas. Some actually have individual bike “lockers” where the individual’s bike is completely secure.

The Millennium Park Bike Station in Chicago


Bike Station in Long Beach California


I envision a public-private partnership where stations are located within or near transit stations or centers. Ideal locations for initial stations could perhaps be located in or around Rice University and the University of Houston. Perhaps the city could partner with the universities in order to better cater to students. Another possible location would be in or around Montrose, ideally in conjunction with a stop on the University Line (if that line ever gets built).

Such stations, of course, require city planning and a strategy to be receptive and accommodating to cyclists. Phoenix, a city with many of the same issues and problems as Houston (sprawl, poor public transport, automobile culture), is taking that step. So should Houston.

Metro Finally Acts

Well, after years and years of “planning” and wasted time, Metro has finally taken a major step to improve the transit infrastructure here in Houston. It is, in my mind, a welcome move and long over due.

That being said, the University Line still sits in limbo. Sadly, it seems that no one wants to make a decision on this vitality important line connecting the two most densely populated commercial areas of Houston, downtown and uptown. It is simply unacceptable that Metro has been so slow to move.

I realize that Representative Culberson has been a vocal and unwelcome hindrance to the line and to urban transit issues in general here. He, of course, has no problem with massive highways to the suburbs but his party has been out of power since 2006. A member from a minority party in the House of Representatives is essentially powerless and yet Metro has still been dithering. If other local representatives (and here I am mainly focusing on Democratic representatives) had any political skill and clout in Washington, they could push this through. The fact that they haven’t is testament to their weakness and, frankly, the region’s weakness in Washington in general. We are the 4th biggest city in the country and yet we are treated, in many ways, like a sleepy country town. This is a shame.

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Update 03/06/2009 9:30am

According to this morning's story in the Chronicle, it seems that without the University Line, Metro is going to put the kibosh on the Uptown line as well. So there you have it folks, the second most densely populated section of the city of Houston is still going to be without transit access. More delays and excuses.