Councilman David Blewett authored a Facebook post Monday suggesting yet another alternative for the Richmond improvements scheduled for later this year.
A third public hearing is set for community input at 6 p.m. Thursday. The meeting details are here.
At the first public hearing Oct. 29, 2020, Blewett and the City of Dallas Public Works Department presented five options for consideration. The second public meeting on March 2 narrowed the options to two. Option A retained street parking on both sides of Richmond with 13-foot traffic lanes shared by both cars and bikes. Option B had 10.5-foot travel lanes, bike lanes on the north and south sides of Richmond and restricted parking to one side of the street. Community members were encouraged to express their opinion in an online survey.
It seemed a very binary choice….parking versus bike lanes. Results of the survey showed 241 residents responded, with 60 percent supporting Option B and 40 percent supporting Option A.
In a recent Facebook post, Blewett is searching for middle ground. He acknowledged problems with Option A and Option B and offered a “hybrid’ alternative.
“Please take a moment to consider all the competing interests we’re trying to balance,” Blewett wrote. “The hybrid option narrows the travel lanes and slows traffic. We maintain two-sided parking. And we have a bike lane “protected” by a parking lane and an additional 3-foot buffer for safety.”
All three options are shown here.
Juggling the self-interest of bikers, resident parking and through traffic has proven difficult. Strong opinions exist on all sides. Neighbors that live and travel on Richmond will be following this closely.
