2011 January « Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Oak Cliff Bike Culture Noted in the NY Times

January 30th, 2011 § Leave a Comment

The New York Times spotlighted the Bishop Arts District and OC’s bike culture in the Sunday edition:

“Travelers who tend to put Dallas at the bottom of their Texas bucket list probably haven’t been to the Bishop Arts district, where cyclists outnumber drivers, pedestrians stroll past historic buildings and the words “local,” “artisan” and “crafted” slip their way into conversations over dinners that begin with regionally grown greens and fine wines.” Full article here.

Multiple area restaurants, galleries, and boutiques are also spotlighted in the article which was penned to help travelers identify authentic stops while in town for the Super Bowl.

Week 5: 1 Day 52 Week No Car Challenge

January 30th, 2011 § 13 Comments

Week 5: “What you call a challenge we call Tuesday” Opus the Poet

The above quote is from one of our readers. See the full quote below. The underlying message here is that for many North Texan’s, transportation doesn’t always come with a vehicular option as it does for many others. Alternative means of transportation like the bus, train, walking or a bicycle are always the primary means for those without the use of an automobile. In no way do we want the perception that not using a car is ground-breaking or original, but we merely want this challenge to be the caveat to publicize that our automobiles aren’t always necessary and are indeed a luxury at times. This was an understated point of doing this challenge, and one which I appreciate this reader for pointing out so very clearly and rather humorously as well.

*Entry into the challenge has been formerly closed as of February 1st

Here are a few highlights from Week 4 quotes:

My family hasn’t entered the Challenge, because honestly it wouldn’t be fair. We have been living car-free in Garland since 1995. What you call a challenge we call Tuesday. Our biggest difficulty was an extended period when the washing machine was down and we had to haul the laundry about a half mile to the nearest laundromat with backpacks. If we can do it in Garland for more than 15 years, with the post-WWII car-centric urban design, then going car-free in Oak Cliff with the pre-war urban design would be a piece of cake. Opus the Poet

I have to admit, riding in the cold sucks but it’s worth it. I now use my car ONLY to get groceries, to Royal Lane station (when it’s been below freezing) and to visit friends on the weekends. I sure can use one of those cargo trailers to do my laundry and get groceries. David Rodriguez

Yesterday was car-free for me. I’m currently working on fixing up a beater bike for grocery trips so I don’t feel so paranoid about locking up around town. Jenny R

I actually rode my bike a tremendous amount this week, but it was surprisingly difficult to get a full day due mostly to bike malfunctions. Luckily, the good fellows over at OCBC are sorta on the way home, so I will be able to go 100% car free today with no problem. Dave Holt

I’ve been car-free on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this week. Each day I rode my bike to work in the awesome winter sunshine, then rode home after dark. I almost always feel safe on my bike, even when riding alone at night (yes, I have a good front and rear light). However, an incident on Tuesday night has brought safety to the forefront of my mind.

When I had almost reached home, I saw a car pulling into a driveway and about to run over a puppy. Not willing to ignore a puppy about to be crushed by a huge truck, I did a super-quick stop and yelled at the driver (nicely!) to watch out for what might soon be under her wheels. As soon as I stopped, a huge dog darted toward me and started barking about a foot away from me and my bike. The driver got out of her car, shooed the puppy away from the driveway, and called the big dog away from me. I didn’t ride off immediately (probably not the smartest idea) because I felt like the dog would follow me rather than go home. None of this was a big deal until the dog bit my ankle. Not a hard bite, and [safely?] under my Converse, but still a dog bite. At that point I rode off, deciding that I was not improving the situation by waiting for the dogs to be secured by their owner.
Being on a bicycle establishes a much different relationship with your surroundings than the one created when you are isolated within a car. If I had been in a car, the dog would not have been a threat. However, I also probably wouldn’t have seen the puppy. Should I have stopped? Or minded my own business? I hope that more experience outside of a car will help me reconcile this new relationship with my surroundings and allow me to make better decisions in the moment. callmemisspriss

Have Bike Trailer – Will Travel

January 23rd, 2011 § 3 Comments

I’ve had my eye on several different cargo bikes for the past few years including the Madsen Cycle, the Yuba Mundo, and the Kona Ute (or pretty much anything stocked at practicalcycles.com). Since the majority of these bikes start at $800 and go up from there, I decided to pick up a cheap Aosom bike trailer from Amazon for under $100 to tie me over.

I’ve been using it for close to a year now, and it’s easily paid for itself many times over. When we originally discussed becoming a one-car family in 2009 the greatest obstacle we faced was trying to get groceries. For that alone, the Aosom has performed beyond exception. It’s definitely not a high-end model, but it gets the job done and I’ve found myself using it for regular errands beyond the grocery store. On cold mornings when my daughter is too cold to ride her bike to school, she’ll hop in the trailer with a blanket and a book and relax while I pedicab her in through the car-drop off lane at school. It’s carried everything from industrial ladders, rubbermaid trashcans, and PA systems, to Christmas trees. Highly recommended.

Week 4: 1 Day 52 Week No Car Challenge

January 23rd, 2011 § 14 Comments

Proud Sponsor of the 1 Day 52 Week No Car Challenge

Week 4: “Keep it up y’all, just 49 more weeks to go!” Rick Titone

From the comments we’ve received so far, a pattern is starting to emerge: people are finding ways to go car free more often! One day turns into two, which turns into a whole week, and we start to see habitual patterns and behaviors change. It’s not for everybody, nor is it always practical as many people point out, but it’s doable for anyone as long as they’re willing to do so.

On another note, we’d like to announce some very exciting news! Oak Cliff Bicycle Company and Switching Gears Cyclery (soon to open) have agreed to be official sponsors of the 1 Day 52 Week No Car Challenge! We sincerely appreciate their support and energy in helping locals find reliable bicycles and bicycle accessories for commuting purposes. By the end of the year, both bike shops will provide rewards for completing the challenge. More on those details later to come!

*Anyone is still welcome to join the challenge within the honorable mention category. Please submit a reply to the original post and fill out this form by February 1, 2011

Here are a few highlights from Week 3 quotes:

Made it car-free again today. Biked to the coffee shop, spent most of the day there. Easy. And the weather was nice – 45 degrees is nothing compared to 26!
Started out car-free yesterday (in the mist!), biked 2 miles to Home Depot for bungee cords, strapped-on a crate, and biked to Urban Acres for grocery shopping. Urban Pedal

Rode my bike to the gym to workout and then rode home. After dinner, rode up to Mockingbird Station to take the train downtown. Rode over the American Airlines Center for the Stars game. YES – They do have bike parking at the AAC!!!! Well, its actually just a group of 3 barricades, but it’s near the cops so it’s pretty safe. It’s at the NE corner of the building at the corner of N Houston St and All Star Way. After the Stars victory, (GO STARS!!!!) rode back to West End and caught the train to Mbird and rode home. BikeMan

I rode about 50 miles Sunday but hot chocolate and a flat tire changed my mind about spending the rest of the day car-free. I went car-free for MLK Day. I took DART the whole way. It was pretty uneventful…except I finally did figure out the right connections for the Green Line. I bought a street poetry book off a guy named Vernon Patterson and got a recital at no extra cost. When I got home and found out my kid had bought his other book. Its a small world after all. Sleepyhead

I made it car-free both Tuesday and Wednesday. Both pretty straight-up commutes to and from work. Failed today due to weather and tomorrow due to a work meeting I have to drive to, but two days ain’t bad, right? Dave Holt

I’ve gone all the way to Friday morning car-free this week, including a mid-day commute yesterday at 32 degrees, and this morning at 25 – my new cold-weather record for 2011! Today was a little tough with patches of ice popping up from yesterday’s rain puddles. Then the fingertips started going numb around Baylor med center (mile 3 of 5) despite glove liners under my heaviest gloves. Lucky they thawed out fine so I could post this comment for the week. Keep it up y’all, just 49 more weeks to go! Rick Titone

Heads of the League of American Bicyclists visit Oak Cliff

January 21st, 2011 § 1 Comment

(Jason Roberts, Andy Clark – president of the League of American Bicyclists, Gail Spann – LAB Texas rep, Elizabeth Kiker – vp of LAB, and Amy Cowan)

The president and vice president of the League of American Bicyclists were in town from Washington D.C. to show support for the Dallas Bike Plan and stopped by Oak Cliff the following morning to talk with BFOC about the Better Block project, bicycle advocacy in Oak Cliff and Dallas, and more. Clark discussed the ongoing efforts of the LAB and how Dallas and other southern cities can help further bicycle initiatives. The two efforts that he felt were most inspirational nationally were the growing Ciclovia movement, and the Better Block projects. After meeting, the group toured the Bishop Arts District and stopped in at the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company to meet with local shop owner Ean Parsons.

Dallas Bike Plan Meeting Drew Large Crowd

January 21st, 2011 § 3 Comments

Councilwoman Angela Hunt addressing attendees at the final Dallas Bike Plan meeting

The third and final Dallas Bike Plan meeting took place last night at City Hall and attendance was nearly full in the chamber hall as cyclists from throughout the region came out to show support and offer last recommendations for the plan. Angela Hunt addressed the crowd and talked about how the new plan will include nearly 800 miles of on-street bike lanes which will help vault Dallas to the ranks of some of the nation’s highest rated cycling cities. Andy Clark, president of the League of American Bicyclists, flew in from Washington D.C. to deliver the keynote speech and talked about Dallas being a priority for him and the LAB since the city is commonally thought of as “car-only”. Andy also gave a nod to Richardson Bike Mart, and their efforts to promote the plan. Finally, Max Kalhammer introduced Toole consultant and Seattle former bike planner, Peter Lagerwey, who gave the final presentation on the plan and its outline for implementation. Lagerwey, and Clark were adamant in stating that it is now up to the community to show up to meeting, and push their city represetatives to make the plan come to life. This meeting was the last session open for public input. The final plan will be published in March and a council meeting will be set in April to officially adopt the plan.

Week 3: 1 Day 52 Week No Car Challenge

January 16th, 2011 § 17 Comments

We’re happy to report that all participants posted in Week 2, and were able to go completely car free for at least one 24 hour consecutive period! Congratulations to everyone for braving the cold, winter weather last week, and for making a very important commitment. Also, the media covered our event on Wednesday with a nice story. Check it out! We’d also like to welcome new participants to the challenge in our honorable mention category:

Austin Thrustlord
Amanda
Afam
Steve
Mike Walker
Patricia Rodriguez
Dave Holt

Anyone is still welcome to join the challenge within this category. Please submit a reply to the original post and fill out the form below

Here are a few highlights from Week 2 quotes:

I enjoy riding to work in the cold weather because I can wear a suit and not have to worry about changing. What I learned this week…cords aren’t any substitute for a crate on the back of your bike. Sleepy Head

Walked to work yesterday from Exall to the West End again. Even though it was freezing, it was awesome to walk past all the snow covered buildings and lawns. I would even say that it seemed quieter, which was nice, and the sidewalks and streets did not accumulate snow, so it was easy to get around. JT

It was cold. I am glad I wore my long undies. You have to enjoy days like this because soon enough it will be 115 again. Sleepyhead

Have to confess that the temps being below 30 kept me off of my bike for the first part of the week, so today was my car-free day. Took DART bus into work today and tonight will bike to the gym. BikeMan

Phew, brrrr, pot hole! Sean Clancy

As you can see the descriptions are really interesting and sometimes humorous as well. Keep them coming!

Moving onto Week 3, make sure to reply to this week’s comment at the end of this posting. Furthermore, we’d like you to take a moment and fill out the following contact form. We’d love to have a bit of information from everyone in order to help keep track of our participants in this challenge:

Dallas Rides Photo Contest

January 11th, 2011 § 2 Comments

It’s time to grab your camera, and find some bikes, and get ready for our “Dallas Rides” Photo Contest. We’re teaming up with BFOC and are looking for images that capture our city’s growing bike culture and the people and bicycles in it. Whether you know people who commute to work, or you have some wonderful shots from a casual group ride, we would love to see them submitted.

There will be an exhibit the last weekend in February (more details to come) to showcase the finalists. Winners in various categories will receive some great prizes, one of which will be a new Brooks saddle.

Contest Rules

-All are welcome — any photo format as long as you are prepared to print and frame if you are a finalist.
-Please submit only one photo.
-The work must be your own.
-Please submit only photos that include bicycles riding in the DFW area.
-Photos must be family friendly.
-files must be at least 240 dpi resolution.
-The photographer retains full copyright of their image and the entry will only be published on BFOC and photopol.us as part of the contest.
Send your entries as e-mail attachments to info@photopolus.com. Include your full name in the body of the e-mail and “Dallas Rides Photo Contest” in the subject line.
-The entry period is now open and we’ll close it off on February 11. We will announce details on the photo exhibit before the entry period closes.

For more details, see the TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Happy shooting!

Week 5: “What you call a challenge we call Tuesday” Opus the Poet

Here are a few highlights from Week 4 quotes:

Week 4: “Keep it up y’all, just 49 more weeks to go!” Rick Titone

Here are a few highlights from Week 3 quotes:

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