apacherider

I live in each place 6 months out of the year and keep a place in both towns.

Since you're the expert, tell us how one gets across I-35, 635, Bush Turnpike or the Trinity River with ease. Frankly, if you know much about Dallas, getting across any of those freeways on a bike is very difficult.

monogodo

LBJ/GHWB: DART Red Line or Green Line if North/South, DART Blue Line if East/West other directions will depend on where exactly you're riding from/to.
I-35/Trinity - Depends on where you want to cross. Most surface streets that cross it should have enough lanes that the right lane is safe, or they have a sidewalk to use. I've always just taken the lane and have had no problem.

StephenH

When I ride to White Rock Lake, I cross 635 at Oates or La Prada, no problem.

apacherider

I thought we were talking about riding bikes, not trains!

Thread is about Dallas sucking for riding bikes, not Dallas being nice for riding trains.

monogodo

I thought we were talking about commuting by bike. Sorry.

When I lived in North Dallas & Richardson, I'd ride down Abrams or Skillman/Audelia to the White Rock Trail to get to the lake. That involved crossing LBJ at Skillman/Audelia or Abrams. Never once had a problem with it.

What is it about riding in Dallas that has you scared s#!+less to ride here?

custermustache

I can only tell you how I cross where I cross. I don't need to cross every major highway in my commute, and I'm sure that no one does. That being said, there is a bike trail that runs under the 75/635 interchange that I use to cross 635.

I cross Bush Turnpike at Plano road, riding with traffic. I also cross GWB at Alma or Custer, depending where I am headed.

635 and GWB are easy crosses. In fact, Richardson is building a protected crossing under 75.

I have no need to cross 35, but if you tell me where you are headed from and to I could find a smaller street, I'm sure. The Trinity likewise. There are plenty of smaller streets that cross both.

Dallas absolutely doesn't suck for riding bikes. It sounds like you are scared, and that sucks for you, but there are plenty of us who ride all over and have no problems. Sure, it' s not some hippie village like Taos, but it is a great place to live AND ride. Given a choice between the two, I'd choose Dallas all day long.

monogodo

When my brother lived in Dallas, he would ride from our apartment at Audelia & Forest to work in Arlington at Collins & I-30. From what I remember, his route involved riding down to Mockingbird Lane (not sure which route he used, but looking at the map he probably took Audelia to Ferndale, which becomes White Rock Trail. Then down WRT to Goforth around to Lawther. He'd cross NW HWY via Lawther and over to Mockingbird), then heading west over to Industrial/Irving Blvd. He'd then ride all the way to Arlington. Heading home was the reverse.

Last night 5 of us crossed 75 at Knox/Henderson with no issues.

bergerandfries

I agree that it is harder than other communities that have it all marked out, and Dallas does not have that yet. However, Councilpersons Angela Hunt and Sheffie Kadane are sponsoring a grassroots effort to change that. If you vote here in Dallas, make sure that you let your councilperson for your district know that you want them to support the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan.

Now, for I-35, I personally like Crown Road because it's on my route. For 635, Rosser is a peach; Welch isn't as good but still reasonable. Bush Turnpike I have two crossings that I like: Alma and Lookout Drive. Trinitiy River I don't cross, so no help from me. US75 I like McCommas, although the light is SHORT. SMU Blvd is good too.


It sounds like you are frustrated with commuting by bicycle here; you aren't the only one. Last time I checked, I wasn't exactly elbowing my way past other cyclists on my way to work... If you don't like it; vote, write a pleasant letter to your councilperson, get involved. Living in Oak Cliff won't hurt you in that regard.

richkarr

I live in Rowlett and commute to TI at 635 and 75 which is 16 miles via the route I take. However, I don't always bike the full 16 miles each day. As was mentioned earlier, virtually all the DART buses have front bike racks for 2 bikes. And, the trains allow bikes at all times. So, I purchase a yearly Dart pass and more often than not, bike from Rowlett to Downtown Garland, then bus from Downtown Garland to within a mile of work, and bike the remainder to work. This gives me a chance to read the paper and still ride the bike at least 8 miles one way.

Sometimes, to mix it up, I'll take the bike on the train from Downtown Garland to within a 1/2 mile from work, and then bike the remainder to work. However, do to the need to switch trains at the Mockingbird station, the train ends-up ~15 minutes slower than the bus.

If I'm running a bit late, I'll throw the bike in the back of the El Camino and drive to the Downtown Garland transit station, and then bike, bus, or train the rest of the way to work depending on my tardiness. Normally, on these days I'll bike back to the El Camino.

The important info is that the DART pass opens-up all types of options for commuting with the bike. Plus, enables a lot more errand capability at lunch or after work. This to me makes Dallas and the suburbs in the DART system bike commuter friendly. As for MUPs and/or Bike Lanes, these tend to follow a North/South direction in Dallas. Since my commute is East/West, I don't have any MUP or bike lane on the entire 16 mile commute. I don't feel hassled while riding on the main roads or side streets. The down side are the construction zones with no consideration for bikes (or pedestrians for that matter).

monogodo

Santa Fe Trail is generally East/West, but much farther South of where you're coming from/going to. It's a great way to get from Downtown/Deep Ellum to WRL.

TexasGuy

Cudaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

TexasGuy

Lol, I think you have to be pretty brave to ride in Arlington. That town seems like it's a mixture of Nazi overzealotrous cops who will ticket you for farting left, ghetto, fast drivers trying to escape nazi cops and Massive construction. I give you props if you can ride it. :-p