this is a bicycle parking garage.

simply amazing.

Bike to Work Week

Fernando Bertrand
Chief of Police/Director of Security
Texas Medical Center
(713) 791-6129
fbertrand@texasmedicalcenter.org

TMC Bike-to-Work Day May 18th

HOUSTON – If you ride your bike to work in the Texas Medical Center or are
considering dusting off that two-wheeler to be healthier and save money on fuel and
parking, come to the celebration of Bike-to-Work week at the John P. McGovern
Commons on May 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

New bike commuters will join hundreds of other cyclists who make the Texas
Medical Center the most “biked-to” workplace in the city of Houston. In the midst of an
epidemic of obesity and sedentary living, this kind of physical activity makes TMC a
model for the rest of the city.

“Biking to work can be a safe activity with the right equipment and knowledge
about safety rules,” said Fernando Bertrand, Texas Medical Center Chief of Police. Any
cyclist will need a dependable bicycle, a helmet and lights for both the front and back of
your bicycle, as well as knowledge about the local and state cycling laws. The City of
Houston and the League of American Bicyclists provide a free online course on traffic
skills for bicyclists.

The Texas Medical Center Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Committee plans to provide
information on safe cycling through this event. Taking part will be members of The
University of Texas at Houston Police Department and Texas Medical Center Police
and Security Services, representatives of BikeHouston (a local advocacy group) and
instructors in safe cycling. Planetary Cycles, a local bicycle shop, will also have
examples of good bike locks, lights, and other safety equipment needed for commuting
in the city.

Also – please take this survey about bicycling that will be used to
advocate for safer routes and better laws to encourage bicycle commuting.
“The city of Houston and BikeHouston have set May 20th for the local Bike-to-
Work day this year. In the morning, cyclists from around the city will converge on City
Hall downtown. Setting the TMC event two days earlier means that dedicated cyclists
can take part in both,” Bertrand said.

Bike to work week should be every week, but take the challenge and start now!

Still not convinced? Here are more reasons to ride your bike.

Swank Style for the Cycle Enthusiast

Delightful discovery on DoobyBrain.com this month: Bicycle Cufflinks

They're only on pre-order and already sold-out! Available in stainless steel, brass and gold.

Might be a nice promo item for SCCS, yes yes?

An Email from BikeHouston

Amidst the planning of our project for class, I emailed BikeHouston.org - their chairman responded to me today:

From: Darren
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 11:10
To: Garza, Rocio
Subject: FW: Bike Share Houston?

Rocio, I would be happy to talk with you about BikeHouston. Feel free to give me a call at your convenience.

Thanks,

Darren

Chairman, BikeHouston

Although the semester is over, I am preparing to get in touch with them. Anyone have any thoughts?

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On a related note, BikeHouston.org is continuing to raise money to "support cycling advocacy and improv[e] cyclist infrastructure and awareness in Houston."

For more information and to make your $5 donation via PayPal, visit their homepage: http://bikehouston.org/

Correction

"Rusty Riders" meet every Sunday at 9am at Hickory Hollow (101 S. Heights Blvd). They linked our blog to their Facebook page, so excited to have you guys on board!

Rides! Rides! Rides!

If you're interested in getting into the swing of bike riding, I've got some news for you. There is a multitude of rides you can go on in Houston! For example, on Tuesday evenings around 7:30 p.m., a group of in-line skaters ride about 15 miles, and many bike riders join. I've done this ride twice already, and I LOVE IT. It's a great workout, and you visit a bar half-way, which is always a plus. There are individuals of different skill levels, so if you haven't been on your bike in a while, you'll be fine. Everyone is super friendly, and it's a great social activity - not to mention good for your health and the environment. In addition, a group called "Rusty Riders" rides on Thursday nights and some Saturdays. They had a pub crawl two Saturdays ago as well. If you're interested, go to http://www.facebook.com/RustyRidersHouston?ref=ts, and add them as a friend. There you'll get all the updates on their rides.

I will be updating periodically on more rides.

How-To...

I just tried the search query "how to start a bike share program" and Google came up with some informative results:

• http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/freebike/starting.htm#Starting
• http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com/

Also, I found an exciting article from the Boston Globe about Mayor Menino's $6 million dollar deal to start a bike-share program in Boston. It will be a welcome relief for many from the crowded MBTA buses and trains, hopefully! Where was this when I was living there less than a year ago?!

It's time to get Houston on board, people!