Columbia TAP Bike Trail opens tomorrow

In January, a small item ran in National Geographic called "The Bicycle Bump," which noted that Houston had an increase of 235% in the number of bike racks installed on city buses. (Houston went from 1,510 to a whopping 5,059 bikes.)

The conclusion? Bike riding in our city is on a roll. Thanks in no small part to Mayor Bill White's personal vendetta against Houston's former label of "Fattest City." White, an avid cyclist, helped establish the Tour de Houston bike ride (which will take place March 22) along with Senator Rodney Ellis, also a bike-lover. The two have been instrumental in creating a safe and convenient way for cyclists to get around in the city that oil built.

Both men will help celebrate the grand opening of Houston's newest bikeways project, an addition of more than four miles to the already completed Rails to Trails pathways that will soon link the Houston Heights to trails as far south as Texas Southern University.

At 8:30 a.m., cyclists will meet at Discovery Green to ride the new leg of the trail, called the Columbia TAP. White and Ellis will be participating in the 4-mile ride, which departs at 9 a.m.

The Rails to Trails project aims to convert old easements used by old railroads into 10-foot-wide concrete multi-use pathways for biking, hiking and more. The Columbia TAP trail goes from Dixie Drive past Polk Street into Downtown, and runs between Dowling Street and Scott Street. It also links up with the city's already completed Polk bike lanes, McGowan and Alabama bike routes, Brays Bayou Trail, and the Dixie bike route which includes a bicycle and pedestrian bridge across Highway 288.

The MKT/SP Rails to Trails Project, which runs through the Heights, linking the area near Washington and Montrose with neighborhoods closer to Heights Blvd north of I-10, is also expected to be completed this year. All the trails include pedestrian crossings at intersections, landscaping with native trees and standard lighting throughout the public trail corridor.

Tomorrow's ride will go from Discovery Green to TSU, where the ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. From there, the ride will head to Hermann Park and other locations now linked by the project. Following the ceremony, METRO will give a presentation on how to use the newly-added bike racks which front several of the city's buses.

Around 10:30, the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department and The Park People will begin a tree-planting drive, with the goal of planting 350 trees in different locations along the trail, including in front of the Third Ward Bike Shop. The tree-planting is part of Mayor White's Million Trees + Houston initiative.

Columbia TAP Bike Trail Grand Opening
Admission: Free
Date and Time: 8:30 a.m. tomorrow
Location: Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, Downtown

Photo courtesy of flickr user pixeltopia