- Triple the number of bicycle commuters
- Decrease bicycle related crashes by 10 percent
- Attain official designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community through the League of American Bicyclists.
Bicycling is the most efficient form of transportation in terms of energy per mile traveled. Bicycles are less costly than automobiles and the maintenance is cheaper. Another benefit of bicycles is that they do not take up nearly as much space as a car when parked.
Dallas/Fort Worth is the 7th most ozone polluted metro area in the Nation. D/FW has received a grade of "F" the last 8 years from the American Lung Association. Nationally, 40 percent of urban trips are two miles or less and 28 percent are less than one mile. Replacing cars with bicycles will greatly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and promote a healthy alternative to cars.
Fort Worth currently has over 1,000 miles of on and off street facilities. The two types of on street facilities are shared and bike lane specific. Bike lane specific is intended for bicycle traffic only. Shared lanes are for bicycles and cars. The city has implemented a safety strategy to help reduce auto versus bicycle collisions.
City leaders have recommended that Bike Fort Worth be updated at least every five years to account for growth, measure progress, update facilities, and revise city standards.
Resources: http://fortworthgov.org/bikefw/ , http://fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Sustainability/Bike_Fort_Worth/Executive_Summary_Bike_Fort_Worth.pdf , http://fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Sustainability/Bike_Fort_Worth/BIKE_FORT_WORTH_FINAL.pdf
Resources: http://fortworthgov.org/bikefw/ , http://fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Sustainability/Bike_Fort_Worth/Executive_Summary_Bike_Fort_Worth.pdf , http://fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Sustainability/Bike_Fort_Worth/BIKE_FORT_WORTH_FINAL.pdf
I think that would be awesome if every major city would do that. I know the cities of Richardson and Garland are also trying to do this as well.
ReplyDeleteFort Worth is working in the right direction. Mayor Betsy Price is an avid bicycle rider so I would assume that more trails are in the works. I would like to see something in the southern part of town that would link up to the other trails.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I bike to and from work just about every day instead of driving. Biking is definitely the more sustainable transportation option, and it doesn't really take me that much longer to get to where I'm going as I can avoid a lot of congestion associated with vehicle travel. It's great that the city of Fort Worth is working on improving bike travel, but they still have a ways to go. I rarely see any bike riders in or near downtown Fort Worth, and I think the city could do a better job of accommodating cyclists. I don't know if I even seen any designated bike lanes in downtown, but I'm new to the area so maybe there are. I think the biggest obstacle to anyone who wants to make biking their primary means of transportation is that Fort Worth (and most cities across the nation) are still organized and shaped by car culture. It's not always convenient to ride your bike to the nearest service. This is especially true in Texas where urban sprawl dominates metropolitan areas. Still, if we opt for bicycle transportation when we can, that's still reducing our carbon footprint, if ever so slightly.
ReplyDeleteAdam, the city has dedicated lanes in downtown as well as signage stating that bikes may share all lanes when there is not a dedicated lane. What I find odd is that many of the dedicated lanes are on the far left as opposed to the far right. I still have not found out the logic behind this. The T (city bus service) has also made great strides to accommodate cyclists. They have added bike racks to the front off nearly all of the buses. I recently rode in on the bus and brought my bike along. I asked the driver what the policy was if the two bike racks on the bus were full. He stated that cyclists may also bring their bikes onto the bus if need be. I think that it would be very beneficial for the city to consider adding routes for those that live in the far north and far south areas.
ReplyDeleteI have done a lot of cycling around town myself and am thrilled at the improvements the city is making to the infrastructure for cyclists. The trail improvements are impressive. I can't wait for the pedestrian/cyclist bridge under construction just south of Lancaster to be completed. The only explanation I can come up with for the downtown bike lanes being in the left lanes is because most of those roads are one way and the bus traffic is typically located in the right lanes with no dedicated pull-ins for bus stops. By putting bicycles in the left lane, they don't have to stop and wait at each bus stop. Parallel parking may play a role as well. While I realize there may be places where parallel parking is allowed on either side of the street (not sure), I think those spaces are primarily located on the right side. Keeping cyclists on the left avoids the kind of accidents that can result from a door swinging open unexpectedly when a parked motorist fails to notice a cyclist. I hadn't thought of those things until you pointed it out, and if I was planning the routes I probably would have missed it, but it makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteTJ, thanks for your explanation on the lane placement. That makes sense to me now.
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