Lisa on the LBJ service road at the High Five interchange. Photo by Keri CaffreyThis last week, two cyclists from central Florida were riding their bicycles around Dallas, using as their starting points hotels in Downtown Dallas, Irving/Las Colinas, and a hotel at the High Five Interchange of US75 and I635. Both are League Cycling Instructors, both work in the communications industry (one is a former editor for Rodale Press who was curious about riding in a city Rodale/Bicycling Magazine named "The Worst City for Bicycling in America"). They came from a city with lots of bike lanes and bike paths. They rode here on local streets, and thoroughfares, on bike route streets and non-bike route streets, on trails, during the day, at night, and in rush hour. They rode their bicycles in a vehicular manner, controlling their lane and obeying the law (things too many of our local cycling activists don't seem to like to do). Some of their observations to me as they left to return to Orlando after a week in Dallas?
1) The street connectivity for cyclists was excellent, with multiple routes to get from point A to point B, usable by cyclists of simple, law-abiding skill levels,
2) The trail connectivity wasn't, and it was too narrow and covered in dirt at places (White Rock Creek),
3) The drivers were uniformly courteous and respectful to them,
4) Unlike some other cities around the country they have ridden in, most of the motorists in Dallas actually slowed down when passing them (as opposed to speeding up), confirming what the Dallas Run videos show.
5) The plentiful road-humps were designed to be bicycle friendly (long and low, with a fairly gentle slope)
6) The police were courteous, pulling up beside them at night in a fairly high-crime area and saying (after scanning their bicycles to make sure they were legal), "You ladies be careful out there."
Their final word to me was, "This is a great city to ride in. Please don't let them f#*@ up Dallas with bike lanes."
That's up to you. That's why we need SMART cyclists to step forward.
5 comments:
Wow. x.x;
I was impressed with how fast bike racks were installed on the DART buses when they finally got to doing so. I never saw a rack on any DART bus in january (when there were racks on the T buses of their sister city, Ft. Worth) but now there are. Woohoo.
I've never been on a bike trail in Dallas (more because I don't find any whenever I go into the area) so I think there are few. x.x;
Motorists not just in Dallas but in the suburbs stretching 20 miles out of the metro area tend to slow down too. I'm still trying to get used to it xD
The problem I found with the White Rock Creek trail is a similar problem we have in Orlando, it doesn't connect to surrounding neighborhoods. This is the problem with the toy-bike mentality of trail builders, they don't build them as bicycle roads to connect cyclists to destinations, they build them as recreational/fitness facilities for people to play on.
The WRC trail has potential for a quiet scenic route, but it lacks connectivity. It would also not be a place I'd go alone at night. I would feel way safer on a 6-lane arterial road.
I'll be writing a post for CommuteOrlando about our cycling experience here. I was very impressed.
Great post, PM.
Picture is rather ironic, no doubt someone would see the packed I635 diverge above the service road as being "impeded by cyclist" below.
People writes the damnedest things like "City X is on the Worst City for Bicycling in America" list. Oh Pshaw!
- DanC
I only have one riding experience in Dallas, but the description sounds pretty similar to Fort Worth, and is in line with my Dallas experience.
The Metroplex isn't that bad to ride in.
Keri - glad you had a nice time in Dallas!
My main problem with the White Rock Creek Trail is the dangerously broken concrete and frequent flooding. I have found the connectivity to be OK. Much better certainly than the KT. The Creek Trail does bypass the major roads but I still frequently find it useful for getting from A to B.
And just imagine when the Preston Ridge Trail connects to the Creek Trail which connects to the Katy Trail - You'll finally be able to ride all the way from Plano to downtown Dallas! ;)
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