Owen from TuesdayBikeNight found this in 1964’s Venture World Traveler at a Denton thrift store. I think the author is *the* Peter Bart. The article is about college kids going abroad, but I mostly dig the graphic and typography. Cool find.
Pete Davis visits Querencia
Pete Davis came into Querencia while I was working today.
Pete was hit-and-run by a car in December of 2010, and his backpack saved his life. The fleeing driver was never caught. The accident hyperextended his knee (pictured), and now doctors say it needs to be replaced. C3 church pastor Ross Appleton took care of Pete for a while.
Pete’s a nice guy, and he grew up in Richardson (where I did) and traveled to California and back before ending up in Denton. I recognized him from the hit-and-run story, and he said he’s been hit four times in the last year.
It was a treat to take Pete’s photo, because he doesn’t fit the college-only bicycle stereotype.
Some people ride a bike because it’s all they’ve got. Driving is a luxury.
Ross Ave Better-Boulevard recon
Last weekend, I went down to Dallas to see the BikeFriendlyOakCliff/BetterBlock Ross Ave Better Boulevard. They took a neglected block and made it inviting by adding shade, traffic calming, water, crosswalks, bike lanes, entertainment, and food. The NYTimes even mentions the Ross Ramblas event in their article about tactical urbanism.
In one swoop, Jason Roberts of BetterBlock sums up the gist of rebalancing streets to meet the needs for people (and not just cars), while saving millions on maintenance, creating new jobs and revenue, encouraging entrepreneurship, and debunking the myth that gas taxes actually pay for road costs.
For Ross Avenue, we took a 6 lane road and developed a pedestrianized center that allowed entrepreneurs an opportunity to test their business while creating greater economics to the area. Normally, we’d generate no money from this street and actually spend millions to fill in potholes and repave. The wider the street, the more costly the maintenance, which directly affects our property taxes…repaving one mile of a 6 lane road in Dallas costs millions and we have hundreds of miles of these throughout the city. An assumption often made is that our roads are paid for by gas taxes. The reality is that none of our residential and non-highway/interstate roads are covered at all by gas taxes…it’s soley property taxes. To make matters worse, when business opportunity erodes in an area, we typically raise taxes to continue maintenance which pushes business away and creates an undue burden on residents to fill in the void. The money we’d save by reclaiming portions of the streets for businesses and people would go far to helping our city’s balance sheet. Fewer potholes to fill while increased area business tax revenue would help cover the costs of pedestrian amenities like lighting, watering trees, et cetera.
Bell Ave gets crosswalk
The Bell/Hickory intersection between the square and downtown transit center has always needed a crosswalk. I wrote about it last year and this year.
The city installed it on Friday, and although there’s not a button and timer, the paint is a good start. The families who have been playing frogger with car traffic will appreciate it, as will the downtown businesses who will benefit from improved walkability.
Denton’s Transportation Director, Mark Nelson, made a video about it.
A-train recon
I took a packed A-train down to Dallas on Friday night. Riding it over Loop 288 and the lake was an absolute treat. Being able to walk downtown, board the train, and ride to Dallas felt miraculous. I couldn’t stop wondering what other useful and fun destinations might exist around the other stops.
I’ve heard from several people that taking bikes on the train was fine, and some held the bike in the aisle (leaning against seats), and some held the bike in the handicapped area at the front of the car.
Jeremy Ordaz, owner of Oak Cliff Bike Company, said several customers took the train to Dallas and rode to the shop. The traffic goes both ways, as I ran into a friend from Oak Cliff exploring Denton for the first time in a decade, because of the train.
Initial thoughts:
- It might be slower than driving (in good traffic), but there is high value in talking to friends, reading, listening to music, etc. It’s your time, on the train.
- Downtown Denton has a ton of fun destinations within walking distance, easily more than the other DCTA stops.
- Those destinations are all across Bell Ave, which has no crosswalk. This needs to be corrected ASAP. It’s unthinkable that this was left out of the station planning process. It’s a safety risk for pedestrians and a liability for the city.
- There’s no wayfinding at the station, so you arrive in a desolate industrial area, and nothing points you toward the square.
- Despite endless skepticism and challenges, DCTA made it happen. Bravo!
Stolen orange Nishiki recovered, UNT PD seeks owner
If this stolen Nishiki road bike belongs to you, please contact Det. Sarah Weaver at the UNT Police Department. 940-565-3000.
They really want to get this back to the rightful owner, before it goes to UNT Surplus.
Denton Katy Trail reopened
Yesterday, along with the reopening of passenger train service, Denton also got the rail trail back after two years of closure. Parks and Rec says the bike and pedestrian bridge over Loop 288 will be constructed by Spring 2012.
Yup, I called it the Katy. This trail is, after all, part of the historic Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad line. I think just calling it the Katy will add historical character and an association with the wildly successful Dallas KT and the 237 mile Katy Trail State Park in Missouri. Let’s call it what it is, put up some info on kiosks, and watch people flock to it.
Here’s Drew Elam (of Pan-Ector, Texas Toast) riding the trail on the first day of the official reopening.
Johnson Branch trail recon
I snapped a few photos while riding DORBA’s Johnson Branch trail last weekend. It’s just north of Lake Ray Roberts, and it’s got about 9 miles of singletrack loop. It’s mostly not too hard, except for the red loop, but there are some tight tree gates and loose rocks. I’ve seen deer here before, but I spied a bobcat last weekend!
DCTA A-train launch bikey details
Denton celebrated the opening of it’s first passenger rail line on September 30, 1924. Nearly a century later, in just a few weeks, (on June 18) DCTA will throw an opening day bash for the A-train passenger line. The Rock N’ Rail celebration will give free train rides and host festivities at each station. There will be bands, food, etc. They need a bunch of volunteers, around 150, so if you want to help, fill out this DCTA volunteer form.
There are a few key details people should know about biking and the A-train:
- You can’t bring a bike on the train for opening day. The trains will be too crowded to fit bikes, and DCTA generously allows bikes on board anytime after opening day.
- The train cars will be an older style for the first 18 months, so they won’t have bike hooks. If you want to take a bike on board, you’ll have to securely hold it.
- DCTA asks that people load bikes on the train via the stairs, not the ramps.
- The rail trail re-opens concurrent with the train service. Denton Parks & Rec asks that people stay off the trail till June 18.
- Pictured above are nicer wave bike racks at the downtown station for about 40 bikes.
The celebration is noon to 4PM, and it’s going to be a blast. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios will have $.75-1.00 drink specials next door, and the Querencia Community Bike Shop will be open from 3-5PM. E.
Shelby mows lawns, rides a bike
For a fair price, Shelby at Denton Greencut will ride his electric bike to your house, and mow your lawn. You can schedule an appointment via the form on his site, or you can text him at 972-897-3239. You can pay via Paypal. I can’t think of a more appealing lawn care business for millenials, honestly. As pictured on the digital gauge, he’s put almost 7,000 miles on that rig already. If he drove a 20mpg truck at $3.50/gallon, he’d have spent $1,225 on fuel. He wants to move to electric mowing gear only to eliminate the 2-cycle motor emissions. His Mad Max-esque electro bike can cruise at 30mph, cover 30-60 miles, and can put out 3,000 watts.
