Government
BY CONNOR PITTMAN
City o cials strive to be a silver status bike-friendly city
Richardson o cials have drafted and imple- mented policies over the last 18 months focused on upgrading the city’s bicycle-friendly status from bronze to silver. To gauge residents’ opinions on experiences and perceptions of riding a bicycle in Richardson, a national advocacy organization, The League of American Bicyclists, has launched a community survey, according to a news release. “It’s an important piece [of the city’s application for silver status] so that we can prove to the bike friendly reviewers that we do this,” City Manager Don Magner said. Two-minute impact City o cials could use survey information to prioritize necessary bicycle and pedestrian improvements to infrastructure, Magner said. Richardson City Council adopted an active trans- portation plan in February 2023. Since the plan was adopted, council members have approved several initiatives, including: • Formalizing a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee • Adopting a complete streets policy • Creating a bicycle parking ordinance for new or substantial redevelopment The League of American Bicyclists breaks down bicycle-friendly communities from bronze to plat- inum status, according to its website. Silver status cities typically have certain amounts of bicycle lanes, a bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee and more, according to data from the organization. Why it matters According to the city website, there are over 26
The 5 E’s The League of American Bicyclists requires a community to show success in the following ve categories in order to qualify as “bicycle-friendly.”
Engineering: Creating safe and convenient places to ride and park Education: Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and con dence to ride Encouragement: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling Evaluation & Planning: Planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option Equity & Inclusion: Ensuring that all e orts to create a bicycle-friendly community are inclusive of all residents
Richardson is upgrading safety and accessibility measures for bikers across the city.
SOURCE: THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS COMMUNITY IMPACT
COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF
The city has held bronze status since 2015. “In a way, it’s continuing an internal tradition of just always being ahead of the curve when it comes to transportation and being committed to alterna- tive modes of transportation,” Corcoran said. Looking ahead The results of the city’s silver status application are expected in December, after the application was led in June. The community survey will be open online through Oct. 15 and is available in English and Spanish. City o cials are also planning to fund an Amer- ican with Disabilities Act Transition Plan—the city’s rst—through the 2024-25 budget.
miles of dedicated bicycle lanes in Richardson and more than 100 miles of pedestrian trails. Council member Joe Corcoran said the city must continue investing in pedestrian infrastructure as it matures. “The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to be to really have a city that is connected in this diverse, vibrant way,” Corcoran said. “It’s important now because it syncs up with a lot of our redevelopment goals and initiatives such as CityLine, stu around the Arapaho Station, which is soon to be coming, and a lot of our work around Belt Line [Road] and Main Street in the Core District.” If the city receives silver status, it would become the rst to do so in North Texas, city o cials said.
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