as given to Houston City Council, May 13, 2025
Mayor Whitmire and members of the City Council, thank you for your service. I am the Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston. I am here to speak with you about matters of life and death: sustainable transportation and the city’s bicycle infrastructure.
The research on such matters is clear. Sustainable mass transit cuts greenhouse gas emissions, reduces congestion, and increases physical activity. Investing in bicycle infrastructure does the same. Both make our city more livable and reduce chronic diseases. They save the lives of Houston’s citizens today. By cutting carbon emissions they also save future lives.
The decisions that you have made to severely postpone the MetroNext program, to remove the bike lane on Austen Street, to reroute the bike lane on Polk Street, and to reduce bicycle infrastructure elsewhere will cost lives, now and in the future. I might call such decisions embracing a politics of death, a politics that will make our city less safe and cost some Houstonians their lives for generations to come.
My congregation’s Board has passed a “Statement on Promoting Sustainable Transportation Options in Houston.” It has been sent to all of you. It details research supporting the dire need for our city to expand its sustainable transit options. I urge you to read it and ask yourselves: What kind of city are we building? How can we build a city that encourages the flourishing and high-quality living for all Houstonians?
Thank you.
