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Know Your Rights: A Webinar on Cycling Safety & Advocacy, hosted by BikeLaw/BikeHouston

Tuesday, April 22, 2025 06:30 PM (Central Time)
Registration link: https://qrfy.io/BmUDrVDARB

Adrian at Aggieland Cycling just shared this invitation from Charlie and Joe in Houston. As we approach the celebration of May as National Bike month, this would certainly be valuable insights for everyone. Thanks and see y’all there!

Dear Friends at Aggieland Cycling,
We’re excited to invite you and your customers to a free upcoming webinar hosted by Bike Law. We’ll break down the laws that apply to people riding bikes in Texas, share stories from actual bike cases across Texas, and talk about how to best avoid crashes (for example, buying the brightest lights that you can afford from your local bike retailer).
We’ve enclosed a flyer with all the details-we’d love it if you could post it in your shop or share it with your community. Thank you for being a part of making Texas a safer place to ride!
Best Regards,
Charlie Thomas

Where the Bicycle Racks Are

In February 2023, Amsterdam opened a new underwater bicycle parking facility. Image Credit (Bicycle Dutch)

If we knew the places we plan to visit have reasonably secure and convenient bike racks, then the decision to pedal there would be an easy one. On the contrary, if there’s no good place to park the bike, we would choose (a) a different equivalent service with a better bike parking, or (b) drive a car if the said service had no substitute. Below is a list of different local maps for Bryan/College Station area, that could tell us this bit of useful information.

Laurel’s BCS Bike Map

Our friend, Laurel, took it upon herself the immense task of cataloging the bicycle racks across twin cities over the past year. She took such care as to even include the photos, to show what these racks look like in real life, along with the time of last confirmation. Shown below is the resulting interactive map.

  • Different layers can be toggled on/off, such as Bike Lanes, Bike Routes, Multi-Use Paths, and Bike Parking.
  • Clicking on Bike Parking spots shows more detailed info, including photos on many, as well as last confirmed date.
  • If starred, this map will be available to view on your Google Maps, desktop or mobile. Follow this instruction: View your My Maps using Google Maps (support.google.com)

A static map with infrequent updates would be less helpful than a crowd-sourced one that has many eyes and hands on continuously. Laurel’s map invites users to add missing or update outdated information, by submitting this form. (https://forms.gle/yeYJQgzHhBkz9Zkd9)

City of College Station – Bike Map

City of College Station offers a similar Bicycle Map, which includes bike rack locations throughout the city, as well as bike lanes & bike routes.

Image Credit: City of College Station (https://cstx.maps.arcgis.com)

Credit must be given to the city of College Station that dataset exported from their source gave a rich starting point for Laurel to build on. Especially the data for “Proposed, Planned & Funded” gives us a hopeful glimpse of better connected network.

City of Bryan – Bicycle Routes

City of Bryan also offers the map of Bicycle Routes. It serves the titled purpose, and does not yet include locations of bicycle racks.

Image Credit: City of Bryan (https://maps.bryantx.gov/bike/)

Please leave comment below if Bryan does have more relevant data available. The motivation behind Laurel’s map was to have a consolidated map that would cover both cities and the campus, for a seamless travel across these articifial boundaries.

Texas A&M University – Bike Map

Speaking of the campus, TAMU Bike Parking Map appears inactive at the time of this writing. Perhaps it used to work at some point in the past, and is no longer maintained or offered.

Image Credit: Texas A&M University (https://transport.tamu.edu/parkingmap/bike/)

Subjectively speaking, cycling on-campus is a comparatively more relaxed experience compared to off-campus. With few exceptions, almost all buildings have up-to-date, conveniently-located, and well-utilized bicycle parking. As the Sustainable Transportation team work diligently to ensure this quality service, I would encourage them should give themselves more credit by making this achievement readily visible.

What do you think about these maps? How can they be made more useful?

Bike Park is coming to Aggieland!

A mapview showing the Southeast Park on Rock Prairie Road
Satellite view of Southeast Park on Rock Prairie road East. (Nov. 2023)

How it began

  • August 24, 2023: College Station City Council discontinues Texas Independence Ballpark project – The Eagle (PDF)
    • Due to soil deficiencies discovered at the site, constructing large paved surfaces, such as parking lots, is not practically or financially feasible.
  • October 25, 2023: First presentation to the City Council. Kim spoke for the middle- and high school MTB team, and having safe spaces to allow more kids on bikes. Her impassioned speech, an act impossible to follow, starts at 16:25 of this video recording. (https://collegestationtx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3580/media)
Map view of Southeast park and Lick Creek Trail with green scribble lines for possible network of trails
Kim’s history making doodle of trails all across Southeast park and Lick Creek Trail (Oct. 2023)

Where things are now

  • October 30, 2023: Capital Projects held an open house public meeting. Among many great ideas presented, bike park/trails option received a strong support.
  • November 9, 2023: City Council meeting > Capital Projects Update. Site stabilization effort was deemed as an opportunity to quickly put together a prototype pump track/skills park. (Skip to 1:30:30: https://collegestationtx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3601/media)
  • November 20, 2023: (TBD) a follow-up presentation to the city council is planned, to emphasize that this bike park plan will be for All Ages & Abilities, instead of a niche sport need.
  • December 11, 2023: Capital Projects will update the council with a much broader plan.

Where we could go

Railyard Bike Park in Rogers, AR (Image credit: Arkansas.com)
  • Skills park for all levels: a bike playground for toddlers on balance bikes, and a pump track for intermediate to advanced level riders
  • Accessible by bike: Connect to Lick Creek Hike & Bike trail, as well as multi-use path being built along Rock Prarie Road
  • Integrate with other uses: a dog park, frisbee golf, running trails, and a greater greenspace. Perhaps even a coffee shop in the woods!
Airship Coffee at Coler MTB Preserve is located in the middle of a forest, within a half mile walk/bike from nearest parking lot. (Image credit: visitbentonville.com)

How You can help

Thanks and more soon!

College Station “Bicycle Friendly” – Be Heard!

The City of College Station recently applied for a Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists. The application review process is now underway and the League is seeking your input to gain a better understanding of local bicyclists’ experiences in our community.

Whether you bike every day or only occasionally, we encourage you to take a few minutes to fill out this survey (link below) and please share it with your friends and neighbors.  The survey will remain open through Sunday, November 15th. Your input will also provide feedback to the City about how we can improve conditions for bicyclists. Award results for the Bicycle Friendly Community designation will be announced in December 2020.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFC_Fall20

City of College Station Logo
City of College Station, Texas

Open Call for TxDOT Bicycle Advisory Committee Candidates

TxDOT is currently seeking candidates for the state’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC).  TxDOT’s BAC is made up of Texas bicycling community representatives, not affiliated with TxDOT, who are interested in advancing the consideration of bicycling and walking as part of transportation planning and development within Texas.  

TxDOT and the Texas Transportation Commission strive for a committee that is geographically balanced, professionally diverse, and representative of the growing and diverse Texas population.  To identify a broader pool of candidates, we are reaching out to professional organizations with connections to the many facets of active transportation, including engineering, planning, research, and bicycle-related industry.  Members accept the position knowing that this is not a paid position and that they will be asked to travel, at their own expense, to meet in Austin quarterly. (Note:  As conditions warrant, meetings may be held virtually.)

All candidates submitting their resume with a completed questionnaire will be considered.  The 2020 deadline for candidate BAC submissions to TxDOT is May 26, 2020.  

For more information about the BAC, please visit:  https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/public-transportation/bicycle-committee.html.  Should you have questions, feel free to contact TxDOT’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Program staff, Bonnie Sherman, AICP, at (512) 486-5972 or bonnie.sherman@txdot.gov or Noah Heath, AICP, at (512) 486-5973 or noah.heath@txdot.gov.  Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Bonnie Sherman, AICP

Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager

TxDOT Public Transportation Division

bonnie.sherman@txdot.gov

(512) 486-5972 (o)

(512) 571-9825 (m)

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/modes-of-travel/bicycle.html

Texas Tri-County Hill Hopper 2020

The upcoming Tri-County Hill Hopper will be Sunday, February 16th, 2020 with day of registration starting at 7am, the ride starting at 9am and that final route sweep beginning at 3pm. Registration is open and can be accessed from the website https://www.tchillhopper.org/ There are four routes available, ample hills and pleasant scenery. The ride starts and ends near Round Top, TX.

MPO Asks Public for Transportation Project Ideas (Call for Projects)

Release Date: March 22, 2019
Contact Person: Daniel Rudge, Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). (979) 260-5298 or drudge@bcsmpo.org

The Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is accepting public requests for transportation projects for consideration and prioritization for its Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP).  The MTP is the MPO’s document that identifies long-range transportation planning needs and recommendations to address transportation network issues within the Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Area during the next twenty-five years.  Transportation projects included in the MTP include major roadway projects related to improve mobility and safety (applicable roadways are shown on the MPOs 2050 Major Thoroughfare Concept available at www.bcsmpo.org), transit routes and equipment, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and projects related to the efficient movement of freight.

Those wishing to submit projects for consideration for inclusion in the MTP should do one of the following: 1) Contact Daniel Rudge via e-mail at drudge@bcsmpo.org; 2) Submit project requests in writing to the Bryan/College Station MPO, 309 North Washington Avenue, Suite 14 Bryan, TX 77803 or; 3) Go to the MPO website (www.bcsmpo.org), click on the Contact Us button and fill out the Submit a Comment Form. 

Please provide a detailed project description when submitting requests.  For roadway and bicycle and pedestrian facilities please provide the roadway/active transportation corridor name or route number, beginning and end points or intersection and what improvements should be made.  Project requests will be accepted until close of business on Friday, March 29, 2019.

Should the public need special accommodations to submit a request, contact Lisa Lyon at (979) 260-5298 or by e-mail at llyon@bcsmpo.org.

MPO Wants your Feedback on Future Cycling/Pedestrian Routes

The Active Transportation Advisory Panel (ATAP) of the MPO has developed a draft Active Transportation Master Plan. The plan is intended to serve as a guide for the development of a connected bicycle and pedestrian network in Brazos County. The plan includes facilities for all types of users, from recreational users to the highly confident bicycle rider.

We would like to receive your input on the plan. Two maps (one 11×17 the other a full size map for someone with a plotter) are linked below. If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns or other feedback please submit your comments here on our website. The ATAP will review all comments and make changes based on your feedback.

The map in two sizes:

Full Size (for plotter):

https://www.bcsmpo.org/DocumentCenter/View/473/Draft-BCSMPO-Regional-Bicycle-Pedestrian-Plan-Full-Size-20190304?bidId=

11×17 (harder to read)

https://www.bcsmpo.org/DocumentCenter/View/474/Draft-BCSMPO-Regional-Bicycle-Pedestrian-Plan-Tabloid-20190304

Comments requested:

https://www.bcsmpo.org/FormCenter/Contact-Us-5/Submit-a-Comment-44

What is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities.

What is Vision Zero?

The 2018 Benchmarking Report on Biking and Walking

https://bikeleague.org/content/press-release-new-report-league-american-bicyclists-shows-national-public-health-crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – February 8, 2019: In 1958, Walt Disney imagined the future of transit was a “Magic Highway” where technology and infrastructure combined for fast, uncongested, sedentary travel by car. In 2019, with the rates of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes rising and roads get deadlier for pedestrians and cyclists, the real solutions for better infrastructure are not found in 1950s futurism – they are found in the Bicycle Friendly Communities and States where more people are biking and walking, and fewer bicyclists and pedestrians are dying.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE 2018 BENCHMARKING REPORT ON BIKING AND WALKING »

Congress first authorized federal funding to improve infrastructure projects intended for bicyclists and pedestrians in 1991. In 25 years, the United States has made significant investments in infrastructure, but a review of data and official documents by the League of American Bicyclists for Bicycling & Walking in the United States: 2018 Benchmarking Report shows that more federal and state leadership is needed to make improvements in infrastructure. While forward-thinking advocates and city leaders have made progress for bicyclist and pedestrian safety at the local level, further leadership at the federal and state level is necessary to coordinate the design and implementation of cohesive, connected, and safe environments for bicycling and walking in America.

“The way we’re investing in infrastructure isn’t working,” said Ken McLeod, policy director with the League of American Bicyclists, and lead author of the 2018 Benchmarking Report. “There is a crisis in traffic safety and we have the tools to reduce the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed on our roads every year—we need leaders at the national and state levels to take action: adopt Complete Streets policies, draft and implement bike and pedestrian master plans, and build protected infrastructure.”

The 2018 Benchmarking Report is the sixth edition of the report, the first published by the League of American Bicyclists. By combining data analysis with the League’s research and data collection, the 2018 Benchmarking Report offers the most comprehensive look at national and regional statistics on bicycling and walking alongside an examination of the policies and plans, or lack thereof, to improve infrastructure for people biking and walking. In investigating the relationship between states with Complete Streets policies and/or bicycling and walking master plans, the League found that states with long-term and multiple actions on both had more growth in active transportation.

“The Benchmarking Report should be a wake-up call,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “While the state and safety of bicycling and walking may seem dire, it’s not all bad news. The data shows there are places like Oregon, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC, where officials are working with advocates on the ground to create communities that are more welcoming for bicyclists and pedestrians. Local bike advocates are working to meet their communities’ needs and make biking better—it’s time for state and federal leaders to empower local efforts.”

Produced with support from groups such as AARP and Toole Design Group, the 2018 Benchmarking Report demonstrates the urgency to create bikeable and walkable communities to not only save lives on the roadway, but also encourage healthy living options. Just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, of moderate to vigorous physical activity for adults can help prevent eight types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Even small amounts of physical activity each day have health benefits. Building Bicycle Friendly Communities and ones that enable even short trips to work, school, or the doctor’s office encourage healthier outcomes for everyone.

The 2018 Benchmarking Report contains state and city-level data charting the increases and declines in bicyclist and pedestrian safety, federal funding for active transportation infrastructure, policies and plans for biking and walking, and much more. A few noteworthy findings include:

  • Mississippi was the deadliest state for bicyclists with the highest average fatality rate per 10k bicycle commuters from 2012-2016. Mississippi also had the lowest percent of commuters biking to work in 2016 at .1 percent of the population.
  • Cities where the rate of biking to work is highest, like Portland, Oregon, and Washington, DC, have the lowest rate of bicyclist fatalities.
  • 71 percent of bicyclist deaths occurred in an urban area, with 61 percent occurring on principal or minor arterial roadways, which only make up 10 percent of the national roadway system.
  • 39 percent of biking trips and 35 percent of walking trips in 2017 were for social and/or recreational purposes.
  • 20 percent of biking trips in 2017 were to earn a living.
  • Women are underrepresented among people who bike to work, but there have been modest participation increases in recent years.
  • For people with an income below $25,000 per year, biking in an increasingly common method for taking trips.

A new initiative from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Active People, Healthy NationSM aims to get 27 million Americans more active by 2027. This initiative supports proven strategies to promote physical activity, including creating bikeable and walkable communities.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE 2018 BENCHMARKING REPORT ON BIKING AND WALKING »

The nearly 400-page 2018 Benchmarking Report contains graphs, maps, and tables touching nearly every topic related to bicycling and walking in the United States. Please contact communications@bikeleague.org to ask about specific cities or states, speak to an expert, or learn more about how your state and community can become more bicycle friendly.

 About the League of American Bicyclists 

The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org.

 

Chris Kochtitzky, MSP

Senior Advisor, Physical Activity Translation and Evaluation Team

Physical Activity and Health Branch

Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC

Phone: (770) 488-0545

E-mail: csk3@cdc.gov

Web: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/