Bikes & Brews: Scooters, Northhaven Trail, Bike Master Plan Update
Dallas Bicycle Coalition hosted an event with guest speakers Jonathan Braddick, Jeff Kitner, and Kathryn Rush.
By Hexel Colorado on September 6, 2023
Last night, Dallas Bicycle Coalition hosted an event at Four Corners Brewery in the Cedars neighborhood as part of their speaker series. There were approximately 40 cycling advocates in attendance.
The first of three guest speakers was Jonathan Braddick, member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee for the City of Dallas. Jonathan talked about the dockless shared scooter program that was previously shut down in 2019 and revived earlier this year. This time around, the city is looking at additional ways to hold the scooter providers (like Lime, Bird, and Superpedestrian) accountable. An interesting detail Jonathan shared is that according to the providers, they need an average of 4 trips per scooter per day in a city in order for them to feasibly consider increasing the supply of scooters; however, none of the vendors are meeting that number in Dallas. Vendors are reporting between 1 and 3 average daily rides per scooter.
The second speaker was Jeff Kitner, president of Friends of Northhaven Trail. He introduced the Dallas Trails Coalition, which kicked off last year. Jeff emphasized the value of starting new “Friends Of” groups in Dallas, especially for trails and parks that currently don’t have an advocacy group. He noted how his coalition and the City of Dallas will provide guidance and resources for anyone looking to start their own group. Friends of White Rock Creek Trail needs help and would love a few new board members. Jeff also gave an update on the Northhaven Trail, which is currently under construction. He noted how that installation of the skybridge over US 75 between Walnut Hill Lane and Forest Lane will begin this Saturday; several lanes will be closed during this time, so drivers are advised to avoid US 75 Northcentral Expressway this weekend. Trail construction is expected to be complete in a few more months.
The third speaker was Kathryn Rush, Chief Planner for Dallas Department of Transportation. She gave an update on the Master Bike Plan, which received its final round of public input this summer and is expected to be presented to City Council in November. Kathryn encouraged everyone to take every opportunity to engage their city councilmember in support of bicycle infrastructure and investment. She also encouraged everyone to judiciously report cycling issues and requests to 311 so that data can be collected by the transportation department to measure public interest and need; without constructive input from constituents, it’s hard for staff to push bicycle infrastructure as a priority.
Bekah Kornblum, local cycling advocate and organizer with Dallas Bicycle Coalition (and guest on the By Way of Dallas podcast), encouraged everyone to consider donating to Bike Friendly South Dallas and Friends of the Santa Fe Trail for the upcoming North Texas Giving Day on September 21st.
Dallas Bicycle Coalition’s next event is a walk audit on October 5th, near Hampton Station in Oak Cliff as part of the National Week Without Driving campaign; more details to be announced.
(UPDATE SEPTEMBER 7: the second paragraph in this post previously misquoted Jonathan on the average daily rides per scooter required by scooter providers. The numbers have now been corrected.)