Bonnie and Clyde Recap

Thanks everyone, for making it out to BFOC’s second themed ride! We had well over 200 people in attendance this time, and everyone did a great job of making it up the Vilbig hill! It was great seeing everything from kids on BMX bikes, to penny-farthings winding around West Dallas. The Dallas Morning News will post the pics and a story in May, closer to the 75th anniversary date of Bonnie and Clyde’s ambush.
In the meantime, here’s a few images from Holly Jefferson, William Ferguson, and Wendy Kain.

Quick Poll: What’s your main ride?

We want to try out this poll feature, and see if we can get a feel for what most people are riding around on. We realize that many of you have multiple bikes, but we’re really curious about your day in day out bike.

Same Number of Passengers. Repost from Cooltownstudios.com

The above image is from a poster I had seen in the past, but Cooltownstudios.com was featuring it again today. The image shows how many vehicles are required for the same number of passengers using cars, bus, and bicycles.

Two Dallas Chambers Pass Complete Streets Initiative!

This is HUGE news!

The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (50+ business and community leaders) and the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to push complete streets initiatives (Bike lanes, streetcars, pedestrian paths) for Beckley, and are asking to repeal the current Beckley/Commerce intersection.

Council Members Dave Neumann, and Steve Salazaar are leading the charge on behalf of the Chambers, and a complete public works project is being placed on hold to redevelop the area with “walkable” infrastructure.

This is an amazing turnabout and much of our work, and those heading the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, and the Oak Cliff Transit Authority, are responsible for this incredible change. There’s other amazing news from the city regarding bicycle infrastructure, and the City and Assistant Managers push for a more bike friendly community that we’ll update you all on shortly. The only thing I can say for now is that things are about to radically change for our city and the bicycle community…and we mean that in a good way.

Which one would you rather ride on?

A fan of BFOC just alerted us to an Unfair Park blog article linking to the anti-bikelane Cycle Dallas video series on proper Vehicular Cycling techniques in Dallas. A woman in the comments section points out that she has no desire to take her Schwinn on Walnut Hill. That’s the reality for most cyclists. Another VC commenter who appears here from time to time states “Cue the Bike Lane weenies”. We think that’s cute. Then PM Summer replies with the teenage internet acronym “ROTFLMAO”.

I’m sorry…but watching a man in his mid-60′s attempt urban slang isn’t just odd…it’s downright creepy. Hell, I’m in my mid-30′s and I’ve learned to stay away from it.

The oddest thing about the video series is that it does nothing to make you feel safe about bicycling on Dallas roads. Does PM actually feel that this will make you want to take the family out on bikes to downtown in rushhour?

Now, we’d like you to compare for yourself…riding in Dallas on a lane made for cars:

to riding in a dedicated bike lane:

Which feels safer? Which would you rather ride on? Which would bring more cyclists out? Which would you prefer to see in Dallas?

Notice the Dallas cyclists look like they’re armed for battle, while the Copenhagen cyclists look like regular people.

Cue the bike lane weenies is right.

It’s too hot in Dallas for bike lanes, right?

On the “It’s too hot in Dallas” reference often cited by opponents of walkable initiatives like bike lanes in our area, we’d like to note that of AAA’s top 10 walkable cities in the US, two of them, Charleston and New Orleans, have similar summer temperatures as Dallas…and both have higher humidity. New Orleans restaurants will often shut down in August due to lack of tourists avoiding the heat, and Charleston residents anticipate the same 100 degree day temperatures we do in August. This is expected, as Charleston shares a similar latitude as Dallas.

Other interesting notes:

- Both Charleston and New Orleans have FAR lower densities than Dallas (384.7/km2, and 973/km2 respectively; Dallas: 1,391.9/km2)
- New Orleans has bike lanes, and is carrying out major expansion plans

Any guess as to which US city averages more 100+ degree days per year than Dallas, shares a similar density (1,570.6/km2), and recently achieved the League of American Bicyclists Silver Award, partly due to their incredible bike lane infrastructure? Tempe, Arizona.

“When we began promoting the creation of pedestrian streets and bike lanes in Copenhagen in the 1960′s, everyone said ‘You’re crazy! We’re Danes, not Italians, we don’t have a culture of walking.’”

Jan Gehl, Urban Planner for Copenhagen

A blast from the past

Another BFOC fan forwarded us the following excerpt from the June 12, 1988 Dallas Morning News Article titled “OPPOSITION IS SMALL BUT VOCAL” in regards to DART’s plan to develop Light Rail in Dallas:

“A commuter rail system won’t work in an auto-dominated region, would carry too few passengers to justify its cost and would actually create traffic congestion by crossing some city streets, they say.

Though they disagree over what alternatives to pursue in place of rail, opponents have advocated more highways, tollways, special bus and carpool lanes on freeways, special bus freeways and new parking regulations to encourage use of mass transit.

Sensible Metro Area Rapid Transit — SMART — is the largest group of opponents, with about 300 members. The group is chaired by Former Dallas County Judge Dave Fox and includes scores of business and civic leaders.

In the suburbs, only one group has announced it will oppose the DART measure — the Garland Chamber of Commerce. Chamber spokesman Bill McCoy said members are concerned that the system may cost too much and are frustrated that there is no definite date for rail service to become available in Garland. “

Many of the arguments against bike lane development are eerily similar (too car-centric, not enough density), and our position on promoting them are no different than DART’s in 1988…de-emphasize the automobile, and give people alternatives that will act as catalysts for livable communities. DART has now proven that if you build it, they will come. Ridership for the inaugural light rail line in 1996 was 18,000 riders per day. The following year, ridership jumped to 30,000.

This month’s the Atlantic lead article is titled “How the Crash Will Reshape America”. The writer Richard Florida notes the trends in urbanism taking place throughout the nation. He delves deeper into the subject stating that the density we see taking shape will only be hastened by the realities of our current economic environment. It’s a lengthy article, but well worth the read.

A Changing Tide in City Planning – The Hope for Complete Streets

“We baby boomers are in a state of denial. We grew up with a love for the open road, big cars, and bigger houses. Our favorite shows were “Route 66″, and the book that defined many of our generation was Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”. Density was a bad word, and public transit considered the mode of the “commoner”. Now, we’re left scratching our heads at the idea that our children would want to abandon all we held dear.”

-Lon D. Roberts, Ph.D.

I remember telling my parents that my wife and I wanted to move closer to the city, to be able to take in more amenities, and lower our reliance on cars. Growing up in far North Garland, then later moving to Plano, my mom was shocked when we announced we had decided to move to Oak Cliff. We were fed horror stories of the Cliff from the first day dad purchased our Fox & Jacobs cookie cutter home in a sub-division that is now slowly unraveling and showing the same signs of wear seen in small cities across the country.

In the early 90′s, my parents upgraded to what we now refer to as a mini-McMansion, since the goal of their generation was to “go bigger”. Now that they’re empty-nesters, they’re beginning to look at selling but are saddened by all of the yard signs on their block, with homes that have been vacant for well over a year now. Even in this economy, on our little block in Oak Cliff, 1920′s tudor style homes with two rooms and a single bathroom are turning over quickly for prices we would have assumed unthinkable only a few years ago. Four young families have moved in over the past 6 months and we’re seeing more children on the playgrounds than ever. We’re now faced with a problem we never anticipated, a saturation of affluent young people who are pushing out many of the poorer minorities that make up much of Oak Cliff’s incredible culture.

Though we face challenges in retaining our unique characteristics and culture, one area that has been a rallying point for the entire community has been the push for better urban form, and to remove the car-centric suburban infrastructure that was implemented in the early 70′s which broke down much of our area’s livability. I’ve been amazed at the amount of support we’ve received from the community, developers, and city/state representatives. Our local city council candidates have even taken up the mantle are openly running on a pro-complete streets platform. It’s heartening, but given the trends seen across the nation, it’s not unexpected. We’re riding a tidal wave of change, and I’m hopeful for the future of our little community, but saddened for my parents and their generation, for the loss of something they held dear.

My father forwarded me the Fast Company article titled, Suburbia R.I.P., with a side note saying “I see this happening first hand in our neighborhood…very few young families are moving in”. The article notes:

“The demand for suburban homes may never recover, given the long-term prospects of energy costs for commuting and heating, and the prohibitive inefficiencies of low-density construction. The whole suburban idea was founded on disposable spending and the promise of cheap gas. Without them, it may wither. A study by the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech predicts that by 2025 there will be as many as 22 million unwanted large-lot homes in suburban areas.

The suburb has been a costly experiment. Thirty-five percent of the nation’s wealth has been invested in building a drivable suburban landscape, according to Christopher Leinberger, an urban planning professor at the University of Michigan and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. James Howard Kunstler, author of “The Geography of Nowhere,” has been saying for years that we can no longer afford suburbs. “If Americans think they’ve been grifted by Goldman Sachs and Bernie Madoff, wait until they find out what a swindle the so-called ‘American Dream’ of suburban life turns out to be,” he wrote on his blog this week. “

I remember reading an article titled The New Pragmatists by Jaime Correa, in 2004, and thinking how spot on it was at the time:

“…the GenXers are just beginning to contemplate buying a house. They never developed the emotional attachment to larger homes that Baby Boomers did. GenXers seek something different anyway. In fact, they are aware that urban living requires more expensive properties on smaller lots. In their paradoxical world, they are conscious that urban living is both authentic and inventive. In their continuous search for newness, and as pointed out by Ann Clurman, “Xers will build something new rather than re-create something old. They will find something to remember rather than try to recall something that they remember.”

With all we’re seeing now, and the realities brought on from a hurting economy and a generation entering retirement, the only thing we can truly be assured of is change. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

(Notice, all of the above areas are car free)

Portland’s density comparable to Dallas

Here’s another interesting find forwarded to us from a BFOC fan:

Portland, Oregon

Population (2008)
– City 575,930 (30th)
– Density 4,199.17/sq mi (1,640.30/km2)
– Metro 2,159,720

Dallas, Texas

Population (2008)
– City 1,240,499 (9th largest)1,300,350 NCTCOG Est. 2,008
– Density 3,605.08/sq mi (1,391.9/km2)
– Metro 6,145,037 (4th largest)6,538,850 NCTCOG Est. 2,008

What does this mean? Portland’s density (1,640.30/km2) is only slightly greater than Dallas (1,391.9/km2), and when compared to cities like San Francisco (6,688.4/km2) and Chicago (4,816/km2), we’re both well under what is typically considered a dense urban environment. Given that Portland is considered the “Bike Capital of the US”, it’s a promising sign for our own city.

“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

A note on comments at BFOC

Due to the overuse of personal attacks, swearing, and veiled threats in recent comment threads from Vehicular Cyclists, we at BFOC will no longer post their comments.

In other words, if you are adamantly opposed to bike infrastructure, this ain’t the site for you.