- Springwoods Village Town Center Moving Dirt Around [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
- Galveston Installs Interactive Street Signs in Tourist Areas [KUHF]
- City Ramping Up Program To Calm Neighborhood Traffic with More Speed Bumps [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- As Houston’s Critical Mass Bike Rides Grow, So Do Motorists’ Complaints [KUHF]
- Despite Recent Rains, Most of Southeast Texas in Severe to Extreme Drought [Click2Houston]
- UT Spends $2.7 Million To Create New Program To Study How To Rid Texas of Invasive Species [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Antique Warehouse Owners Find Traces of Galveston’s Prostitution Past in Old Oleander Hotel [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Rice University Gets Latest Public Art Piece with Installation of Six-Ton Sculpture [Glasstire]
Photo of Lay Plaza Park at 1900 White Oak: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Wow that critical mass article sure was a softball, no guts, no teeth whatsoever.
Being a block off of Yale, I would love a speed bump or two on our block. Most traffic is reasonable, but every so often, people go hammer down for whatever reason, and that is unacceptable in a residential area. Tow trucks seem to be the worst offenders.
I’ve gotten stuck behind these critical mass douches, they’re only reinforcing what everyone already knew that byciclists on the whole have no respect for traffic laws. Makes that whole 3 foot rule for drivers indefensible.
I’d love to see speed bumps placed in Rice military. It amazes me that people feel the need to race down a street that can’t even accommodate 2 cars side-by-side w/ no continuous sidewalks at 30+ mph. I’m surprised more people aren’t hit / killed to be honest.
Ultimately speed bumps are a band-aide. If you properly engineer a street with ‘complete streets’ principles, you increase the mobility and safety for all.
Critical mass wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the fact that Houston roads, drivers, and overall attitudes towards bikes weren’t so antagonistic. Let’s rest blame where it belongs.
I don’t necessarily agree with all their tactics, but I can’t fault someone who feels that they should have just the same amount of rights / safety as the other legal forms of transportation…. even if they step outside the law every now and then.
Build better roads and accommodate all forms of transportation and you won’t have this problem in the future.
those two posts above go so perfect together and explain why neither complaining about critical mass will prevent innocent law-abiding cyclists from getting killed this year and why speed bumps will do nothing to re-traing driving attitudes.
You know, you don’t have to think bicyclists don’t matter to think that Critical Mass is a bunch of douchebags. They were totally out of control in DC, snarling rush hour traffic in a city whose traffic problems make Houston look like a walk in the park – and where people are very aware of bicycles! – and honestly it seemed motivated by being anti-car more than pro-bike.
I think getting Houston drivers to obey the law and respect bikes is great, but I’m not sure how ignoring traffic laws and trapping a commuter who’s just trying to get home, pick up the kid at daycare, get to an appointment, etc. in a traffic jam is going to get people to respect cyclists.
People complain too much. So what if you have to wait 10 extra minutes to get to happy hr because you got stuck behind critical mass. Put your car in park, roll down your windows, blast some music, and count the babes riding by. I have participated in CM (I am not a douchebag) and I have been stuck behind them. Relax and enjoy seeing something different.
Also, Fairview St. needs speed bumps!