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.
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.
FULL STORY: Dallas bike lanes moving forward, but not the way everyone wants
Houston Mayor Promises Dedicated Austin Street Bike Lane After Public Backlash
Although the one-way bike lane won’t be protected by physical barriers, the proposal is an improvement over the mayor’s initial plan to only include sharrows on the Austin Street project.
Calls to Stop Relying on Sharrows Grow Louder
The painted symbols can not only fail to protect bike riders, but can actually make riding conditions less safe.
How Sharrows Became Cycling’s Most Hated Symbol
Originally designed as a low-cost way to encourage safer road sharing between bikes and cars, the sharrow has become a symbol of the lack of commitment to protected bike infrastructure in many cities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan
The Mayor’s plan calls for creating a nonprofit housing corporation tasked with building affordable housing that meets Green Building standards.
E-Scooter Parking: A Guide
How smart planning — and ample designated parking — can end conflicts over shared scooters.
‘It’s Been 50 years’: Public Transit Law Passes in Montana
Legislation would fix transportation district issue, allow for greater reach on city bus routes.
Top 10 Tech-Ready Cities
An index ranks U.S. cities based on their preparedness for the ‘smart city future.’
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions