It’s time to get real about sustainable transportation / by Lori Bigler

By now, you’ve probably seen the Houston BCycle station at Woodland Park. What you might not realize is that the station connects our historic neighborhood to a public transit system with 65 other bike share stations across Houston.

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Anyone can pick up a bike from our Woodland Park station and ride to nearby places like Bobcat Teddy’s, Sabine Bridge, and Market Square Park. When you arrive at your destination, you simply dock the bike and go about your day until you need to ride again. (Round-trip rides are permitted as well.)

You can take as many hour-long rides as you’d like for just $9 per month. It’s even cheaper if you’re a student or staff member at a local university–those pursuing and providing higher education pay just $25 per semester for full access. Memberships are not available at the stations; you have to visit the BCycle website or download the mobile app to sign up.

Once you’ve got your membership activated, you’ll find that short trips that used to be a hassle in a car are now fun bike adventures. You’ll start to become increasingly familiar with the station map as you plan each upcoming bike share expedition. You’ll find incredible value in skipping traffic and parking hassles while enjoying a much more intimate view of the city.

Last year, a record 142,257 rides were taken throughout the system, replacing nearly a million pounds of carbon emissions. As a local nonprofit-run organization, Houston BCycle is looking to continue to offer affordable transportation that improves the health of riders and the environment alike.

Fresh off of City Council’s approval, Houston BCycle will be growing even further into the Heights in the coming year, along with major expansions at Texas Medical Center, University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, and Texas Southern University.

Let’s keep Houston rolling and start seeing our city on two wheels.

- Henry Morris, Houston Bike Share