Richardson plans to improve its bicycle-friendly community status by using protected bike lanes as part of future transportation infrastructure projects, according to a city presentation on its Active Transportation Plan.
Richardson has been recognized as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community for its commitment to bicycling infrastructure by the League of American Bicyclists, a national bicycle advocacy organization, according to city officials. As part of its future infrastructure projects, Project Manager Christian Lentz said the city hopes to enact several measures to achieve silver recognition, including adopting potential bike share programs, improving Americans with Disabilities Act access, creating safe routes to schools and scheduling community walks/rides.
“This will provide a great list of metrics for [the city] to be able to [analyze how] we are making progress as a community to develop a truly friendly community for those people that can't use it,” Lentz said.
The Active Transportation Plan is designed to connect off-street and on-street infrastructure to allow people to travel without the use of a car. The plan integrates multiple forms of transportation, including pedestrian and bike pathways as well as access to transit and micro-mobility, such as scooters and e-bikes.
An initial proposal for the transportation plan was presented during a Nov. 7 Richardson City Council meeting.
Richardson’s existing infrastructure is estimated to include 87 miles of hard-surface trails, 6 miles of soft-surface trails and over 22 miles of bike lanes, according to the city.
The update project, led through the transportation and mobility department, has been receiving community feedback for what should go into the plan since February, operating open houses, public information booths and an online community survey.
Through the community feedback, city officials said there were several areas of need highlighted, including safer crosswalks, more protected bike lanes, more trail connections, better connections to pedestrian and bicycle facilities in surrounding cities, and better street/trail lighting.
According to the online community survey, 14% of residents rated Richardson’s walkability as poor or worse, while 12% said it was a poor place to bike.
Key initiatives of the active transportation plan include increasing the level of comfort for riders; creating bike trails that feel safe for all ages and abilities; making connections within the region; and eliminating gaps in the biking network.
City officials said they will revise the plan further based on council and community feedback with an eye to adopt it in early 2023. Ahead of its proposal, city officials will begin to develop strategies Richardson can accomplish to become a more bicycle-friendly community.
