With the goal of upgrading Richardson’s bicycle-friendly community status from bronze to silver, officials have drafted and implemented several policies over the last 18 months.

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

The survey that is out in the community will help provide useful information to city staff for mobility and transit planning, Magner added. City officials could use survey information to prioritize necessary bicycle and pedestrian improvements to infrastructure, he said.


Richardson City Council adopted an active transportation plan in February 2023. Since the plan was adopted, council members have approved several initiatives geared toward becoming a silver status bicycle-friendly community, including:The League of American Bicyclists breaks down bicycle-friendly communities from bronze to platinum 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 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, stuff 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 first to do so in North Texas, city officials said. 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 alternative modes of transportation,” Corcoran said.

Looking ahead

The results of the city’s silver status application are expected in December, after the application was filed in June. The community survey will be open online through Oct. 15 and is available in English and Spanish.


City officials are also planning to fund an American with Disabilities Act Transition Plan—the city’s first—through the 2024-25 budget.