{"id":20882,"date":"2013-04-04T23:22:09","date_gmt":"2013-04-05T04:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.texbiker.net\/blog\/?p=20882"},"modified":"2013-04-04T23:22:09","modified_gmt":"2013-04-05T04:22:09","slug":"texas-bicycling-blog-and-news-roundup-for-april-4th-3-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texbiker.net\/blog\/2013\/04\/04\/texas-bicycling-blog-and-news-roundup-for-april-4th-3-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 4th"},"content":{"rendered":"

Houston Bike SHARE Program Expands<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nBy: CICELY MITCHELL\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0houston.cbslocal.com
\nHOUSTON (CBS Houston) Bicycle riding in Houston just got easier and friendlier, thanks to the city of Houston expanding and adding several bicycle stations.<\/p>\n

This week, the city of Houston\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bike Share Program\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is expanding, with the help of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (BCBSTX) $750,000 commitment, U.S. DOE funding, widespread use of bicycles and…<\/p>\n

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Franklin Mountains State Park adds land<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nBy Pam LeBlanc \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0Fit City
\n\"\"
\nA West Texas park is about to grow by more than 600 acres.<\/p>\n

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved the purchase of about 658 acres to expand Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso.<\/p>\n

The addition will expand the park into the high desert country to the west, bringing its total acreage to more than…<\/p>\n

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Regional Connections Before Local Connections #2<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nBike Friendly Arlington
\nDisappointment.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we feel. Nearly 2 years since we fought for on-street bicycle infrastructure in Arlington, to make the city safer, and more accessible by its residents, the city has yet to install any of the planned bike routes.<\/p>\n

To add to the disappointment is the finger-in-the-eye announcement that the city is funding a multi-year bus pilot program at the cost of $350,000 a year i.e. Pilot bus project could begin rolling in Arlington by August, and Passengers would pay $5 to $8 fare on Arlington bus service to Centre Port. In terms of bike infrastructure, that is the entire on-street portion…<\/p>\n

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Walnut Wednesday Workday<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nThe Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
\nWednesday, April 10, 2013\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a05:30 PM
\nWalnut Creek Metropolitan Park
\n12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)
\nwestern edge of the parking lot
\nWalnut Wednesday Workday April 10th from 5:30 PM til Dark<\/p>\n

All:
\nWe will be conducting a Walnut Wednesday Workday on Wednesday April 10th from 5:30PM til dark.
\nIf you cannot meet us on the western edge of the parking lot, we will be working at the bottom of the Powerline Hill repairing erosion and…<\/p>\n

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Why More Bicycle Rental Stations Could Improve Houston’s Bike Friendliness<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nby: Florian Martin\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0kuhf.org
\n\"\"
\nDuring the official launch of the completion of Phase II of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Houston B-Cycle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d bike sharing program, Mayor Annise Parker says less than a year ago, there were many who questioned the wisdom of offering the program here.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People that are downtown, you know, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in their business suits. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to want to ride around. Where would you even go downtown?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

But almost a year later, the model turned out to be quite successful. So successful that the program has now been expanded to 21 stations with 175 bikes from the initial…<\/p>\n

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April 12, 2013: Bike to Work Day<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nwww.bikehouston.org
\nThe City of Houston is working towards providing a city-wide bikeway network to enhance mobility for all skill levels of bicyclists and for all transportation purposes: commuter, recreation, social and tourism. Although more than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, lack of knowledge and incentive has deterred many from commuting by bike. Hundreds of U.S. cities have been successful in increasing bicycle commuters by offering enticements on Bike to Work Day. …<\/p>\n

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You Can Bike on Austin Highways (And Yes, It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Horrible Idea)<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nBy Bobby Blanchard\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0www.kutnews.org
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\nDespite general public perception \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and all standards of common sense \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually legal to ride bicycles on the state highway.<\/p>\n

Recently, users on the Austin page of Reddit got into a heated discussion about the legality of riding a bike on Mopac, when one user posted a photo of a couple people doing just that.<\/p>\n

Some users cited the signs that went up prohibiting bikes on the highway, while others cited reports and ordinances that did not mention a…<\/p>\n

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Sitting in With Mountain Bike Club Member Grant Spring<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
\nBicycle Sport Shop’s Official Cycling Blog
\n\"\"
\nTake a Kid Mountain Biking Day. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those events where we almost always have an over abundance of participants and volunteers. Everyone wants to be a part of it, because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just plain fun. Introducing kids to the joys of cycling and the fun and challenge of riding trails, in an environment where they can learn from peers and eperienced riders alike. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to like?<\/p>\n

To hear the kids that participate tell it, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a really great event. And for a few kids, it gets them hooked on mountain biking in a way that takes them from cruising neighborhood trails and riding…<\/p>\n

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Tweets<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Reports from the field indicate Marla nailed 2nd place from a heroic 2 woman breakaway with Claire from Jubilee-Subaru. Niiizzee<\/p>\n

— ATC Racing (@ATCRacingTeam) April 5, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n