14 www.ChangeMediaOnline.com ACTIVISM | her ground Outdoor Enthusiasts UNITE By Holly Beretto A group of Clear Lake area residents recently joined forces with the City of Houston on a ride to discover ways to make bicycle routes safer. Bikeways and walkways encourage quality of lif e in the Bay Area R esidents of—and visitors to—the Bay Area don’t need anyone to tell them there’s a huge outdoor life component to the water-bordered lands south ofHouston’s concrete canyons. It’s not unusual to see kayakers on the water and families enjoying the parks. It is, however, a trie more difcult to cycle along the area’s roadways, or walk from home to shops. Now, the City of Houston is looking to change that. A proposed study is in the works to take into consideration the safety and mobility needs for cyclists and pedestrians in the Clear Lake area. It’s a collaborative effort between the City of Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering and the Houston-Galveston Area Council, each of which is providing $50,000. “This study is part of Houston’s continued effort to connect centers of great cultural, economic and educational signicance, as well as wonderfully diverse residential neighborhoods,” says Dan Raine, the bicyclist-pedestrian coordinator in Houston’s public works and engineering department. “The city of Houston nominated this segment of Clear Lake for study in order to develop potential improvement projects to enhance the feasibility and functionality of walking and biking trips between the various commercial and residential land uses, with an emphasis on providing connections to major employer centers.” The initial goals of the project focus on providing opportunities for bikers and walkers of all levels, so that any bikeways or walkways built ensure the safety of area residents, and providing greater connectivity for bikers and walkers between destinations. Raine says that while Clear Lake has beneted from several transportation improvements, few of those enhancements have been for pedestrians and cyclists. He concedes that even though most of the area’s roadways have sidewalks, several
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