HOUSTON – Drivers in the Midtown neighborhood are seeing a lot more green as a new bike lane is about to open in the area, and it’s the first of many coming to Space City in the new year.
“We know a lot of people are already biking in Houston, and a lot more want to bike in Houston, but they don’t have a safe way to do it,” said Ian Hlavacek, an engineer with Houston Public Works.
Hlavacek is one of those many bikers himself, pedaling to work three times a week on the new bike lane that runs along Gray Street from Bagby Street to the Columbia Tap trail in the Third Ward.
“We hope that a project like this enables people to have more options to get around,” said Peter Eccles, of the city’s Planning Department.
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With more of these dedicated lanes being created around the city, both Eccles and Hlavacek reminded drivers to be on the lookout for more cyclists.
“Always make sure that you’re yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists who are coming into conflict with cars,” Eccles said.
“Look out for those armadillos and the curbs,” Hlavacek said while describing the animal-shaped bumpers installed between traffic and cyclists. “Try not to hit them. They’re really to try to tell you where to go. Go around, if you can, and don’t go into the bike lane.”
Crews are expected to later install traffic lights that will help control the cycling traffic.
The Gray Street bike lane is expected to be completed in March.