Dallas Working to Build More Protected Bike Lanes

Not all bicycle infrastructure is created equal. Dallas planners are working to find new ways to build protected bike lanes instead of sharrows and other half-measures.

1 minute read

September 26, 2015, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Brandon Formby reports on efforts in the city of Dallas to build out bicycle infrastructure. The key statistics: "In 2012, Dallas had 8 miles of on-street bike lanes. Today that’s grown to 39.3 miles. Within the next few years, that’s expected to increase to 107 miles."

Formby notes, however, some residents, "including some Dallas City Council members, aren’t as awed. That’s largely because 32 miles of the network so far is made up of shared lanes. Those are places where the city paints arrows and bike icons often called 'sharrows' to indicate cyclists and drivers share the same space."

The rest of the article goes on to detail the challenges facing the city in its efforts to build a more complete, protected network. Included with those challenges, however, is good news for bicyclists, such as the city's draft complete streets design manual.

Friday, September 25, 2015 in The Dallas Morning News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

15 minutes ago - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

1 hour ago - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.