Arlington’s Hike and Bike System Master Plan – Town Hall Meeting One and Two

The friendly folks of Bike Friendly Arlington sent us the following:

On-Street Facilities at Risk–Please Attend Town Hall Meetings

Thank you everyone for your support of Arlington’s proposed Hike & Bike/Thoroughfare Development plans. The Mayor has formed a subcommittee to study these plans, consisting of council members Robert Shepard (Chair), James Bennett, and Kathryn Wilemon.

They have had two meetings already and will make a recommendation to the rest of the City Council on whether to approve, change, or reject the plans.

At this point, there is serious risk that only a “skeleton” plan will be considered by City Council that focuses mainly on connecting parks and off-street trails. They are concerned about how safe on-street bicycle facilities are, even though there is substantial research showing “safety in numbers,” that is, as the number of bicyclists and walkers increases, the rate of collisions between cars and bikes or pedestrians decreases.  Bike and pedestrian street improvements can make bikers and walkers more visible to motorists and also calm traffic speeds.

While we all love off-street trails and connections to them, they are simply not enough. Arlington needs biking and walking connections to work, school, entertainment, and shopping destinations, not just parks.  Arlington needs transportation choices to stay competitive with other cities and to cope with high gas prices!

Town Halls This Week

Two town hall meetings are scheduled this week and City Council members will be there to answer people’s questions and listen to concerns. We must be there in large numbers to voice our support for the original plans (not just “skeletons” of plans) or else the meetings will be overrun with opposition. Please try to make it out to these meetings, and tell your friends!  Wear a yellow shirt or other yellow article of clothing.

Meeting info here: http://www.arlingtontx.gov/citycouncil/pdf/townhallmeetings_032911.pdf

Plan info here: http://www.arlingtontx.gov/planning/HikeandBike.html

Find More Information:

• City of Arlington TDP and Hike & Bike Brochure
• City of Arlington Hike and Bike System Master Plan Webpage
• City of Arlington TDP Webpage