“I Declare War” Biking Treasure Hunt
directed by
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and the Oak Cliff Film Festival

THE BACK STORY
Two teams on bikes: Rumblecore vs. The Raging Bulls
Pedaling around Oak Cliff
Scouting 8 different locations
Being quizzed on movie trivia
Getting puzzle pieces directing them to the next location
Putting it all together to find the location of the OCFF flag
Bringing the flag to the wrap party at the Belmont pool and be declared the winner!

THE MAIN FEATURE
5:30 pm: Meet at the Texas Theatre
30 riders MAX per team (the first 60 people to show up will make the cut)
Both teams must ride together as a group with their director
Maps will be provided
Wear a helmet, obey all traffic laws, be safe
Ride at a leisurely pace, enjoy the area backdrops
Prizes and drink specials at most locations
8:00 pm: Finish at the Belmont pool with a sunset wrap party including free drinks and team prizes

For more information about the Oak Cliff Film Festival:
http://oakclifffilmfestival.com/

The Lot Connection

From the “More Cool Places to Ride Your Bike” Department: a beautiful new bridge connection from the Santa Fe Trail to The Lot. Thanks to some hard work between The Lot and City of Dallas Hike & Bike Trails, you can easily hop off the trail and enjoy a bite and some brews at The Lot. Definitely a welcome addition for the summer!

In case you haven’t ridden on the Santa Fe before, it’s an easy off-shoot from White Rock Lake near the fish hatchery / spillway / 7-11 area.

And look, there’s a huge bike rack!

Bike Racks

Now… can someone please do something with this horrendous intersection in front of The Lot?

Garland/Grand/Gaston Cluster

Our “Don Corleone” of the bicycle friendly world, Jason Roberts, needs our help!  After discovering he had testicular cancer and battling to beat the tar out of it, he’s back on his feet doing what he does best:  Building better blocks, one at a time!  Only now he’s been left with over $40K worth of medical bills!

The folks at BFOC and Go Oak Cliff have his back, and will be hosting an “I Bike Jason” group ride wearing Jason inspired gear to a fundraiser on May 25th, 2013 at the Kessler Theatre.  Here are the details:

When:  May 25th, 2013

Where:

Group Ride Meet Up:  Eno’s Pizza Tavern, 7th and Bishop Ave

Fundraiser:  Kessler Theatre, 1230 W. Davis St., Dallas, TX 75208

Times:

Group Ride Departure:  7:00 Pm

Fundraiser:  Doors open at 7:00 Pm, 8:00 Pm show starts; All Ages

Purchase Tickets:  Click here; $25 and up

Build a Better Jason” Benefit to Help Beloved Dallas Resident: Bike Ride, Live Music, Art Auction to Help Jason Roberts Defray Cancer Treatment Bills.

He’s run for Congress, built better blocks in cities around the world, helped make Oak Cliff bike friendlier and started a conspiracy of do-gooder artists. For years, Jason Roberts has been busy making Dallas a better place one project at a time but now he needs your help! In 2012, Jason was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After chemotherapy, radiation and surgery he was pronounced cancer free, but while the cancer is gone Roberts still has $40,000 in medical bills

The Kessler Theater in partnership with Go Oak Cliff and Jason Roberts supporters can help Jason fight the costs of his cancer battle. There will be a bike ride, live music and an art auction. The event is $25, but additional donations of any amount of are encouraged. All proceeds will go toward helping Jason erase his medical debt

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better…stronger…faster

The “I Bike Jason” bikeride will begin outside of Eno’s at 7:00 p.m. and end at the Kessler. Wearing Jason inspired gear is part of the fun. Comments by special guest will begin at the Kessler at 8:00 and the bands and art auction will begin shortly therafter. Some of Jason’s favorite bands and artist have donated their talents to help raise money. Those bands include John Singer Sergeant – of the Deathray Davies, Austin sensations the White Ghost Shivers, R&B legend Bobby Patterson plus a few surprises.

“Jason is a tremendous person,” said Edwin Cabaniss, Kessler Theater owner. “He gives to his community tirelessly. Build a Better Jason is a way for everyone who knows, loves and appreciates him to help him close the book on his fight with cancer.”

Jason triva – what does Jason Roberts and Lance Armstrong have in common? They both kicked cancer and they have the same number of Tour de France medals :-)

To help kick him off on the tour, Zachary Ford (aka The Pondering Cyclist) is organizing a sweet fundraiser at Craft and Growler (across from Fair Park) on Tuesday, June 4. Here’s the official Facebook event.

There will be a silent auction with gift baskets and other items as well as finger food and other snacks. Craft and Growler is donating 10% of on premise sales from 6-9 to Kevin for his trip so drink up!

It looks like this is going to be a great time at an amazing location right across the street from Fair Park.

Come out and wish Kevin good luck and help him get a little spending money for his trip because Twinkies and Pizza adds up! It takes a lot of fuel to power someone 2700 miles!

Xina Jones is a quiet legend. She has been a bicycle messenger in Dallas since 1999, lives car-free, and she currently helps lead the weekly Time In The Saddle rides from Whole Foods in Lakewood on Tuesdays. I met her a couple years ago at a get together at The Gingerman and recently reconnected with her on a few social rides. She’s always willing to help new cyclists, and loves exploring Dallas city streets. I enjoy picking her brain about Dallas roads, buildings, and landmarks; rarely do you meet someone as knowledgeable about Dallas (in particular, East Dallas) history.

When she’s not busy making deliveries around downtown, Xina has started working at Eden’s Farm (community-supported agriculture) in Balch Springs south of Dallas.  ”I see Eden’s members, their families, and other farmers there, so it’s a true community. I love doing whatever I can there because everything is grown sustainably. (They can’t use the term ‘organic’ because they’re not certified by Texas or the FDA. Certification is expensive and more paper work than the owner, Marie, can devote time and resources to; she’d rather dedicate money and energy to farm work and food.)”

On Sunday mornings, you’ll probably find her riding through “various neighborhoods to glimpse what other people are doing, leisurely taking in the many sights and sounds, snapping photos of places and buildings before they’re gone or demolished.”

On her bike fleet… For work, I ride a Marin Sausalito that’s been transformed into what one mechanic called a ‘psychocross’, a hybrid that desperately wants to be a cyclocross but just isn’t. The original frame wasn’t a Sausalito, but a bladed, brushed aluminum Point Reyes, but after it, and its free replacement cracked, the Sausalito was the last free one Marin sent. (These aluminum frames cracked every two years after heavy daily [mis]use of carrying file boxes on handlebars, rolling off curbs, etc.) The current one is probably only holding up because it’s been rotated with my other two bikes, a Santa Cruz Roadster (road) and a Klein Palomino (trail).

Xina’s advice to new cyclists… Know that you have the right to ride on streets and roads that motor vehicles use: be confident, friendly, smile, use hand/arm turn signals, stay in your lane, be predictable, use lights at night, wave ‘Thanks!’ when a driver is courteous- positive reinforcement goes a long way. It’s too easy to get angry with drivers who don’t know or understand, and it doesn’t help at all to vent at them.

Xina’s reminder to motorists… Because motorists took a test with the following information to get licensed, it should be known that cyclists also use streets and roads at all times, that biking is also transportation, that we need only 3-6 feet of space to drive around us if we’re on a two-lane road, and, if there are multiple lanes, simply signal and change lanes. Although most of us travel slower than motorists on city and rural roads, we’re easy to pass and we really don’t slow you down as much as you might think.

Thanks to Xina for sharing a little bit about her life! In case you missed the first profile in this series, meet Máthews Faza.

Photos courtesy Chris Curnutt.

Photo by dickdavid on flickr, April 2013

Are you ready for Bike Month? Shockingly enough… it’s already here! (Where did April go??)

There’s some great local activities being lined up to celebrate this annual event. The biggest one, of course, is Bike to Work Day on May 17th. This year, DART is leading the charge to provide some handy recharge stations all the way from Plano to downtown Dallas.

Along with Bike to Work Day, May also kicks off the National Bike Challenge. Log your miles from May to September as part of a team (there’s lots of local teams!) and compete for various prizes throughout the summer. To see more about all of that, check out the National Bike Challenge website.

Bike Month Events

• May 7 – Frisco Bike Month Proclamation
• May 7 – The Colony Bike Month Proclamation
• May 10 – 11 – CyclingSavvy DFW workshop
• May 19 - Inaugural Greater Dallas 100 ride

Bike to Work Day Events

• Dallas Bike Works recharge station on White Rock Creek Trail
• DART & BikeDFW Energizer Stations
• Bike Friendly Oak Cliff energizer station at Jefferson St Viaduct Cycletrack

As we learn details of more activities, we will update this post! Feel free to comment below with any other events going on.

City Council Bike Plan Update

On April 3, the City Council gathered to hear a long-delayed update on the city bike plan. Assistant city manager Jill Jordan presented the latest on the plan’s implementation, highlighted a few concerns (namely, money) and then, I’m guessing, steeled herself for the onslaught to come.

Proposed Dallas Bikeway System

Key points from her presentation (see her slides here):

• So far, the city has completed 136 miles of bike facilities (including 125 miles off-road and 11 miles on-road), out of over 1127 miles planned. The goal is to complete everything in ten years.

• Comparing Dallas to other cities, we seem to have a lot of bike infrastructure – but if you restrict the comparison to separated facilities only, we go from leading to lagging.

• The 2012-2014 project phase is focusing on areas near downtown, and will cost about $975,000, not including maintenance.

• The Dallas Street Department has $500,000 a year to implement these facilities.

• Beyond 2014, work will expand to a much more extensive network through Dallas neighborhoods.

• This will be funded through the Street Department’s $500,000 a year and about $575,000 in 2012 bond funds, spread over four years.

• But at these currently allocated funding levels, there’s no way the planned improvements will be completed in 10 years.

• Possible funding sources include future bond programs, the city’s General Fund, grants and private donations.

Some “best practices” Jordan said the city is considering:

• Bike boulevards: these are low-traffic streets changed to emphasize bikes and make cars the ancillary use.

• Bike traffic signals: special signals used in combination with normal traffic lights, to tell cyclists when they can cross.

• Bike highways: meant for longer distances and higher bike speeds. Jordan said the city has always intended to place a bike highway along the Trinity.

• Usage monitoring: counting how many cyclists are using which facilities.

I found her take on education a little wide of the mark. “Bicyclists running stop signs are not a good thing. You also need to wear your helmet,” Jordan said, seeming to place the emphasis more on tsk-tsking the cyclists than on ridding motorists of their common misconceptions (such as “cyclists must stay all the way to the right”).  Whether that was because of time constraints, or whether the city’s cycling education priorities are really as skew-whiff as it appears, is something we as advocates need to investigate and address.

I’m new to both cycling advocacy and the sport of Dallas politics, but from what I understand, the councilors hit many of their usual talking points. Several from the south side of the city warned Jordan to take better account of their citizens’ needs. District 4’s Dwaine Caraway, demanding a link from Cedar Crest Golf Course to Bishops Arts, went so far as to say, “I’m not going to fully participate until we put this on the map and we find the money.” Carolyn Davis of District 7, meanwhile, had an axe to grind about green paint. Jordan tried several times in vain to explain how MLK isn’t like downtown, and therefore isn’t a prime green paint candidate, but Davis interrupted each time. Her message seemed to be: I don’t care what the difference is, I just want my green paint.

Still, the council members’ attitudes were largely positive. None seemed to doubt the importance of increasing cycling participation in Dallas, or the need for more infrastructure. District 6’s Monica Alonzo impressed me by pointing out the importance of education. “It’s important to educate, not just [cyclists,] but everyone driving along city streets,” she said.

Perhaps the most sour note came from Mayor Rawlings himself, who reminded council members that cycling may not be the prime concern in all neighborhoods. For some citizens, potholes could be a higher funding priority.

And perhaps he had a point. Throughout the discussion the councilors avoided addressing the biggest impediment to cycling infrastructure: lack of funding. It wasn’t a budgetary meeting, of course. But Rawlings’ warning served as a good reminder that, as bike-friendly as the council may seem in this sort of setting, their real test will come when it’s time to budget.

Meet the Candidates

Just days after that crash course in bike politics, came the “meet the candidates” bike tour of District 14, organized by Dallas May. The district, which encompasses Uptown, Oak Lawn, and M Streets along with parts of downtown, Lakewood, and Greenville Ave as far as Northwest Highway, is the most hotly contested in the city: seven candidates are vying to fill Angela Hunt’s seat when she steps down. Most were in attendance, including David Blewett, Kevin Curley, Chuck Kobdish, Judy Liimatainen, Jim Rogers and Philip Kingston – only Bobby Abtahi failed to ride, though he did stop by at the start, at Randall Park.

The tour was a casual affair, with candidates and voters striking up conversations as they rode (though it’s a little tough to get time with each candidate as you also seek to avoid potholes and door zones).

Occasionally, we stopped to exchange views about the different infrastructure and obstacles we encountered. After hitting the end of the Santa Fe Trail we got our first taste of sharrows. Kevin Curley made his distaste for these known. Then it was down through Deep Ellum (whoops, not District 14, but hard to avoid), across downtown’s weird green diagonal stripes and disappearing lanes, past Klyde Warren Park and up to McKinney Avenue to do battle with the trolley tracks. I saw a couple near-misses – Chuck Kobdish admitted afterwards to nearly getting eaten. Judy Liimatainen suggested the street was just too crowded with uses and structures to admit a new bike lane, but that one could probably be installed on a parallel road.

After that we headed east to Greenville Ave, a cruel mistress for cyclists as far as I’m concerned. In our discussion at this final stop,  I was a little baffled to hear several suggestions that bike lanes be installed on the wide sections, such as between McCommas and Richmond, as if that were a problematic part of Dallas that needs addressing. Hell, if all Dallas were extra-wide roads like that stretch, I’d be a happy bunny. You can ride far enough from the curb to be easily seen, and people still pass you with room to spare.

Wide Section of Greenville Ave

The cyclist’s nightmare, as far as I’m concerned, is lowest Greenville: yes, the urban gem spearheaded by Angela Hunt herself. Look, the extra-wide sidewalks are lovely and the flashing-sign crosswalks are great, but cyclists have no choice but to take the lane, in a VERY congested few blocks, with drivers VERY agitated as they either a) try to find parking to go drink or b) try to get onto Ross, Munger, etc. to go home. Oh, and just when you think it’s widened to two lanes so you can let motorists pass, it suddenly decides er, nope, back to one again. A dedicated bike lane on the calmer stretch of lower Greenville would be pointless, if it had no bike-friendly blocks to hook up with on the north and south.

Narrow Section of Greenville Ave

Was the ride a useful exercise? Yes and no. From our brief exchanges I got a few hints of the candidates’ opinions on bike infrastructure, but nothing comprehensive. I certainly couldn’t vote on the basis of this event. But it did seem a good way of reminding candidates that cyclists are an important group of voters, and that on May 11 we’ll be looking for someone who can make real, concrete changes.

Where do we go?

The two events also suggested some of the dangers that crop up when politicians finally start engaging with the issue of bike infrastructure. Sometimes the conversation veers from what makes sense and what works, to what will appease certain groups (“We want green paint too!”), or hit certain emotional buttons (“Greenville Avenue’s great, so let’s give it a bike lane.”) The key now is to harness this newfound enthusiasm and steer it towards evidence-based decision making on what will increase ridership and keep cyclists safe.

Lee M Kleinman – photo credit Far North Dallas Advocate/ Can Turkyilmaz

Koop’s term expires next month and voters in District 11 will be choosing between Lee Kleinman and Ori Raphael.  Both are business guys.  Raphael is a former Pete Sessions staffer, yes that Pete Sessions.  Kleinman has been knee deep in local politics for years.  This is an easy choice for me:  Lee Kleinman gets my vote and endorsement.

I met Lee for coffee a few years ago. I had some concerns about some of the trail construction in what was then District 12.  As a member of the park board I thought he would be a good person to get to know.

He was very helpful and I was impressed with his dedication and commitment to our hike and bike trail system and Dallas as a whole.  He’s a good person to know and has made numerous contributions to our city as a citizen and also member of many volunteer boards.  He can be spotted now and then riding a tandem bicycle around town with his wife, Lisa.

I’ve linked to each candidate’s official web site where you can learn more about where they stand on pressing issues.  Since this is a cycling blog I want to highlight some of Kleinman’s contributions that affect or interest our world:

• Dallas Park and Recreation Department – Board Member
• Dallas Zoological Society – Board Member
• Dallas Zoo Long Range Planning Committee
• Trinity Commons Foundation – Board Member
• White Rock Centennial Host Committee – Finance Chair
• Center for Non Profit Management – Judge – Awards of Excellence
• Dallas Bicycle Plan Steering Committee
• Temple Emanu El – Board Member
• Temple Emanu El Pre-School – Board Member
• Temple Emanu El – Ba’al Tekiah
• Greenhill School – Capital Campaign Committee
• St. Marks School of Texas – Class Reunion Committee
• Friends of Northaven Trail – Founding Board Member
• Friends of White Rock Creek Trail – Founding Board Member
• YMCA Indian Guides Wappinger Tribe – Chief
• OrgSync, Inc – Advisory Board Member
• National Recreation and Park Association
• Habitat for Humanity
• Dallas County Grand Jury
• CEO Netweavers
• Metroplex Technology Business Forum
• North Texas Crime Commission

I got a kick out of reading about a recent a District 11 forum at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce in the Dallas Morning News City Hall blog.   The two candidates were invited to share their vision for the district, Tristan Hallman wrote,

“Kleinman, a former Park Board member who earned Koop’s endorsement, said he supports the Cotton Belt Corridor, bike trails, pedestrian access, mixed-use developments — think Mockingbird Station — and a Trinity River toll road.“

Kleinman added, “Streets and highways are always important, but options are important, too”.  Raphael was having none of that: “Let’s go back to basics,” Raphael said. “People spend their time getting around in their cars. That’s where our focus should be.”

Kleinman suggested Raphael was stuck in a “Detroit mentality” meaning drive there now.  Raphael was quick to accuse Kleinman of being the candidate who’s “using my tax dollars to pay for bike trails”.

Goodness.

Tax dollars for bike trails, the horror…

Imagine that: a city using bond and county/federal grant money to fund hike and bike trails.

Oh the horror…

I mean practically everyone knows bike trails are a gateway drug.  Today it’s bike trails, tomorrow it’s city parks, and later still: county nature preserves!  Who will stop this madness?

For those new to Dallas politics, a bond fund must be approved by the voters, and sometime voters approve of projects that not every single voter is thrilled about.  That’s what we call democracy.  Old Abe had it right when he said you can’t please all of the people all of the time.  Color me crazy but I don’t think the Tea Party mentality of “it’s all about me and my tax dollars” will serve this district or the City of Dallas very well. 

In closing I’m looking forward to voting for Lee Kleinman and I think he’ll do an exceptional job for District 11 and Dallas as a whole.  If you live in the far north Dallas area be sure to look at the latest district 11 map.  I was previously in district 12 and now I’m in 11, you could be too.  I encourage you to visit both candidate’s web sites and learn more about where they stand on numerous issues and then make an informed decision.  I did.

Lee Kleinman photo by Can Turkyilmaz.

There are two events, one on Saturday the 20th, and the big party on Saturday the 27th:

Cyclist Census

Saturday 4.20.13, 5pm to dusk

Have your photo taken this Saturday 4.20.13, or submit your own photo to be nominated for the 2013 Face of Biking in Dallas. Email a photo of you with your bike, or nominate a friend by submitting their photo to dallascyclestyle [at] gmail.com by 4.2013.

Visit one (or all!) of the photographers 4.20.13 from 5pm till dusk (7:30-ish) at:

• Katy Trail, near the Icehouse (Brandon Schrader)
• Bishop Arts, near Eno’s (Elliott Munoz)
• Taco Fest in Deep Ellum

Then visit the Cycle Style voters page to vote for the person you think deserves to flaunt the title for a year, Tuesday 4.23.13 through Saturday 4.27.13 at high noon. We’ll announce the winners at the after party!

After Party & Awards

Saturday 4.27.13 8pm, 2526 Main St

Taking the fashion show from the streets to the runway, it’s one night of local beer, bikes and ‘best-of’s, announcing the 2013 Face of Biking in Dallas with photos from the Cyclist Census and a fashion show of Dallas’ own.

Join DJ FlightSchoolNurses, the ReGeared spare parts shop, the Durty Laundry DJ van, your favorite local bike shops and all the best folks in Dallas for our Cycle Style show in Deep Ellum. $10 donation at the door gets you drinks all night.

See our Facebook group for all the details as it comes together – & add your vote for which local microbrewery brew we’ll have at the party.

Face of Biking in Dallas 2013 winners will receive:

• Bragging rights
• Free bike tune up (worth $80!)
• Bicycle tool bag and fix-it-on-the-fly tools (from Shannon Page and Richardson Bike Mart)
• Cool swag from your favorite local bike shops and businesses, including Bicycles Plus, Richardson Bike Mart, Transit, Oak Cliff Bicycle, Dallas Bike Works, and Switching Gears, Rozik, and more!