UPDATE: The Dallas City Council approved the bike plan on Wednesday.
Riders of bicycles and drivers of motorcars have a tenuous, strained truce in Dallas good only until the next rude or boneheaded move — genuine or perceived — perpetrated by one on the other.
Dallas City Hall and city staffers hope to mitigate hostilities and create a protracted peace among the commuters and recreationists.
The 2011 Dallas Bike Plan, a master plan to help guide dual-modal transportation decisions in the city, is designed to ease tensions and create tranquility by, well, a lot of new stuff like “complete streets,” expanded bike trail systems separate from pedestrians who either can't hear or don't understand the phrase “on your left,” and shared lanes on city streets, and such but I am not about to read all 76 pages of the plan so here it is.
One thing, though, this or any other governmental plan or decree cannot control is common sense and courtesy.
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Not taking sides here or anything, but I've seen groups of bicyclists, about a dozen or so, continue riding in smaller segments of three to five abreast along my East Dallas street — Richmond Avenue, which is wide enough for two lanes each way even thought it's only one — without going single file for a few seconds to allow a couple of cars to pass them when there's plenty of room to do so.
Yes, you have every right to pedal along a public street, but don't forget the “slower traffic keep right” concept.
Thank you.
Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He probably hasn't ridden a bike since his 10-speed got stolen from Kiest Park.
