Houston is all about bicycles
A bicycle is a conversation starter.
“It opens up conversations with people who need to ride their bikes more,” said Clark Martinson, executive director of BikeHouston, a nonprofit that works with the city to create safe bikeways for bicyclists. “They’ll have that conversation with a neighbor who is riding a bike, and they become bike buddies. Then they’ll encourage them to do more errands on their bike, visit friends on their bike, commute to work on their bike.”
May is National Bike Month, and Houston’s cycling community is playing host to events aimed at getting people out of their cars and on bicycle seats instead.
On Tuesday, BikeHouston will host a free class for bicyclefriendly driving at its office, 616 Hawthorne. The class is free, but a reservation is required at BikeHouston.org/calendar. Regular bike rides and classes can be found on BikeHouston’s online calendar.
“Absolutely, we would like to see more people driving their cars respectfully and (be) aware of people on bikes,” Martinson said.
One-on-one bicycling classes are offered weekly on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and every other Saturday afternoon at the lower level of the Bioscience Research Collaborative parking garage on the Rice University campus, 6500 Main. The instructors are certified by the League of American Bicyclists.
The two-part class is $50 per hour, and all students must be BikeHouston members. Memberships are $40 a year and include notice of membersonly rides and discounts at local bike shops and businesses.
Houston BCycle’s inaugural fundraiser “Keep Houston Rolling” will be held 5 to 11 p.m. May 31 at Saint Arnold Brewing Co.’s beer garden, 2000 Lyons. Donations are encouraged.
There will be free drink couples for donors, BCycle T-shirts and hats for sale as well as stationary cycle races and a raffle. Funds raised will go toward expanding the city’s network of bicycles and cycling advocacy.
Houston BCycle maintains 635 bikes at 90 citywide stations. Typical pricing for the service is $3 per 30 minutes or $9 per month for unlimited 60-minute rides.
“We’re one of the bigger BCycle networks in the nation, and we’re planning to have 23 more stations by the end of this year,” said Abby Fernandez, marketing and outreach manager for Houston BCycle. “That will give a lot more people opportunities to get around the city in an affordable and sustainable way.”
In addition to Houston, BCycle networks operate in Austin, San Antonio, McAllen, El Paso and Fort Worth.
Wearing a bicycle helmet is always encouraged. In partnerships with Bike Barn, 5339 Weslayan, and Ham Cycles, 2309 Dunlavy, BCycle members receive 20 percent off helmets and accessories.
BikeHouston and BCycle have worked with the Houston Parks Board to craft the Bayou Greenways 2020 project, which will add more than 80 new miles of trails along the bayous within the city limits and will provide access to 3,000 acres of green space in those areas, according to the parks board.