“Ride the Divide” screening tonight at the Studio Movie Grill

Just got word that the documentary “Ride the Divide”, featuring a group of mountain bikers who rode from Canada to Mexico, will be screened tonight at the Studio Movie Grill. There are still some tix available. Show starts at 7 pm.

Oncor and Mayor announce major bike/ped initiative at City Hall

More to come…

Observer Cover Article on BFOC’ers and Community Activism

BFOC co-founder's Zac and Heather Lytle. Photo by Sara Kerens

BFOC made the cover story for the Dallas Observer this week in an article that details our work with bicycling, community gardens, and civic activities.

Bicycling NYC’s new infrastructure

We took the family to New York City this past week to get a first hand look at all of the new infrastructure projects taking place throughout the city. First off, I’d like to note that it is amazing how much has changed in so short a time. We bicycled and walked throughout Manhattan for four days straight and it was so encouraging to see what all has taken place.

Madison Square Pavement to Plaza Conversion

For starters, we headed over to the Madison Square park area to check out the new pavement to plaza and bicycle lanes. Immediately as we turned the corner and saw the pedestrian space carved out into a space that used to belong to cars, the feel and look of the area changed to a very casual and friendly environment. It was 9AM on a Monday, but people were out relaxing with coffee and reading newspapers. The bike lanes are fairly new and did an amazing job of thinning the streets, making it much safer to cross as a pedestrian, and had the double effect of slowing vehicles that used to take precedence here. It was a night and day difference from our last visit almost a year to the date prior.

Bicycling NYC with kids

One thing that was also incredibly encouraging from our last visit was not only the number of added bike lanes, but the sheer amount of children and seniors who were riding now. Our 9 year old immediately felt comfortable riding on major streets from Park Avenue to Grand Street. He didn’t have to worry about going fast, but simply relaxed and enjoyed a casual bike ride through the city. Something that really hit home with the bike infrastructure was noting bike speeds…when bike lanes were present people averaged around 8 mph, which is what is seen in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen. This slowing of speeds allows much more time to analyze obstacles and view intersections…this coupled with the slower speeds of cars due to the thinning of the streets heightened our comfort and safety notably. Pedestrians would come in and out of the bike lanes to cross traffic, but speeds were so manageable that it made no difference…and even in instances when a cab would pull into a bike lane to drop someone off, we were already travelling slow enough to stop and allow them out, or comfortably exit and re-enter the lane. I’ve heard several fears, or concerns from those opposed to infrastructure related to this, and actually experiencing it first hand showed what a non-issue this really was…no different than driving a car and stopping for a few seconds while school bus stops to let children off.

Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped path

The Brooklyn bridge is an amazing site on its own, regardless of its bike/ped path, but the separation from cars and the ability to stop and look out over the water comfortably, made a world of difference in comparison to crossing bridges into Dallas. It really highlighted for me the lack of foresight in having our newest Caltrava bridge built without any bike/ped amenities.  Sadly, that was a lost opportunity for generations.

Cycle Track in NYC with Pedestrian Island

The last thing I’ll note was one of the major highlights…the cycle track. We’ve talked about these quite a bit in the past, but actually riding on them and seeing others along with the separation from cars was far and away greater than I anticipated. You slow down, have a conversation, see a fruit vendor to the side, and comfortably stop and take a break. The pedestrian islands created that additional barrier that was a godsend when walking with a stroller and kids.  Plus, they were signaled! Bikes and cars all stopped and movement was far more manageable than I had anticipated.

All in all, it was an amazing trip, and seeing/riding in this new infrastructure first hand along with children did more to motivate me than I had originally planned. Also, the fear that drivers would be upset if you left the bike lane turned out to be completely unfounded, as we (along with thousands of others) did this on a regular basis…and not a single honk…that even shocked me.  We have a lot of work ahead of us, but fortunately, enough cities nationwide have presented models for us to review and develop so that we can adopt the best the world has to offer.

Delicious Discount at CocoAndré

CocoAndré Chocolatier is know for their european-style truffles and custom chocolate molds (we’re biased to the one below), this is one of our favorite stops to satisfy our sweet tooth. They even serve chilled “hot” chocolate in the summer! Yumz.

All cyclists who ride up to the shop will receive 10% off a purchase of $15 or more as well as a bicycle lollie as a thank you prezzie. Thanks, Andrea and Cindy.

Community Gardening and Overregulation

Wouldn't a community garden be better?

Many of our best community gardens are quite underwhelming and certainly not the work of any self-respecting landscape architect.  Mulch paths crisscrossed by plastic irrigation tubing.  A pile of dirt needing attention.  An unimposing wooden coop held together by chicken-wire.  A wheelbarrow with a flat tire.  Beautifully messy places nevertheless.  Everything has a purpose and works harmoniously for the sake of food production in a communal setting.

The seemingly endless community garden briefings are a stark contrast to community gardening in August in Texas.  Earth and hot sun traded for the air conditioned chambers of I.M. Pei’s cement City Hall.  Coop is no longer spelled with a “c.”  It’s spelled with a “K” and refers to the Honorable Linda L. Koop, who will be presiding over the 2pm, Tuesday, August 12 meeting of the Transportation and Environment Committee where Option 6 for community gardens will be presented.

This newest option proposes that the Development Code be amended to explicitly allow community gardens on vacant lots.  That’s exactly what community gardeners have been requesting since City Hall first briefed the Committee last March.  It was called Option 1.  So why won’t gardeners be happy?  Well, there are three little requirements in the fine print which amount to overregulation, overregulation, and overregulation.

The first requirement to operate a community garden under Option 6 is a written statement presented to the building official signed by the property owner affirming that the operator has the permission of the property owner to use the property as a community garden.  Why all of the hoops?  Criminal and civil trespass laws already exist.  Surely, the existing trespass laws are preventing rogue community gardening.

The second requirement is a site plan that must be approved by the building official.  Gardeners should remember to show the location and dimensions of the property and location and type of all existing and proposed landscaping, including plants.  According to the City, the purpose of submitting a site plan is to allow the building official to identify code problems with your project early, so that the problems may be worked out before applying for a building permit or building.

But what are you going to build?  If there is a greenhouse or other structure planned as part of your community garden, then there already is a well defined process for permitting and building.   A site plan for tomatoes, corn, and other vegetables doesn’t have a purpose.  After all, relocating a tomato plant isn’t the same as moving a wall.

The third requirement is an annual permitting fee of $215.  The fee is annual because City Staff wants the building official to review and permit your community garden each year.  A fee for fee’s sake.  As we have said before, we should be thankful that we have community gardeners willing to transform vacant lots into gardens.

In fact, in a city-sized monument to overregulation, at noon on the very same Tuesday, many of the same Committee members will be attending the Quality of Life briefing regarding the problems in Dallas with illegal dumping violations on vacant lots.  Problem at noon and citizens contributing to a no-cost-to-the-City solution at 2pm.  Only overregulation stands in the way.

Happy Anniversary!

Help your local bike shop celebrate their one year anniversary. Oak Cliff Bicycle Company has been alive and kicking for a whole year, boy time flies! If you have been by lately, you’ll notice that they are about ready to think about expanding. More info here.