Although a bicycle lane plan is still a component of the South Montgomery County Mobility Study, the wider scope of what the Bike The Woodlands Coalition and The Woodlands Township hoped to see in the study was not addressed. In response, the township in September incorporated funding for a master cycling plan it hopes will lay the groundwork for the development of bike lanes. The purpose of the mobility study, according to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, or H-GAC, which conducted the study in 2014, is to improve the efficiency of the roadway network in south Montgomery County. The study also evaluated bicycle and pedestrian improvements. "There were some gaps [in the study]," said John Powers, assistant general manager of township community services. "We learned that we're going to receive the mobility study in March and that there will be the bicycle components. We've seen some preliminaries where major thoroughfare multiuse bike paths might be, some general ideas. [The township's cycling master plan] is truly a more comprehensive plan that we hope to do." H-GAC study BTWC member David Hitchcock said the preliminary results of the mobility study, which was funded in part by the township, left off several details important to an improved cycling environment. For example, there were no specifics as to where bike lanes could be installed in the area. He said the infrastructure for bike lanes is represented in the plan but education, outreach and safety measures are not addressed. The coalition is a resident group whose aim is to achieve bicycling convenience and safety in the community. "After seeing the disappointing preliminary study reports in September and hearing from the cycling community on the need for such a plan, the township realized they were not getting what was needed and agreed to [fund] a bike and pedestrian master plan," said George Mendes, member of both the coalition and the township's bicycle advisory task force. The bicycle advisory task force is a committee of eight uncompensated township-appointed volunteers who work to identify bicycling needs within the township. H-GAC Transportation Planner Carlene Mullins said the goal of the mobility study was to provide a core bicycle network to work from, which includes identifying corridors that improve mobility and increase connectivity. "[The mobility study] did provide [local entities] with a core network so [local entities] could do their own master plan," Mullins said. Plan focus The new study will begin with the township hiring a transportation consultant and will include public input throughout the process, Powers said. By early June, he said, the township board will select a consultant to combine recommendations from the South Montgomery County Mobility Study and the township's existing plans. By summer, the consultant will begin work on the plan, and a proposal will be prepared for the township board for possible adoption in September. Although the plan is not yet under development, the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, as it is being called, will involve combining an interconnected network of trails that will allow people to cycle throughout The Woodlands while providing easy access to shopping centers and employment hubs, Mendes said. The plan is also intended to provide bicycling education and infrastructure. "[The plan will address] where people who ride bikes can ride safely," Mendes said. "[Cyclists would] have an ability to go to an interconnected trail of roads, from one neighborhood to the other, from their local retail shops or from their home to their workplace." Currently, The Woodlands has no dedicated bike lanes. Several roadways, such as Woodlands Parkway, have shoulders that are often used by cyclists, but Mendes said the shoulders are the first to be incorporated when a road is widened. In addition, shoulders are also used by emergency vehicles that handle accident mitigation. Although The Woodlands features more than 200 miles of paved hiking and biking pathways, township director Mike Bass said they are not intended for high-speed cycling. "[Cycling in The Woodlands is] all based on using the shoulders, or 'share the road,' which is state law," Bass said. "There are pathways, but pathways are not designed to handle high-speed cyclists." Bass said the pathways are designed for more leisurely cycling, walking and jogging. The speed limit on the paths is 10 miles per hour, Powers said. Hitchcock said his emphasis is to use cycling as transportation, not just as a hobby, a practice that requires designated bike lanes. "Really, the next step up is to have bikeways that are more separate," he said. Hitchcock said it would be easy to incorporate designated bike lanes in The Woodlands because of the community's focus on master planning. "There are concentrations of activities, so it's pretty clear if you're coming from a residential area that there are specific things that you want to get to," Hitchcock said. "The community is well-planned, and you can make connections that make sense." Hitchcock said there are residents in their 20s and 30s who would rather use bicycles than automobiles as a means of transportation. He said designated bike lanes would protect and appeal to commuting cyclists. "[Cycling] is dangerous, and you're really unprotected," he said. "Bike lanes in general have fewer places where there is interaction between motor vehicles and cyclists." Study funding While the $100,000 price tag of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan is included in the township budget, Bass said, implementation and funding for any recommendations proposed in the plan are still being discussed. "The proposal has to come back and, not only come up with a plan, [but] how we might fund it [and] how it will be implemented," Bass said. In the meantime, the bicycling community is busy getting the word out about bicycle safety and education. Powers said that bike counters are already installed on bike paths to determine how many people are running, biking and walking on the pathways. "The community's not waiting until September to start trying to make things happen," he said.