City Stuff « Bike Friendly Richardson

February 4, 2012 • 9:46 am 1

Portion of Breckinridge Trail Closed

Today, the Richardson Parks and Recreation Department closed a portion of the Breckinridge Trail in Breckinridge Park due to erosion damage. The impacted section is located at the pedestrian bridge between park entrances A and B. A timeline for repairs is still being determined, and it is unknown at this time when the trail may re-open.

Alternate routes are available in the park for trail use.

Click here to download a larger map.

Filed under: Bike Trails and Routes, City Stuff, Trail and Road Hazards, Breckinridge Trail

January 20, 2012 • 5:00 pm 1

Spring Creek Trail is Re-Opened

According to this week’s newsletter from the city:

Repair work on Spring Creek Trail has been completed by the contractor ahead of schedule, and other than some cleanup work still taking place over the next several days, the trail is open for all users once again.

The trail was closed in three phases beginning Jan. 3, and the rehabilitation work along the 1.1 mile section had been expected to last until Feb. 7. The City contractor removed and replaced concrete trail sections that had been damaged by tree roots and shifting soil.

Filed under: Bike Trails and Routes, City Stuff, Trail and Road Hazards, Richardson, Spring Creek Trail, Trail Repair

January 20, 2012 • 9:10 am 6

New Bike Route Signs On Collins

I noticed these last night and thought I would share. The new signs – that I’ve seen so far – are placed on Plano Road (approaching Collins) and on Collins, between Plano Road and the Central overpass.

I wonder if these are place holders until they get money to finish out the painted bike lanes on Collins.

View From Plano Road Facing South (to Collins intersection)

View of Collins - Westbound

Filed under: Bike Change, Bike Trails and Routes, City Stuff, Bike Route Signs, Collins Blvd

December 30, 2011 • 10:32 pm 6

Spring Creek Trail Looks Worse Than I Thought

Last week the City of Richardson announced that they would be closing off portions of the Spring Creek Trail for repairs. Since I typically ride the west section, from the Routh Creek Parkway ramp to the Central Expressway underpasses, I didn’t know the extent of the wear and tear on the trail.

I took a spin thought the entire length this morning and discovered that it was much worse than I thought. Here are some pics of just a few areas marked for repair:

Seeing the extent of this wear makes me glad the city is working – proactively – to keep it maintained and safe for those using it. Yet, another great reason to live in Richardson.

Filed under: Bike Trails and Routes, City Stuff, Richardson, Spring Creek Trail, Texas, Trail Repair

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 22, 2011 • 8:58 pm 7

Spring Creek Trail To Close For Repairs

Here is the notice from the city about some trail closures:

Starting January 3, 2012, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department will begin rehabilitation work on the Spring Creek Trail in north central Richardson. The trail is located between Central Expressway and Plano Road, south of Renner Road, and meanders through the Spring Creek Nature Area.

The trail will be closed in three phases (see map below) between January 3 and February 7. The closures will allow City contractors to tear out and repour concrete trail sections damaged by growing tree roots and shifting soil.

Weather permitting, work along the 1.1 mile section of trail should take about five weeks.

Although this will be a small inconvenience, we’re glad the city has decided to do it. This show’s the city’s commitment to keep the bicycle infrastructure maintained and it’s users safe. We’ve started to notice some wear and tear on the trail, so we’re glad this is getting done before it gets worse.

Filed under: Bike Trails and Routes, City Stuff, Spring Creek Trail, Trail Repair

December 9, 2011 • 6:20 pm 1

City of Richardson Receives “Safe Routes to School” Funding Grant

Again, if you get the City’s newsletter, you’ve probably already seen this:

The City of Richardson has been awarded federal funding through a Safe Routes to School grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for two schools in Richardson: Richland Elementary and Yale Elementary.

At Monday’s work session, the City Council was briefed by staff on the City’s efforts to acquire this funding, the status of the programmed projects and the improvements that will be made around the schools.

The work that will be funded by the grant includes installation of barrier-free ramps, sidewalks, bike routes, bike lanes and bike racks.

The City Council will consider a resolution to approve funding agreements with TxDOT at a future meeting. Click here to view the work session presentation.

This is fantastic news for families with kids going to these schools. This is especially good news to me, since one of these schools is in my neighborhood. We’re grateful that the City kept up with this, even after not getting selected the first time.

Filed under: Advocacy, Bike Change, City Stuff, Good Causes, City Of Richardson, Richland Elementary, Safe Routes To School, Texas, Yale Elementary

December 9, 2011 • 5:30 pm 0

City Receives Award from GDPC for Urban Design

Black Friday Ride - Gathering At East Side

Cyclists Gathering At The Shops at Eastside

If you get the City’s newsletter you probably already knew this:

This week, the Greater Dallas Planning Council presented an award for urban design in the built environment to the City of Richardson for the City’s commitment to good urban design.

Urban design relates to the form, arrangement, design and functionality of buildings, neighborhoods and public spaces, including parks, yards, sidewalks, and even transportation facilities. The goal of good urban design is to create attractive environments for people and their activities. The panel of judges felt that the City had demonstrated a particularly good effort for a first-ring suburb, where redevelopment and construction on infill sites is more common than new development on vacant property.

Richardson received the award for the combined impact created by several projects—the Brick Row and Eastside mixed use developments, each of which contain important streetscape and open space requirements; the Neighborhood Vitality Program, which was conceived to strengthen and support neighborhoods and encourage reinvestment into residential property; and the construction of Routh Creek Parkway, which was built not as a sterile transportation corridor, but as an attractive public area that links motorists, pedestrians and recreational users with the Spring Creek Nature Area nearby.

This is the type of stuff that makes me proud to live in Richardson. This city gets it and continues to strive at making it a better place for it’s residents.

Multi-Purpose Trail Along Routh Creek Parkway

Filed under: City Stuff, City or Richardson, Greater Dallas Planning Council, urban design

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 12, 2011 • 6:42 am 3

Spring Creek Trail Extension Officially Open

© City Of Richardson - (Council Members Amir Omar and Scott Dunn, Collin County Commissioner Cheryl Williams, Mayor Bob Townsend, Congressman Sam Johnson, Council Member Kendal Hartley, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Maczka and Council Member Mark Solomon)

If you’ve been following us for the past couple of years, we kept you updated on the progress of extensions of the Spring Creek Trail. These new extensions provide safe passages under Central Expressway and Renner Road.

This past Thursday was the ribbon cutting that officially opened the trail extension.

From the city newsletter:

City Council Members, staff and local officials celebrated the opening of the Spring Creek Trail extension at a ribbon cutting ceremony held Thursday.

The new extension is a 1.3 mile, 12-foot wide concrete trail that extends the popular Spring Creek Trail north under Renner and US 75 and ends at Alma Road and the George Bush Turnpike. The trail also travels south following Prairie Creek under US 75 and then turns north to connect with the Renner Trail (see map below).

The wide, concrete trail accommodates multiple uses including walking, jogging, biking, strolling and in-line skating. Federal, state, county and local dollars helped to pay for the design and construction of the trail that allows users of the trail system a safe passage under busy roadways.

Quite frankly, after such a long time coming, we’re surprised that it was such an understated event. You’d think the city would be proud of it’s accomplishments and make a bigger P.R. event out of it. Regardless, it’s here and it’s open. Enjoy.

To see all the coverage of this trail extension development, click on the links below:

Spring Creek Trail – Including Under Central and Under Renner Road Connections:
Trail Construction – 03/11/2010
Under Construction-Two Bike Trails Under Central Expressway- 04/03/2010
More Trail Construction Pics – 05/08/2010
Trail Construction Moving Forward Nicely – 06/13/2010
Trail Construction Update Pics – 07/25/2010
More Trail Progress – 08/21/2010
New Guard Rail – 08/28/2010
More Trail Progress – Towards The Central Underpass – 09/26/2010
Central Underpass – Progress On The West Side – 11/28/2010
More Trail Progress – Retaining Walls Under US75 – 12/05/2010
Trail Under Central Progress – More Gabion Walls – 02/13/2011
Trail Under Central Progress – West Side Ramp – 03/06/2011
Spring Creek Trail: North Of Renner Road – A Progress Report – 04/02/2011
Trail Under Central – Serious Progress - 04/17/2011
Took A Ride Under Central Expressway Today - 04/23/2011
Updates To The Central Expressway and Renner Road Underpasses - 05/09/2011
Spring Creek Trail – Central and Renner Road Underpass Updates - 06/11/2011
Trail Under Renner Road – Progress - 07/28/14
More Renner Road Underpass Progress - 08/14/2011
Renner Road Underpass – Retaining Wall Progress - 08/27/2011
Major Progress With The Trail Under Renner Road - 09/18/2011
Trail Under Renner Progress – Forms Are Up, Cement Is Being Poured - 10/03/2011
Trail Under Renner Road Is Complete - 10/08/2011