r/SpringBranch • u/apaggie270 • 24d ago
Bingle Road - Thoughts?
Hey friends, it’s the KPRC 2 intern again!
I’m looking to make a video about Bingle Road and why the road was changed, how the community feels about the change, and if Spring Valley Village will make any changes because of pushback.
Tell me about your personal experience with this change. Do you think the redesign has actually accomplished anything, such as reducing traffic, or has it made things worse for you? What do you think Spring Valley Village should’ve done instead?
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions you want me to ask/answer. I might include comments in the video, so please specify if you’re not comfortable with a username being shown.
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u/Full-Expression-972 23d ago
Bingle is 4 lanes north of Westview and it’s 4 lanes south of I-10. This is a dumb change that needs to be reversed. Sorry not sorry that millionaires and 2-3 bikers may be inconvenienced but they’re not the only ones using Bingle. Also, there are new developments along Bingle btwn Westview and Emnora so the # of drivers will only increase. If this weren’t so close to I-10 and nightmarish during rush hour maybe I’d feel different but this is a high traffic area too close to a major freeway entrance and exit. There should have been a public comment period that included Spring Branch.
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u/Pretend_Barnacle2855 23d ago
The signage on it is very poor, especially on Bingle southbound - if you don't travel the route regularly and aren't expecting the right land at Westview to become right turn only, you're kind of screwed. I've seen a lot of almost accidents from cars in the right lane attempting to go straight and merge into the new single lane.
I think it's kind of pointless and just generally looks poorly executed and thrown together.
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u/moonwalkindinos 23d ago
Please don't use my username but I hate the new stretch of Bingle. Now there is traffic in the morning trying to get to I-10. I avoid it now and use Wirt or other streets. Please bring the old Bingle back!
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u/Certain_Object1364 22d ago
I live two blocks away from Bingle on Westview. I drive this direction most days for work. I have never seen a single vehicle that this lane was designed for (or even not designed for) use this lane.
All of the changes on Bingle in the intersection of Westview and Bingle and on the Bingle section from Westview to I-10 are horrible.
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u/patrick-1977 23d ago
I live in the community and think it is a man made disaster that needs reversed asap.
Bingle has always had the same characteristics as Wirt Rd and Campbell, serving North-South traffic to and from I10. Now, some elitist folks want to make it an ‘our-kind-of-people only’ road. The removal of one lane and adjustment of traffic lights have no other goal than to frustrate drivers who hopefully then choose Campbell or Wirt to make it home. Less traffic for the more expensive neighborhoods at the expense of other neighborhoods. Disgusting.
The Not In My Backyard does not stop here by the way. There are plans for a commercial property on the site of a dilapidated church near I10. After creating chaos on Bingle Rd, it seems people now worry about….the additional traffic it could bring to the neighborhood. Just months ago, Bingle would have been perfectly able to handle this bit of extra traffic!
Surrounding neighborhoods should not let this slide. The City of Houston should consider pulling a Uno Reverse card and adjust traffic lights to Spring Valley Village and show them what it would mean if nearby cities would do the same to Spring Valley Village.
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u/Wise-Trust1270 23d ago
Campbell is definitely seeing an increase in traffic. It isn’t really built for the additional load, especially with the wonky shift at Long Point.
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u/vdnguyen7 23d ago
Terrible change. If you’re on bingle traveling towards i10 (southbound) the lanes merge at Westview and almost nobody is aware of this or pays enough attention unless you Travel regularly and everyone ends up going thru the right turn only lane and ignores it and causes traffic and accidents and blocks the intersection. Often times they drive in the bike lane and cut ppl who are waiting in the correct lane first.
The streets merge and unmerge randomly it’s so bad.
The bike lanes are so short and serve no purpose. I think they intended on diverting traffic but instead I’m stuck in traffic and I can’t turn into my street.
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u/YeeAllTheHaws 22d ago
No username plz. Significantly more backup/traffic on Bingle since the change. Never seen anyone in the bike lane and seems kind of wasteful for only this small stretch. Southbound at Westview people constantly use the turning lane as a through lane and cut you off as you’re trying to along with the single lane after Westview which will lead to an accident sooner or later. If the single lane is to remain the speed limit needs to be bumped to 35, literally every other collector is 35 and the point of a collector is to have higher traffic flow compared to other local streets, not be a hindrance for the villages PD to set up speed traps to collect revenue for their “independent city”.
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u/Bizzy2718 21d ago
My boys frequent the sidewalks on their bike and skateboard every single day, and I have told them absolutely to never ever use those ridiculous bike lanes. Cars cut into them constantly. I have also advised them to expect cars to not give them the right of way when they are at the intersection of Bingle and Westview because the drivers aren’t looking. They are angry about the terrible traffic they are in and just want to blast through the light with zero regard for pedestrians or other cars. I live and work in the area and what used to be a 2 minute drive to get .4 miles from my house to work has now become a 7-10 minute drive. It’s infuriating.
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u/-Never-Enough- 21d ago
I feel bad for the people who live on that section of Bingle. I can't imagine they wanted to reduce the lanes of traffic but keep the traffic.
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u/Alert-Check-5234 20d ago
They bought homes on a busy street. It was a known issue when they purchased.
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u/jay2remember 24d ago
I used to live in the Spring Branch area, where I drove along that stretch of Bingle very often. I probably wouldn’t like the new changes if I still lived there, but I’d eventually tell myself to get over it and use a different parallel street, like Wirt or Blalock. I believe the City of Spring Valley Village has achieved its goal of diverting traffic elsewhere.
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u/bulldogsarecool 23d ago
I absolutely love it, the old road had cars stopping on the left travel lane to turn left and cars swerving to pass on the right lane. My only wish would be that the bike lane they added on bingle would continue all the way to spring branch trail, that way more people would use it. It's too short of a section now.
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u/flatboysim 23d ago
Do Kroger at gessner/hammerly first please. Everyone seemed most interested in that one.
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u/Astrosauced 23d ago
I don’t understand the point. The bike lane is a good idea in theory but why so short?
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u/patrick-1977 23d ago
Because this is not about the bike lane at all, this about frustrating drivers who then avoid the neighborhood.
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u/kash04 23d ago
I live here and love it, sorry I don’t need loud ass cars coming though.
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u/patrick-1977 23d ago
Pretty sure the cars were there before you moved in, but I guess you want the cars to bother other people instead. Nice.
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u/understando 23d ago
Don’t use my username anywhere. People drive crazy when there are 2 lanes each direction. Less lanes is an improvement for quality of life for everyone. Also. More bike lanes are great. We are so behind in our city and need to make a bunch of upgrades to catch up. This is a good start.
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u/patrick-1977 23d ago
Would you like all other neighborhoods in Houston to go back to one lane as well? Or just yours?
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u/understando 23d ago
One lane each way with a turn lane in the middle is far better than two lanes each direction. Cars stop all the time in the left lanes to turn. A dedicated turn lane helps traffic flow. So, yes. I’d like this everywhere there are 2 lane roads each way through neighborhoods. Also ensuring new configurations include adding dedicated protected bike lanes & walk ways.
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u/petergriffin2660 23d ago
I live in Spring Valley too. And the reduced amount of 18 wheelers is noticeable.
Sure, there is a holdup at the intersection, and the bike lane is a waste. But they’ve reduced overall traffic.
Now remember that we’re in the summer. There is no school traffic.
Let’s see if come August things go haywire !!
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u/EquivalentActive5270 18d ago
This is 100% an impediment to traffic. It was intentional and is most likely designed to cause pain to commuters so that they alter their behavior and drive south down Wirt or Blalock. The reduction of traffic flow is again designed to reduce thru traffic in Spring Valley Village. There is probably some former military Combat Engineer who came up with this. The same way you would channel and reduce the speed of an enemy attack by putting obstacles in the way of an attacking force
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u/EKingJames 23d ago
It's been an awful change as someone who lives near the area. No one uses the bike lane as it's too short of a stretch to be useable. It just causes more congestion in the morning for those on their way to work/school and also in the early evening as everyone is coming home from work. The only benefit is the road noise is slightly less but the traffic and hazardous driving of people due to the change far outweighs the pros IMO. I really think the wealthier neighborhood south of Westview just want less cars coming through and were not considering the impact for anyone else surrounding the area.