HOUSTON — 2023 has been the deadliest year on Houston streets for cyclists since 2019.
Now, with a new mayor set to take office on Jan. 1, BikeHouston wants to make sure the next administration prioritizes safety on the road. They rallied at the corner off Houston Avenue on Tuesday.
Houston Avenue is one of the most dangerous roads for cyclists in Houston and it's where a 16th cyclist was hit and later died. Cyclists are demanding action.
"We bike, we vote, we demand safe streets," they said.
With a mayoral runoff days away, cyclists called out a glaring problem in the City of Houston.
"People who bike are worried about the situation on our streets right now," BikeHouston Executive Director Joe Cutrufo said.
Houston is on the verge of breaking a 10-year-old record in cyclist deaths. So far in 2023, 16 people have been killed riding bikes.
"When you're forced to share the road with a 6,000-pound truck, the cyclist loses every time," Cutrufo said.
The most recent casualty was James Midkiff, who was hit by a speeding driver who fled the scene along Houston Avenue on Nov. 19. Midkiff died three days later.
"Just hearing the number and imagining 15 other people like James losing their lives is quite harrowing to hear out loud," Charles McGurk said.
McGurk was Midkiff's good friend.
"Good innocent people shouldn't have to die because we're not focusing on the road," McGurk said.
The City of Houston has safety improvements to Houston Avenue already in the works, but the project doesn't include the area where Midkiff was struck.
BikeHouston wants bike lanes extended all along Houston Avenue to Memorial Drive, but with Sheila Jackson Lee or John Whitmire set to take the reigns of the City on Jan. 1, there are real questions about what the future of Houston's bike plan will look like in a new administration.
"We need to make sure that the next mayor understands traffic safety is public safety," Cutufro said. "It takes political will to make sure people don't die on Houston streets."
BikeHouston told KHOU 11 News that it's clear bike infrastructure works. It's worth noting there have been zero deaths where the city installed bike-protected lanes.