BikeHouston, Inc. (Referred to as BikeHouston) is a non-profit advocacy group based in Houston, Texas, which advocates on behalf of the city’s bicyclists. It has argued for adding bike paths and lanes, educated the public on bicycle safety, and lobbied for legislation and funding that could increase cyclist and pedestrian safety. ¹

Background

The first meeting of BikeHouston volunteers was in August 2001². BikeHouston organized as a non-profit and received 501(c)(3) status in 2004. BikeHouston began adding paid staff in 2014. ³ The group currently has four full-time staff members. ⁴ It is a successor organization to prior bicycle transportation advocacy groups, the Houston Area Bicyclist Alliance (HABA) and the Two Wheel Transit Authority (TWTA)⁵

Initiatives

Houston Bike Plan

The Houston Bike Plan was initially proposed by BikeHouston, and the city Departments of Public Works and Engineering, Planning and Development, and Parks and Recreation⁶ in 2016 with the primary objective of adding 1,700 miles of bike-ways over 20 years. ⁷ The project is estimated to cost $500 million to complete, with funding coming from a variety of sources and donations. The Houston Bike Plan has a secondary goal of becoming a gold-level⁸ bicycle-friendly city (as defined by the  by 2027. ⁹ The Houston Bike Plan was adopted by City Council and Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) on March 22, 2017. ¹⁰ Since the adoption of the plan, BikeHouston has advocated to have 50 miles of on-street and off-street bike-ways added to the city by April 2019. ¹¹

Vision Zero

BikeHouston has advocated for Houston to adopt a “Vision Zero” approach to reducing traffic fatalities. The group proposed analyzing bicycle-related traffic crashes to learn how best to prevent them in the future and raising bicycle safety awareness among all road users through education. ¹²

Bike Safety Education

BikeHouston offers multiple classes a week to members for an additional fee that offer instruction in safe bicycling. ¹³

Funding

In 2016, only one executive member, John Long, reported a total of $37,077 in compensation, with other staff salaries totaling $198,708¹⁴.

BikeHouston claims foundational support from The Houston Endowment, The Albert & Ethel Herzstein Foundation, The Brown Foundation (which counts the ACLU and Planned Parenthood among their donation recipients),¹⁵ the REI Foundation (charitable arm of the outdoor life and bicycle shop chain), and the Anne & Don Fizer Foundation. They also received donations from many individuals and local businesses. ¹⁶ Total revenue reported for 2016 was $300,402. ¹⁷

BikeHouston also raises money through fundraisers for organized group events through CrowdRise, a for-profit, left-leaning, online fundraising service. ¹⁸

People

John Long was the Executive Director of BikeHouston until his retirement in June 2018. He held that position for just over two years. ¹⁹ He was the only executive staff member to have a reported salary paid by BikeHouston in 2016.

Clark Martinson is the current Executive Director, taking over for John Long in June 2018. He had previously been the Executive Director of the Energy Corridor District from August 2003 until February 2018. ²⁰

1. “What We Do.” BikeHouston. https://bikehouston.org/about/
2. “Texas Bike News: 2001.” Texas Bicycle Coalition. August 28, 2001. http://touroftexas.com/events/news_01.html
3. “What We Do.” BikeHouston. https://bikehouston.org/about/
4. “BikeHouston Staff.” BikeHouston. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/staff-board/
5. “BikeHouston: Desription.” VolunteerMatch. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org610705.jsp
6. “About the Plan.” Houston Bike Plan. Accessed December 15, 2018. http://houstonbikeplan.org/about/
7. Meagan Flynn. “Will the Houston Bike Plan End the Battle Between Bicyclists and Drivers?” Houston Press. September 13, 2016. https://www.houstonpress.com/news/will-the-houston-bike-plan-end-the-battle-between-bicyclists-and-drivers-8762197
8. “Becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community.” BikeLeague.org. Accessed December 15, 2018. bikeleague.org/content/communities
9. Abner Fletcher. “One Year Later, Does Houston’s Bike Plan Make the Grade?” Houston Public Media. April 17, 2018. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2018/04/17/279799/one-year-later-does-houstons-bike-plan-make-the-grade/
10. Meagan Flynn. “City Council Finally Passes the Houston Bike Plan.” Houston Press. March 23, 2017 https://www.houstonpress.com/news/houston-city-council-approves-the-ambitious-houston-bike-plan-9292989
11. “The Build 50 Challenge and The 50-For-50 Campaign.” BikeHouston. April 17, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/2018/04/17/build-50-challenge/
12. “Houston’s Vision Zero.” BikeHouston. July 30, 2015. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/2015/07/14/bikehouston-vision-zero/
13. “Education, Learn To Ride Classes, And More.” BikeHouston. June 28, 2017. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/2017/06/28/education-learn-to-ride-classes-and-more/
14. BikeHouston, Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Part IX Statement of Functional Expenses
15. “The Brown Foundation.” Influence Watch. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/brown-foundation/
16. “Annual Report 2017.” BikeHouston. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2017-BH-Annual-Report-v2_B.pdf
17. BikeHouston, Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Part I, Line 12
18. “BikeHouston Moonlight Ramble.” CrowdRise. September 2016. Accessed December 15, 2018. https://www.crowdrise.com/bikehouston-moonlight-ramble
19. “A Word from Our Director…John Long.” BikeHouston. June 28, 2018. https://bikehouston.org/2018/06/28/a-word-from-our-director-john-long-15-2/
20. Jack Witthaus. “Top Energy Corridor District Exec Steps Down, Search for Replacement Begins.” Houston Business Journal. February 28, 2018. https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/02/28/top-energy-corridor-district-exec-steps-down.html