Dear Dog Lovers,Outdoor spaces and dogs just go together. Thanks to the Houston Parks Board and others, the Bayou Greenways 2020 is a project to unite the 7 major bayous in Houston with parks and trails,completing nearly 150 miles of connected off-street paths and adding an additional 1,500 acres of greenspace that we can all enjoy--with two feet or four! Here’s the link: www.houstonbayougreenways.org.
Here’s what’s happening and how you can be involved in making it happen. Houston is about to be a nation-wide leader in off-street, safe shared use paths. That’s right: Houston, the town usually known for its freeways and traffic, has approved a major bond initiative aimed at completing a 100 year old idea to unite its bayous with parks and trails.
This is the biggest parks project in the state and one of the largest in the nation. Currently, Houston has 75 miles of trails along the major bayous throughout the city but will expand the trails to 150 miles in the city, connecting 77 parks with linear greenways along the banks of its bayous. There are already some parks and trails along the bayous but there are several major gaps in the system. The project, now known as Bayou Greenways 2020, is a public/private partnership where the city and area non-profits like the Houston Parks Board will complete the project in 7 years. Bayou Greenways 2020 will vastly increase the areas available to Houstonians for recreation but also create an alternative for transportation uniting many of Houston’s major employment centers for bikes and pedestrians. Indeed, nearly 60% of all Houstonians will live within 1.5 miles of one of these parks or trails.
This spring, Houston Parks Board is bringing together community members, students, businesses, organizations, and biking groups to get involved and speak up about what this project means to them. They've already organized multiple bayou bike tours, collected over 2000 petitions, and they’re just getting started. If you’re in the area and want to get involved, or would like more information about the project, check out their website, www.houstonparksboard.org for more information. We can get these trails built here in Houston but only with your help. See you on the trails!
