Possibly as early as October, 2014, the City of Houston will install a two-way protected bike lane. The projected bike lane will be installed along Lamar Street in downtown Houston. It should help connect the Downtown are to both the Buffalo Bayou and Columbia Tap Trails. Initial plans call for the bike lane to be distinguished from the existing black-top road by being painted green. The bike trial will further be separated form vehicle traffic by what is called an armadillo. An armadillo is a hard plastic round hump which extends a few inches from the road. It is often used to designate a specific lane for certain types of traffic. In this case it will be used to designate a bicycle-only lane.
Michael Payne, the Executive Director of Bike Houston, said “the objective of the bike lane project is to make people feel comfortable about biking and getting out of their cars.” The length of the bike trail should be around three quarters of a mile long. Although there is hope that it will be lengthened and/or other bike trails installed elsewhere in the city. Jeff Weatherford, the director of traffic operations for the city’s Department of Public Works, said that Lamar Street was chosen as the initial sight to add the bike lane because the lane being converted is largely used for parking purposes.
The soon to be bike lane adds more than just conveyance for riders; it adds an element of safety that has been missing in Houston. There have been multiple injuries and deaths to Houston cyclists in 2014 alone. This bike lane should provide cyclists the much needed buffer between themselves and motor vehicles that has been lacking in Houston for some time.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a cycling accident, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.
http://offthekuff.com/wp/?p=62452
http://streetsblog.net/2014/08/27/downtown-houston-will-get-its-first-protected-bike-lane/