Dallas residents can look forward to seeing more bike paths throughout the city under a new bike plan.
The city council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the first new bike plan in more than a decade.
Rebekah Kornblum with the Dallas Bicycle Coalition said her group has been advocating to get the plan passed for about three years.
“I'm thrilled,” Kornblum said. “We've been paying attention this whole time for years now and trying to engage the community and push the plan along and make sure that it’s right for Dallas, so it's definitely something to celebrate.”
District 1 council member Chad West said in a written statement that approval lays out an updated bike network map that improves safety, accessibility and connectivity for Dallas cyclists.
“Unfortunately, Dallas is a national leader in traffic fatalities, but we know if we make our streets safer for bikes, they will be safer for pedestrians and drivers too,” West said. “Now that we have passed the plan, I will be closely monitoring its implementation to ensure it gets built rather than becoming a relic on a shelf.”
City staff say the plan includes a phased approach to building projects in the new network as additional funding becomes available. It defines priority bike routes and focuses on connecting new paths to trails, transit and denser parts of the city. It also enhances connectivity near schools.
The new plan also creates a permanent bicycle advisory committee that will help advance projects in the coming months.
The plan had been a topic of debate for several years as the city gathered input from cyclists and other stakeholders. The last time the city approved a bike plan was in 2011.
District 6 council member Omar Narvaez, who chairs the city’s transportation committee, said the plan aligns with the city’s goals to fight climate change by reducing the number of cars on the road.
Kornblum said she’s glad the city recognizes better strategies for safer bike paths.
“One thing we pushed early on, which I think kind of went under the radar, was we pushed to include the phrase ‘all ages and abilities’ that you'll see in the plan," she said. "It was important to us that biking be seen ... in the name all ages in abilities and not a hobby."
She added the city is no longer recognizing shared bike lanes, or “sharrows,” as recommended in the plan.
“The priority is now protected bike lanes, safe riding for everyone,” Kornblum said.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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