Dallas City Council approves ambitious bike plan to improve safety, access
The Dallas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a sweeping bike plan aimed at making cycling safer and more accessible across the city.
Rebekah Kornblum, an experienced cyclist and president of the Dallas Bicycle Coalition, said she feels comfortable biking in Dallas but knows that's not the case for everyone.
"For someone who is not as confident on a bike, or maybe they want to bike with their kids, I understand that they don't feel safe," she said.
Kornblum has spent the past three years advocating for the new bike plan, which seeks to address safety concerns and fill gaps in the city's current bike network. The plan focuses on expanding access in dense neighborhoods, near schools, and around trails and transit hubs.
City officials hope to add more than 500 miles to Dallas' bike network.
"There's not a lot of bike lanes — especially protected bike lanes — which I hope this new plan brings to fruition," Kornblum said.
The plan will be implemented in phases. The first phase, expected to roll out over the next five years, includes projects that are already funded. Later phases, spanning 15 to 20 years, will rely on securing additional funding for higher-priority projects.
"As advocates, we've asked for more funding," Kornblum said.
The Dallas Housing Coalition also supports the plan, citing its potential to improve connectivity and transportation equity.
"It encourages more connections with bike lanes and creates more nodes so people can get from one part of town to another more safely without having to leave a bike lane," said Bryan Tony, executive director of the coalition. "That is the kind of connective tissue we need here."
The coalition noted that 67% of Dallas renter households have one vehicle or fewer, underscoring the need for more transportation options.