Downtown Dallas Plans Improvements To Bike And Pedestrian Safety
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Posted On: October 20, 2011 by Mark A. Anderson
Following in the footsteps of Fort Worth and Arlington, the city of Dallas is now considering ways to improve the downtown area for pedestrians and cyclists in addition to cars, trucks and motorcycles. There are no solid plans so far, however, and early ideas have included a variety of different approaches. One council member suggested the extreme (and ultimately unhelpful) idea of shutting Main Street to motor vehicles entirely to create a single pedestrian zone, while others favor the more useful and cost-effective idea of creating new special-use lanes throughout the city as part of scheduled repaving construction.

The proposals are the result of Dallas receiving an $800,000 grant intended to be used to improve city roads to make them safer for bicycle riders and pedestrians.
As a Dallas County personal injury lawyer, I think this is a great idea. Having dedicated bicycle lanes can really make a difference to cyclist safety – particularly in busy urban areas such as downtown Dallas. Pedestrian safety is also of major concern in DFW, especially since the recent spate of hit-and-run accidents which have occurred in the downtown area.
I look forward to learning how Dallas council decides to use the grant money to make the city streets safer for all road users. In the meantime, it’s important that both pedestrians and cyclists realize that if they are ever injured in any kind of traffic accident, they do have a legal right to compensation, just like any other motorist. If you or a loved one has been injured, call me today and I’ll send you a free copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. Call me locally at 214-327-8000 or toll free at 800-354-6275.
5 Great California bike safety plans
There is no doubt that national bike month was a resounding success here in California. The advanced may resulted in major safety campaigns statewide cycle-centric holiday. But the preparation for the last week of bike to work day of the month is crowning performance, as StreetsBlog reports, the unprecedented growth in California bicycle infrastructure preceded a day of events. This is a great start and bike safety advocates expected to not stop there. The following are five great ideas to improve bicycle safety and infrastructure ahead. Let your ideas in the comments section or on our Facebook page.
The California State legislature is months, passed a law that would require to reduce vehicles, to leave a three foot fast lane in the vicinity of cyclists, on streets and highways and their speed to 15 miles per hour. If the Bill passes, advocates, who say that vehicles could cause fast speeds too close pass to destabilize the cyclists and even a bicycle accident are a great victory for bicycle safety. Although driver awareness should take additional measures to increase the bicycle and pedestrian, a big step in the right direction is the 3-foot passing Bill.
Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl is often as a supporter of the law said 3 feet past, last year, that the law "overdue" here in California called. But the idea has broad support from the city of Los Angeles, California Bicycle Coalition, welcomed and State Senator Alan Lowenthal, introduced the Bill this year.
Earlier this year, the San Francisco municipal transportation agency began implementing "Bike boxes" to improve bicycle safety in market Street, which calls the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition of the busiest bike Street West of the Mississippi. Leave the Green bike boxes for cyclists on motor vehicles at the traffic lights are designed, writes "the visibility and positioning of cyclists at junctions with traffic lights and bicycles to prioritize they navigate by crosses," the SFMTA improve.
The bike boxes create success of cycling routes to the city's busiest streets primarily on security. Bike boxes have plenty of bike groups and officials of the town, including the SFBC have been approved and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. The fields have been so successful that the SFMTA crashed last week in the entire market street bike to work day before installing.
Masonic Avenue bicycle accidents have much press recently because of an uptick in bicycle and pedestrian deaths and injured. In less than a year, 2 people were killed by drunken drivers and many others were injured. Earlier this month, 61-year-old James Hudson of San Francisco was killed, and Freemason is the location of the two most important car accidents Avenue since this accident,.
Part of the problem is the width of the Masonic Avenue, which feel driver of more than 25 miles per hour speed limit. That's why a "who's who" of San Francisco safety advocates and legislators signed off the $20 million for Boulevard plan for improving the pedestrian and bicycle safety to Masonic Avenue. Last Friday, the San Francisco MTA met to discuss the proposal and other methods to improve safety on Freemasons and throughout the city.
This is perhaps the most controversial bicycle safety proposal, there a large group of the bicycle community turns it against. "Helmets not required for riding or hiking - both activities with similar or greater are risk of injury than those of cycling," Joe Linton wrote of L.A., bicycle of Advisory Committee, added that helmet laws lead to fewer cyclists.
But after his serious bike accident last year, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for a nationwide bicycle helmet law in California. Despite the unpopularity of this law in much of the bicycle community bicycle would improve safety, considerably, because the risk of serious head injuries by 85 percent wear a helmet reduces. But while some States require California and Oregon, helmet mandatory for children, no State has a cover helmet request implements. California impose such a law would strengthen as solid bike security state.
She probably already knew that distracted driving is not only a problem for drivers. Legislators in New York City have proposed distracted walking even a law to combat. But here in California, State Senator Joe Simitian has aim at distracted cycling proposes an increase in the fines with a vehicle drive right distracted. "Healthy common sense tells us that there is no safe habit, in the light of the risks to which cyclists have to fight," said Simitian StreetsBlog last year.
But like helmet requirements, which distracted cycling proposal is unpopular among many cyclists who claim that drivers for the majority of the bike car accidents, despite often are responsible of the hook. To a certain extent they are right: distracted driving has been proven to be dangerous for motorists than other demographic traffic. But their phones when zooming benefit roads and highways each if drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike agree, put.
Photo credit: OregonDOT
