725 signatures and rising! News media are noticing!
In our first week, 68% of signatures came from Dallas, and 91% came from across the DFW area. Our first news report came from CW33 within 24 hours of launch. I've since spoken with reporters from Dallas Morning News and D Magazine, who may post stories either about or mentioning our petition sometime this week.
If just a third of you reading this email ask one sibling, parent, neighbor, friend, or colleague to sign this petition, we will blow past a thousand signatures in record time!
New visuals, same proposal
One of the things that excites me the most about the solution proposed in this petition is how incredibly unsophisticated and cost-effective it is. Who would disagree that saving lives and preventing injury is worth the price of a couple of traffic barriers?
After a week of talking to people and fielding questions, I've added new photos and illustrations that clearly show how the pedestrianization of Akard St would work and what the result might look like.
Email this petition to City Council
If you've already signed this petition, you can support our cause further by emailing this petition to Councilman Paul Ridley (representative of District 14, which includes Downtown Dallas) and Councilman Omar Narvaez (chair of the City's Transportation & Infrastructure Committee).
- CM Paul Ridley: paul.ridley@dallas.gov
- CM Omar Narvaez: omar.narvaez@dallas.gov
If you don't know what to say in your email, you don't need to say much! It's totally fine to copy-paste the message below.
Hi Paul Ridley,
I support this petition to pedestrianize Akard St in Downtown Dallas. https://chng.it/tpmqdW9GMz
Regards,
[your name and city]
At this stage, making our petition impossible to ignore through quantity is more important than crafting a high-quality email. Although, if you did want to add your personal touch or story, you're more than welcome to!
Fixing more dangerous roads in Dallas
In the days since launching this campaign, some of you have shared personal stories of tragic deaths or injuries on roads all across this city.
This petition was started out of the frustration we all feel when we report dangerous and fatal road conditions, yet nothing changes. I hope that by winning this campaign, we define a blueprint for justice. Every time someone dies in a vehicular crash in Dallas, we need to stop playing the game of "Who's at fault?" Something about the road must change.
If you want to share a story, please email me at hexelcolorado@gmail.com or DM @DallasUrbanists on Instagram.
If you want to start or help lead a campaign to fix a deadly road, enroll in the Strong Towns Crash Analysis Studio, a free online self-paced course that teaches you how to start and run your own "crash analysis studio." After finishing the course, email or DM me about organizing a campaign in Dallas.