Welcome to The Dirt. In every issue, our anonymous writer will give you the dirt on your burning questions about the Amarillo area. Got something you’re just dying to know? Drop us a line at info@brickandelm.com, and our intrepid writer will dig up the answer.
What’s with all the road rage in Amarillo when it comes to bikes and pedestrians? Will this ever be a safe city for those of us who’d rather complete our exercise on our morning commute?
As Newton once said, “An Amarilloan in motion remains in motion at speed and in a straight line unless interrupted, likely by a Ford F150.”
Whether you blame Henry Ford or human nature, Amarillo drivers like to go fast, and city streets over the last century have been designed to favor that. So, when crosswalks, school zones, bus stops and the like show up, they feel like random interruptions to what local drivers expect to be a straight, speedy and nonstop ride. (That’s why traffic cones make us so angry.)
The fix for that is building roads in a way that naturally accommodates other kinds of traffic—narrower and curvier streets, dedicated lanes, and generally more opportunities for people to use something other than their own cars to get around safely and easily.
The city’s Planning Department has put improvements like these into motion, but projects like that depend on 1) funding and 2) how consistently community members pester people to get it done. Interest and urgency drive those timelines. Good news: You have the power to bully the bureaucracy into faster action! Less-good news: It’s still going to take a decade or two.
Meanwhile, there is the Rock Island Rail Trail to tide you over as an option. It’s a protected, pet-friendly walking and biking trail that runs about four miles from Seventh and Crockett to Coulter, mostly set aside from other traffic.
How far can you actually see from the top of FBSW Tower?
The FirstBank Southwest Tower, Amarillo’s tallest building, has 31 stories and is about 374 feet tall. According to our old friend Pythagoras, that means you should be able to see about 23.7 miles into the distance from the Amarillo Club on the top floor. (Yes, The Dirt does math.) Looking west, that’s all the way to Wildorado—though your mileage may vary depending on your eyesight. Of course, you’ll maximize your long-shot view if you have clear weather and are looking over a flat plane. That’s not a problem here.
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