Running Down Some of the Biggest Problems About Trying to Bike to Work in Dallas

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., May 27 2010 at 12:27 PM

Categories: City Hall, News

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Surely you need no reminder to attend the Dallas Bike Plan Open House this evening at City Hall -- 5 to 8 p.m., if you haven't already written it on the cover of your Trapper Keeper. By way of a ramp-up, I direct your attention to Patrick "Car-Free" Kennedy's Web site, where a guest blogger, local architect Ryan DiRaimo, writes about how effing hard it is to commute to work on his Huffy (it's probably not a Huffy) and why it shouldn't be that way. He also knows how Dallas drivers feel about those who dare to two-wheel it to work: "Yes, I ride my bike. Or, should I say I am the pimple that the city of Dallas drivers can't seem to rid themselves."

As with most everything on Walkable Dallas-Fort Worth, worth a read. But, spoiler alert, let's get to the meat of the matter before saddling up for this evening's wingding:

A city shouldn't have to "get used" to alternative, healthy forms of transportation. This city needs bike lines, a plan for nearby residents to commute safely to downtown, and a real conscience about promoting healthy commuting for a city known for the opposite. I am not Lance Armstrong, but I also don't want to be that dead squirrel on the pavement.

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CarFreeinBigD - no one is disputing then necessity of cars in general, nor is anyone trying to make the city economy based around bikes. This is jsut another strawman that muddies the waters of progress. I think the goal here are some relatively low-cost bike lanes that sometimes cost as little as the cost of paint and labor, though the cost and feasibility of widening roads in down/uptown and eliminating existing carlanes is definitely something where ramifications must be heavily considered before even thinking about implementing.
Cars are a neccesity in DFW, the metro is so large and spread out that people must commute to work. You can blame it on the burbs or whatever, but who really wants to pay $1500 a month for a 600 sq ft studio in downtown or uptown or midtown? A City economy based around bikes is doomed because no one is going bike the 26 miles from ft worth to Dallas to work or play. It seems carfree has issues with cars but honestly they are not going anywhere.
CarFreeInBigD says: "40,000 people die a year on the roads in this country. Upwards of a million are injured. If that isn't indicative of a horrendously broken system, I don't know what is." That number is not that bad when you consider 45,000,000 people don't buckle their seat belt. The number you cite is also out of date: NYT, "The number of people who died last year in motor vehicle accidents in the United States dropped to a record low in 2009, the Transportation Department announced Thursday. The death count, estimated to be 33,963, was 8.9 percent lower than in 2008." CarFreeInBigD says: "A city economy constructed strictly around the car is doomed the next time gas prices spike...and every time they do they make our economy that much less efficient and competitive." I think "doomed" is hyperbole. And I would be willing to bet $1000 that you favor cap and trade, which would raise energy prices and "make our economy that much less efficient and competitive."
"what suggestion would you have for someone with a 2 mile commute to do?" Shut up and ride. 2 miles is not "too long to walk," and if you can walk it you can bike it. A bike lane isn't going to help you safely make a left turn when someone is on their cellphone. Your whining about motorists driving a "Hummer" or "daddy's beamer" is just as bad as drivers whining about bicyclists.
(duplicate entry from comments on car-free blog) Ryan, I know everyone can't stand what I'm going to say, but seriously - if you want to look at ways to improve your commute, I'll be glad to meet with you, ride with you, look at the route, look at alternatives, and help you develop some skills that can help. I'm not going to preach about anything. But honestly - it's what we (Instructors) do. The offer goes out to anyone else with the same apprehension. It's an offer to help, not preach. info at cyclingcenterdallas.com. It can be done, safely and repetitively. You just have to know how to do it best. I rode down from Knox/Henderson, along Cole & McKinney, then through downtown to the meeting and back, in rush hour, with nary a honk. It's anecdotal, I know, but I'm sure it can be done practically from your place as well.
I am thrilled to see sidewalks being installed on Preston south of Forest. Since they were installed to the north I've been riding my bicycle to Tom Thumb and Whole Foods for light loads. If I could change one thing in my part of Dallas it would be to make Hillcrest Road 2 car lanes from Northwest Highway to LBJ, with a bike lane. We need to remove this neighborhood street from the commuter traffic pattern now that Central Expressway is finished.
This is entirely because drivers are conditioned by traffic engineers to be automatons. Well, that may be part of it, but at least as large a reason is that a fair number of people are lazy, selfish, impatient, and stupid. It's the bad side of human nature, which some Dallasites have raised to an art form. Even if it's only 5% of drivers, that's enough to cause the chaos we see every day in traffic. I'd love to see traffic laws enforced more strictly (e.g. making a left turn from the rightmost lane definitely qualifies as "reckless operation"), so that both cars and bikes (and pedestrians for that matter) are safer. Adding bike lanes without dealing with the driver-behavior problem is not going to work. Just as an aside, one of the reasons why vehicular cyclists get so much "vitriol" online is that some of them can't discuss this topic without referring to drivers (and not "some" drivers) as "dicks," "obese," etc., and in general giving the impression that people who ride a bike are morally superior to people who drive a car, similar to the "sanctimonious vegetarian" syndrome. That's fine if you just want to preach to the choir and feel good about yourself, but it's not an attitude that's going to win over many non-cyclists, even if the underlying goals are good ones.
Coop: Stop making so much sense; stop that long-term, big-picture thinking--You're getting in the way of my tunnel vision.
Ha. I said death ears. Obviously deaf ears would be preferable but either one's fine with me since it's almost Friday
The problems here are cultural as much as infrastructural. The root of the matter is that nothing aside from riding a car is seen as a legitimate form of transportation by the majority of people in the city of Dallas. You're just a "jokester" or a "fanatic" on your bike, not someone trying to get somewhere, or with a life. If you're walking? You're poor and a deadbeat. Riding a scooter or motorcycle? Same story, it's a non-serious hobby or something along those lines. Everything is about percieved status in Dallas. It's pretty shallow... The fact that we can't afford the kind of infrastructure and transportation patterns these people have become accustomed to doesn't mean anything to them. The idea that we should make our city safer and more accessible to various modes of transportation, not exclusively the car, is an argument that falls on death ears to drivers who act as if they can't lose 5 seconds off their commute time lest they not qualify for Daytona. You can add bike lanes all you want, but until some effort is made to change this culture, all these efforts - DART expansion, Trolleys, biking infrastructure, etc. - I'm afraid it's all doomed to be a mission half-accomplished at best.
Sorry Ryan, apparently my sarcasm didn't translate. I thought the part about the Convention Bureau would have given it away!
I gave up on riding a motorcycle in Dallas years ago, because it seemed like a suicide mission, given how rude, crazy, and inattentive Dallas drivers can be. This is entirely because drivers are conditioned by traffic engineers to be automatons. They design for the lowest common denominator and you end up with dumb or inattentive drivers. Let's look at this from another perspective. The economy is changing and we are changing with it. Mobility is just the connection between us and our jobs, goods, and services. Can we still afford the 25, 30 or in extreme cases 40% of income it takes for some people to do so with cars? How about the City? Cities are broke because of the centrifugal nature of auto-oriented transportation. It spread the tax base so thinly because nobody wants to live near any of the highways or arterials that we can't afford to maintain our own cities and the infrastructure of it. With regard to safety? Should we pay more attention to the driver whose concern is, "oh, this bike is going to slow. I might miss the next light." Or, the bicyclist whose concern is "I could be killed at any moment?" Who should we design for? It's as if you came across a belligerent drunk holding a baby and swinging a gun around. Bad baby! What are you doing?! No, we protect the one with greater fragility. Thinking otherwise is just the selfish thoughts of a dick worried only about their precious worldview constructed to accept the world as is. And no, I don't think the metaphor is off or hyperbolic. 40,000 people die a year on the roads in this country. Upwards of a million are injured. If that isn't indicative of a horrendously broken system, I don't know what is. Lastly, since economies are changing to adapt to a smarter world and since cities are the physical embodiment of economies, the City has to change. And that means successfully sharing and designing for the safe movement of all forms of travel. It is time to be smart. A city economy constructed strictly around the car is doomed the next time gas prices spike or with potentially another billion drivers on the roads in China and India soon competing over a finite resource, do you think prices will go anywhere but up? And every time they do they make our economy that much less efficient and competitive. Scandinavia produces oil too, but they are smart enough not to get high on their own supply.
@Coop Deville If you are not virulent or snarky on the internet, you are too easily overlooked. It's not about who had the best idea, but who can say the stupidest shit.
so a legitimate question here. downtown is crowded with no room for road growth, where do you suggest they put a bike lane? Are you suggesting that they take away 5' of traffic lane on every street? Have you seen drivers downtown? I barely want to be next to another car in my car down there much less in a bike lane. Just bc they paint a solid white line with a bike symbol in it doenst mean the drivers will pay more attention. Im glad you like to ride your bike, I dont have a problem with that but this is a city that thrives on it vehicles and was never set up to be bike friendly in the first place. Its gonna be real hard to change that now that infrastructure has been around, oh 50 60 years
Well, I actually hate the summers here or anywhere south of Canada, but in the mornings it isn't too bad. You'll still need to shower when you get to work (or at a near by gym if your office doesn't have facilities). I agree about the vehicle to vehicle complaints, I sure have the same as you do, Tim. Again, read that I have done this for 3 months now (when the weather was nice) and not in the heat of August. Anyways, I'll be at this event tonight (probably not promptly at 5...) so anyone looking to meet up, just check the oddly photoshopped image of me in cowboy attire located in Mr. Kennedy's blog
BTW, I'm all for bike lanes.
I have to laugh at this part "With the luxury of great weather year round," either this guy loves heat and humidity, or he has a bad memory. Some of the other complaints he has about motorized vehicles are the same complaints motorized vehicle drivers have about some of the other motorized vehicle drivers. If I could telecommute, I would. I hate Dallas area drivers. There are so many that feel they have to be in front, can't accept the fact that they did not get over in time to make their turn and are generally self-centered rude @$$holes, that I get an aerobic workout just from the number of times I dodge having a major accident or death at the careless driving of the oblivious.
I am trying to be a good guy and ride my motorcycle around whenever possible, but rob has a point about Dallas drivers. It would be nice if this city could truly be "world class" or whatever and educate its drivers about modes of transport other than Hummer products of ridiculously huge pick-up trucks.
Defeat Plaza: so if something is broken then we should just "deal with it"? your wish is an exaggeration of reality, mine is within reasonable reach. wanting better planning for bicycles is hardly requesting a bently with diamonds, two hooters girls, and a keggerator. how can anyone passionately defend the current conditions? we're asking for some freaking bike lanes. lanes which you wont even notice. you can go 115mph in your hooters mobile all you want as long as we have a lane you cant cross. that is all that is requested
I gave up on riding a motorcycle in Dallas years ago, because it seemed like a suicide mission, given how rude, crazy, and inattentive Dallas drivers can be. I can't even imagine riding a bicycle on any major street in Dallas, even with bike lanes. Yes, you should be able to do it, but given the reality of how people drive around here, it's a matter of either extreme optimism or suicidal arrogance to insist on trying. Good luck, and make sure you have good health insurance.
Yeah, Ryan - I wanna be driven to work every day in a diamond-studded Bentley with a bottomless keggerator and two topless Hooters girls. But we can't always get what we want. So deal.
I can't quite understand the vitriol people have for cyclists. Cyclists cannot threaten your safety or your life in a car. The worst they can do to you is make you wait somewhere between a few seconds to a couple of minutes on some really ill-advised routes, and that would go away if you'd support separated bike lanes. Also, forcing those people into cars might actually detriment your commutes in the long run as we would have more vehicles to clog our roads and possibly get into accidents, while causing additional road wear eventually leading to more road maintenance. They would consume more of our shared resource of sweet sweet gasoline driving prices up, and even pack on more weight and drive up rates of our group health insurance plans as they pack their now obese bodies into their gas guzzling cars.
It's too far to walk and too short to feel normal about driving / spending money on gas / parking. I own a bike and if it were completely safe on the streets of Dallas there wouldn't be a gripe. I want to ride my bike, I don't want to walk. If those manholes are an issue for the auto commuter my stance isn't "ride a train", it's "fix that manhole".
Hey Ryan, I do agree with you on one thing, Dowtown Dallas is hardly safe for commuting by car either, have you seen the manholes protruding 6-8" above the concrete? Oh yeah you could walk if you feel its so unsafe to bike
The sounds you hear are the grumbles of the status quo when the winds of change blow thru town. And we just got used to it like this.
Ryan DiRaimo is haake.
You are not the nicest person in the world. And your bike is a huffy...with a pennant and a baseball card in the spokes.
Excuse me? I am the nicest person in the world and want nothing more than a happy commute for everyone, but when the city doesn't provide proper safety for a normal form of transportation, something must be done. G.David: what suggestion would you have for someone with a 2 mile commute to do? Drive a car and waste gas / energy or be provided proper accommodations to get exercise and to work fairly timely on... say... a bike?
Welcome to Dallas. Where only assholes don't drive cars. Sounds like the perfect slogan for the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bob Bob and Religion of Bacon: bike lanes solve that problem. they're about 5 feet wide and stay out of your way. against traffic, with traffic, whatever, they're not your problem anymore. Bob Bob: I am sure that is the only time you've ever gone slow in your motor vehicle (when a biker is in front of you). I mean, after all, all those cars during rush hour on the highways are just going so fast while stuck in dead stop traffic.
@RoB- To be fair, if cars were driving over those bridges at the legal speed limit, bike safety would be more manageable (though still dangerous) on the roads as intended. I don't think anyone actually questions whether biking against the traffic is legal. But in the choice between legality and staying alive, most people choose to stay alive.
From the comments: [commenter 1] Almost all the cyclists I've seen go against the flow of traffic (illegal?) when coming into downtown by using the Houston Street bridge rather the Jefferson Viaduct [commenter 2] I will continue to use Jefferson so I'm not perceived as a "law breaker" by nay saying car drivers So only "nay saying car drivers" "perceive" riding against the flow of traffic as breaking the law? I thought it was a simple fact that vehicular cyclists had to follow the same traffic laws as cars.
One highlight of my slow, slow drive behind a bunch of bikes on Winsted and Williamson this past weekend--DPD stopped two for ignoring stop signs!