HOUSTON - Bike advocates are pushing the city to make Houston’s streets safer after two cyclists died the week of the Super Bowl.

They want them to approve and adopt the Houston Bike Plan, a roughly $500 million long-range master plan finalized in June 2016 after months of community input.

Advocates say the plan got rolling after cyclist Chelsea Norman was killed in a hit-and-run in December 2013.

While supporters say safety is a huge focus, they also say the plan will help ease congestion, improve health, and attract top talent to Houston versus losing them to other bike-friendly cities.

However, even with several revisions to the plan since the summer, there’s still some concern.

In the Houston heat -- and even in heels -- Rose Nolen can be found nearly every day on her bicycle.

“They’re a part of me, a part of my life,” says Nolen, who lives in the Montrose area of Houston. “I have a BMW. It sits in my driveway. (People say), ‘You never drive.' I’m like, ‘Why should I?’”

She's a passionate, fearless cyclist, still not immune to close calls.

“It happens almost every day,” Nolen said. “I look like a Christmas tree at night, but at least you see me coming.”

Nolen and other cyclists took their concerns all the way to City Hall on Monday, speaking at a meeting for the Transportation, Technology & Infrastructure Committee.

“Every time I get on my bike, I ride in fear,” cyclist Mitch Dickerson told council members. “I’m tired of losing friends from cycling in the street,” said cyclist Rose McCulsky.

Dickerson and McCulsky were among several advocates and super-neighborhood leaders to speak in favor of the Houston Bike Plan, which had undergone several revisions from its June 2016 version after input from many of those same speakers.

The long-range plan calls for more than tripling the number of bike lanes in Houston from around 500 currently to nearly 1,800 miles over the next few decades. That figure also includes nearly three times as many off-street lanes, separating cyclists from vehicles and helping beginners feel comfortable enough to hop on a bike.

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