Fort Worth Avenue Development Group Rides In With Money For Bike Lanes City Can't Fund

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Jan. 4 2012 at 11:00 AM

From a city briefing on bike lanes along Fort Worth Avenue that may now be funded with private money

We ended the year by lamenting City Hall's inability to implement the new Bike Plan due to two speed bumps -- the need for public hearings and the lack of money. But we begin the new year with word that for at least one stretch of concrete, money has been found -- not by City Hall, but the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, which is putting $25,000 toward the design and implementation of bicycle lanes along Fort Worth Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to Beckley Avenue. Says president David Lyles, $15,000 comes straight out of the FWADG's coffers, with business owners and "others within the community" kicking in the other $10,000.

Lyles tells Unfair Park this morning that the money is intended to serve as a "challenge grant" of sorts in the hopes that City Hall can finally make this happen. The expectation is that the money will jump-start the design and implementation process; he hopes to have this finished within six months.

"They can't sit on their hands indefinitely," he tells Unfair Park this morning, in advance of a noon press conference in the City Hall Flag Room during which council members Scott Griggs and Monica Alonzo will announce the grant. "We'll see. I hope they take us up on it. Private and public entities have a lot to gain, and if this is enacted, other communities can follow suit. ...

"We want to see something happen, and I think everybody wants to see something happen," he adds. "Everybody has agreed this is what we want --- well, most everybody -- and we see it as an opportunity to expedite them. Possibly waving a little money in everyone's face may do the trick. We'll find out."

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The Credible Hulk

Oh piffle. $25,000 won't even pay for the hookers and blow, much less the bribes to get this project moving.

Jonathan Braddick

While this route wasn't one of the priority routes that came from the Dallas Bike Plan, it is in the plan. FWADG is being a bold leader in saying, "We as an organization and community leader want this now, and here's the money for it". If the private community doesn't step up and do the same, the City will continue to sit back and wait, letting their engineers make excuses for them.

Oak Cliff Townie

"While this route wasn't one of the priority routes that came from the Dallas Bike Plan, "

I am asking in general not to you or doubting who you are or were you are coming from but,

Why the heck not ?

If I did not know better it would seem like the city doesn't want to be in the Bike lane Business.

Oak Cliff Townie

Like the mythical bird rising from the ashes of the dreams and notions of what the I-30 Sylvan Projects original plan with restrictive Zoning in Place was going to look like .Our Friends at the FWADC once again Charge ahead.. "Everybody has agreed this is what we want --- well, most everybody.....Scott Griggs.ALMOST EVERYBODY ?Look what happened when they thought everybody was on board with them last time.And now its almost everybody ?Am I the only one with a large cartoon balloon question mark above my head ?

OC cyclist

Yes.

Oak Cliff Townie

I thought the City has its eyes on the out bound Jefferson across the Trinity to Colorado to Bishop to 7th to Davis to Chalk hill route as the one that they want to START with . At least that was one of the last put the bike plan into action maps I saw here.

It had a cool red line and everything .

This Route Hampton Sylvan shows as needing to be studied . Which this money will go for But still Almost everybody ?Not anti bike just anti distraction .

So do they rob the Davis project to push this one ahead ?

OC Roller

I think the almost everybody FWADC refers to is our friendly City traffic engineers who seem to be not so bike friendly.

Oak Cliff Townie

Maybe that is the almost everybody ?

Oh What The Hey

This route makes more sense as the 1st one since it would enable the Kessler/Stevens crowd to go straight into downtown and would connect (i guess) people in downtown and design district to all the stuff happenen in West Dallas -- Belmont, Sylvan/Thirty, Chicken Scratch, etc. Jefferson to Colorado to Bishop is mostly a dead zone.

Still, they'll need the business owners along there 2 go for it and I dont see in this story if they have gotten theyre OK or not. But if they do and they get money from others to help (big ifs but if they do), why not?