The city’s 2011 Bike Plan open house Thursday was so well attended that by 7 p.m., there was no available space to lock up a bike at City Hall.

Almost 250 people, some in cycling jerseys and toting helmets, came out to express their desires and concerns to planners, including Dallas Bike Coordinator Max Kalhammer and Toole Design Group, the consulting firm that is putting the plan together.

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The general consensus was that the city needs more bike lanes.

Dan Detar, who lives in East Dallas, has plans to start commuting by bicycle to work near Interstate 635 and Central Expressway. He tried it recently, and it took about two hours.

“I traveled way out of my way to avoid traffic and find a safe route,” he says. “It’s better to be late than dead.”

The city has a nice trail system, which is good for exercise and leisure, but it’s not always logical for commuting, says David Shotts, who lives in East Dallas and commutes daily by bicycle to his office at Interstate 635 and Greenville.

“If there were bike lanes on Greenville or Abrams, it would be easier, and it could take away traffic congestion from a major thoroughfare,” he says, adding that bike lanes would encourage more people to cycle instead of drive.

Peter Lagerwey, Toole’s senior designer, gave some 30 examples of bike system elements that work well in other cities. But to make a bike system work in Dallas, it has to be formulated based on the needs of cyclists here. The 2011 Bike Plan has a website with an interactive map and survey, where Dallas residents can make suggestions for the plan through June 30, when Toole and city staff will start putting the ideas together for a preliminary plan.