BFR Misc « Bike Friendly Richardson

November 2, 2011 • 5:20 am 1

Welcome Bike Friendly Cedars

There’s a new bike friendly group in Dallas called Bike Friendly Cedars. You can find them on Facebook for now.

Here’s their description:
“Bike Friendly Cedars is about cycling, but we’re more about community. We’re about putting together events to entice folks to spend more time in the Cedars, rather than just rushing through. Cruise around the neighborhood at 10 mph, and see what, and more importantly who you’ve been missing.”

Here’s their Mission:
“Promoting the exchange of four wheels for two, and traveling the Cedars at a more leisurely pace to see what this part of South Dallas has to offer.”

Filed under: BFR Misc, Bike Friendly, Bike Friendly Cedars, South Dallas

October 27, 2011 • 5:26 am 1

Spreading The Word About Pedal Power – A North Texas Bike Charity

When we were at the Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, Richardson Bike Mart Cyclesomatic Bicycle Fair last weekend, we discovered a great bicycle charity called Pedal Power. Based out of Mansfield, Texas, Pedal Power is a division of Mansfield Bike Charity, a non-profit organization dedicated to refurbishing and redistributing used bikes. Their bikes benefit kids and adults in need of transportation to school and work, and provide increased access to health care. Bikes are distributed in the DFW area as well as Central/South America and Africa (more).

We think this is a fantastic service, giving some folks a chance to give back to the community, while making it possible for others to get hold of a bicycle. More importantly, their focus is to get these bikes to people who actually need them for daily transportation and not just recreation.

Check out their website and learn how you can help. They are looking for cash donations and in-kind donations. You can also run a bike drive or donate your used bike.

Filed under: BFR Misc, Good Causes, Bike Charity, Bike Donations, Donate Your Bike, Mansfield, North Texas, Pedal Power, Texas

October 20, 2011 • 9:24 pm 6

Doing Errands by Bike

By Jenny Rilling

In addition to commuting by bike, this year I’ve been using my bike more for errands that would usually involve driving. It’s worked out so well that I even added large wire baskets to one of my bikes and made it my designated grocery bike.

So far, I’ve ridden my bike to go grocery shopping, get takeout, go to the bank, the drugstore, and to pick up food for our two dogs. I’m trying to use a bike instead of a car more often for trips of under 5 miles. Besides the exercise benefits and reduced emissions gained from leaving the car at home, pedaling though neighborhoods and side streets is a lot more fun and feels like less of a chore than driving to accomplish the same errands.

Bike-thru banking - Like a boss.

Last weekend, my husband and I rode out to do some grocery shopping at Sprouts, which is on the other side of US 75 from where we live. We took the Central Trail to Campbell Rd. and crossed under the freeway at Campbell. There are conveniently placed curb cuts and signal request buttons that make it easy to cross on the south side of the intersection (Starbucks side). From the Starbucks / hotel parking lot, we hopped on Richardson Dr., then took Melrose Dr. to Mimosa and went north on Mimosa to Sprouts.

It was the Gluten-Free Jubilee...

The bikes wanted to take a break in a nearby park.

Between my baskets and James’ pannier, we were able to get a good amount of food.

There's some rice and lentils hiding under the clementines.

If you’re thinking of shopping by bike, I have a few recommendations:

A double-footed kickstand really helps keep your bike from falling over to one side and keeps it level and steady while you’re loading and unloading. I love the Porteur Double Kickstand from Velo Orange, so much that I now have it on two of my bikes.

Load the bike as evenly as you can – if you have two panniers or two rear baskets, try to distribute the weight of your purchases evenly among them.

Invest in a cargo net and a couple of bungee cords for strapping things to a rack or covering the top of a basket.

Filed under: BFR Misc

September 14, 2011 • 4:56 pm 0

Federal funding for bicycling is under serious attack

This is a message from PeopleForBikes.org. Below is a link to an easy online form that helps you contact your local US Senators.

Federal funding for bicycling is under serious attack. Today or tomorrow, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma will introduce an amendment to eliminate dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements, which is the main source of funding for bike projects of all types. We need you to take action today by emailing your U.S. Senators to urge them to oppose and defeat Mr. Coburn’s amendment.

If Senator Coburn’s amendment succeeds, bicycling in the U.S. will become less safe and more difficult. Twenty years of consistent, cost-effective investment in beneficial bike projects will stop.

When we launched peopleforbikes.org, we promised you that we would only ask for your help when we really needed it. This is one of those times.

We need every U.S. Senator to hear from hundreds, if not thousands, of their constituents who value government support for bicycling. A strong vote against Coburn’s amendment will be a convincing statement of how much Congress and Americans value bicycling, and will influence all future votes on bike and pedestrian programs and funding.

Please email your U.S. Senators today and tell them to oppose Coburn’s amendment and preserve funding for bicycling. (You can find your Senators, review basic suggested text for your email, and send your note directly from this link.)

Thanks for your support and your quick response to this call to action.

Tim Blumenthal
Director, Peopleforbikes.org

Filed under: Advocacy, BFR Misc, Bike Change

September 10, 2011 • 4:36 pm 3

Cleanup Day On The White Rock Creek Trail

Staging Area At Harry Moss Park

I decided to join The Friends Of The White Rock Creek Trail and help them with their trail clean up efforts this morning. Unfortunately, I got a late start and didn’t make it to the kick-off at 8:00 am. On the way there I did see a few people already on the trail, picking up trash. The staging area at Harry Moss Park was still up and the nice guys from the City of Dallas set me up with a few trash bags.

My Selected Section

I rolled back towards Richardson and found a spot that wasn’t getting worked on. The trail didn’t seem so bad, until I started to pick up the trash. By the time I was finished with my section of the trail, I had completely filled one of the trash bags.

I rolled up further and met a few folks working, including FWRCT President Marc Mumby (see pic below). They had several bags complete and hard at work at that particular part of the trail. I opted to ride further up the trail and find a section that wasn’t worked on yet. I was able to find a small section near Central Expressway that needed some help.

Mark With Friends Of The White Rock Creek Trail

FWRCT President Marc Mumby

After that, I made my way back to the staging area, grabbing a few bits and pieces that may have been missed along the way.

It was nice to do something good and help out the city’s parks. There were quite a few folks who expressed their appreciation for our work.

Filed under: BFR Misc, Bike Trails and Routes, The Friends of the White Rock Creek Trail, Trail Clean Up

August 10, 2011 • 7:15 am 1

Off Topic – Recycling In Richardson

One of the great things about Richardson, is the fact that there is a recycling collection service. Every week, we put out our little blue bags filled with papers, bottles and cans with hopes to reduce landfill waste and lessen the consumption of our natural resources.

What happens when you can’t fit your recycling in the little blue bags? Well, the answer is just across town for you. Richardson has a recycle center, on Cottonwood Drive, just north of Belt Line Road. Click here for more information about recycling in Richardson.

Filed under: BFR Misc, City Stuff, Recycling

July 30, 2011 • 8:59 am 16

Melted Ice

Melted Ice, originally uploaded by dickdavid.

I was joking at the office about my 100+ degree commute home. As I was filling this ice, I claimed that it would be melted within a couple of miles. Turns out it wasn’t such a joke.Quite honestly, I don’t mind the heat. Once you’re in it, it isn’t so bad. I figure, this is Texas – I can either hide from the heat or embrace it. Anybody else ride in the heat?

Filed under: BFR Misc, Rider Perspective

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