Looks like they cracked down on Critical Mass (Houston, Dallas: living in, dangerous)

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow

People will only put up with that type of BS for so long before they crack and cars usually win that game.

Hopefully you are not driving a car on the highway when I buy my 18-wheeler
because that's what I'm gonna do with any car that gets in my way

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by Mr. Krinkle

Yes, I would love to sit at a traffic light for 10 minutes.

Houston's Critical Mass Bike Ride (aka mass traffic mess) - YouTube

This is what they do here in SF As if the street belongs to only them and the cars trying to make it to the freeway so they can go home after working all day are only a nuisance to them.

The one thing that I have discovered since moving here is that people love to think the world revolves around only them. Many are satisfied when they get what they want at the expense of others. Our tax situation is a very good example of this...but that is another topic.

It is the most selfish attitude I have ever witnessed in my life.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by xsatyr

As it stands the Metro Rail in Houston is not that extensive but you still see bicyclists us it. I've personally parked at Stude Park and then rode my bike down the White Oak Trail to the UHD Station. From there I went to Hermann park and enjoyed a show at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. I've seen people in scrubs with bikes commuting for work and I'm sure there are many other miscellaneous reason why people would hop on the rail.

The North Line expansion which starts running next month will have a station four blocks from where I live so I will surely use my bike more for errands. Also Houston has many bike sharing locations around the heart of the city. Surprisingly people are actually using them.

It sounds like the reason people hop on the rail with their bikes is that Houston is not very bike friendly yet. If you only ride comfortably in places with "bike trails" this is a recreational solution, not a real commuter solution.

That's the point of Critical Mass--to condition motorists to share the road with cyclists. They don't advocate "bike trails". They advocate integrated bike lanes and laws that treat cyclists like motorists (except when cyclists are blowing through stop lights, that is) so that even bike lanes are not necessary. A car-dependent city like Houston can probably best hope for a good network of bike trails.

I agree that CM methods are wrong. I also question, along with most Houstonians, whether bicycles as viable transportation will ever really take hold in Houston. It really only happens in places where the surface street traffic is so bad that a bike is preferable to a car. that will probably never happen in Houston's wide streets.

As an aside-- a couple of days ago I agreed to go to a bar in The Mission with some friends from work. I was on foot and they were on bikes. I walked two blocks to the Embarcadero BART station and boarded a train to the 16th St. Mission station, four stops away on rapid rail transit (not light rail). I then walked three blocks to the bar.

In that time, they had gone down to the bike locker in the basement, come back up on the street, ridden the approx. 2.5 miles to the bar in Financial District traffic, locked their bikes to parking meters and were 1/4 of a beer into the evening.

[lipbalm]

Originally Posted by Oildog

Good deal.

I'm pro-cycling but critical mass reinforces negative concepts about the means of transport. No lights, helmets, or paying attention to traffic laws. Just a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured.

Or killed. I like riding my bike but I would never ride it on busy city streets. I like living and being able to walk/feed myself.

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by lipbalm

Or killed. I like riding my bike but I would never ride it on busy city streets. I like living and being able to walk/feed myself.

This is exactly my stance. I would not think twice about riding my bicycle in the busy streets of Houston.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by TVC15

This is exactly my stance. I would not think twice about riding my bicycle in the busy streets of Houston.

I agree. My question is, why do people keep saying that CM is about "no helmets/no lights..." Is that the thing in Houston?

[xsatyr]

Originally Posted by dalparadise

It sounds like the reason people hop on the rail with their bikes is that Houston is not very bike friendly yet. If you only ride comfortably in places with "bike trails" this is a recreational solution, not a real commuter solution.

You would be completely wrong in that assumption. People ride their bikes everywhere in Houston despite being a car-centric city with crazy drivers. People use the rail because it is quicker to get to downtown from the medical center. Why would you ride your bike when you can conveniently hop on the rail and then get back on your bike? The lack of bike friendly roads is not deterring Houstonians and their perseverance is actually forcing legislation to make changes to accommodate bicyclists. Also these bike trails are actually connecting the city's inner neighborhoods to downtown and the medical center so they will be a viable option for commuting.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by xsatyr

You would be completely wrong in that assumption. People ride their bikes everywhere in Houston despite being a car-centric city with crazy drivers. People use the rail because it is quicker to get to downtown from the medical center. Why would you ride your bike when you can conveniently hop on the rail and then get back on your bike? The lack of bike friendly roads is not deterring Houstonians and their perseverance is actually forcing legislation to make changes to accommodate bicyclists. Also these bike trails are actually connecting the city's inner neighborhoods to downtown and the medical center so they will be a viable option for commuting.

So, you say I am wrong when I say that Houston isn't very bike-friendly, then go on to talk about "Houstonians' perseverance against the lack of bike-friendly roads"?

I'm confused.

People don't commute such short distances in combinations of bike and rail in cities that are bike-friendly. Why would I stop, get off my bike, walk it to the platform, buy a ticket, wait for the streetcar, ride the streetcar in city traffic for a couple of miles, then get back on my bike? In a bike-friendly situation, that distance can be covered much quicker on a bike alone.

The reasons are safety, lack of bike-friendly opportunities or weather.

[xsatyr]

Originally Posted by dalparadise

So, you say I am wrong when I say that Houston isn't very bike-friendly, then go on to talk about "Houstonians' perseverance against the lack of bike-friendly roads"?

I'm confused.

People don't commute such short distances in combinations of bike and rail in cities that are bike-friendly. Why would I stop, get off my bike, walk it to the platform, buy a ticket, wait for the streetcar, ride the streetcar in city traffic for a couple of miles, then get back on my bike? In a bike-friendly situation, that distance can be covered much quicker on a bike alone.

The reasons are safety, lack of bike-friendly opportunities or weather.

I am saying you are wrong in the assumption that riders use the rail just because Houston is not bike friendly. They use the rail/buses because it is convenient in some instances.

I live by 610 so I surely won't ride my bike to downtown when I can just ride to the metro rail station. When the East Line is done then I can use both my bike and the rail to hangout at the bars over there. Your assertion that people only use their bikes to commute is odd especially in a city like Houston which is spread out.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by xsatyr

especially in a city like Houston which is spread out.

Exactly--meaning not bike-friendly.