The Micromobility Dilemma

The Micromobility Ordinance, on which I am neutral, brings up a larger issue which I think the City, County, and many, many jurisdictions around the world are grappling with simultaneously, which is: what to do about electric micromobility devices on trails for pedestrians and bicyclists?

My perspective as a bicycle rider (100% human powered) and as a pedestrian is that at times I feel I am being chased off of sidewalks and paths; facilities that were originally intended for human beings powering their own bodies through space, either using just their feet, using a bicycle, wheelchair, or pushing a scooter or a skateboard.

If people showed up on City and County trails on micromobility devices powered by gasoline or diesel powered engines going {putt,putt,putt,putt} I don't think there would be any question that these would be out of place and illegally used on sidewalks and paths.

But because they are new tech (actually they are very old tech... electric vehicles pre-date gasoline vehicles), they get a kind of psychological cover, a "newness bullsh*t Tesla-fication screen":

Here are some false arguments you always hear around micromobility:

"Micromobility is the way of the future - GenZ future voters love e-mobility, so you Mr. or Ms. Politician should embrace it - it's ecological - it can do no harm"

It's probably true that micromobility is more ecological than cars... but they are causing a rash of deadly fires all across the world. 

In 2023, 18 people died in New York City alone due to e-mobility caused battery charging fires

September 2025: A fire ripped through H-Town Scooters, a family-owned scooter rental shop in Houston. The fire was reportedly sparked by a charging cable connected to scooter batteries, destroying nearly all of the inventory (estimated at $70,000 in damages) and a disabled daughter's custom wheelchair.

Data from the International Fire Chiefs Association in 2023 noted that the Houston Fire Department (HFD) experienced more than 60 fires involving rechargeable lithium-ion batteries during 2023. These fires included incidents involving hoverboards, scooters, and motor vehicles.

"Gen-Z voters and future voters love micromobility": does that mean it is expedient and moral to throw non-voting children as well as older generations under the bus, for the sake of votes from one segment of society? Also, micromobility, although less expensive than cars, still isn't affordable to the least affluent people in society. How does it serve them to have micromobility users crowd out human-powered users on sidewalks and paths?

The oldest Gen-Z is 28 years old. Exactly why does someone in the prime of youth (yes, 28 is young) need electrical assist? Isn't that a recipe for future weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and future Harris Health budget expenditure? Shouldn't we be encouraging everyone to move their bodies, not press a button?

"Micromobility can do no harm": when bicycle riders and pedestrians express concern about micromobility, they are always put-down with retorts like, "It's better for you to be hit by an e-bike instead of an SUV". That's a false choice... how about neither? I don't want to be hit by either type of motorized vehicle! The larger "e-motorcycles" which basically have fake, unusable pedals just to provide legal cover and a psychological smokescreen, weigh more than 100 pounds! Again... in a previous generation, they would have had a gas engine, but motorcycles have been "Tesla-fied", so they get a "pass" from society.

The basic idea is that sidewalks and bike paths have always been a refuge for human beings who are not safe on Houston's streets. I am privileged in that I am an experienced bicycle user, formerly a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, and I know how to ride safely on roads and highways and have been doing so in Houston since 1985. Most bicyclists and pedestrians do not feel that way, and need a refuge. They risk being chased off of the very infrastructure that was created especially for them, by a new class of motor vehicle: micromobility.

I don't have an answer for how to accomodate micromobility users. But whatever happens, it can't be on the backs of bicyclists and pedestrians. That is unacceptable. 

Meet the special election candidates running for Houston City Council at-large seat 4 and how they view cycling

 Excerpted from Houston Public Media, September 12, 2025

In my personal opinion, the candidates below deserve your further consideration. The candidates at the very bottom of this post are either indifferent, uninformed, hostile towards cyclists, or have a "let's compromise with motorist users" (who completely have the upper hand anyway). It's bit like saying "Let's have Ukraine compromise with Russia". How about NO, we have to defend ourselves and our fragile human bodies?

The election is Tuesday November 4, 2025

Brad Batteau - "A cyclist, he said he opposes the direction Whitmire's administration is taking when it comes to mobility infrastructure — especially the removal of concrete protections on the Austin Street bike lane."

Ethan Hale - "When it comes to road projects, Hale argued the city's current approach under Whitmire is 'completely ignoring the data on what is safe.' He pointed specifically to the redesign of Telephone Road, in which the local management district dropped a plan for a three-lane road with a center-turn lane as well as protected bike paths in favor of a four-lane road."

Miguel Herrera - "When it comes to road infrastructure, Herrera said the city needs to do more to fix streets — especially in areas with heavy 18-wheeler traffic — and the administration should stop destroying bike lanes because it makes Houston appear 'bad and careless that they don’t have any space for the people who use the bike lanes.'"

Alejandra Salinas - "Asked about the removal and reversal of traffic safety features and cyclist infrastructure, Salinas said she's a 'strong believer in multimodal transportation.' A resident of the Montrose neighborhood, she said she enjoys the sidewalks and bike path in the area. 'I think we need to turn to the experts,' she said. "I’m a trial lawyer, and I often present experts in court, and it’s important to listen to them. And so the experts are telling us that narrow streets make it safer for drivers on the road, make it safer for all those that are trying to get around the city of Houston. We should try to listen to them and take their advice and try to make transportation as safe as possible."

Kathy L. Tatum - "When it comes to the Whitmire administration's removal of certain cyclist infrastructure, she said "what we have built needs to be better, not taken away." She also called for the expansion of the city's sidewalk network."

Jordan Thomas - "Thomas called for a multimodal approach to the city's transportation infrastructure. He argued the car-centric, 'general mobility' approach of Whitmire's administration — focused on maintaining the number and width of vehicle lanes, often at the expense of cyclist infrastructure — will impede economic development. 'This administration is hostile towards pedestrians, cyclists, anyone who is not in a car, and that’s unfortunate,' he said. 'I’m a Ford F-150 driver, I’m a cyclist, I’m a pedestrian — I try to get around town multiple ways. This city sprawls out too much, and if we continue that pattern of development, we’re going to run into a lot of challenges.'"

Adrian Thomas Rogers - "An avid cyclist, Rogers said he would seek a meeting with Whitmire to address the removal of bike lanes."

Do not consider: Dwight Boykins, Martina Dixon, Al Lloyd, Kristal Mtaza-Lyons, Sonia Rivera, Sheraz M. Siddiqui, Kathy Tatum, Angie Thibodeaux, Cris Wright

These opinions are mine and mine alone. 

I'm relaunching this blog as "Energy Corridor Alternative Transportation"

In June 2025 my wife and I moved into a new David Weekley townhome community just on the western edge of the Energy Corridor. The place is called The Retreat at Oak Park, and it's on the SW corner of Addicks-Howell and Grisby, over by Lupe Tortilla and those other restaurants.

For the first time since moving away from Bellaire, TX in December 1992, our home is within the primary local bus footprint of Harris County METRO, and I couldn't be more pleased. The #162 goes right to the corner of Addicks-Howell and Grisby. It's $1.25 a ride, and it takes 30 min to get to Memorial City and 60 min to get Downtown, and no parking headache and cost once there. When I turn 65 next year, the cost will drop to $0.60. My bike goes into the luggage bay bike rack on the motorcoach-style buses used for the #162. 

I was NOT prepared to use luggage bay racks yesterday. I made a mess of it, but got the bike in eventually, with help from another passenger. I should have reviewed the METRO video beforehand, but METRO had it pretty well hidden. You can find manufacturer information at Sport Works, I would just read the PDF manual and you'll be an expert in five minutes.

I can ride my bike to work at the Kirkwood Tower (11757 Katy Freeway) from The Retreat at Oak Park. They have a bike rack and showers access! I do see one other bike parked in the rack sometimes, otherwise it's just me on my in-office days, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here is my exact route from home to work:

Link to the public map on Komoot.

I'm on the sidewalk on Memorial and Tully. I'm OK with that. A more scenic alternative is to take the Terry Hershey Trail to Dairy-Ashford, then filter through the neighborhood, cross Memorial, and come up Tully. I don't recommend the I-10 sidewalks... too many driveways. 

I only expect to drive to work if the weather is severe (heavy rain, lightning or thunder or icing conditions). If I get caught at work by bad weather, I can always fold the bike up and take a regular Uber home. It's a seventeen year old Dahon folding bike.

Waiting for Uber in front of Kirkwood Tower

I'm putting only a few miles a week on my 2012 Kia, for which I paid a friend $12,600 cash back in 2015. That's a good thing, because it has excessive oil consumption, and I really don't want to have the engine rebuilt. I'm hoping it throws a knock-sensor check engine light, there is a Kia Theta II engine class action settlement which would entitle me to a free new engine. It's strange to think that since the car has only 130,000 miles on it, this may be the last car I ever purchase, if I baby it, and change the oil every six months regardless of mileage. Does that mean I'm permanently off of this unhappy merry-go-round? 

I certainly hope so, because I have far better and nobler plans for my money in retirement than paying a car note. $750 per month is a lot of money. Many people (large truck owners, I'm looking at you) pay more than $1000 per month. That's as much as my mortgage! This Generation Jones (late Boomer) just can't over get over how much inflation has ravaged incomes and budgets since I was aware of things and how much they cost. 

If you have questions or comments, write to me at:

bikecommute.think915@passmail.com 

blog header photo borrowed from Memorial Drive Bike-Ped Study | Engage HGAC

Harris County beliefs about pedestrians and bicyclists must change

Dear Judge Hidalgo:

In the early 2000s, I inquired into why there are basically no sidewalks out here in Unincorporated Harris County, where I have lived for more than 26 years. I talked to different people in the infrastructure department, as well as Pct. 3 and Pct. 4, and discovered that a core belief of Harris County has been that the County's role is to design suburban boulevards as inexpensively as possible, and that means skimping on "amenities" (yes, they used that word) like sidewalks and bike lanes, which in other jurisdictions are considered standard features. This belief is codified into the engineering cross-sections for suburban boulevards, and in the funding. There are no sidewalk funds, but the County apparently can provide a match to MUD districts and real estate developers, or so I have been told.

I was also told after pursuing this topic by a top bicycle / pedestrian expert in City of Houston public works who is no longer with the City, to "not bother trying to change anything while Art Storey was in charge, because Harris County doesn't do bikes".

After a while, I just gave up engaging with people in the County about this topic. I mean, you can only bang your head against a brick wall so many times.

But Art Storey has retired, and Harris County government turned over in November 2018. I have decided to write to you, not so much for me because I don't ride my bike much any longer, but on behalf of the cyclists and pedestrians for whom safety is a daily concern... for schoolkids and people who don't have any access to automobiles. We're talking about increased safety for working class often immigrant people who must bike or walk, not only for privileged upper-middle-class recreational bike riders, although their interests do intersect. Also I am writing for future potential transit users, because the lack of walkable / bikeable roads in the Unincorporated County means the development of METRO transit routes is suppressed... basically forever, if there is no right-of-way left over for paths. People will not use transit if they can't walk to it; no one drives to use local transit; once you start a journey in a car, you'll just stay in your car and complete the journey without making the transfer. Mostly I am writing for walkers and bikers who have lost their lives on Harris County roads, and there must be hundreds upon hundreds of victims. H-GAC tells us that each crash fatality has a $2 million impact on the Region... what number do you get when you multiple $2 million times hundred and hundreds of times? Ah, but we're used to it... so we don't perceive it as a danger. But if ISIS or Al Qaeda killed as many people in Harris County as who die as bicycle and pedestrian (vulnerable) road users, there would be a hue and cry to bomb and invade wherever they came from. Where is the outrage over vulnerable road user deaths? Where is the funding prioritization?

We've heard for years that Houston-Galveston MPO is the most dangerous region in the Nation for vulnerable road users. As the Chief Executive of the County, I am asking that you demand answers from your infrastructure staff, and put the question to the Commissioners as well. Ask them why we build boulevards the way we build them, and challenge them to get a better result for vulnerable road users. The County has been configured so wrongly for so long, and the beliefs have literally been "set in stone" (concrete), I don't think the outcome can be truly fixed within my lifetime. It's up to you young people to fix the messes we older people have made. Thank you and Good Luck.

Comments on Greater West Houston Sub-Region Mobility Plan, presented at TPC on 8/28/15

Comments on Greater West Houston Sub-Region Mobility Plan, presented at TPC on 8/28/15

The main challenge facing Greater West Houston is one of basic math and geometry; there is no more room for automobiles on the roadways, given the way we have used automobiles in the past, which has been in single occupant mode.

Adding more capacity to support VMT is not a measure of success in the war against congestion, any more than buying a bigger pair of pants is a measure a success in the war against obesity, as Stephen Klineberg points out. 

Harris County, METRO, the Management Districts, and nearby cities like Katy have to collaborate, design, fund, and execute a multi-decade strategy to bring higher-density transportation solutions to West Houston. Transit also demands pedestrian and bicycle friendly infrastructure. We have very little of that.

I have lived in unincorporated Harris County for almost 23 years, and have been paying METRO taxes all that time, and I see nothing in the way of local transit after paying all of that money, which I think is shameful. METRO is to blame for the way it has operated over the decades, and local governments and politicians are also for blocking and bleeding away funding that might have gone to expanding the transit network. There is plenty of blame to go around.

I refuse to believe that “suburban transit” is an oxymoron. I recently rode from Denver to Boulder and back again, on Denver's RTD suburban motorcoach, and the bus was full at 10 pm on a weekday.

Sitting at the Wiehle-Reston East METRO train and bus station near suburban Herndon, Virginia this summer, I watched buses bring in people from the suburbs who then make their way by train to their jobs at Tyson's Corner, or anywhere in and around Washington DC. The train will be built out all the way to Dulles Airport. Where is the train to Bush Airport, or to Hobby?

Denver and Washington DC had plans, conceived decades ago. We have no plan for suburban transit in West Houston. It's high time to get one.

Transit in Houston has degraded into a “divide and conquer” political symbol or device, wielded by both between Democrats and Republicans, who tend to live inside Loop 610, away from us “common folk”. We who live in the suburbs are not interested in politics, we just want solutions. Thank you.

Please oppose HB 1998

Dear Rep. Elkins,

Please oppose House Bill 1889 by State Rep. Will Metcalf, which would make it difficult or maybe impossible to build high-speed passenger rail from Houston to Dallas.

I-45 is chock full from Houston to Dallas, they have no money to expand it, it's dangerous to drive on it, it's a pain to go through the TSA ''groping'' line and very costly to fly, and who wants to take Greyhound bus from Houston to Dallas? Yes, we absolutely need high-speed passenger rail in Texas!

Last year on vacation I had the chance to take the HSR train from Beijing to Shanghai in China. That was that amazing. Fast, clean, smooth, on time, and less costly than flying.

Why China, and why not Texas?

Sincerely,

Peter Wang

[AARP] Dangerously Incomplete Streets

Look at these photos and read about what you see. Then think about the roadways near you. There's a good chance you're encountering similar sights and scenes. Thank you Harris County and TxDOT!

http://bit.ly/1ATLy0n