Cycling has been known to strengthen the heart, lungs and circulatory system, improve overall cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity, but despite the benefits, the National Travel Attitudes Survey found in 2020 that 66% of adults agreed it's too dangerous to cycle on the roads.

In 2023, the Texas Department of Transportation revealed there were 105 fatalities involving vehicles and cyclists in Texas. In Houston, there were 16 fatalities. However, the National Association of City Transportation Officials conducted a study in 2016 that showed the risk of injury or death to cyclists falls dramatically in cities where significant investments were made to build protected bike networks.

Houston officials created the Bicycle Advisory Committee in 2017 to help the city address its cycling issues, including bicycle safety, bike lane implementation and outreach.

The framework

The BAC created the Houston Bike Plan in 2017, a 12-month effort to help make Houston a safer, healthier and more bike-friendly city.

Since the plan started, Houston has received an additional 162 miles of bike lanes from various entities in Houston. The BAC’s goal is to create 1,800 miles by 2027, Chair Tom Compson said.

As of Dec. 14, there are 112 miles of programmed projects that have already received funding, including:

• The ongoing 5-mile, $115 million redesign of Shepherd-Durham Drive, which includes a dedicated on-street bike lane
• A 10-foot-wide shared-use path and bridge that will connect the Heights to the Washington Avenue Corridor, Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou
• An on-street protected bike lane on West Dallas Street from Shepherd Drive to Waugh Drive
• New shared use path on the north side of 19th street

“Houston has some really cool neighborhoods, and the best way to see them, to me, is on a bike,” Compson said. “We have a long way to go, but with some care and selection, and riding with people who know their way around, [Houston] really is a great place to ride.”

Houston was originally built as a bike-friendly city, but infrastructure for motor vehicles became more of a priority as the city’s population and density grew, said Joe Cutrufo, executive director of BikeHouston, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming Houston into a bike-friendly city.

“We think that alternatives to driving, like bikes, help to solve a number of problems that Houston faces—air quality, congestion, access to opportunity,” he said. “Health is another one.”What the experts say

Dr. Zoabe Hafeez, an associate professor of pediatrics at UTHealth Houston, said the physical benefits of cycling include cardiovascular and respiratory health as well as increased heart function. He said walking and cycling outdoors can also help fight obesity and improve mental health.

Some facts on cycling:

• Cycling to work is associated with a 45% lower risk of developing cancer
• Three months of cycling can decrease blood pressure by 4.3%
• Men who bike to work are 39.8% less likely to be overweight
• 75% of bike rides reported better mental health since they started cycling

“Physical activity reduces your stress hormones over time, which can lead to better sleep and better brain function,” Hafeez said. “There’s also a feeling of self agency that happens when you feel in control of your environment and can safely walk or ride around your own neighborhood."

In their own words

David Dick, president of the Houston Bicycle Club, has been cycling in town since 1998. He said he’s met some of his closest longtime friends through the activity.

“[Cycling] is about bringing people together and then just enjoying each other’s company,” he said. “We also get to be outdoors and see stuff that you don’t get to see in a car. We always go places that many people don’t even know about even when they’ve lived in Houston all their lives.”

The Houston Bicycle Club is the oldest, continuously operated bicycle club in Houston, Dick said. The club started in the 1940s and grew from a few people to 1,200 members by the ‘90s.

However, Dick said he has seen a spike in other cycling clubs in recent years, which has led to a decrease in membership as options expand.

Get involved

When it comes to cycling in Houston, there are numerous options to choose from. Community members can go on rides that vary from monthly social engagements and casual rides to intense weekly training or competitive competitions.

Check out these cycling opportunities in and around the Heights, Montrose and River Oaks:

• Clutch City Cruisers: Formed in 2018, the bike club meets every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Market Square Park in Downtown Houston to see the cityscape from the streets of Houston.
• UBG Cycling Club: The local clubs meet at The Urban Bicycle Gallery near Washington Avenue every Wednesday night, and Saturday and Sunday mornings for a 20-plus mile bike ride.
• Houston Bicycle Club: The oldest bicycling club in Houston established in 1964 is a social cycling club with different rides every weekend for varying levels of riders at different places in the city.