Texas Bicycling News – October 26, 2023
Wellness on Wheels aims to tackle teen mental health at Milby HS
By Rosie Nguyen | abc13.com
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – High school can often be one of the hardest times in a teenager’s life. That’s why one counselor wanted to find a way that students could work on their mental health beyond conventional therapy.
Rene Gonzalez spends a lot of time with students at Milby High School on some of the toughest days of their lives. Nearly 95 percent of their student population identifies as Hispanic and Latino.
As a counselor for Communities in Schools of Houston with two decades of experience in …
Blog: Cross country – Southern Tier
By sedona_rocks | www.crazyguyonabike.com
Bob Hake’s journey across the USA from September 2023 to November 2023
#1: Day 31: 10/24/23 Johnson City to Austin, TX (thread) By sedona_rocks on Tue 24 Oct 2023 15:01 (US/Pacific) Reply (1) Rating: (0) The wind was pretty stiff last night-it bent the sides and top of the tent into my face several times as I was lying on my cot. But everything held up and the rain held off until after we woke up. We saw a little bit of everything today on the ride into Austin – rain, sun, headwinds, crosswinds, hills and traffic. The same wind that we experienced last night was in our face much of the ride today. Several of us ducked into a coffee shop for coffee and croissants during one downpour. Today we biked up two of the steepest hills we’ve seen yet. The ride finished with some urban riding through the suburbs to the central city to our hotel which is very close to the state capitol building. Because we couldn’t check in till 3, several of us stopped at a saloon with outdoor seating and waited out another downpour. The Motel8 is not bad, all things considered. We’ll cook out this evening and have a day off tomorrow.
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 26, 2023
Tonight's forecast looks mostly clear, so we're on as scheduled for Biketoberfest. See you at 5:00! https://t.co/tagTb1tV1k pic.twitter.com/oxBf7yn0DP
— BikeHouston (@BikeHouston) October 26, 2023
Safe Streets Austin is excited to announce our Fall Membership Drive! ?
— Safe Streets Austin (@safestreetsatx) October 26, 2023
Help us reach 200 new members by 12/31 to support our exciting goals in 2024!
Find out more about our 2024 plans and sign up as a Member: https://t.co/kt3mBYSiEf pic.twitter.com/8g4iQ5X3mZ
Bike ride, EaDo murals (8-10 miles) https://t.co/I40wnCeGYA #Meetup via @Meetup
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 26, 2023
Bike ride: Critical Mass "Halloween edition" 12-18 miles? https://t.co/L8hV3DupxS #Meetup via @Meetup
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 26, 2023
Paris Police Reports October 25, 2023
myparistexas.com
On Wednesday, October 25 around 12:32pm; as a Paris Patrol Lieutenant was patrolling in the 900 block of Bonham Street; a white male riding a new-looking bicycle, resembling the recent $5000 reported stolen bicycle, caught his attention. An investigative stop was effected on the subject, who was identified and claimed that he had bought the bicycle for $175 around a week ago from a guy on the Trail De Paris. The serial number sticker had deliberately been destroyed. The victim arrived on scene and the bicycle was tentatively identified as his and released to him. The subject cooperated with officers and was also released from the scene. The case is still under investigation.
$345M approved for Texas pedestrian, bicycle projects
by: Matt McGovern | www.conchovalleyhomepage.com
AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 44) – The Texas Transportation Commission has approved more than $345 million for projects across the state.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the money will go towards new sidewalks, bikeways and other types of infrastructure to help improve safety and enhance quality of life in Texas communities. There are 83 projects in development involving schools, jobs, public transit and local destinations.
TxDOT says this historic investment in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is more than six times as much funding compared to the last Transportation Alternatives call for projects when it was $55 million in 2021.
Some of the projects approved include sidewalks connecting to schools and transit options, shared-use paths benefiting both pedestrians and cyclists, new pedestrian bridges and 15 planning studies. All projects were selected after a competitive call for projects from cities and counties across the state.
To see a full list of projects, you can go to #### txdot.gov.
TxDOT awards nearly $7 million to Coleman & Abilene for sidewalk installation
by: Shelly Womack | www.bigcountryhomepage.com
BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded the City of Coleman nearly $5 million and the City of Abilene almost $2 million for the installation of sidewalks, improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. Abilene residents voice concerns on lack of sidewalks, City plans for new developments
The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved more than $345 million in funding to go towards 83 projects that will provide new sidewalks, bikeways, and other pedestrian infrastructures.
“This is a major investment in …
Austin’s MetroBike program gets $11.3M boost from federal grant
Cristal Corrales | www.austintexas.gov
AUSTIN, Texas – The City of Austin has been awarded $11.3 million in federal grant funding to expand and enhance its popular MetroBike bike share program and transition fully to electric bicycles. The grant was awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Transportation Alternative Set-Aside (TASA) grant program, which is funded through the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.
The City of Austin owns the MetroBike bikes and stations, which are operated and maintained by CapMetro through an interlocal agreement. This grant will enable CapMetro to replace and expand the 81 stations and 800 bicycles focused in downtown Austin, tripling the reach and density of the public bike-share system throughout …
325 students across three schools find joy in riding new bicycles
by: Zachary Bordner | www.yourbasin.com
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Second graders across three elementary schools at Midland ISD were the recipients of new bicycles and helmets, thanks to a donation from Oxy and the Wish for Wheels program.
On Thursday morning, MISD says more than 50 volunteers assembled brand new bicycles and distributed them with helmets to second grade students at Bunche, Lamar, and Scharbauer Elementary Schools.
City of San Antonio partners, local coalition advance updates to ‘complete streets’ policy
Mason Hickok | www.ksat.com
San Antonio adopted its current complete streets policy in 2011
SAN ANTONIO – Efforts to promote street safety and active living are occurring at the city level thanks in part to work by the San Antonio Streets Coalition.
With October being National Pedestrian Safety Month, coalition members believe the collaboration is happening at no better time.
According to a 2022 report from Smart Growth America, San Antonio was ranked as the 20th most dangerous city for pedestrian safety. Data in the report was gathered from 2016 to 2020. …
The Woodlands Township is awarded a $7.5 million grant for 5-mile pathway project
By: The Woodlands Township | www.woodlandsonline.com
THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Texas Transportation Commission has announced the allocation of a substantial federal grant to The Woodlands Township, furthering its commitment to sustainable, multi-modal transportation infrastructure. This grant, totaling $7,471,861, is set to drive the development of a 5-mile bicycle and pedestrian pathway project, enhancing accessibility for residents located on both the west and east sides of I-45.
This remarkable funding, representing 80% of the overall project cost, will empower the creation of a pathway commencing at FM 1488 and extending parallel to Hwy. 242. The pathway will then take a northward trajectory …
Round the Block: The last leg
By Curtis Stoker | www.crazyguyonabike.com
Day 34 – Austin to Buecher State Park: Rain and more rain ??
Thursday October 26, 2023, 53 miles (85 km) – Total so far: 1,813 miles (2,918 km) Going to bed last night we knew we were going to have a huge probability for rain and Mother Nature did not let us down. It was raining when we woke and went to breakfast in the motel and we pretty much had rain all day. We waited for a break in the weather but it didn’t take long to start showering on us after we left.
Getting out of Austin was a good ride. I do like going through the urban streets looking at houses and businesses. For much of it there was a bike path. It ended up putting us on this road that was pretty busy and that is when it just started pouring. Lighting and thunder started and it just got too dangerous to be in the road. There was this construction business that we ran into and we went in and just waited out the storm on the leeward side of the building. We we’re probably there a half hour. As soon as things let up we were off again.
We came to the City of Bastrop and the …
