1 day Ago By Shannon Ryan
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The City of Houston is paying to rip out protected bicycle lanes in Midtown that were installed using money from Harris County. Houston Public Works, under the direction of Mayor John Whitmire, started the project early this week. The department is turning the designated bicycle lanes along Austin Street into sharrows.
Sharrows are shared lanes for cars and bicycles. The department is also ripping out the concrete barriers that once separated the lanes. The work is being done as the city also improves water lines along the street, according to Whitmire.
The bicycle lanes were initially installed roughly a half-decade ago using approximately $2 million from Precinct One Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis' office. In a statement, Ellis said he was "deeply disappointed" to learn that the city removed the protected bikeway on Austin Street, especially since my office fully funded the project." Several sources confirmed that the City of Houston agreed to take over maintenance for the bike lanes from the county.
However, at this time, ABC13 has been unable to confirm whether the city performed any maintenance on the bike lane and, if so, the scope and cost. Whitmire said the need for maintenance factored into his decision to remove the bike lanes. ABC13 asked Whitmire how much the bike lane project will cost.
"We'll let you know when it's finished. It's public safety, you don't put a cost on public safety," Whitmire said. Whitmire said the project will improve public safety for those using vehicles on Austin Street, including Houston Firefighters at Station Number 7.
Firefighters at Station Number 7 declined to comment when contacted by ABC13 Tuesday. ABC13 spoke with Douglas Gallardo Jr., who believes the project will negatively impact his safety.
Gallardo commutes exclusively via bicycle and said he uses the Austin Street bike lanes several times a week to attend Houston Community College. Gallardo was hit by a truck in a bike lane on Lamar Street in 2024. There are no concrete barriers where he was hit.
"Now that (the Mayor is) taking out these bike lanes, it makes it even worse," Gallardo said. News of the project broke after results from a Texas Public Information Act request were shared with the advocacy group BikeHouston. "Mayor Whitmire ran on a platform of transparency and public safety.
Tearing out a bike lane without any public notice, without any public input, that's not transparency, and that's certainly not public safety," said BikeHouston Director Joe Cutrufo. Whitmire rebutted that the project was done with public input because it is being conducted in response to public input he said he has received from residents. Those on both sides of the issue spoke at Houston City Council Tuesday, including First Lutheran Church Pastor Evan McClanahan.
McClanahan said he was in favor of removing the bike lanes to improve parking. "I think it's a fantasy that we will have a critical mass of motorists who replace their cars for bicycles. It's not going to happen.
It's too hot," McLanahan said. Whitmire dismissed BikeHouston as a "special interest group that is promoting bike lanes whether they're needed or not. The bike lanes need to be on the connectivity of the bayous.
" Cutrufo argued that the bike lane serves as the "spine of Houston's bike network" running between Hermann Park and Buffalo Bayou Park. "Houston needs leadership that is more in touch with what families want, with what young Houstonians want, with what working professionals want, and what they want is choices in how they get around, not just for recreation but for transportation too," he said. For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook , X and Instagram .
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