Bicycle Events | Bike Friendly Richardson

May 19, 2013 • 9:16 am 0

Pics and Recap From National Bike To Work Day – Bike Commuter Energizer Stations

Richardson

Last Friday was National Bike To Work Day. Based on last years success in Richardson, BikeDFW and Dallas Area Rapid Transit hosted 5 Bike Commuter Energizer Station in the Dallas area: Plano, Garland, Richardson, Downtown Dallas, and Oak Cliff. Joined by local cities of Plano, Garland and Dallas along with local bike groups, Bike Friendly Richardson, Bike Friendly Garland and Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, we were able to provide these support stations around town.

Dozens of bike commuters and hundreds of other transit commuters visited these stations that morning. Cyclists were able to eat some breakfast, grab some snacks and drink some coffee and water before heading into work. Local bike shops performed bicycle safety checks, while DART and local cities provided commuter information and swag.

This was a great success for DFW bike commuters and and cycling community. With the help of more sponsors and local volunteers,we hope to expand it to even more stations next year.

Special Thanks To Our Sponsors and Volunteers:
We plan on adding a complete list of volunteers and sponsors, as soon as we get all the information in. Until then, here are some key people:

SPONSORS:
KIND Healthy Snacks Arthuro Garza
Clif Bars Jeanine Romine
Neuro Energy Drinks Kasey Smith
Re-Geared Rachel Spire
Generator Coffee House JimD
Zang Triangle Apartments
Cycling Savvy DFW Waco Moore and Eliot Landrum

LOCAL BIKE SHOPS FOR SAFETY CHECKS:
Plano Cycling and Fitness (Plano)
Richardson Bike Mart (Richardson)
Don Johle’s Bike World (Garland)
Richardson Bike Mart (Downtown Dallas)
Oak Cliff Bicycle Company (Oak Cliff)

DART: EVENT CO-SPONSOR/ORGANIZER:
Dan Dickerson and his team of great volunteers from DART:
Chris Walters, Steve Biba, Shaun Tooley, Jennifer Jones, Charylene Crayton, Jennifer Hall (and more).

CITY CO-SPONSORS:
Ann McGinnes and her team (City of Garland), Renee Jordan (City of Plano), Max Kalhammer, Kevin Lefebvre, Kimberly Mackey (City of Dallas)

VOLUNTEERS:
Jonathan Braddick, and his team (names to come) (Oak Cliff), Michael McNair (Garland), Jared Cook (Garland), Robert Cherry (Garland), Joshua McNeely (Richardson)

BIKEDFW: EVENT CO-SPONSOR/ORGANIZER:
Marc Mumby (Akard), Richard Wezensky (Richardson/Garland), Jenny Rilling (Richardson), Anita Mills (Oak Cliff), Michael Freiberger (Plano), Warren Casteel (Multi-Location Support)

For a more detailed account of how these stations came together, click here.

Pics Of The Event (Richardson and Garland) See full set here:

Richardson

Garland

Richardson

More Pics can be found here:
(coming)

Filed under: Advocacy, Bicycle Events, Bike Friendly, Bike Friendly, Bike To Work Day, BikeDFW, Clif Bar, Cycling Savvy DFW, Dallas, DFW Biking, Don Johle's Bike World, Energizer Stations, Garland, Generator Coffee, KIND, National Bike Month, Neuro, Oak Cliff, Oak Cliff Bike Company, Plano, Plano Cycling and Fitness, ReGeared, Richardson, Richardson Bike Mart, Zang Triangle Apartments

May 8, 2013 • 7:42 pm 2

Bike To Work Day – Bike Commuter Energizer Stations – MAY 17

Mark your calendars! Friday, May 17, 2013 is National Bike To Work Day. IF there is ever a day to ride to work, make it this day. Think about the positive statement we’ll be making as cyclists, safely using an alternate form of transportation throughout the DFW Metroplex.

Based on our great success in Richardson last year, BikeDFW and DART have partnered up to host 5 Bike Commuter Energizer Stations in:

GARLAND - Downtown Garland Station (Partnered with The City of Garland)
DALLAS - Akard Station (Partnered with the City of Dallas)
OAK CLIFF - Jefferson St. Viaduct (Partnered with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff)
RICHARDSON - Arapaho Station (Partnered with Bike Friendly Richardson)
PLANO - Intersection of Bluebonnet & Chisholm Trail (Partnered with The City of Plano)

DATE: Friday, May 17, 2013
TIME: 6:30-9:00 am

If you are in the area, please stop by. Also, let them know on Facebook.

MORE DETAILS TO COME.

EVENT SPONSORS:

KIND Healthy Snacks - on Facebook (All Stops)
Clif Bars - on Facebook (All Stops)
Neuro Energy Drinks (Akard Stop)
Re-Geared - on Facebook (Akard Stop)
Generator Coffee House - on Facebook (Garland Stop)
Zang Triangle Apartments - on Facebook (Oak Cliff Stop)

Plano Cycling and Fitness - on Facebook (Plano Stop)
Richardson Bike Mart - on Facebook (Richardson and Akard Stops)
Don Johle’s Bike World - on Facebook (Garland Stop)
Oak Cliff Bicycle Company - on Facebook (Oak Cliff Stop)

ALSO: There will be other stations available:

Dallas Bike Works will have coffee and doughnuts and free minor repairs from 7:30 – 9:30am at White Rock Creek Trail where it passes under NW Highway (opposite the shop on Lawther). Facebook Event here.

The City of Fort Worth will have food and beverages and a bike share station set up at the Inter-modal Transit Center from 7:30 – 9am. There will be group rides to the Fort Worth event starting from various locations (map).

Filed under: Advocacy, Bicycle Events, Bike Friendly, Cool Richardson Destinations, Bike Commuter, Bike League, Bike Rest Stop, Bike To Work Day, BikeDFW, Dallas, DART, Energizer Station, Garland, League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month, National Bike To Work Day, National Bike To Work Week, Plano, Richardson, Texas

March 30, 2013 • 10:56 am 2

Recap – Cyclists In Suits – Texas Bicycle Lobby Day 2013

Image ©BikeTexas.org – Please visit their site.

When I first heard about the BikeTexas event, Cyclists In Suits, my first thought was (like perhaps a Tweed Ride) this is a bike ride where folks dressed up and rode around the capital. I would soon discover that this was not a dapper critical mass, nor did it even involve getting on my bike. Cyclists In Suits was not an event to show state legislature that we can gather for a ride, but rather, we can gather and have a productive discussion about bicycle policy in Texas.

Cyclists In Suits is a biennial event held during the Texas Legislature’s regular sessions. It is great opportunity for Texas cyclists to share their love of cycling with their state legislators. The goal is to have cyclists from every legislative district in Texas visit the capitol with our staff and remind the legislature that we are voters and we want them to represent our cycling interests.

The next thing that ran through my head was, I’m not a lobbyist, nor am I a very political person. Why would I want to participate in this event? The answer is, I LOVE CYCLING, and I will do everything I can to make it better in Texas. The least I could do was add myself to the head count and show the Texas legislature that there are many constituents who care about cycling.

Our local advocacy group, BikeDFW, hosted a bus ride to Austin that day – which I joined. The trip involved departing from DFW at 5:00 am, arriving in Austin to participate in lobby activities, network with like-minded advocates from all over the state, then return that evening. It was a really long day.

Although the group on the bus was very diverse, ranging in gender, race and cycling style, I was hoping to have a better balance of the different bike cultures. Perhaps, as cycling becomes more popular among the non-sports crowd, we’ll see more of that. Regardless of the balance of cyclist types, this group was fantastic. There’s something to be said about shedding the lycra, cleats, helmets and skinny jeans and seeing bicyclists unite for a common cause. On the bus, we weren’t ‘racers’, ‘roadies’, ‘commuters’, ‘critical mass-ers’, ‘fashionistas’ ‘VCs’ or ‘weekend riders’. We were, simply, cyclists.

When we got to Austin, we were greeted by the BikeTexas folks. They escorted us to the capital building and into a room they had reserved for the bicycle lobbyist. We were each given a couple of bags of bicycle lapel pins to hand out to anybody wanting to show support. We then got a quick tutorial on who we would be talking to and the best way to communicate to them. We also learned about the bills they were currently trying to push through, HB 2225 – Safe Passing (SB1515 – Safe Passing) and HB 1102 – Complete Streets (SB 565 – Complete Streets). There were more bills for cyclists, but the goal was to remain focused on these two for better impact with legislators – who meet with many different types of lobbyists, daily.

Fresh Of The Bus, Heading To The Capital Building

After the briefing, we were split into smaller groups and given folders containing all the information about these bills. We were to go to our selected offices, introduce ourselves as constituents and pass on the folder that represented their district. The expectation was set that we most likely wouldn’t meet with the actual Senator or Representative, but rather their staff. That was the case for all of my group’s visits, and most of the staff that we encountered were very receptive and happy to meet with us.

Jay Helping Us Lobby

After our lunch break, the whole group met at the Senate Gallery for a Reading of Special Resolution. When that was finished, we were asked to take a moment, visit the Senator and Representative from our own districts and sign their visitor log books. For my part of Richardson, this was Representative Angie Chen Button and Senator Ken Paxton. You can click here to find yours.

Texas Senate Session

Once we were finished lobbying, we all gathered on the steps of the capital building for a group picture, where we were joined by Texas Senator Rodney Ellis. It was nice to see such a large group representing Texas cyclists, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it get larger.

Bike Pins Everywhere – Showing Support

Later that afternoon, we walked over to the BikeTexas headquarters for a group happy hour. Here we were able to meet and discuss the events of the day as well as the things we learned. It was nice to network with other cycling advocates from around the state.

BikeTexas Happy Hour

BikeTexas HQ

We finished out the trip with the long bus ride back to Dallas. On the bus, I was able to reflect on what I learned that day. Here are a few:

- Cyclists in Suits is not a bike ride.
- Lobbying isn’t just for the politically minded. It’s for anybody who cares about a cause.
- Cycling policy affects all bicycle cultures. If you care, you should try to get involved.
- Texas Legislators are there to listen to their constituents. Talk to them.
- It costs a lot of money to hold these events and sponsor bus rides. If you like what is being done, you should join or support BikeDFW and BikeTexas.

Bicycle Networking

Filed under: Advocacy, Bicycle Events, Bike Change, Advocacy, Austin, Bike Lobby, BikeDFW, BikeTexas, Cyclists in Suits, Legislature, Texas

March 18, 2013 • 5:22 pm 2

Women’s Bike Brunch Ride – Sunday, March 24th

March is Women’s History Month and the beginning of spring, so let’s celebrate by taking a leisurely bike ride and eating some delicious brunch. This is a great opportunity to get to know other women who bike in the Richardson area!

Meet at the fountain at the Eastside shopping center (SE corner of Campbell & 75) at 11:00 and we’ll ride at 11:30. We’ll be back at Eastside around noon to eat at Russo’s Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen.

The ride is about 4.5 miles and will go through the Spring Creek Nature Area. This ride is casual paced, for all skill levels. Please do your ABC quick check before riding!
Bring a helmet, lock and brunch money.

RSVP via Facebook

Route Map

Filed under: Bicycle Events

December 10, 2012 • 7:25 am 0

Richardson Holiday Lights Ride

Decorate your bikes and join us for a fun, casual-paced ride to see the holiday lights and decorations in the Waterview Preservation and JJ Pearce neighborhoods!

Wear a helmet and charge up your lights!

We will meet up at the Richardson Bike Mart parking lot at 6pm and ride at 6:30, enough time to grab a coffee at Starbucks or a spare tube at RBM. Please do your ABC quick check beforehand as it will be dark and you won’t want to have to stop in the dark to fix your bike.

Date: Thursday, December 13, 2012
Time: 6:30
Location: Richardson Bike Mart (Coit @ Campbell)
RSVP: Via Facebook

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Christmas Lights, Holiday Light Ride, Night Ride

December 2, 2012 • 10:25 am 1

Recap and Pics From The Richardson Christmas Parade

This is exactly the direction we want Bike Friendly Richardson to head. We want Richardson cyclists to have organic and spontaneous group rides that are organized by anybody interested in setting one up.

A few weeks ago, a couple of folks on the BFR Facebook page were wondering if there will be a BFR participation in the annual City of Richardson Christmas parade. With our busy schedules and efforts put into setting up our annual Black Friday Ride, we just didn’t have the bandwidth to sign up for the parade.

Fortunately, those folks, Crystalyn and Josh, took it upon themselves to jump in and get it set up. We’re glad they did.

The day of the parade, we had a great variety of bikes, including one with a kid trailer, one with a couple of dogs leashed on, an urban cruiser, a couple of family truckster cargo bikes (loaded with kiddos) and even a penny farthing bike – all decked out with holiday lights and decorations. Even the riders were dressed with festive gear. All together, we had 12 bikes and 16 participants.

The ride itself was mostly stop-and-go or very slow paced, which made it easy to enjoy each other’s company, as well as the spectacle of the parade. The ‘super mom’ (I actually heard that term used by a spectator) family trucksters and the penny farthing bike got a lot of crowd’s attention.

Participation in the parade was our way to build on our bike community, make more folks aware of Bike Friendly Richardson and to just have fun. To our surprise, we found out that we won an award from the city. The Bike Friendly Richardson parade crew won 1st place in the ‘Civic Clubs/Organizations Mixed Unit Category’. Not bad for our first time out.

The parade was a big success for the city as well. They said there were 115 parade entries, and 2400 participants. Also, 1200 toys were donated, as well as $2,200 for Network of Community Ministries – a great way to kick off the holidays.

Since this ride was such a great success, we’ll definitely add it to our annual group ride list. We hope you can make it out to the next one.

Here are some pics from the parade. Click here to see the entire set.

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Bike Friendly, City Stuff, Dogs Leashed To Bicycle, Family Bikes, Parade Ride, Penny Farthing Bike, Richardson Christmas Parade, Utility Bikes

November 18, 2012 • 4:14 pm 5

Bike Friendly Richardson Presents: Black Friday Ride #4

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time to AVOID all the big crowds at the shopping mall, work off that Thanksgiving dinner and have a fun ride around town.

You are invited to attend Bike Friendly Richardson‘s FOURTH annual Black Friday Ride. Started four years ago as the inaugural ride that launched Bike Friendly Richardson, the Black Friday Ride gives folks an alternative way to kick off the holiday season. This is a casual paced ride that will explore many of the different route options available to Richardson cyclists. We will ride on back-roads, side-streets, multi-purpose trails and available bike lanes.

Come on out to the Shops at Eastside, enjoy a tasty lunch at Chiloso, Russo’s Italian Kitchen, Urban Eatz or Panera Bread, then meet us at the fountain around 1:00 pm.

The first part of the route will be around 10 miles and stops at Dal Rich (Whole Foods) shopping center for a nice break.

The return ride, back at the Shops at Eastside, will be around 6 miles.

DATE: Friday, November 23, 2012
TIME: Arrive: 1:00 pm, Ride: 1:30 pm
START/FINISH: Shops At Eastside – 700 E. Campbell Road @ Central (meet at the fountain)
PACE: Casual
RSVP: Via Facebook
ROUTE: Click Here (subject to change)

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Bike Friendly, Black Friday Ride, East Side

November 12, 2012 • 6:35 am 0

Alamo Drafthouse Richardson: FREE Screening – This Friday

This is amazing! They’re not even open yet, but the folks at Alamo Drafthouse are making Richardson a cool destination. This Friday, November 16th, they are hosting a FREE movie screening.

From their Facebook event page:

Alamo will be screening a 35mm print of the cult classic The Burbs on our 40′ outdoor screen. Festivities start at 5pm with the film rolling at 7pm. Admission is FREE.

By festivities we mean contests, film and brew. As a part of Dallas Beer Week this event will feature an opportunity to meet reps from local craft breweries as Lee Harvey’s Bar pours these local beers at the event’s outdoor bar.

We encourage you to wear your robes and PJ’s so you can take part in the PJ fashion show. We’ll also be having a sardine eating contest and other over the top events!

This event is BYOC. Bring your own chair!

I just got word that folks can bring their bikes into the compound and this is a bike friendly event! We would love to see the Bike Friendly Richardson gang in force (PJ’s optional)! All the developers and city will be attending, and having plenty of riders attend will punctuate our push to get bike racks/parking in the center.

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Alamo Drafthouse, Food Trucks, Local Breweries, Richardson, The Burbs

November 10, 2012 • 6:30 am 4

SAVE THE DATE: Black Friday Ride #4 – November 23, 2012

When we launched Bike Friendly Richardson, our inaugural ride was the first Black Friday Ride. This has become somewhat of a tradition, and we’d love for you to come along for the next one.

Mark your calendars for Friday, November 23, 2012.

Avoid the malls, the lines and the mad rush to buy things that are already sold out. Instead, enjoy a peaceful, slow paced ride around town. You might even work off some of those Thanksgiving calories.

Stay tuned for details, which are coming soon. Until then, you can RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Black Friday Ride