Bike Friendly Richardson

Scott Dunn is running unopposed for re-election to City Council Place 3. He is also a member of the Bike Friendly Richardson Facebook group and comments there from time to time. Mr. Dunn pointed out that although we did not ask about an east-west bicycle & pedestrian connection across 75 in the southern part of Richardson, he will continue to look for possible solutions.

1: Do you (and your family) ride a bicycle on Richardson roads or trails? For what purposes do you ride?

Scott Dunn: Occasionally my wife, son, daughters and I ride bicycles on Richardson bike lanes.  It is purely for recreational purposes.

2: The City of Richardson has supported quality of life facilities such as a park and trail system, recreation centers, swimming pools and bicycle lanes. These facilities make Richardson a more livable city where people want to live and businesses want to locate. What would you do to maintain and expand these qualities?

Scott Dunn: Funding is the only limiting factor when it comes to expanding or building any additional amenities.  I support the City to continue working with other entities: cities, non-profits, public-private partnerships and the like, to find ways to fund the expansion of these amenities.  I am also in favor analyzing the operational budget to find ways to fund these amenities provided it doesn’t adversely impact the budget necessary to continue city service levels in place.  I think the Council in future years will ask the voters to approve a bond to help expand some of the amenities.

3: Last year, Bike Friendly Richardson partnered with the City Transportation Department to submit a Bicycle Friendly Community application. The feedback that we received indicated that the City needed to improve in the following areas of bike-friendliness:

*Having an effective Bicycle Advisory Committee.

*Expanding the bicycle and pedestrian manager’s time focused on the 5 E’s (Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and     Evaluation & Planning) would help in scaling up your Bicycle Friendly Community efforts.

*Adopt a Complete Streets or Bicycle Accommodation policy and offer implementation guidance.

*Increase the amount of secure bicycle parking at popular destinations such as transit stops, schools, recreation and entertainment facilities, retail and office clusters and churches throughout the community.

*Expand encouragement efforts during National Bike Month in partnership with local bicycle advocacy groups. Have the Mayor / City Council proclaim May as Bike Month. Host, sponsor and/or encourage bicycle-themed community events such as community rides, a bicycle festival or a commuter challenge. Widely advertise all bicycle-themed community events.

What would you do to increase the chances of achieving a Bike Friendly Community designation during your term in office?

Scott Dunn: I think all the above suggestions are excellent.  I will support and encourage my fellow councilmembers to have these ideas placed on our near term action items. My family and I recently traveled to other cities like Denver and walked the Katy Trail in Dallas.  We noticed bicycle rental facilities in public places.  I would be in favor of pursuing a private-public partnership to provide this service along our bike trails.

4: Richardson has shown itself to be a progressive, forward-thinking city in terms of alternative transportation infrastructure, environmental conservation and restoration, and other quality of life criteria. Several cities in the US, including Boulder, CO; Kansas City, MO; and Fort Worth, TX; have implemented ordinances that require and/or incentivize the installation of bicycle parking as part of new commercial and multifamily construction or major renovation. Would you support the implementation of this type of ordinance in Richardson?

Scott Dunn: I know there are a lot of cyclists using E Renner Road and North Star in the Richardson panhandle for cycling.  When a zoning case was brought before Council, we encouraged the applicant to think about adding bicycle racks.  I believe the Council can continue to encourage developers to add bicycle accommodations without adding any ordinances.

5: Do you support the installation of more bicycle parking on City property, such as at parks, City Hall, the Courthouse, etc.? Do you support implementing temporary bike parking solutions at events like the Cottonwood Arts Festival, Wildflower Festival, Huffhines Art Trails, etc.?

Scott Dunn: Yes, when the utilization of the current bike racks requires additional bicycle parking space, I would support additional racks.  

It is my understanding the parks department will relocate bike racks from other city facilities during the great events the City hosts like the Cottonwood Art Festival, Wildflower Festival and Huffhines Art Trail.  If additional racks are required I support the items to be placed into the budget and to be purchased.

6: Richardson has significant parts of a multi-use Trail Network in place. The City of Richardson Transportation and Park and Recreation Departments have plans to improve and extend the bicycle lane and trail network, including facilitating connections to our surrounding cities. Will you support continued implementation of the Richardson Bicycle Facilities Plan?

Scott Dunn: Yes, and since I am not an avid bicyclist, I have and will continue to work with my cyclist friends, bicycle business owners and stalk “Bike Friendly Richardson” Facebook page to know and understand what is needed when it comes to cycling in Richardson.

7: Two years ago the State Legislature overwhelmingly passed a safe passing law for vulnerable road users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, construction workers, etc (see attached example). The Governor vetoed the bill. All of our neighboring states have safe-passing laws and several cities in Texas including Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, Edinburg, El Paso, Beaumont and Helotes have adopted safe passing ordinances. Would you support implementation of this type of ordinance for Richardson?

Scott Dunn: I would prefer this type of legislation be handled at the State level.  I find it disappointing the Governor vetoed the bill.  Since many of cycling routes are intertwined between several cities, I would not want the cyclists to have a false sense of safety when traveling in other cities.  It is always the best practice for cyclists to be very alert of oncoming traffic.