Last week, the city of Arlington held two town hall meetings to gather feedback from its citizens regarding its Hike & Bike Master Plan, a long-term proposal to add hundreds of miles of bike lanes, sidewalks, and other non-automobile amenities to city streets. Many residents both for and against the plan gathered to ask questions and give their opinions on the project, which is currently being reviewed by the Arlington City Council.
Residents wait their turn to speak about Arlington's Hike & Bike Master Plan.
The overall goal of Hike & Bike is to create a comprehensive system of both off-street trails and on-street facilities that improve how residents traverse across Arlington. The plan hopes to not only increase opportunities for a wide variety of recreational activities, but also offer more alternative modes of transportation.
Key features of the Hike & Bike Master Plan include:
- A 99-mile network of striped bike lanes on roads to connect cyclists and pedestrians to key destinations such as parks and schools. This includes converting 28 lane miles now designated for automobiles to be specifically used for bicycles.
- 56 miles of paved shoulders, widening outside lanes and other improvements to make it safer for cyclists.
- Adding 118 miles of off-street trails beside roadways or through parks.
- The plan is long-range, estimated to take 30-40 years to fully complete.
- Estimated costs include $15 million to repair sidewalks, $118 million to construct off-street bike trails, and $500,000 – $800,000 for on-street bike paths.
- Adoption of Hike & Bike by City Council does not designate funds to the project. Funding would be allocated through a separate process.
Proponents of the plan argue that it will increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians, improve roadway efficiency by reducing the number of drivers on the road (they’d be biking instead of driving), and offer opportunities for residents to live healthier more active lifestyles. They also believe implementation of such a plan will make Arlington more competitive in the region as well as more attractive to prospective residents.
Those against Hike & Bike claim traffic congestion will increase as driving lanes would be removed or narrowed to accommodate bike lanes. They also question how in-demand such a plan really is, suggesting that far fewer than 1% of residents currently bike and/or would utilize bicycles and bike lanes to make their daily commutes. Concerns were also raised that the Hike & Bike plan would attempt to implement other alternative transportation projects like light rail, an idea that was voted down by Arlington citizen in the recent past.
Among those who attended Thursday’s town hall was Bike Friendly Arlington, a group of plan supporters who distributed yellow t-shirts and buttons, offering their view on the proposal. A large group against the plan, S.O.S (Save Our Streets), was also present, with several members participating in the open-mic forum. Hundreds of residents of all ages offered their questions and opinions, reflecting a wide variety of political views, business backgrounds, lifestyles, and concerns.
We invite you to learn more about the Hike & Bike Master Plan by checking out the some of the resources linked to below. We’ve also provided a link to download an mp3 of Thursday’s entire town hall meeting.
We encourage you share your opinions on the proposal, the town hall meetings, and other related aspects here with us and with each other, as well as with the Arlington City Council. Please contact them with your questions and concerns, so they can properly gauge where Arlington residents are on this issue.
Now….discuss!
Resources:
- City of Arlington Hike & Bike Master Plan webpage
- Hike & Bike brochure (PDF download)
- Greenways, Inc. project page for Arlington, TX
- Bike Friendly Arlington
- S.O.S. Save Our Streets
- City Council Contact Information
- MP3 Download of Town Hall Meeting – Thursday, March 31, 2011
- Star-Telegram February 3rd
- Star-Telegram March 27th
- Star-Telegram March 29th
- UTA Shorthorn April 3rd
- Burlington, VT
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
Local media coverage:
For Perspective, Cycling Discussions in Other Cities:
Great article and great resources above! I hope more people will do their research on the Hike and Bike and then contact their council member (hopefully to register support!). I’ve attended almost all of the council, town hall and P&Z meetings and can safely say that a lot of the arguments presented by the opponents to this plan are based on erroneous information. There is also a great deal of fear being planted online and in fliers around the city rather than real facts.
As a very active cyclist, motorist, homeowner and future parent (someday) this plan will affect me and my family for years to come. Arlington is behind most cities when it comes to these types of improvements, we are a city reliant completely on cars. The Hike and Bike plan is not being proposed to eliminate vehicles from Arlington, (at the town hall Thursday an opponent told me this plan was part of a giant conspiracy to wipe out vehicles, true story) but to simply offer alternatives and to educate. The Hike and Bike will help Arlington fill some of the huge transportation gaps left by the lack of public transportation in this city. We also must remember this is simply a PLAN. A lot of the specifics currently in place are still subject to change based on need, growth and development. Share the road!
Great article on a issue that is contentious for who knows why, really…
It is also interesting to read Buddy Saunder’s (SOS Arlington) statement on the meeting and on Sustainable Development.
I am not sure what meeting Mr Saunders attended, but it was not the same Hike and Bike meeting that I attended. He states that “opposition outnumbered supports 70% to 30%”. That was far from the case.
On Sustainable Development, he states “A good definition of “sustainable development” is this: Bureaucrats micromanaging our lives through legislation, taxes, zoning codes, fees, and the like in order to insure that, as we pursue what little remains of our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, we don’t wreck and otherwise despoil our environment.” I find this hilarious because what they are contending that we want to do is exactly what they would like to do to us as cyclists: micromanage our lives through legislation, taxes, codes, fees, and the like. They contend that all bicyclists should be licensed(yes, even little Suzie or Johhnie out on his tricycle or just learning to ride) all bikes registered, tagged, and insured. And that is simply asinine.
Then there was Mr Rick Rose, TeaParty member. He stated that the funding was to partially come from “Agenda 21″, out of the Kyoto Protocol that “our illustrious President Bush 1 signed on to that protocol in 1992.” According to the Kyoto Protocol website (http://unfccc.int/essential_background/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/items/5524.php) the United States did not sign on until 12 Nov 1998 , and that would have been early in the second term of the Honorable William Jefferson Clinton (42), not Mr George Herbert Walker Bush (41). But, here is the real sticker…Agenda 21 did not come from the Kyoto Protocol It came from the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. Makes me wonder what else Mr Rose got wrong…