Tonight’s the BFFW inaugural ride to city hall. It’s gonna be a chilly evening, so bring your thermals, and maybe the guys will stop off for hot toddys along the way. This is a chance to show your support for the incredibly ambitious Bike Fort Worth plan (full details available here at Fortworthology).
Hope to see you there!
For years, we’d hear friends and neighbors alike bemoan the fact that North Oak Cliff lacked a Whole Foods store, and while we probably joined the chorus for a time, a new, authentically Oak Cliff option has surfaced…Urban Acres. Billed as an organic farm store, the owners have taken up shop in the old De La Fuente marketspace at Windomere and Davis, and only a block from the soon-to-be-opened Kessler Theatre.
For now, the shop is only open on Saturday mornings and afternoons, until they completely renovate the space and commit to longer business hours. If you are part of the Oak Cliff Food Co-Op, this is the new landing station to pick up your veggies and fruits. For those unfamiliar with the Co-Op, members sign up to receive a tub of select organics from around the area (there are a few outside-the-area fruits thrown in) with random in-season selections featured at each interval. For us, the fun part is looking up what recipes we can find for the items we don’t normally pick up when at the grocery store. Last week we dug around for recipes that included chard, and before that, kale presented a few fun options.
One of the owners, Steven Bailey, walked us through the shop over the weekend, and pointed out some of the select preserves and breads they had picked up while travelling around small country back roads through the state. Also featured were local faves, Oak Cliff Coffee, and Nitschke Beef. To me, this is an even better option than Whole Foods in the sense that it’s locally owned and operated, it stocks regional goods, and the founders will be able to easily accommodate any needs that we may have gone elsewhere to find…or better yet, incentivize someone else in the community to recreate a newer, better alternative.
And the bike friendly connection? First off, it’s nestled into the neighborhood with very limited car parking, so it makes sense to bike, the co-op tubs fit comfortably on the back rack of a bike with only a couple of bungees needed, and since the produce is all fresh, you’re typically not buying in large enough quantities (unless you’re feeding an army) to need anything more than a grocery pannier or basket. Check out more pics of the new shop here, and become a fan of their facebook group.
Even though it was a bit cool, and a little drizzly, we still had an incredible turnout for the Mardi Gras parade. Below are a few pics from the ride, with more here:
(photo by Can Turkyilmaz)
Just got word from our friends at Tradewinds Social Club about a new special offer they have for bicyclists: Starting tonight, anyone who shows up to the bar on a bike will receive a free drink (wells and domestics) and happy hour prices after that the rest of the evening—any night of the week. They’re also working on getting bike racks installed. Thanks, Tradewinds. Wear a helmet, people.
(photo by J. Maus)
If you haven’t been paying attention, head over to BikePortland.org and check out the latest news on the city’s extremely progressive bike plan to install 700 MILES WORTH of bike paths, with 300+ being developed as European styled, separated bike lanes. They’ve set an ambitious goal of increasing ridership to 25% with a cost of $500+ Million over a 20 year period. In comparison, Dallas spent $550 Million on a single hotel…and $100 Million on a bridge that goes approx. one mile.
In his address to the council, Mayor Davis (former Transportation Planners) noted that “For less than 2% of our budget since 1996, we’ve seen ridership grow, that’s a good return on investment.” In other words, Portland adopted a “build it and they will come” philosophy and have watched ridership levels skyrocket to 8% in a relatively short amount of time. Undoubtedly, this new investment will double the number.
Not only have these systems proven to increase ridership, but the most exciting development will be economically watching Portland become a people-friendly city and how it drives more local business while breeding safer streets. View Jan Gehl, Copenhagen’s planner, discuss the changes that occurred in his hometown after a major focus was placed on bicycle infrastructure here. You’ll notice, the before pictures look just like present-day Dallas.
Super-chic milliner, and B.F.O.C. member, Cassandra MacGregor of the House of MacGregor has created these gorgeous limited-edition Mardi Gras masks designed to be worn over your eyes. They are made from sheer black horsehair with a smattering of festive rhinestones—no two are exactly alike. The wire loops slip behind your ear. Each is only $30 and is perfect to wear at Sunday’s Oak Cliff Mardi Gras parade, and on other occasions, too. Want one? Cassie will be in her studio above Bolsa on Saturday. Find Her!
(F.W. Bicycle Commuting Pioneer, Arlie Robinson. Photo Courtesy Jim’s Bike Blog.)
There’s another new BF Family to add to the mix: Bike Friendly Fort Worth! Lead by Trinity Bicycles shop owner Bernie Scheffler, and architect/urbanist/and cycling advocate Brad Blessing. Their web presence is forthcoming, but they haven’t wasted anytime mobilizing and are kicking off their effort with a February 9th Bike to City Hall event to show support for Fort Worth’s pending bike plan.
If you live in or around the area, be sure to head out and help promote the effort. Fort Worthology has posted full details including map, and meetup location on their website here. As soon as we hear word of the Facebook group and event, will post those details.
(Michael Hubbard of Biking in Dallas)
Another great blog dedicated to everyday bicycling in Dallas has popped up recently, lead by Chris Curnutt and Michael Hubbard, called Biking in Dallas. We first met both Chris and Mike during our themed group rides and they always seem to break out a cool new-old bike for each event. These guys are right up our alley…not so much about high end, carbon fibered materials and 100 mile touring, but more into the relaxing lifestyle, and simple pleasures of dusting off an old bike and taking it around town. They’re Dallas’ answer to Sacramento’s amazing Ecovelo site. Check out their most recent article on Dallas’ extensive trail system here. If anyone has ever tried to gather information about the various routes, and trails on your own, you’ve certainly noticed it’s hodepodged and often outdated or buried in a 1.0 website with massive non-compressed images. They note that over the coming year they’ll be documenting and photographing as much of the system as possible…definitely a worthy endeavor, and I could even see a great coffee table book coming out of this project.
(photo by 16nine)
We received word from City Hall that applications are now being accepted to be on the Bicycle Transportation Advisory Committee. This is going to be a 15-person board, and will help in developing Dallas’ future comprehensive bicycle plan. We’re asking any of our members who are interested in taking part, submit to the city within two weeks. The committee members will be approved by council members, and the Mayor.
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BFOC Flickr Photos
More Photos
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BFOC Merchandise Available!
Notable:
Dallas Tops Bicycle Magazine's Worst Cities for Cycling
Answers to most common talking points by those opposed to bicycle infrastructure
“There are times I ride in Austin, and I’m afraid of cars...Imagine what the beginner cyclist must feel like?”
- Lance Armstrong
The success of “complete streets” advocacy in cities such as San Francisco, Portland, New York, and Chicago has clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of infrastructural enhancement.
-Paul Dorn, League Cycling Instructor (#1237)
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) Recommends cities adopt bicycle lanes to curb obesity trends
Portland Metro: 174 Miles of On-street bikelanes, 8% bicycle ridership, 0 Fatalities in 2008
Dallas Metro: 0 Miles of On-Street bike lanes, .2% bicycle ridership, 6 Fatalities in 2008
"Our story is build it and they will come. We’ve built it and we now are approaching 6-8% mode split."
- Roger Geller, Bike Coordinator for Portland
Dallas Craig’s List Bike ListingsThe Bike Friendly Family
Friends of BFOC
