Over the past year, Houstonians have watched in confusion as the City abruptly reversed course on long-planned and community-supported bike lane projects, most notably on Austin Street and 11th Street.
These records, obtained through open records requests and presented here in full, show coordinated efforts to dismantle or stall bike lane projects across Houston, often under misleading pretexts.
What the Texts Show
- Bike lanes framed as political “messes”: Whitmire describes Austin Street and 11th Street bike lanes as mistakes to be corrected.
- Using safety as a cover: Plans included leveraging the Fire Department to argue that bike lanes blocked emergency vehicles, despite public claims about drainage or trees.
- Coordinated opposition: Gaffrick and Whitmire traded screenshots of Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor posts critical of bike lanes as justification for removals.
- Shutting out community voices: Projects like the Quitman Street bikeway, funded with county dollars, were stalled by claiming residents had not been consulted—even after years of public engagement.
- A pattern of concealment: Public explanations emphasized sidewalks, traffic flow, or trees. Privately, the texts reveal the overriding goal was to remove bike lanes and halt road diets.
Publicly, officials told us these projects were about drainage improvements, tree preservation, or sidewalk safety. But newly released text messages between Mayor John Whitmire and Marlene Gaffrick, a former Planning Department director who has become a key voice against bikeways, reveal a very different story behind closed doors.
Why This Matters
Bike lanes are not just paint and concrete. They are lifelines that connect people to jobs, schools, and small businesses. They make it safer for families, seniors, and everyday Houstonians to choose a healthier, more affordable way to move around the city.
When public officials make decisions in private that contradict what they say in public, it erodes trust and undermines the democratic process.
Read the Records Yourself
We believe in transparency. That’s why we’re sharing the source materials directly:
- 📑 Chronologically ordered text messages: View Here
- 📄 PDF Document 1: View Here
- 📄 PDF Document 2: View Here
- 📄 PDF Document 3: View Here
These documents include screenshots and the full set of text messages so you can see the evidence for yourself.
What’s Next
At A Tale of Two Bridges, we believe Houston deserves:
- Honest conversations about street safety and mobility.
- Transparency in decision-making, especially when taxpayer dollars are on the line.
- Safe, connected infrastructure that reflects the needs of all Houstonians not just a select few.
We encourage you to read the documents, talk with your neighbors, and contact your City Council member. Houston’s streets belong to all of us, and decisions about them should be made in the open.
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