Houston's Pat Walsh Bikeway makes headway
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The proposed naming of a bike route in honor of late Houston planning director Pat Walsh is closer to reality, although the section of path honoring him is shorter than advocates had hoped.
Catch up quick: In August 2023, community advocates and Walsh's widow, Lindsey Aldrich Walsh, asked the city to officially designate nearly 10 miles of existing streets, paths and bike lanes from North Loop 610 and Nicholson Street south to Texas Medical Center as the Pat Walsh Bikeway.
- They proposed a route running north-south, connecting the Greater Heights, Buffalo Bayou Park, Montrose and the Rice area.
Context: Walsh, who helmed the Houston Planning and Development Department from 2013 until his death from brain cancer in 2018, helped champion the Houston Bike Plan, which prescribes 1,800 miles of bike lanes across the city.
- He also helped kick off a "paradigm shift" in the city's transportation planning policy that former Mayor Sylvester Turner often cited when touting projects like bike lanes and public transit improvements.
Flashback: Turner posted on social media in 2018 supporting efforts to memorialize Walsh, saying, "As we build more bike lanes, it is important that we name one after him."
Driving the news: A shortened version of the proposal is now in the public comment stage after making its way through Houston's Bicycle Advisory Committee, which advises city staff on bicycle-related issues.
- Members of the public can register and comment on the city's website or send an email to the Planning and Development Department from now until Sept. 8.
What they're saying: Aldrich Walsh said she's eager for the designation to finally be approved by the city after she spent years advocating for the honor.
- "The naming of a bikeway creates a lot of legitimacy, visibility, wayfinding, all of those great things," she tells Axios.
The intrigue: Aldrich Walsh and advocates were hoping the full 10-mile segment would be considered.
- That version incorporated existing and future bike lanes proposed by the Houston Bike Plan and other grassroots proposals, like an additional pedestrian bridge over White Oak Bayou in the Heights.
Yes, but: After reviewing the route, city planners instead proposed shortening the designation to a 0.8-mile portion of Woodhead Street in Montrose.
- In a feasibility study published in March, planners said designating the full 10 miles proves challenging because the city of Houston has no control over property and right-of-way at various points along the originally proposed route.
- They also said they did not find "a well-defined connection" between Walsh and some of the neighborhoods where the route would intersect.
What's next: The Bicycle Advisory Committee will vote on advancing the proposal Oct. 23.
- If approved, it will be up to Mayor John Whitmire and City Council for final approval.