“Lance Armstrong Gateway” Cycle Track Plan on Bishop Revealed

Roy Appleton, at the Dallas Morning News, wrote an article on our efforts to install the first cycle track (physically separated bicycle lane) in Dallas along Bishop Boulevard connecting the Methodist Hospital campus to the Bishop Arts District. We’re dubbing this the “Lance Armstrong Gateway” Cycle Track, as Methodist was the birthplace to the Tour de France champion. This, in tandem with our efforts to create an East/West Bicycle Boulevard along Seventh Street, would provide a seamless connection from residential and school areas, to retail and work. The final link needed is the connection into Downtown itself, which is also being worked on with details forthcoming.

(Cycle Track in Aberdeen)

This is an exciting opportunity that we’ve worked with local property owners, and Council Member Delia Jasso to move forward on. Mrs. Jasso’s leadership and help in the effort has been instrumental in getting this project off the ground. We still have a ways to go but the exciting development is that the funds already exist for the project, and our first meetings with leaders at Methodist Hospital have shown promise for a coordinated promotional effort on branding the area as a major bicycling corridor.

Oak Cliff Bike News

(Bishop Arts 2009 Mardi Gras Parade)

2010 looks to be an exciting year for bicycle initiatives in North Oak Cliff. For starters, heads of Winnetka Heights home owners association, local business owners, and property owners are working with BFOC to develop Dallas first “pilot” pedestrian/bicycle boulevard along Seventh Street, connecting the Winnetka neighborhood with the Bishop Arts District. The street was the former trolley line, and is dotted with local hotspots such as the Turner House, the soon-to-be-opened Nova tapas/bicycle gastro pub, the Kessler Theatre, Seventh and Tyler Arts District, Bolsa (which was just listed in GQ as one of the top 10 new restaurants in the nation), and ending in Bishop Arts. The route will also be the spine of the area’s pedicab route, which will be used to mitigate parking issues for visitors wanting to experience the area.

(image from indypedicabs.com)

Speaking of pedicabs, Matt Spiller’s, owner of Eno’s is working with the OCBC to procure three new pedicabs for the area. We should have more details as info comes online.

The next major group rides we’ll be leading will take place on Sunday, February 7 & Sunday 14th. The first will be Oak Cliff’s Second Annual Mardi Gras ride and the next weekend will be our first Valentine’s themed ride. So one week, we’ll be decked out in beads, and for the second prepare to see hundreds of people dressed as cupids or in red regalia pedaling through the streets of downtown Dallas.

Kessler Theatre Returns to Life! Open House Sunday With Some Proceeds Benefiting BFOC.

(photo by Melissa Davis Hennings)

The beautiful and historic Kessler Theatre, which opened in 1942 by Gene Autry, comes roaring back to life with a special holiday open house this Sunday, December 27th from 4PM to 6PM. If you mention BFOC at the door, $2 will be given to support our efforts. The official grand opening won’t be until February, but this event is designed to give everyone a peek at the restoration progress that is now taking place.

The event is free and open to the public with special performances by Emily Elbert who will be showcasing new songs from her second CD – to be released this spring – and some old favorites from her debut album, Bright Side. Opening for Emily will be Austin’s Ruby Jane, a 15 year old singer and violinist who has performed with Willie Nelson, and was featured on the stage of the Grand Ol’ Opry at age 9, so be sure to bring the kids!

Along with the soon to be opened Nova bike pub, owners at the Kessler are also consulting with BFOC to help make the venue “bike friendly”, so stay tuned for some exciting announcements. The Kessler Theater is located at 1230 West Davis Street in North Oak Cliff, 10 blocks West of Bishop Arts.

More Details on the Upcoming Bicycle Friendly Gastro Pub

(Photo by Flickr User Bahi P)

SideDish wrote up a piece about the soon to be opened Nova (formerly Kavala) in Oak Cliff. We wrote about the new business going online a few weeks back, and it looks like they’re officially announcing it to the press.

We have a couple more bike friendly businesses coming online as well in 2010. Stay tuned!

Oak Cliff Pedicab Effort in the News

NBC covered our BFOC and local businesses efforts to bring pedicabs to North Oak Cliff to help ferry around everyone crossing the river to take in our restaurants and entertainment. Matt at Eno’s and Councilwoman Delia Jasso are interviewed for the piece also:

We’re very close to putting everything into place now, and will be announcing a major event shortly that will spotlight the pedicabs. The full write-up of our efforts can be found on their website here.

Dallas Santa Ride Update

Thanks to all who came out yesterday for the Dallas Santa Ride! We had a great turnout and were able to donate a load of toys to the Toys for Tots group. The Dallas Morning News posted a short online video of the ride here:

And David Wilson posted a few pics from the Houston Street Viaduct here.

Dallas Santa Ride Map and Details Announced

This Sunday’s Santa Ride looks to be a pretty nice day of 53 degrees and mostly sunny. We’ve just posted the route map here, and plan on passing through Deep Ellum, circiling Dallas Heritage Village, passing over the Houston Street Viaduct to Bishop Arts, then heading back past Lake Cliff Park and returning to Downtown. Note that we’re starting this ride at the beautiful new Main Street Garden Park at Harwood and Main. Toys for Tots will be on hand, if you’d like to bring an unwrapped gift before we get started, and Dude, Sweet Chocolate will be selling their incredible Hot Chocolate. We’re trying to line up an old fashioned Salvation Army Christmas band to perform in Bishop Arts, so hopefully there’ll be an opportunity for some caroling!

For those who want to dress up, eHow offers a cheap DIY Santa suit option here, and an elf suit here, and of course, Goodwill offers a giant selection of ugly holiday sweaters. See you all Sunday at 2:30!

Far North Dallas Suppressing People-First Developments in Oak Cliff

(An Oak Cliff open-air market which North Dallas reps seek to restrict)

As Oak Cliff slowly shakes off the decades of neglect due to car-first planning which saw the dismantling of our streetcar system, destruction of historic structures in favor of parking lots, the creation of wide one-way thoroufares through the heart of our residential neighborhoods, all of which only benefited the sprawling suburban areas of the city, it’s amazing to see efforts being put forth to stop homegrown grassroots efforts that are actually working. The latest afront is a plan put forth by city staff to regulate and limit the number of open air markets and community gardens in the area by creating a central regulatory body that would oversee the entire process. And why? To protect the Downtown Farmers Market, which has been ailing for years, and definitely deserves our support, but not at the detriment of our own community. The ripple effects here have the potential to end our amazing events like Bolsa’s monthly local farmers market, Make’s Urban Bazaar, Bishop Arts CliffFest, and the handful of new community gardens that are beginning to spring up. Point of fact, Bolsa’s market is responsible for launching new businesses in the area like Dude Sweet, Chocolate, while Make’s Urban Bazaar started off in the Downtown Farmers’ Market but left due to the heavy restrictions put in place by the city.

It’s notable that the councilmembers in favor of regulation are from far North Dallas, in areas that were built well after WWII with sprawling car-only infratructure with an emphasis on decentralization and separated zoning. These regulations do little to hurt their own communities, as they weren’t built with a townsquare/people-first form like Oak Cliff. Their districts also boast an abundance of organic grocery options like Whole Foods, SunFlowers, or are only miles from a Central Market. In the Cliff, these same stores bypass our community due to a lower percentage of college-graduates (which is the demographic most of these use when looking to develop a new store).

The groups organizing our grassroots markets are doing so because we are lacking in our area, and the service they provide is one that allows us and our families a necessary and enjoyable option where we can simply hop on a bicycle, ride a few blocks from home, and purchase fresh vegetables, honey, meats and poultry from local providers. This only hurts the close-in neighborhoods and not those living in Districts far from the city core who have a plethora of options. Can you imagine visiting a city like Florence, Paris, New York, or Austin and seeing city officials restrict open air markets? We’ve already suffered the damage of regulations that make it nearly impossible to open an outdoor cafe, a mixed-use building, or small retail establishment with limited parking…this is not how you rebuild a city.

Dallas to Portland transplant discusses differences between cycling in both cities

Lydia Pierce, a former Dallasite who recently moved to Portland, answers a few questions for BFOC regarding the differences between pedaling in the “worst city for bicycling” vs. the “bike friendliest” city in the nation.

What is it that makes Portland more appealing for you to bicycle in, over Dallas?

I bike more often here because there is more to do within biking distance. If I know a place is within 2 miles of my house I know I can bike there safely. Portland is so condensed that there are a ton of cool bars, restaurants, and shops within 2 miles of my house. In Dallas all of the places I preferred to hang out were miles and miles away from my place. Many were on the other side of Dallas. It just wasn’t practical to ride my bike.

I bike more here because there is a cycling community. A few examples of how this has worked in my life: I told my friend Amanda my bike was in disrepair and she gave me the number of her friend who does $30 tune-ups. Also, I got a flat tire and my friend Cat came over to my house and we walked my bike to the Community Cycling Center. I paid $2 for a new inner tube and $4 for the plastic clamps to help get my tube out. Cat taught me how to change my tire out of the goodness of her own heart. She also received a minor repair on her bike at the Cycling Center FOR FREE! A donation was suggested by the repairman. Cat decided to donate a few dollars. I live one block away from Bike Farm, another cycling center Cat has recommended to me, but I have yet to visit.

I bike more here because I’m aware of safer cycling. It’s against the law to not have flashing lights on your bike here. After driving my car and cursing the cyclist that did not have these lights I understand why they are needed. A cyclist is totally invisible without these lights at night. I’ve had to come to a screeching stop a few times because of irresponsible cyclists. Driving around cyclists changes your consciousness. I always have to check my rearview mirrors now to make sure I don’t turn or back up onto a cyclist. I know that some cyclists are better at making sure they are seen than others. I try to stay aware at all times. That’s how drivers in Portland drive. I feel as if cyclists and pedestrians have the right-of-way here. Many times I feel like people are not afraid of cars. They know most Portland drivers will take the effort to see them. So cyclists feel comfortable.

I bike more often because there are bike lanes everywhere. I look around and make mental notes of which streets have bike lanes. It’s comforting to know that cycling on that street is an option. I also am aware of which streets don’t have bike lanes. I make mental maps of residential streets I can use my bike on to avoid those major streets. Web sites like http://bycycle.org/ have been a big help. So has the bike-friendly map I got at the Community Cycling Center.

I bike more here because it’s infectious. A friend invited me to the Midnight Mystery Bike Ride. On the 3rd Friday of every month a meeting place is announced on the Mystery Bike Ride Blog. Everyone shows up there and at midnight a mysterious bike ride starts. No one knows where it will end and there’s usually a keg at the stopping place. I went to the Halloween-themed ride. There were at least 200 people there. There were lots of freak bikes and some were towing subwoofers and speakers. It was so nice to ride in a big group and had fantastic italio-disco/electro music as a soundtrack. That night was madness and left such a good taste in my mouth for cycling in Portland in general. People are crazy here, and I love it.

Do you feel that the city’s commitment to bicycle infrastructure has increased your likelihood of bicycling? If you could make improvements to the current infrastructure, what would they be?

I’m not sure if it’s in Dallas’s culture to fully embrace cycling. Portland is a more European city. Recently the Dallas Morning News compared Dallas and Portland. That article stated: “Seattle and Portland received much of their initial migrants from the northern tier of America, which has always been heavily Germanic and Scandinavian.” Many people are of European heritage and embrace European things. Many people say Portland reminds them of Amsterdam. I think the European heritage is part of the reason.

That said, I think Dallas could make some changes to improve cycling, but I think it has to market itself in a different way. I think people who are comfortable in their cars will be wary of the need to put money into cycling infrastructure. I wish there were an effective way to speak to low-income families and minorities and teach them why cycling is important and how to do it safely. Class issues are so strong in Dallas. If cycling is marketed to low-income families and minorities, the high-class, SUV-driving families won’t want to support it. If it’s marketed to higher-income families the lower class will be left out in the cold. They’ll be uninformed and won’t see the need for better cycling infrastructure and won’t know how to use it if it ever came to be.

From what I have observed, inner Portland is made up of mainly middle and upper class people. They are educated, love all things European, and understand a need for cycling infrastructure. The really, really poor families in the Portland area live in smaller cities outside of Portland. They don’t use bikes and see no need.
Portland only has about 500,000 people. Dallas has about 1 million. I don’t really think what’s effective in Portland is feasible in Dallas. Maybe Dallas should take cues from what bigger, more diverse cities, like Chicago have done to improve cycling.

I think that if Dallas were to put more money into cycling they should start with bike lanes. Just seeing that paint on the street is inspiring for some. Then there needs to be a lot more education on safe cycling. People don’t know how to signal they are about to turn or stay out of blind spots. They don’t know how to respect cars as they turn or stay aware of people opening their car doors suddenly. People need to be informed. I think free lessons would help. Cycling centers like the ones here in Portland would help. I also think motorists need to become more informed. Dallas is huge and there are drivers from all over Texas driving in Dallas every day. Some drivers are just completely unaware of cyclists. Big huge trucks definitely have the right-of-way in Texas, not cyclists or pedestrians. That’s just the culture of Texas. It’s going to be hard to change the culture of the whole metropolis.

When given the choice of bicycling on a major street with a bike lane, or one without, which do you prefer to bicycle on?

It depends. I personally prefer to cycle on residential streets without much car traffic. There are a lot of busy streets here with safe bike lanes, but I just prefer to take an off-road that is parallel. It just depends on what kind of cyclist you are.

OC Bookstore “Cliff Notes” Latest Small Biz to Offer BFOC Discount!

Just in time for Christmas, Oak Cliff’s newest indie bookstore “Cliff Notes”, two doors down from the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company, has signed on to offer 10% discounts to anyone bicycling to their shop! The address is 416 N. Tyler Street, and they offer a mixed selection of books, with a prominent focus on the beat writers and poets. Also, the owners recently began hosting an Oak Cliff open mic poetry night across the street at Mighty Fine Arts. Their first night was a huge success with a great turnout. Be sure to pedal by when you get the chance.

You can find Cliff Notes on Facebook here, and on twitter here.