TRANSPORTATION: Trinity Trail Improvements

Photo courtesy Bike Fort Worth Plan

I began riding a bicycle about 4 or 5 years ago after my dad's doctor told him he had to start doing something else about his blood pressure and cholesterol, as the medications alone weren't enough. Running is not an option for him, thanks to football, so he started cycling and bought bicycles for everyone in the family. It took a while to find one that even came close to fitting me, but we finally did, and I started riding with him. No one else seemed interested, and I really wanted to keep him encouraged to take care of himself. He made it his goal to ride in the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred (HHH), a 100 mile bike ride that takes place each August in Wichita Falls, TX.

When he told me about that plan, I couldn't believe it, and certainly never thought I could ride a bicycle 100 miles. But we did it. We started small (my first time on my bike was the 40 mile Ride for Heroes in Aledo, TX). Lots of hills and no shortage of wind or cold. We progressed to longer rides, 50 miles here, 60 miles there, mostly supported rides. But we eventually hit the highway on our own and made the 60 mile round trip (give or take a mile or two) between Dad's house and my aunt's house, where the family gathers many holiday weekends. After a few of those we decided we were ready for the big ride. This year was my fourth consecutive year to ride the 100 mile route in the HHH.

My individual training for all of these rides took place on the Trinity Trails of Fort Worth. After work I would hit the trails and ride 15-20 miles, 3-4 times a week, with the occasional longer ride on a free weekend. I got to know the trails pretty well and really appreciated having such a valuable resource at my disposal. Without them I never would have been able to condition myself for those rides. I also started to really enjoy riding. It is great exercise and I saw the potential to save a lot of money on gas. I started to consider riding the trails to and from work, and have actually done it a few times. The only things that kept me from making that my regular commute were the connections from trail to home and trail to office, and the lack of shower at my office. I lived and worked fairly close to the trail, but the roads I had to ride were not exactly bicycle friendly. One road in particular was 7th Street. Crossing the 7th Street bridge during rush hour was no enjoyable task.

Imagine my elation when I found out about the new pedestrian bridge being constructed just south of Lancaster Avenue, very near my office (our office moved to a floor with showers in the bathrooms a little over a year ago). Now, the biggest obstacle is the commute between the trail and home. I don't live as near to the trail as I did before, so the issue is now magnified a bit, but the City of Fort Worth is also actively addressing that issue with additional planned improvements to and expansion of existing bike paths and walkways. According to the plan, the City will seek recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) by 2015, increasing existing on-street and off-street bike trails and lanes by 924.7 miles. As of 2009, on- and off-road paths totaled just over 100 miles. I anxiously await completion of the plan and recognition as a BFC.  Assuming I am still here, I look forward to making the new routes a regular part of my commute.