Bike Friendly Richardson

Kendal Hartley is currently the Place 5 councilman and is running unopposed for the Place 4 seat (Laura Maczka’s seat). Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Mr. Hartley.

1: Do you (and your family) ride a bicycle on Richardson roads or trails? For what purposes do you ride?

Kendal Hartley: l do not ride anymore.

2: The City of Richardson has supported quality of life facilities such as a park and trail system, recreation centers, swimming pools and bicycle lanes. These facilities make Richardson a more livable city where people want to live and businesses want to locate. What would you do to maintain and expand these qualities?

Kendal Hartley: The City is currently implementing the 2010 Bond Program and will be opening the Heights Recreation Center in May 2013 and the Heights Aquatic Center in July 2013.

The City anticipates starting discussions about the next bond program during the Summer and Fall of 2013. The date for the next bond election has not been determined.

3: Last year, Bike Friendly Richardson partnered with the City Transportation Department to submit a Bicycle Friendly Community application. The feedback that we received indicated that the City needed to improve in the following areas of bike-friendliness:

*Having an effective Bicycle Advisory Committee.

*Expanding the bicycle and pedestrian manager’s time focused on the 5 E’s (Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and     Evaluation & Planning) would help in scaling up your Bicycle Friendly Community efforts.

*Adopt a Complete Streets or Bicycle Accommodation policy and offer implementation guidance.

*Increase the amount of secure bicycle parking at popular destinations such as transit stops, schools, recreation and entertainment facilities, retail and office clusters and churches throughout the community.

*Expand encouragement efforts during National Bike Month in partnership with local bicycle advocacy groups. Have the Mayor / City Council proclaim May as Bike Month. Host, sponsor and/or encourage bicycle-themed community events such as community rides, a bicycle festival or a commuter challenge. Widely advertise all bicycle-themed community events.

What would you do to increase the chances of achieving a Bike Friendly Community designation during your term in office?

Kendal Hartley: Transportation staff has begun developing an action plan to address shortcomings identified in the application specifically in the areas of having additional secure bicycle parking in popular destinations and increasing the
amount of staff time and resources dedicated to initiatives such as increasing visibility and access to trails, bicycles parking, etc.

4: Richardson has shown itself to be a progressive, forward-thinking city in terms of alternative transportation infrastructure, environmental conservation and restoration, and other quality of life criteria. Several cities in the US, including Boulder, CO; Kansas City, MO; and Fort Worth, TX; have implemented ordinances that require and/or incentivize the installation of bicycle parking as part of new commercial and multifamily construction or major renovation. Would you support the implementation of this type of ordinance in Richardson?

Kendal Hartley: Would want to spend more time researching this type of ordinance before making a commitment.

Would  to see examples from other cities (Boulder, Kansas City, Fort Worth) and identify best practices including the advantages/disadvantages of requiring versus incentivizing.

Would like to gain input from the public and meeting with key stakeholders to hear their insights on this proposals before making a final decision.

5: Do you support the installation of more bicycle parking on City property, such as at parks, City Hall, the Courthouse, etc.? Do you support implementing temporary bike parking solutions at events like the Cottonwood Arts Festival, Wildflower Festival, Huffhines Art Trails, etc.?

Kendal Hartley:  Yes, the City would like to add bicycle parking to the Civic Center as well as other city facilities. These funds have been requested in prior years, but funding limitations have not allowed these projects forward.

Yes, there currently is temporary bicycle parking at the Wildflower Festival and City staff is interested in exploring options to add bicycle parking at other community events.

6: Richardson has significant parts of a multi-use Trail Network in place. The City of Richardson Transportation and Park and Recreation Departments have plans to improve and extend the bicycle lane and trail network, including facilitating connections to our surrounding cities. Will you support continued implementation of the Richardson Bicycle Facilities Plan?

Kendal Hartley: Yes, trails were the number one priority identified by citizens in the Parks and Recreation and Open Space Master Plan.  The City is committed to continuing to expand the trail network in Richardson. This includes building a trail connection to the Bush Turnpike DART station and using both Federal and Dallas County funds to extend the Duck Creek trail. City staff continues efforts to identify grants and outside funding to assist with efforts to expand the trail network.

7: Two years ago the State Legislature overwhelmingly passed a safe passing law for vulnerable road users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, construction workers, etc (see attached example). The Governor vetoed the bill. All of our neighboring states have safe-passing laws and several cities in Texas including Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, Edinburg, El Paso, Beaumont and Helotes have adopted safe passing ordinances. Would you support implementation of this type of ordinance for Richardson?

Kendal Hartley: Recommend researching the legislation from other cities (i.e. Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, etc.) and learn from their experiences to determine what approach would work best for Richardson before formally considering an ordinance.