(Update: these opinions are not endorsed by the Cycle Chic brand.)
I’ve finally settled into the harsh reality that Dallas isn’t Copenhagen. And have therefore decided to wear a bike helmet more often.
The Bishop Arts District and N Oak Cliff are pretty dreamy.
You’d think it would be obvious, Dallas differs in many ways from Copenhagen – maybe I’ve just been in denial.
As I pedal my heart out to work and home, to pick up my Urban Acres share, meet friends at Eno’s, grab something at the grocery, visit my sister…. I live in this imaginary world where Dallas is bikeable.
The harsh reality began to creep in as I was explaining to a friend how my morning commute could be made simpler by adding a bike lane on the northernmost lane of the Zang bridge into downtown.
Biking the Zang Bridge into downtown
I proceeded to tell her why that route is so treacherous and why this epiphany of mine would be such a major improvement, when she added “And people thought I was nuts biking in London – you guys deserve purple hearts! At least London has bike lanes!” Yeah, I guess it is pretty dangerous…
Then the bike lane debacle began to unwind and it hit me that Dallas makes a lot of City plans that only sit on shelves, never read.
Dallas saw bike lanes for a day: Ross Better Block 2011
Thank goodness for those hardworking citizens of the Fort Worth Ave Development Group and businesses owners in the area who are fronting money and pushing the city for paint on pavement. We might get bike lanes afterall, but I realize that not everyone’s so aware of this need nor on-board to get it done. Not like bike lanes in Dallas get preferential treatment when fixing potholes or clearing snow (as in Copenhagen.)
And despite all the people I know who ride frequently, there are many in Dallas who have not touched their bike in decades and can’t remember that feeling of freedom with the wind in your hair and the birds chirping with the smell of fresh cut grass or woodburning fireplaces… Dallas drivers in their SUVs and F250s tend to get pushy, and dangerously aggressive toward cyclists. Or just plain don’t see us. (Check out the really great bike awareness campaign my friend saw in London.)
The cherry on top was another friend-of-a-friend who’s been seriously injured while biking.
It’s tragic. And it’s all convinced me that maybe wearing a helmet in Dallas is a good idea, as a realistic assessment of the biking atmosphere here.
I’m in the market for a stylish new helmet!
Dallas Cycle Style 
11 comments
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January 14, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Jonathan Fontenot
Glad to see you advocating wearing a helmet. Been hit by a car once and had many other nasty spills on some wetter rides. Not sure how I feel about the bike lane issue. I think they are good and at times not; the problem often is in the design. I personally would be happy with some “share the road” signs, especially on the Jefferson Viaduct/Zang Bridge. Lights and helmets, yep. Keep on posting about there importance and thank you.
January 16, 2012 at 1:54 am
UrbanPedal
Wow, you too! I’m amazed how many people I talk to/hear about who’ve been in cycling accidents. Road hazards are often crash-causers as well as car drivers. Yeah, and design can play a major role in increasing the safety for cyclists (I’ve heard people rave about those bike boxes at intersections) Looks like we might get something on that Zang bridge finally!
January 14, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Susan
Sad but true! I went with this one for city cycling – doesn’t have all the safety features of a proper helmet but I decided it compensated in cuteness: http://www.cyclechic.co.uk/shop/bern-baker-hard-midnight-blue-p-149.html.
January 16, 2012 at 2:14 am
UrbanPedal
Ooo yeah. Bern does make some nice looking helmets!
January 15, 2012 at 5:04 am
Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for January 14th « Texbiker.net
[…] Watch your head – Dallas isn’t Copenhagen. by UrbanPedal I’ve finally settled into the harsh reality that Dallas isn’t Copenhagen. And have therefore decided to wear a bike helmet more often. The Bishop Arts District and N Oak Cliff are pretty dreamy. … […]
January 16, 2012 at 1:09 am
dpt
I always wear a lid, despite the fact that it looks a mushroom, messes up my hair and makes my head hot. Why? Cause I’ve had two crashes where the helmet prevented serious injury.
In copenhagen, they have cycling infrastructure, lots of riders who have been riding constantly since childhood (therefore they have great handling skills), and aware drivers.
Despite the silly looks of the spandex riders, they’re generally better and safer riders than the bikefriendly crowd.
January 16, 2012 at 1:40 am
UrbanPedal
Two! No kidding, DPT. Glad you’re still with us!
There’s a lot of controversy about the actual “safety” of helmets but for those who’ve had a helmet come between their head and concrete, there’s no discussion. You touched on a key point too: driver- and cyclist-awareness is an important part of the bike-friendly equation. The cycling environment isn’t the same everywhere, as this video of traffic in India demonstrates, cyclists do indeed ride without bike lanes nor helmets in many parts of the world. But it’s important to be realistic about the conditions you’re working with and be proactive.
January 16, 2012 at 3:49 am
dpt
Tip: bern makes two lines of helmets. The EPS foam ones and the “hard hat” ones. For cycling, get the EPS. They’re labeled as helmets. The hard hats ones are designed for skateboarding…and don’t offer as much protection. Legally, they can’t be called “helmets” in the US. Their main feature is that the foam in the “hard hat” versions is good for more than 1 hard hit.
August 20, 2012 at 1:46 am
Matt Glenn
What is the status I the bike lane accords the zang bridge? I just moved to Bishop Arts and looking for a bike commute to downtown. I see the bike marks on the left lane. I take it that Is not official?
September 7, 2012 at 10:32 pm
UrbanPedal
Welcome to the neighborhood Matt! (I live in N Oak Cliff too!) Depending on your level of confidence, you can definitely ride from Zang into downtown in the left hand lane of what I call the Jefferson Viaduct where the rogue sharrow symbols are. That’s my route to work. I like that left lane – it gets you away from all the on ramps on the right (even though most cyclists tend to think they should always ride in the right lane, it’s just not safe here!) Your other option if you’re a bit squemish about traffic is to ride the sidewalk of the Houston Viaduct against traffic into downtown. That option freaks me out but some friends of mine swear by it.
Supposedly the construction for the trolley on the Houston viaduct is slated to start in the next few months, in which case the Jefferson viaduct will become 2-way for cars with a two-way cycle track! Then Houston will have bike facilities when the trolley’s installed there. Lots of fun stuff on the horizon! Timelines can seem like a moving target though so don’t hold your breath. We should see definite progress within 6 months though. See you on the bridge!
September 8, 2012 at 3:47 am
Matt Glenn
Woh! The progress, where am I?!? I’ve been on the Zang for a while no. No prob! Just morning rush hour is no good. Don’t know how you do it. Stay safe, hope to see you on the road!