Lovers Lane: A Future In The Balance
Updated: Sep 26
by Dorothy Cranshaw
According to Dallas lore, Lovers Lane was so named back when it was a narrow dirt road, lined by hedges of bois d’arc trees. During the evenings, the dark setting was perfect for canoodling couples, hence Lovers Lane. The narrow dirt road is now a mish-mash of lanes, going from two lanes in the Park Cities, to four lanes by Inwood Village, to six lanes west of Inwood. Lovers Lane, also known as “Miracle Mile,” is due for some improvements.
The City of Dallas is studying possible alterations to Lovers between the Tollway and Lemmon Avenue to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle use with a “shared use path.” This path would then tie into the Lemmon Avenue trail which will run from Mockingbird to Bachman Lake. The project is being discussed to coincide with University Park’s planned upgrade of their section Lovers Lane.
Back in 2020, feedback was given to the City that there was an opportunity to improve multi-modal transportation to shops and businesses along Lovers Lane. Images of a similar project in Memphis, TN were shared with the Department of Transportation.
Members of the community recently met with transportation representatives since the planning for the Lovers Lane project was about to begin. For the area west of Inwood, the community communicated concerns about the impact of potential loss of on-street parking, and the current congestion at the Briarwood Lane/Lovers intersection.
There are 3 main contributors to traffic at the Briarwood/Lovers intersection and adjacent Lovers Lane frontage. The Providence School generates carpool activity in the morning and on certain evenings. When there are additional events at the school there is significant on-street parking. The presence of Jose’s, Drake’s and Neighborhood Services compound the evening traffic issue. Many customers park on both sides of Lovers in addition to the valet service each restaurant offers. The school and neighborhoods both expressed concern that if parking on Lovers were reduced or eliminated that adjacent neighborhoods would end up absorbing the overflow – something which was unacceptable to them.
If a study of Lovers Lane is to be conducted, the traffic flow at Briarwood Lane/Lovers intersection and Caillet Street/Lovers intersections deserve an in-depth review. Clearly there will be a need to balance pedestrian and cycling safety with the reality that the area west of Inwood is becoming very popular for restaurants and shops.
Once a conceptual proposal(s) is developed, these preliminary plans will be the subject of open meetings with the neighborhoods and businesses. The Transportation Department indicated that plans should be ready for public discussions by year's end.
If you are an interested neighbor and would like to participate in future meetings with the City of Dallas about the Lovers Lane project, please email (info@friendsofbachmanlake.com) with "Lovers Lane Project" in the subject line.
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