amit_shah25 

Thinking about moving down south. Mostly for weather reasons. Can't stand cold. Absolutely hate it I know texas is HOT. I don't have any problem with heat.

So, ofcourse a "healthy economy", good culture is important for me and my wife. Both of us are bicycle maniacs, commuters, errand runners. How bike friendly is Dallas ? From whatever research I have done, Austin seems to be very bike friendly, but not much job opportunities around there .. ?

Houstan, Dallas - comparisions ? ..

stdlrf11

I've only been here for six years, and been biking for two, but my observations are:

It depends on the area. You can bike from anywhere to anywhere, but some areas are much better than others.

Ft. Worth seems more bike friendly than Dallas, from what I've seen.

I'm sure others will chime in.

cuda2k

It does depend largely on what area of the DFW metroplex you are planning to settle. Some areas are much easier to ride than others. Over all, it's certainly not the worst place in the world, but there are lots of roads I wouldn't ride solo or even in a small group during normal to heavy traffic times.

martialman.45

Texas in general is not good. If you want good weather and bike friendly your best bet is some parts of California.

hwycruiser

Dallas has DART commuter trains that will give you access to a large area combined with a bike. You should investigate neighborhoods near the train stations, so you can do without a car. Otherwise, White Rock Lake and the trails leading to it are the best cycling areas in the city.

StephenH

Yeah, it really depends on where you are and what you want to do here. For long-distance recreational riding, north Texas in general is pretty good. For running errands or commuting, it depends on the specific neighborhood you're in. Here in the Dallas area, Plano seems to be the hub of recreational road riding.

You may not mind the heat, but it can be problematic if you're trying to commute. In the summer, I'm generally pretty well soaked with sweat after a ride and it would not be feasible to go work at an office like that.

Doohickie

I would say that Dallas is "bike neutral". They had a bike czar (PM Summer) for years that emphasized vehicular cycling and felt that the only infrastructure that was needed was education on how to ride your bike as a vehicle. He was finally removed and replaced with someone who is more bike-infrastructure-friendly. If you have a choice, Oak Cliff seems to be the most overtly bike friendly area of Dallas. I've only been cycling over that way a few times so I can't really talk to cycling for transportation on a regular basis.

Fort Worth is also kind of bike neutral. They are moving more toward bike friendliness. The most visible evidence is that they are putting up bicycle parking racks in lots of locations near the city center. I live in Fort Worth, near the south border with Crowley (the town to the south). I ride my bike to work on the west side, maybe twice a week or so, 17 miles each way. The things I like most about Fort Worth with respect to cycling are:
. The Trinity Trail (MUP along the Trinity River which has several branches that meet downtown).
. Permeable neighborhoods that allow you to travel around the city with only minor portions on busy roads. I spend only about 4 blocks on multilane highways on the way to work. The rest is on residential neighborhood streets, feeder streets, MUP, or country 2-lane.
. There are just enough cyclists that people seem to be aware of us but don't resent us. I think the fact that cyclists can stay off the main roads due to permeable neighborhoods helps this.

If you are interested in being car-free in Fort Worth and work anywhere near downtown, there are several livable, affordable neighborhoods that are a short ride from downtown, namely the West 7th area (newer, trendy, and kind of pricey), Southside (area around Magnolia Avenue between 8th Ave. and Hemphill Street), and the Uptown area (north of downtown along Samuels Ave. The Southside (also known as Fairmount) is also pretty much the center of bike culture in Fort Worth, and there will be other people around who ride their bikes to work and shopping and stuff. I've met a bunch of folks through facebook that have the common bond of cycling, and there are several recreational rides that run from Fairmount and downtown.

As far as commuting, some businesses do offer shower facilities for employees. There is a bike shop just south of downtown Fort Worth that has shower facilities available to commuters (Trinity Bicycles).

apacherider

Dallas is a car town. No one walks there. No one rides there. If you do ride, you are considered an open target for abuse among the car driving public. Make no mistake about it. Not bike friendly. No one can even argue with me about this.

Now, do people ride bikes in Dallas and commute via bicycle? Yes. They sure do. Be aware though that they must make alot of very tactical decisions regarding their overall safety. Dallas car drivers are crazy.

Weather is great for riding. Winter and summer are not bad at all. There might be 10-15 days in the winter when riding stinks, same with the summer when the heat can get punishing. Otherwise its quite nice.

monogodo

I walk to/from work every single day. I know/see lots of people walking in Dallas.
I ride in Dallas, as do many of my friends, and hundreds (or even thousands) of other cyclists that I don't know.
My friends and I rarely have any negative interactions with the car driving public.
Dallas is becoming very bike friendly, as has been mentioned above.
Dallas drivers are no crazier than any other drivers I've dealt with in the 3 other states in which I've lived.

shrinkboy

pretty much took the words out me mouth, monogodo. i'm an oak cliff resident, and i continually make more and more acquaintances who commute to work year round, and who know an astounding number of routes around the city, and i am a lifelong dallas resident, still being taken by surprise. i know a teacher who lives in oak cliff and commutes to his school in irving, every day, rain or shine. i know another guy who lives in the cliff, and commutes to his job in frigging carrollton! it's happening all the time, right before our eyes...

monogodo

Also, lest anyone think the bike friendly attitude I've found in Dallas is a recent thing, 11 years ago I lived in Richardson at Spring Valley & Abrams, and commuted by bike to Frankford & the Tollway every day (12 miles each way). I don't recall ever having any issues during that commute. And back in the early 90s, when my brother lived in Dallas, he'd commute by bicycle from our apartment at Audelia and Forest out to Arlington (Cooper & I-30), and later to a job near Love Field (Mockingbird & I-35). He did run into a few issues, but then he has anger management issues, and most likely was doing something dickish to bring the negative attention on himself.

You know Jon, too?

amit_shah25 

Thanks for the replies guys ! I will say that I bicycle commute around 16 miles each way in NJ ... NJ is NOT bike friendly ! I get my share of hornks and pizza crusts thrown at me and all ! That don't bother me .. What bothers me is local roads with more than 50mph speed limits .. But from reading the posts here, it sounds like won't be an issue for me. I should be able to bicycle commute .. I am not really looking to be car-free there. Actually I have a car, motorcycle and bicycle, and I intend to keep them all

So, the next question is, I am thinking about coming down there for a visit this February, spend a week or so over there. Probably tour the area on bicycle. Can you guys suggest some areas that commuters might take .. For example where the jobs are and where people would be living etc. ?

StephenH

I'd be hard-put to say how many people bike in the Dallas area compared to, say, New Jersey.

White Rock Lake is the most popular recreational riding spot in Dallas itself. I live about 8 miles away. If I ride my bike from my house to the lake, I generally won't see anyone at all on a bike until I get within a mile of the lake, then I'll see dozens of people riding around the lake (a 10 mile loop, partly trail, partly roads, with optional hills). If I do see anyone else riding that isn't near the lake, it'll be someone riding 8 mph the wrong way on a sidewalk on a Walmart bike.

My daily ride is on a route fairly popular with some of the group rides. On a nice Saturday, I might see 50 cyclists out there either strung out or in groups. This time of year, riding after dark, I won't see anyone at all for days on end.

The result is that your perception of how common riding is, is very dependent on exactly where you are and when you are there.

The whole Dallas area is generally built up around car traffic, as is noted above, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible place for riding, either. There are several obstacles. One is wide busy roads with curbs that are not conducive to bike riding. One is a tendency to build subdivisions in clumps with a single inlet and outlet, which puts all the "through" traffic on the main boulevard, and prohibits you from following side streets clear across town. One is the freeway system, which is generally not crossed by minor roads, but only by major roads, which tends to force bikes onto less-desriable roads at certain points. These problems are not unique to the Dallas area.

I notice you mention hating cold weather and liking hot weather. Each is relative. Dallas is noticeably colder than Houston, if that helps, and Houston is noted for humidity more than heat. Austin and San Antonio tend to be hotter and drier (and hillier). You'll have a few mornings below freezing here, but it won't be like that for months on end, at least. And it may be cold in the mornings and shirt-sleeve weather in the afternoon, too.

HAMMER MAN

for what it is worth I find texas one of worst places that you can cycle. I live between dallas & fort worth and personally i don't find any area friendly when it comes too bicycling/cyclist.
the roads are all pretty crappy and there are no bike lanes per say. the motorist seem to have problems with sharing the roads with cyclist
Coming from Ca there is a world of difference on the so called bike friendly states and texas is not one of them.

Climate wise winters have a tendency to be in the 40-50 during the days but when the north winds kick in it gets pretty cold..Spring & summers are nice and especialy hot in the summer which is what i really like, the hot weather.

MMACH 5

Dallas: "I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard."

I commute from one side of Dallas to the other (48-mile round trip). Most of Dallas is laid out like a suburb, rather than a true "inner-city." By that I mean that there are long stretches of four-plus-laned roadway between traffic lights, instead of a red light every 200 feet. Most of which are 35mph (some are 45mph–very few are 50mph and above). It's pretty conducive to cycling, as long as you take the lane and stay off some of the crazier streets. Unfortunately, this suburb layout also includes cul-de-sacs and walled-off communities. This makes connecting to some areas difficult, without using major roads or highways.

All DART buses have bike racks on the front and the light-rail trains have bike hooks. The way they schedule the buses and trains is kind of cock-eyed. But you can really get around well when you add a bike to the mix (dang, next bus won't be here for 40 minutes but I can get to the train in 20). Always keep $4.00 cash with in your seat bag. That gets you a day-pass which will put you on all local buses and trains, except for express buses (they cost a little more).

In the big picture, if you can ride in NJ, you'll have no problems here.

Armenian

Where would your place of employment be? What do you mean by "where the jobs are" and "where people would be living"? The metroplex is HUGE-people live everywhere!! LOL I live in Allen and absolutely love it up here. We have a massive network of nice long quiet country roads literally a few blocks away for those 50-60 mile loops on the weekend...as far as commute...I work at Texas Instruments located off 635 and 75. From my house in Allen, its a 16 mile commute one way, and I have 3 or 4 North South route options depending on the time of day...Jupiter Road is 3 lanes wide and 99% traffic free at 4:45am...in the afternoon...Renner, Los Rios, or even better, Dublin Road always work out great. Traffic does suck sometimes but keep a nice flashing light on, maintain your speed, and take the lane so cars don't share your lane (most of the time).

jim10040

Dallas is getting better, seems to me. There are MUP trails coming in, and there are still the bike routes all over. - I wouldn't want to go car free, but in many neighborhoods it's fairly easy. Good idea to come here and scout around yourself, look for the things you need nearby, check the costs of living, things like that.

Oh...MUP = Multi-User Path, bikers, joggers, baby strollers, skaters, all on the same path (no motors). Generally getting along just fine.

Need to add this link. DORBA has a good commuter forum. Much more information there.

apacherider

The information under your avatar says you live in Downtown. Your exposure to vehicles is virtually none. Your experience as a cyclist is very different than anyone else living in Dallas. How can you look at yourself with a straight face and honestly say that Dallas is cycling friendly. It ain't. Far from it. Anyone who says otherwise is lying their ass off. Drivers hate cyclists in Dallas. Venom laced hate.

monogodo

I have not lived in Downtown Dallas the entire 21+ years I've lived in DFW area, only the last 6 years of it. I also rarely ride in Downtown, as everywhere I want to go is within walking distance. I do most of my riding in everywhere but Downtown. As for exposure to vehicles in Downtown, come down here during rush hour, there's plenty of vehicular traffic Downtown.

My experience during the last 6 years is similar to when I lived in North Dallas (Skillman/Audelia/LBJ) and Richardson (Spring Valley & Abrams).

I rarely get buzzed by cars, almost never get honked at, and I've never had anything thrown at me. Of course, that could be because I don't ride like a dick.

You'll also notice in the post you quoted that I didn't say that Dallas is cycling friendly. I said it is becoming cycling friendly. There's a difference.

I notice that your location lists you as being in Taos, NM. How long ago did you move from DFW? It could be that Dallas drivers' attitudes towards cyclists have improved since you moved.

ppena

I live near Audelia and NW highway which is about 1-2 miles from White Rock lake in Dallas. The cars around my area are used to bikes and if I want to I can bike to the White Rock and get a bus or train from there. I usually ride around White Rock during the week then go out to the training rides at Richardson Bike mart on the weekends. I don't get buzzed or honked at very often and I usually try to find 2 lane roads with a 35-40 mph limit. Let us know when you are coming down and we can ride around and show you the area.

StephenH

I live in Garland. I generally ride out East Fork Road into Sunnyvale, on occasion follow bike routes to White Rock Lake and ride around it, or on into downtown, or go out Pleasant Valley Road to Wylie, etc. I seldom encounter problems with motorists, either- the biggest problem is when they won't pass you because they don't have 12' of extra room. If you pick the busiest road, get in the way, ride in a 40-rider pack, freely give the finger to everyone, etc., then you may observe some hate, but it's not the normal thing for cyclists around here.

I'm also into randonneuring, and in general, find the people out in rural areas around not a lot different from those here in DFW.

bergerandfries

https://www.tooledesign.com/dallasbikeplan/
https://bikefriendlyoc.wordpress.com/

Come over to the DORBA forum when you have specific questions. The folks over at BF Oak Cliff can help too, but maybe not as generally as the DORBA folks?

As for areas you should check out, it depends on what industry you want to work. I'm in Telecomm, so that makes Richardson a focus for where I work. I live in Allen. I have an excellent commute between them through Plano. If you know where you are working, that makes selecting the more bicycling friendly place to live easier.

For Bicyclists Who Must Have Paint [on the road], there isn't much of that here yet. But a lot of communities are looking into it now...

custermustache

I ride from Plano into Dallas 3-4 mornings a week (14 miles each way), and I rarely have problems, as most of my ride is on trails and dedicated bike lanes. I have had some interaction with drivers, but very very rarely.

I don't know what someone form Taos, NM knows about Dallas traffic. Yes, if you try to ride NW hwy you might have some issues, but if you plan ahead, Dallas is very bikeable.

What sort of job are you looking for? Your best bet is to live and work near the rail line, and then if you aren't feeling your ride home, there is always the train.

DanielDFW

Fort Worth is pretty nice downtown. South Dallas is no good.... we have wanna be gansters that are jerk about driving around bikes but Northern Dallas is real nice!!!! And yes Dallas has HEAT!!!!!!!!!

custermustache

Ah, the heat just keeps your pores open.