Bike Education « Bike Friendly Richardson

February 5, 2012 • 8:15 am 3

Report from the 2012 Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference

I spent the latter half of last week down in sunny (and humid!) San Antonio with hundreds of other cycling advocates, public officials, and planning and design professionals. This conference is put on every other year by two state-wide organization—BikeTexas (a cycling advocacy organization that spends the odd years lobbying the state legislature) and the Texas Trails Network (an organization dedicated to the provision of linear trails for transportation and recreation uses).

As always, the conference was excellent. Beyond the great job the two organizations do planning and running the event, the caliber of presenters and speakers is unparalleled, in my opinion. Plenary speakers included John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Co.; Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, D-Houston; Congressman Jim Oberstar, D-Minnesota, and Keith Laughlin, president of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. While each of the speakers was excellent, it was truly an honor to hear the speech from Jim Oberstar—the father of Safe Routes to School, the Transportation Enhancements program, and multi-modal funding in federal transportation bills. Few people have had as great an impact on bicycling.

North Texas was well-represented at the conference both in terms of presenters speaking about the great strides we’re making in the Metroplex, as well as attendees there to learn what is happening across the state. There were several presentations given that focused on bikes and pedestrians in North Texas:

Max Kallhammer (Dallas’ bicycle coordinator) spoke about Dallas’ new bike plan;
Michael Hellman and Jared White (from the Dallas Parks Department) presented Dallas’ new “Happy Trails” trail signage program;
Andrew Howard and Jason Roberts spoke about the success of their Better Block program (which we STILL need to bring to Richardson);
Deb Humphreys of NCTCOG discussed the development of a complete streets policy for North Texas; and
Yours truly presented Collin County’s new regional trail master plan.

In addition to those that presented, there were city employees and advocates from McKinney, Allen, Plano, Grapevine, Fort Worth, and others from Dallas (including three council members) in attendance. And finally, Lewisville won an award for its recently-completed citywide Trails Master Plan.

But we didn’t just sit around for three days. There were also SIXTEEN mobile sessions where participants could take a tour of the various bike routes, trails, and urban revitalization projects in San Antonio by biking, walking, running, or paddling—depending on the session. This was truly an active conference!

All-in-all it was a great experience and I highly recommend EVERYONE connected to BFR attend the next conference, which is scheduled for 2014 and might happen right here in North Texas!

- Adam Wood

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Education, Advocacy, Bike Event, Texas

December 6, 2011 • 8:35 pm 1

Final DFW Cycling Savvy Class for 2011 – This Weekend

If you want to be a better road cyclist and commuter, getting some good training is always recommended. Along with the BikeDFW Traffic Skills 101 classes, you have an alternative option for becoming more skilled at riding – through the CyclingSavvy DFW group.

CyclingSavvy DFW is the Dallas/Fort Worth branch of the successful CyclingSavvy traffic cycling education program developed in Orlando, Florida. CyclingSavvy DFW‘s mission is to encourage safe, courteous, and practical bicycling in Dallas/Fort Worth through education and social events.

The CyclingSavvy class is a 3-part course designed to encourage, inspire, and empower. Train your bike and your mind to navigate safely and confidently anywhere in the DFW metroplex. Discover the tricks that make transportation by bike both fun and easy.

This weekend, is the last class for 2011. Click here to find out more information.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Education, Bike Education, Bike Training, Cycling Savvy, CyclingSavvyDFW

December 6, 2011 • 6:40 am 0

Coming February 1-3, 2012 – Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference

We met some of the Bike Texas folks at BFOC‘s Bicycle Fair last October and they were promoting an event that they helped organize in San Antonio next year. It’s the biennial Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference, aka the Texas Bike/Ped Summit.

Here is the info from their site:

Register Now! The biennial Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference, aka the Texas Bike/Ped Summit, is coming up fast! Engineers, planners, advocates and anyone interested in active transportation is invited to join us in San Antonio February 1-3, 2012, at El Tropicano hotel downtown on the Riverwalk.

Organized by BikeTexas and the Texas Trails Network, we have the strongest line up of Keynote Speakers in our history.

Former congressman Jim Oberstar, a true champion for bicycles over his 36 years in the U.S. Congress

The renowned Danish architect and urban design consultant Jan Gehl, who prioritizes bicyclists and pedestrians in his designs

John Burke, President of Trek Bicycles and life long dedicated bike advocate

Senator Rodney Ellis, Houston, a cyclist, and a friend of all Texas cyclists

This conference has something for everyone: Bike/Ped Coordinators, Advocates, Cycling Enthusiasts, Trail Builders/Advocates, Safe Routes to School Coordinators, Traffic Engineers, Public, and Private partnerships, Urban Planners, Teachers, and more. Earn education credits! For more details, click here to check out the conference website for daily updates, and “like” the conference Facebook page.

The full registration price is $350 and includes all meals and access to dozens of on- and off-site workshops, breakout sessions, and keynote speakers – everything you need to recharge your batteries and be inspired to make Texas a great place for trails and active transportation. I’d really like to make it out to this conference just to get a glimpse into what’s happening for cycling in Texas. I just hope that I can get the time.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bicycle Events, Bike Change, Bike Education, Advocacy, Bike Texas, Texas Bike Summit, Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference, Texas Trails Network

August 7, 2011 • 10:52 am 6

Slow Down!

A few weeks ago, I made an observation about the new guard rails, along Arapaho Road in Garland. Through not very attractive, it was agreed that their functionality was much more important than their aesthetics. The rails were built to serve as a safety barrier for the adjacent homes, from the speeding traffic. This morning, I made a discovery that illustrates the importance of that functionality.

If you look closely at the top left of this shot, you can see that new guard rail. Unfortunately for this sign, that guard rail falls a bit short. Also, even though I had no way of gauging their speed, those cars were speeding by as I took this shot.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Education, Rider Perspective, Garland, Guard Rails, Safety, Slow Down, Speed, Speeding, Texas

July 15, 2011 • 5:44 am 24

Cycling Rules Enforced In Collin County

Since half of Richardson is in Collin County (anything north of Lookout Drive), we thought it would be good to repost this from our friends at BikeDFW. Because of some concerns with road safety and in response to some motorists complaints, the cycling rules will be enforced in Collin County. Representatives from the bike community, including BikeDFW, met up with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office to have a “positive and productive meeting that resulted in a set of guidelines for how traffic laws will be enforced for bike riders in areas patrolled by the county.”

Click here to see those guidelines.

It is our opinion that all cyclist who ride and share the road should follow all the appropriate state and local traffic laws. It appears that the rules that will be enforced by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office are in compliance with the state laws and seem reasonable for north Texas cyclists.

On a personal note, although I’ve been making a strong effort to come to a complete stop at all lights and stop signs, I usually don’t put my foot down. I would typically do a track stand until I was certain of my right of way. If it’s a red light or not my turn at a stop sign, the foot would go down. Now, I’m going to need to make a conscious effort to put my foot down at every stop. I guess it’s better than getting a citation.

Filed under: Bike Education, City Stuff, Bike Law Enforcement, BikeDFW, Collin County, Cycling Rules, Texas

October 23, 2010 • 6:37 am 0

Katy Trail Safety Awareness Drive This Weekend

This one almost fell off of our bike radar. Our friends over at the Katy Trail are having a Safety Awareness Drive TODAY. The event is to “foster awareness, education and cooperation about safety on the Trail, and will ask Trail users to sign a pledge stating how they will use the Trail safely. The drive is this weekend, Oct. 23rd at various points on the Trail.”

Keep an eye out for the folks from BikeDFW who will be at David’s Way (intersection of Knox St. and the trail) along with Luke’s Locker and Bicycles Plus between 8am and 5pm.

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Bike Education, Bike Trails and Routes, Bike DFW, Katy Trail

October 4, 2010 • 5:22 am 4

Richardson’s Point-Of-View On Different Types of Bicycle Users

With all the new trails and bike lanes in Richardson, (which we love) one might think that the city is trying to get cyclists off the road. That’s not true. One of the things that impressed us about the City of Richardson is their open point-of-view towards bicycle users. Instead of focusing on one specific type, they’ve taken into account that not all riders are the same.

Here is what is on the Richardson web site:

Types of Bicycle Users
There are several types of bicycle users and it is understood that some avid bicyclists do not like bike lanes. The City’s goal in providing an overall Bicycle Route Plan is to accommodate all types of users. Some recreational users may prefer to use trails in the City’s Parks. Vehicular bicyclists may prefer to commute on arterial streets and do not want their “right” to occupy any travel lane jeopardized by having bike lanes. The City will also be implementing “Share the Road” type signs on Renner Road where hundreds of cyclists travel many evenings and weekends despite the higher speeds and traffic volumes. On collector roadways and residential streets we may simply provide a Bike Route sign with or without a dedicated lane.

Bicyclist’s Rights
The Texas Transportation Code states that “A person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle”. To summarize the legal code: bicycles have the right to ride on public roadways because they are deemed a legitimate transportation vehicle by legislature. The City does not have the authority to restrict bicycles from local roadways, but TxDOT may restrict them from certain limited access highways. Below are a few links to the Texas Transportation Code that deals with bicycle operations.

CHAPTER 551. OPERATION OF BICYCLES, MOPEDS, AND PLAY VEHICLES

CHAPTER 545. OPERATION AND MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES

In order to provide a safe environment for bicyclists, the City of Richardson is in the process of implementing a long range plan to provide bicycle facilities and to designate preferred bicycle routes on lower-volume, lower-speed collector roadways. Even though the City will not be encouraging bicyclists to ride on major arterial thoroughfares, we will be providing “Share the Road” signs at strategic locations to inform motorists that bicycles have the legal right to occupy the roadway.

There has been a dramatic increase in bicycle activity in the past few years, including a larger number of bikers who commute to work. Several other Cities including Dallas, Plano, and Frisco are also enhancing their bicycle trails and on-street routes with new signage. The City anticipates the trend in bicycle usage to increase in the future and will endeavor to provide as safe of an operating environment as possible. Click here to see more.

This is why we believe their bike plan (pdf) is one of the best in the DFW area. Combine that with some of the efforts that are happening in Dallas, and you can see a great future for cycling in DFW.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Education, City Stuff, City Of Richardson, Richardson, Texas, Types Of Bike Riders

March 9, 2010 • 8:51 pm 0

BikeDFW Offering A Shorter, Less Expensive Traffic Skills 101 Course

BikeDFW will have League of American Bicyclists certified Cycling Instructors conducting another Traffic Skills 101 course. For the reduced fee of $50 you can take part in, now, a 1-day course that will give cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. The classroom portion of the course is now online.

Date: March 21, 2010 (Sunday)
Location: Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas , TX 75087
Registration Fee: $50.00

CLICK HERE for details and to sign up.

Filed under: Bike Education, BikeDFW, League of American Bicyclists, Traffic Skills

January 8, 2010 • 5:28 am 0

BikeDFW Traffic Skills 101 Course

BikeDFW will have League of American Bicyclists certified Cycling Instructors conducting a Traffic Skills 101 course. For the small fee of $65 you can take part of a 2-day course that will give cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail.

Date: Jan. 16th and 17th, 2009 (Saturday and Sunday)
Location: Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas , TX 75087
Registration Fee: $65.00

CLICK HERE for details and to sign up.

Filed under: Bike Education, Bike Education, BikeDFW, League of American Bicyclists, Traffic Skills, Training