Now that the city has $2.5 million to update its 2011 bike plan, cyclists in southern Dallas, long hindered by poor infrastructure and a lack of bike lanes, see this as the perfect opportunity to improve their communities.
After the city’s series of public input meetings that ended mid-November, the Department of Transportation will create a new bike plan and ask for the public’s input again in early spring 2023.
The new bike plan will add trails, infrastructure, and other facilities. The Dallas Department of Transportation received $500,000 for development of the plan and $2 million from general funds for implementation.
Resident James “Stanley” Harris says his South Dallas neighborhood should be in line for the upgrades.
“Why not?” asked Harris, a decades-long cyclist. “I mean, if you can put them downtown, if you can put them in Highland Park, why can’t you put them in South Dallas? What’s the difference? My neighborhood here is no better than their neighborhood.”
According to the Dallas Department of Transportation, there are approximately 150 miles of bike lanes in the city – 54 miles of strictly lanes and 92 miles shared or non-exclusive. About a third of the total are in southern Dallas.
Resident James “Stanley” Harris says his South Dallas neighborhood should be in line for the upgrades.
“Why not?” asked Harris, a decades-long cyclist. “I mean, if you can put them downtown, if you can put them in Highland Park, why can’t you put them in South Dallas? What’s the difference? My neighborhood here is no better than their neighborhood.”
According to the Dallas Department of Transportation, there are approximately 150 miles of bike lanes in the city – 54 miles of strictly lanes and 92 miles shared or non-exclusive. About a third of the total are in southern Dallas.
“I feel like we need more bike lanes and less traffic,” Harris said.
Kathryn Rush, chief planner with the city’s transportation department, said this is something that the department has heard, and there are plans for more bike lanes in southern Dallas.
“We do recognize that some areas of the city have more limited networks than others, although we have generally a pretty small network currently citywide, but those areas are going to be a focus for us for making sure we implement and get facilities designed in those areas as part of our next round of engineering,” Rush said.
There are currently about 14 more miles of bike lanes planned for the area and a total of 36 miles across Dallas, according to Page Jones, public information officer.
Rush feels confident they have key information on what’s needed next.
“We will be spending the next few months finalizing the recommended bike network as well as drafting the priorities and the implementation plan and our design standards,” Rush said.
Harris said he feels safe riding in South Dallas despite poor roadways and construction because he knows his neighbors and the best places to ride in his community. He has been cycling for decades throughout his South Dallas neighborhood and wants to see the additional lanes in his community because he often takes kids out on bike rides with him.
Rush said that there are many projects that have been funded in the southern sector, including improvements to Lancaster Avenue, a trail that encircles Fair Park and “routes-to-rail” walking improvements around the DART Dallas Zoo Station.
South Oak Cliff resident David Morrison cycles for transportation. He often takes his bicycle to the bus stop or for the last few miles of his journey as he heads up north.
Morrison said that while he feels safe for the most part while cycling, when the sun sets, it’s a different story because of the lack of streetlights.
“I would love to see more bike lanes, but at the same time I look at the condition of our existing infrastructure like our roadways or sidewalks – if there are any – and how some street lights don’t work or are always going out,” Morrison said. “I believe that fixing the infrastructure is equally important as bike lanes.”
Tameca Harris, an employee at Bike Friendly South Dallas, echoes this sentiment. Harris enjoys bicycling because she sees Dallas from a different perspective and gets to know her community. She said that her South Dallas neighbors love to see cyclists out, and that’s why she feels safe taking her bicycle out in her community.
Despite feeling safe for the most part, Harris wants to see more concrete barriers in bike lanes and better roadways. She said that when the organization takes people on rides, they don’t take the bikes that are typically used for roads because there will be a flat instantly due to the condition of the roads. Instead, mountain bikes are used.
“The streets are a big, big problem,” she said. “There’s lots of potholes and just trash depending on where you are. You got to be careful that you’re not riding over glass or screws or nails.”
Rush said that maintenance of bike facilities is a takeaway that the city had from the public input meetings that took place throughout October.
“I think something that we heard at every single public meeting that we had and every single event was a need for more maintenance and for especially more street sweeping,” said Rush. “We even had one city staffer and staff person have a popped tire on their way to a public meeting.”
Source : The Dallas Morning News
