More Bikes = Less Traffic

Across the U.S., the love affair with bicycling is growing. More and more, people are riding bikes to work, to shop, to buy coffee, to attend social activities, and even for fitness and recreation.

E-bikes, shared bikes, and the availability of better and cheaper bikes are all contributing to this resurgence. But there is one factor above all the rest that determines whether cycling is growing near you.

With safe and inviting places to ride, more people will bicycle for short trips. Further, those numbers grow over time without any additional costs. So when more people bicycle, it helps everyone who is currently frustrated by traffic.

Even if you will never ride a bicycle, you might want Legacy to grow as a hub for safe cycling. To consider what that might take, let’s break it down to three basic facts:

1. Almost half of all car trips are between one and three miles, ideal for a bicycle.

2. A recent regional survey found one in three people have bicycled recently, that Collin County has more dedicated cyclists than any other county (thanks in large part to Plano Bicycle Association), and that a lack of bicycle facilities is the most frequent reason for not bicycling more often or not at all.

3. In much of Plano, bicyclists can get around easily on slower neighborhood streets. But in Legacy, commuters can only access major streets like Legacy, Headquarters, and Tennyson. These roads are six lanes wide, with lots of cars often exceeding the 45 mile-per-hour speed limit.

While you might see groups of cyclists riding together before or after rush hour, you rarely see individuals or families enjoying a bike ride on Legacy Drive.

Residents Weigh In

Here’s what we heard when we asked our Legacy neighbors about cycling on Nextdoor, a neighborhood listserve.

“I ride my bike when it is cooler. I ain't riding on the street. People are driving crazy!”

“We live at Legacy North and walk and ride our bikes quite a bit. We’ve noticed that only the main intersections (closer to all the action) have crosswalk buttons. We would LOVE a bike lane. Maybe one day it’ll happen!”

“Glad to hear someone is looking at this. I strongly think that we need dedicated bike lanes in the corporate campus and Legacy areas. It is a good long-term solution, and I have seen how well it works in other parts of the world. Fort Worth is ahead of us with this.

Sustainability must become more important if we want to continue to attract and retain top corporate businesses and talent.”

Legacy Employees Weigh In

“I live in Dallas; generally it’s not too bad. Some drivers are nice, and some are really nasty. I cycle to work as a way to get more sleep and still get in my fitness and training exercise.”

“I’ve been riding since I was a kid. I have a 6-mile commute. I don’t cycle to work as much as I would like because I have to travel on major roads — no bike lanes — and it gets pretty hairy at times.”

LegacyConnect is asking the City of Plano to consider making some changes to add space for bicycles and scooters on Legacy’s major corridors.

Design Considerations

Maintain current roadway capacity for cars (three lanes in each direction), but consider slowing speed limits to 35 miles-per-hour and narrowing lane widths to 10 feet. This would have no real impact on travel times in Legacy and greatly improve safety for everyone.

Look at the possibility of adding bike lanes or a separated bike path on each corridor. Designing and creating these are cheaper than any other “improvement” we could make. Any version of these will greatly improve safety and attractiveness for people wanting to cycle. Plus the same space can also be used for scooters and even newer technologies coming, meaning even fewer cars will be taking short trips.

Design considerations include separated paths (left) or bike lanes (middle), BUT not like this (right).

Have you have tried bicycling in or around Legacy? Let us know what you thought!

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