BikeTexas members have informed Texas Bicycle Coalition of two bike bans recently posted in north Texas, one on FM 455 in Anna in Collin County and the other on Keller-Smithfield Road, just off FM 1709, in Keller in Tarrant County.

Coalition staff is consulting with transportation attorneys and working on a response. Staff plans to contact city officials about these issues. Depending upon the response from officials, the Coalition may need to ask for member action, so please stay tuned for an update in the near future.

Texas Bicycle Coalition is coordinating an effort to collect and distribute used bicycles to thousands of Katrina evacuees. The Coalition needs your support and help to make this project a reality.

 During the first phase of this project, the Coalition is seeking partnerships with other organizations, corporations and faith-based groups across the country that have the capacity to collect and store 50 or more working bicycles and handle some administrative responsibilities, possibly including fundraising for transportation costs. If your organization fits this description and is interested in helping, please contact Audrey Warren at This email address is being protected from spam bots, enable JavaScript to view it. .

This project will be funded exclusively by donations made to the BikeTexas Katrina BikeAid Fund, and any excess funds raised will be donated to the American Red Cross. If you would like to support this effort, please visit the Katrina BikeAid donation page.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast this week, countless people lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their means of transportation. Thousands of people from neighboring Louisiana have taken refuge in cities and towns across Texas. Texas Bicycle Coalition is working with the Texas bicycle community to coordinate a thoughtful and concerted response.

Several staff members visited the Toney Burger Center in Austin, a local Red Cross shelter for hurricane victims, on August 31 to assess need and determine how the cycling community may be able to help. As a result of this visit, and with growing support from the bicycle industry and our membership, Texas Bicycle Coalition is spearheading efforts to provide bicycle education and recreation to the thousands of refugee children living at Red Cross shelters.

Texas Bicycle Coalition and Bicycle Coalition of Washington
Team up to Guide Ride for State Legislators

Texas Bicycle Coalition helped guide the first-annual ride for state legislators at the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators on Friday, August 19 in Seattle, Washington.

While legislators from across the country descended upon Seattle to exchange ideas and work on challenging national issues, they were able to get in a little recreation and spend some quality time on a bike.

Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis [D – Houston] and Washington State Representative Fred Jarrett [R – 41st District] hosted the bi-partisan road ride through Seattle. Senator Ellis asked Texas Bicycle Coalition to coordinate with the Bicycle Alliance of Washington to guide state legislators on the ride. Montlake Bicycle Shop in Seattle donated bikes for legislators to ride.

{attractor float=left}Texas Bicycle Coalition played a pivotal role in the passage of the new Federal Transportation bill. {/attractor}Texas Bicycle Coalition played a pivotal role in the passage of the new Federal Transportation bill.. Working with Texas bicycle dealers and industry leaders, cycling clubs and scores of individual members, Texas Bicycle Coalition succeeded in delivering a powerful message to our Congressional delegates. 

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-Legacy for Users -- a long title for a huge bill that required 11 extensions to finalize. The Federal Transportation bill that was signed by President Bush in August 2005 is a landmark for the cycling community.

Several key programs will receive increased funding, including the Recreational Trails program, Transportation Enhancements program, and the Congestion and Mitigation of Air Quality program. The new bill also launches a $612 million Safe Routes to School program for the entire nation. At a time when funding for many programs is being slashed, our leaders have demonstrated that they recognize the need to improve conditions for bicycling in the US.

Another round of studies of the I-69 branch of the Trans-Texas Corridor is nearing completion. A project of the national highway system, I-69 could add several thousand miles of new roadway along the 1600 mile Corridor that is proposed to cut through southern and eastern Texas . . . and you can bet that none of those miles will be appropriate for cycling.

Many rural highways will likely be buried beneath the new Corridor. At a public meeting in Katy last month, one of the alignments being considered included FM 359 and Winner Foster Road, near Fulshear.