December 5, 2022

Hello again,

Have you read the recent Houston Chronicle article on the Blodgett Street bike lanes? If you did not see it, it is here: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/Blodgett-bike-lane-divides-community-17615431.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HC_AfternoonReport&utm_term=headlines&sid=5d0666243f92a46667dfe8db

There will be a Town Hall Meeting hosted by Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz at Pilgrim Church, 3115 Blodgett on Thursday 12/8 at 6 pm.  Please think about attending this meeting! You can see updates on the church website here: https://www.pilgrimchurchhouston.com/

Seems that County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the City of Houston planning department (that’s Margaret Wallace Brown, David Fields and others) and TSU engaged with everyone (those who bike, TSU, UH) except the folks directly affected. Sound familiar?

Apparently businesses and residents of Blodgett Street were not informed that 2 of 4 travel lanes will be converted to bike lanes.  Maybe like 11th Street, they generally knew some bike lanes were involved in the project but not that 2 whole travel lanes would be eliminated and converted into bike lanes. Some folks are rightly upset about the lack of community engagement.

This is a story with which we are unfortunately acquainted. Seems the city’s grand poobahs are using a stealth strategy, neighborhood by neighborhood, to install their desired bike lanes under the pretext of improving streets for all users, including pedestrians and bicyclists, to reduce deaths and serious injuries (blah, blah). In this instance, there is a difference from what occurred with 11th Street. The Blodgett Street project actually includes expanded sidewalks. 11th Street got no improved sidewalks, only bike lanes where vehicle lanes once were. 

But this is *not about sour grapes, or what one side of town got vs. what another got. It is about the missing communication with those affected by disruptive changes. As with the 11th Street project, CM Evans-Shabazz says the community does not object to bike lanes, they just disagree with putting them on Blodgett Street.

Interesting that CM Evans-Shabazz had no response to our multiple entreaties to city council. Maybe because 11th Street was not in her jurisdiction. But she now appears to be taking an interest in her own constituents’ concerns about road diets. Compare and contrast with CM Abbie Kamin and CM Karla Cisneros who actively rebuked us.

This is not the fight for 11th Street, but it is strongly related due to no prior communication with the community before the project went forward. Blodgett Street needs your support by adding to the number of folks actually showing up for the town hall. Not just lip service or social media. Rest assured the bicycle community will show up in numbers to make it appear that there is overwhelming support for the bike lanes. The city and county need to understand that folks affected by their social engineering efforts are not happy with the manipulation.

Will you spend an hour at this meeting? You could make a difference.