Bike Friendly « Bike Friendly Richardson

February 15, 2012 • 4:53 pm 5

Some Exciting News

Bike Friendly Richardson is pleased to announce that we have just submitted the application to have Richardson considered for a Bicycle Friendly Community designation!

This was an idea that we had had for a while and last November, Jenny Rilling took it on as a project. With the help of City staff, we made it happen. The Bicycle Friendly Community program is administered by the League of American Bicyclists. With all the bicycling improvements in recent years, and more to come, it was time to throw our hat in the ring. Not every application receives the Bicycle Friendly designation, however, the LAB staff generously provide feedback to each applicant to help them do better next time.

This is our first time submitting the application, so we don’t know how we’ll do, but we are proud of how far we’ve come, and we’re looking forward to getting feedback on where we can improve. Currently only three cities in Texas have received the Bicycle Friendly Community designation: Austin, San Antonio, and The Woodlands.

We’d like to recognize the following people without whom this wouldn’t be possible:

Richard Wezensky and Jenny Rilling with Bike Friendly Richardson

Dave Carter, the City’s Bicycle Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Transportation Department

Jessica Shutt and Mark Titus in the Transportation Department

Jim Lockart and Jim Dulac at the City

The Richardson City Council, Parks Department, Police Department

And of course, all the BFR friends and everyone out there who said, “Hey, we should improve biking in Richardson”, and everyone out there using the bike trails, bike lanes, and roads and having fun and trying to continually improve things for cyclists.

Thanks, everyone, for all you do. See you out there on the road!

-BFR Staff

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Friendly, Bike Friendly Community Program, City Of Richardson, League of American Bicyclists

February 10, 2012 • 6:24 am 4

Plano Safe Passing Ordinance – Monday Night Vote – February 13th

Our friend Warren Casteel, with BikeDFW, sent us an email encouraging cyclist to come out and show their support at Monday night’s Plano City Council meeting. Apparently, they are voting on The – long awaited – Safe Passing Ordinance. There is hope that if we can pass this in Plano, perhaps we can pass it here in Richardson as well.

This ordinance stipulates distances motor vehicles must allow cyclists, outlaws throwing or objects or substances at cyclists, and provides legal remedy if a cyclist is hit by a motor vehicle in some situations. The ordinance can be viewed here (pdf).

Plano City Hall is about a block from the DART Station. Map.

We hope to make it out there and we hope to see you there too.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Friendly, City Stuff, Plano, Safe Passing Laws, Safe Passing Ordinance

February 4, 2012 • 7:21 am 2

Heading Into Dallas? Check Out The Dallas Bicycle Cafe!

It’s finally happening. Dallas is starting to become a bike friendly city. Not only are we beginning to see bike friendly businesses, but also places that are actually built for cyclists. Dallas Bicycle Cafe is now one of those destinations. Parked close to both the White Rock Creek Trail and the DART White Rock Station, this place will be a great hub for cyclists and commuters. Here’s there information:

Dallas Bicycle Cafe
Addresss: 7510 E. Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75214
Phone: Not Available Yet
Website: http://www.DallasBicycleCafe.com Not Up Yet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BicycleCafeDallas
Hours:
Tue – Thu: 6:00 am-10:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 6:00 am-12:00 am
Sun: 6:00 am-10:00 pm
Description: Health Food, Green Nutrition, Coffee, Tea, Beer, Wine, Bicycle Storage Lockers, Changing Room. @White Rock Lake

For more information, check out this post over at BikingInDallas.

Filed under: BFR Misc, Bike Friendly, Dallas, Dallas Bicycle Cafe, Dallas Bike Cafe

December 23, 2011 • 5:03 pm 3

Richardson Voted To Be The Most Bike Friendly Neighborhood

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff has announced their “Best Of” for bicycling in 2011. The city of Richardson has made it on their list for “Most Bike Friendly Neighborhood.”

It’s nice to get recognized for something we already knew: Richardson is a bike friendly area. With 11 miles of bike lanes and 24 miles of multi-purpose trails (with many more on the drawing board – and funded), the City of Richardson has made many strides at making our area one of the most bike friendly neighborhoods in the DFW Metroplex.

Congratulations, Richardson!! I think I’ll celebrate by taking a ride later.

Filed under: Bike Friendly, City Stuff, Bike Friendly Neighborhood, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

December 13, 2011 • 10:21 am 0

Way To Go, Plano!

I saw this NBC video on Facebook, talking about the city’s new bicycle signs. Click below to see the news report.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Change, Bike Friendly, Bike Signs, NBC News, Plano

December 9, 2011 • 9:00 am 0

Richardson Police Department Bike Patrol – On The Job

You know you live in a bike friendly city when the police department has a bike patrol. These guys were keeping spectators and attendees safe during last weekend’s annual Christmas parade.

Now all we need is postal delivery and meter readers done via bike.

Filed under: Bike Friendly, City Stuff, Bicycle Patrol, Bicycle Police, Richardson Police Department

November 20, 2011 • 10:51 am 12

Black Friday Ride Number 3 – November 25, 2011

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 third annual Black Friday Ride. Started three 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 route will be around 10 miles and goes through Spring Creek Park, where you can enjoy the colors of fall. We’ll end the ride back at the Shops at Eastside, where you can enjoy some tasty food or grab a cold one at Twisted Root Burgers.

DATE: Friday, November 25, 2011
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, Richardson

November 2, 2011 • 5:48 am 0

BFOC Hosts Dallas’ Third Tweed Ride

For the third year, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff will be hosting the Dallas Tweed Ride. Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, November 13, 2011
Time: 1:30 pm
Start: The grassy knoll in Downtown Dallas (at Dealey Plaza)
RSVP: via Facebook

“The ride will take us through historic Oak Cliff with stops at the Turner House for lawn games and merriment, the Bishop Arts District to stroll the outdoor market at CliffFest, and finally returning to Downtown Dallas. This ride has become an institution in Dallas bringing out over one hundred chaps and lasses all wearing their finest knickers and caps. Last year’s event included dancing, tug-of-wars, umbrella jousting, cucumber sandwich tosses, and beer relays. Expect all of that and more as we prepare for another rousing ride through our fare city.” More info here.

This is a fun ride. If you haven’t tried it before, we suggest that you try it. The pace is slow and the scene is an amazing spectacle of interesting bicycle attire. It may run a bit late, so don’t forget to bring your lights. Here are my pics from last year.

Filed under: Bicycle Events, Bike Friendly, BFOC, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, Dallas Tweed Ride, Tweed, Tweed Ride

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