Cycling down the busy, arterial streets of Preston Hollow, neighborhood resident Waco Moore is one of those rare sights in our city’s bike culture, pedaling alone in a sea of rush-hour traffic. He appeared in the opening spread of our March cover story, which takes a look at what a bike-friendly Dallas could mean for our community.

There are many schools of thought on what role of cyclists should be. Most advocates and city officials believe we need a segregated lane for better safety. Others (albeit, few) think bikes should take a full lane just as motorized vehicles do. And, some just don’t think cyclists should be on the road at all.

Nonetheless, the city unanimously passed the Bike Plan last summer, so at this point, the debate is mainly about how to fund these 840 miles of bike lanes over 10 years. It will be a while. So, how are cyclists getting around the neighborhood right now? Most are sticking to the trails and back roads. Moore is one of the few who cycles in traffic. Every day, he rides from his home to work in Downtown. Check out his video above that shows what it’s really like to ride on Preston Road during rush hour.

“There is a notion that bicyclists cause delay for motorists,” Moore says. “The reality is that on a multi-lane road like Preston, if a cyclist is integrating with traffic, there is no delay. As you will see in the video, traffic lights and heavy traffic volumes cause delay.  There was never once a car struck behind me waiting to pass, and I delayed no one. On the other hand, I see the same cars over and over again at the traffic lights. They were faster getting there, but we all had to wait.”

And, no – he does not wear a helmet. He doesn’t try to make it a crusade, he says. It’s simply a personal choice based on European statistics that show how helmets do not reduce the risk of injury. And yes, it is against the law in Dallas to ride without a helmet, but that is rarely enforced.

This all might sound pretty extreme to motorists and many cyclists. Moore describes his commute as mundane and very uneventful. Read the March cover story where he explains why he thinks the Dallas Bike Plan is too extreme.