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26 July 2005, 03:26 PM
City soft-pedaling dreams of extensive bike, multiuse trails
Carrollton: Officials say infrastructure needs must come first
11:18 PM CDT on Friday, July 22, 2005
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
It's nice to dream. But putting grandiose dreams on paper can create expectations from residents that a city may never be able to fulfill, Carrollton officials said.
City Council members this week balked at a proposed comprehensive trail plan that calls for a network that would connect neighborhoods to future rail stations, parks, schools, shopping and more – at an estimated cost of nearly $71 million. "I think sometimes when we master-plan these things, we need to have some idea of what money we have and build to that," council member Tim Hayden said. "It's nice to dream, but it's also nice to be realistic." That's especially true because the city needs nearly $300 million in new streets, sidewalks, alleys, drainage, utilities and other improvements now and is about $100 million short over the next five years.
"It's probably not going to happen," City Manager Leonard Martin said of the bulk of the recommendations in the preliminary Pedestrian and Bicycle System Master Plan. The anticipated cost is based on federal estimates per mile for trail construction, which assumes a need for bridges or other costly special features. The city staff has been directed to develop more realistic, lower-cost estimates, Mr. Martin said. But the vision may still be too big. The proposed system would include multi-use trails, bike lanes and sidewalks. The city has about three miles of paved trails in parks and no bike lanes.
The draft plan calls for almost 60 more miles of trails and identifies about 51 miles of potential bike lanes, of which more than 40 miles are already suitable for bicycling. It also identifies existing and potential sidewalks to create a network of more than 100 miles of interconnected routes. The city would not be responsible for much of the cost, said Annie Melton, president of Bowman-Melton Associates Inc., the bicycle and pedestrian planners the city commissioned last year to develop the master plan. The city could likely obtain federal and state transportation and air-quality grants. And with a plan in place, developers could be encouraged to build trail segments through or adjacent to their tracts, Ms. Melton said.
That would be fine, city officials said, except that the city may never be able to build connecting trails. So putting such grandiose plans on paper could create expectations from residents that the city may never fulfill. "I'm afraid that if we accept the plan, people will see a line on the map for a trail link that is supposed to be there and they'll be asking down the road when it's going to get built," Mr. Martin said.
Some council members questioned the wisdom of spending millions of dollars on a trail network in a region where people are heavily dependent on cars. With alternative routes in place, Ms. Melton said, "the more likely people are to leave their car at home for short trips." Regional goals call for improving air quality by ensuring that bikers and pedestrians account for 8 percent of total trips, she said. Nationwide the goal is 15 percent. Most Carrollton city leaders were skeptical the region would ever meet its goal. "If it's 110 degrees outside, am I going to take my bicycle or take my car, which has air conditioning?" council member Herb Weidinger said.
No matter how many miles of trails there are, it won't make a significant dent in vehicular traffic, Mr. Martin said, and most of the use will continue to be for recreation. However, council members generally agreed that trail connections are important to the viability of transit-oriented development in the city. Trail segments that connect to future rail stations were recommended as the highest priority in the plan. "Though I'm not a trails guy, I think I am starting to embrace the value and significance of it," council member Larry Williams said.
E-mail ssandoval@dallasnews.com
Carrollton: Officials say infrastructure needs must come first
11:18 PM CDT on Friday, July 22, 2005
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
It's nice to dream. But putting grandiose dreams on paper can create expectations from residents that a city may never be able to fulfill, Carrollton officials said.
City Council members this week balked at a proposed comprehensive trail plan that calls for a network that would connect neighborhoods to future rail stations, parks, schools, shopping and more – at an estimated cost of nearly $71 million. "I think sometimes when we master-plan these things, we need to have some idea of what money we have and build to that," council member Tim Hayden said. "It's nice to dream, but it's also nice to be realistic." That's especially true because the city needs nearly $300 million in new streets, sidewalks, alleys, drainage, utilities and other improvements now and is about $100 million short over the next five years.
"It's probably not going to happen," City Manager Leonard Martin said of the bulk of the recommendations in the preliminary Pedestrian and Bicycle System Master Plan. The anticipated cost is based on federal estimates per mile for trail construction, which assumes a need for bridges or other costly special features. The city staff has been directed to develop more realistic, lower-cost estimates, Mr. Martin said. But the vision may still be too big. The proposed system would include multi-use trails, bike lanes and sidewalks. The city has about three miles of paved trails in parks and no bike lanes.
The draft plan calls for almost 60 more miles of trails and identifies about 51 miles of potential bike lanes, of which more than 40 miles are already suitable for bicycling. It also identifies existing and potential sidewalks to create a network of more than 100 miles of interconnected routes. The city would not be responsible for much of the cost, said Annie Melton, president of Bowman-Melton Associates Inc., the bicycle and pedestrian planners the city commissioned last year to develop the master plan. The city could likely obtain federal and state transportation and air-quality grants. And with a plan in place, developers could be encouraged to build trail segments through or adjacent to their tracts, Ms. Melton said.
That would be fine, city officials said, except that the city may never be able to build connecting trails. So putting such grandiose plans on paper could create expectations from residents that the city may never fulfill. "I'm afraid that if we accept the plan, people will see a line on the map for a trail link that is supposed to be there and they'll be asking down the road when it's going to get built," Mr. Martin said.
Some council members questioned the wisdom of spending millions of dollars on a trail network in a region where people are heavily dependent on cars. With alternative routes in place, Ms. Melton said, "the more likely people are to leave their car at home for short trips." Regional goals call for improving air quality by ensuring that bikers and pedestrians account for 8 percent of total trips, she said. Nationwide the goal is 15 percent. Most Carrollton city leaders were skeptical the region would ever meet its goal. "If it's 110 degrees outside, am I going to take my bicycle or take my car, which has air conditioning?" council member Herb Weidinger said.
No matter how many miles of trails there are, it won't make a significant dent in vehicular traffic, Mr. Martin said, and most of the use will continue to be for recreation. However, council members generally agreed that trail connections are important to the viability of transit-oriented development in the city. Trail segments that connect to future rail stations were recommended as the highest priority in the plan. "Though I'm not a trails guy, I think I am starting to embrace the value and significance of it," council member Larry Williams said.
E-mail ssandoval@dallasnews.com