Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s 2010 Year in Photos

It was a pretty amazing year for bicycling in Oak Cliff. From Better Blocks to Bastille Days to Symphonies in the Park to Tweed Rides, we couldn’t have asked for a more memorable time. Here’s a few of our favorite pics of the year from the following photographers: Elliott Munoz, Darren Braun, Wendy Wezensky, Richard Wezensky, Ange Fitzgerald, Andrea Roberts, Harry Wilonsky, Amanda Pounds, Sara Kerens, Matt Hawthorne, and Bryan Gooding.

Beer in the Cliff

Today, we were able to buy our first six-pack of beer from the local convenience store at the end of the street thanks to the recent wet/dry election. To commemorate the momentous occasion, we picked up some Fat Tire then pedaled home where we sat on the front porch, kicked our shoes off, drank a cold beer and watched the sunset.

It’s been a long time comin’…

Texas Theatre holding New Year’s Eve Party with 1931 Theme

The Texas Theatre is having a 1931 themed party to commemorate the year the theatre was built. Dressing up is encouraged, so it’s a great time to break out your finest tweed gear again. The night will include performances by retro orchestra the Singapore Slingers, comedian Neil Hamburger, and DJ Wild in the Streets.  The event is $25 per person, but if you come by bike it’s only $15! It’ll be cold, so be sure to bring a coat!

Check out the Facebook page here for more updates: http://www.facebook.com/TexTheatre

DALTEX Custom Bike Frames Moving into Oak Cliff Bicycle Company

Some exciting news from this side of the river…DALTEX custom bike frame builders have moved their shop to inside of the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company. This means you’ll start seeing custom bikes roll out of the Bishop Arts District in 2011.

The guys at the shop are going to start offering Wednesday night meets for those who are interested in watching framebuilding and learning the tools of the trade. Also, we’ve heard news that a line of panniers and bike accessories may start being manufactured by a local seamstress. More details to come…

Bishop Arts gets the first car parking space converted to permanent bike parking in Dallas

The single tenet that BFOC helped promote in the recently passed Bishop Davis Land Use study was to allow businesses to supplement the zoning requirements for car parking with bike parking.  Prior to the study, many of our historic structures were unleaseable by business owners due to having too few parking spaces required by code. Today, Oddfellows, the new coffee bistro in Oak Cliff,  took the first initiative by replacing a car parking space in front of its building with a bench that was outfitted with wheel racks crafted by local artists and welders.  The space that formerly held a single vehicle now can accommodate up to 10 bikes.

We’ll be seeing more of these installations in the coming months, so stay tuned!

Dallas Ranks on Bottom of Worst Commute List

Streetsblog.org just posted a link to a recent study put out by the financial websites Bundle and TheStreet showing the least and most expensive cities for commuters. Dallas rates as the most expensive city for commuters overall, while Eugene, Oregon ranks as the least. The article goes on to state that commutes have been an under appreciated factor when cities tout the affordability of living in the exurbs. 

Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland goes on to state that two of the cities listed as “Least Expensive” (Boulder, Eugene) also rank as some of the most bike-friendly.

One Car, No Car Series: A suit, a bicycle and the DART GREEN line

This past week presented a new challenge for me.  I had to be at I-635 and Luna Rd, just west of the I-35 and I-635 crossing.  From north Oak Cliff, that’s approximately 17 miles, one-way.  On top of that, I had to be there by 7:00am!

This would normally not have  warranted a posting, but the circumstances for my trip presented an unusual challenge.  The event I was going to was a conference where I needed to be dressed professionally.  My only choice was a suit and tie.  This meant I couldn’t carry my clothes and change later, but I would have to wear the suit throughout my commute.

Fortunately, two important details fell into place for my trip.  First, the new DART GREEN line has just opened, providing me with the proximity to shorten my bicycle ride.

On a side note, it’s wonderful!  The larger SLRVs, the cars that were designed for the new line, provide more capacity including better bicycle storage while riding, and level boarding.  This may not seem that important to the average cyclist, but if you use the train as part of a bicycle commute, getting on and off without having to lug your bicycle up the flight of stairs is a nice feature.  In addition, there are now specific places on the cars where you can hang your bicycle while riding comfortably along in the car.  This last point is crucial:  If you board a rather full car, your bicycle is vertical now, not horizontal, thus providing more space for non-bicyclist riders and provides them with less opportunity to be annoyed by it!

Secondly, the average daily temperature this time of year hovers in the low 60s.  The day I traveled the high was 55 degrees.  Riding in a suit and overcoat in the early hours of the morning prevented the normal sweat factor to take much hold.  Thus, I arrived looking ready to present myself to our association members as best I could.

Usually, this image is one you don’t see very often around the DFW area, unless you’re engaged in a religious rite of passage like these trendy guys below:  I certainly enjoyed the challenge my commute presented me, and also give mad love to DART for the wonderful job they did with the new GREEN line

Sponsored by Car Share Co-Op of Oak Cliff

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s Christmas Display

In case you missed it, BFOC members created a Santa with 8 tiny bicycles display in the Bishop Arts District for Jingle Bells on Bishop. Our friend and fellow BFOC’er Elliott Munoz snapped this great pic.

Arlington Individual Against Safer Streets

(Collins and Abram – a Typical street in Arlington)

After years of developing a dangerous, high-speed road network that was cold, desolate and uninviting to pedestrians, bicyclists, children, or elders, Arlington has finally decided to move forward with an impressive bike plan that looks to fundamentally change the road network into one that will make the city a shining example of how a large suburb can embrace multi-modalism while increasing safety for families.  We’ve already seen how economics has increased in cities that have developed “road diets” and created a greater focus on the pedestrian experience, so Arlington’s development holds great promise for what can be:

That’s not to say there isn’t any opposition. Buddy Saunders, owner of Lone Star Comics, is leading a one-man crusade to keep the existing high-speed, deadly infrastructure in place…ironic since you would think a comic store would want its largest demographic to have regular access to their products. In Arlington, like most other cities in America a full fifty percent of the population does not drive a car. They are either too young, too old, disabled, underprivileged or simply choose to not drive. Additionally, Arlington is the largest City in the United States without regular public transportation. So the bicycle is the alternative transportation resource for many residents.

Arlington is embarking on a bicycle master plan and a thoroughfare plan that have the potential to begin to reverse the dominance of the automobile in street right of way and move Arlington toward being a safer place for all users of the street. A place that families will feel comfortable riding together. Stay abreast of the planning effort here and BFOC encourages the residents of Arlington to stay vigilant in their promotion of bicycle friendly infrastructure. Compromising and leaving bicycle amenities out of roadway plans, standards and policies will not result in a safer place.The voice of a minority of business owners should be approached with an understanding of the benefits of bicycle infrastrucutre to their financial bottom line. The OC now has over 30 businesses participating in the Bike Friendly Oak Cliff discount program. These businesses offer a range of discounts to bike riders and in-turn they contribute to the momentum to use the bike for utilitarian trips and reduce the merchants need for parking. And guess what, bike riders stay longer at businesses and spend more! Our hope is to see Lone Star Comics come around to the benefits of being a bike friendly business. One that supports streets made safe for families and active transportation that reduces fossil fuel dependency and improves public health. Hey even Batman and Robin know the benefits of biking means more eyes on the street and a safer place for all good citizens!

 

Oak Cliff Bicycle Company Stops a Bike Theft

(Ean Parsons and Jeremy Ordaz)

UPDATE:  Thanks to the BFOC Community, one of the perpetrators has been identified in the comments section!

Owners of the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company, Jeremy Ordaz and Ean Parsons, foiled a recent bike theft in North Oak Cliff after two men walked into the store purporting to have a bicycle owned by their “grandfather” that they were attempting to sell. The men had called the store first and asked if they “ID’d” bikes that were brought in. “I knew something was off when we got the call, so I just told them to bring it up so we could look at it”, recalled Ean. Upon entering the shop, Jeremy and Ean instantly recognized the bike as one owned by a nine year old boy who is a regular at the store. Ean immediately took possession of the bike, while Jeremy followed the men out of the store, grabbing the following phone pics as they left:

The bike had been locked up at an elementary school playground in the King’s Highway neighborhood over a weekend which was fenced in and closed, so beyond stealing, the two may also be at fault for breaking and entering. Within the same week, a laptop and second bicycle have been reported stolen from the area, which means these two could be involved with more neighborhood thefts, so keep a lookout for them and if you know their names, addresses, or facebook/myspace profile, feel free to post in the comments.

(9 Year Old, Asher, with his bike…a Christmas present from 2009)

Kudos to Jeremy and Ean for stopping a couple of would-be thieves. This is another example of why we should all support our local bike shops (or any local business)…they know the community personally, they act as an extra pair of “eyes on the street” that keep the community safe, they’re passionate about their products and services, and beyond a simple financial reason…they care. It’s something you don’t find in a big box retailer or chain, and in fact, in communities that only have the latter, there’s a void of character and/or personal connections with a place.

So please, shop local this Christmas…and if you need a bike, you know where to go!