Biking news

Say what? 6 notable quotes from Dallas City Council briefing on the proposedcycling ordinace

Bike racks don't discriminate against unicycles, and neither does Dallas'proposed ordinance.
Flickr user W.D. Vanlue
Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway.
Dwaine Caraway/Facebook
Dallas now has more than 5 miles of painted bike lanes downtown, including thisstretch on North Lamar Street in the West End.
Photo by Claire St. Amant
Apparently unicycling is a thing at Emory University in Atlanta.
Bike.emory.edu

After a lengthy meeting about Dallas' proposed biking ordinance, one thing's clear: It had no business being presented at an October 10 City Council meeting. Councilmembers and city officials still have a number of details to work out before they can reach a consensus.

Three key issues emerged at Monday's meeting between the public safety and quality of life committees and councilmembers:

Removing the word "knowingly" in the rule preventing motorists from throwing objects at cyclists
Lowering the maximum fine from $500 to $300
Adding a statement about a cyclist's duty to follow all city, state and federal laws

The tentative plan is for all three parties to discuss the ordinance again December 10. Until that date, I submit for your reading pleasure the six most memorable quotes from Monday's meeting:

"The item of preference seems to be a bottle of water."
—Assistant Dallas Police chief Tom Lawrence, explaining that he has received "consistent complaints" about motorists throwing objects at cyclists.

"We're not accustomed to people riding a bicycle on MLK."
— Councilmember Dwaine Caraway,advocating for more public education in South Dallas before the ordinance takes effect.

"Why create conditions that frustrate motorists? You can't pass them safely, and you're just crawling along behind them for blocks and blocks."
— Councilmember Sandy Greyson, who said she was "startled to see the lane markers on Main Street" and made an off-hand comment about nearly hittng a cyclist on the bridge at night.

"I'm not quite feeling it yet."
— Councilmember Carolyn Davis, adding that the ordinance felt like a superficial nod to becoming a bike-friendly city.

"Let's not take baby steps. Let's take big people steps."
— Councilmember Angela Hunt, who favors a complete streets model with buffered bike lanes.

"Do we have anything in this about pumping? Do you even know what pumping is? It needs to be very clear that folks know you can't pump in these bicycle lanes."
— Councilmember Dwaine Caraway, who went on to define pumping as when a rider sits on the handlebars while another person pedals.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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