The other day, I once again found myself discussing dockless bike share. Someone said the only thing anyone in Dallas is talking about is bikes. "How can we get people talking about real issues?" she asked.

I'll admit: I bristled a little. It has taken a very long time for us to talk this much about bikes in Dallas. And I love it.

I work at an urban design nonprofit. We spend our days promoting neighborhoods that are walkable, livable, and yes, bikeable. I've seen what good bicycling networks can do. And I'll argue until my dying breath that the bike is a real issue that will help us address the other real issues.

In the 1960s, Dallas (and the rest of the country) built elevated highways that ripped through neighborhoods, destroying communities and separating our city. Dallas is segregated by its highway system. We can use bikes to bridge the gap, because bikes are flexible, adaptable and able to penetrate the concrete that divided us.

The percentage of Dallas children living in poverty is 30.6. We have more than 10,000 homeless. We're a city of haves and havenots. None of this is news. But one way people can be slightly less burdened is through better transportation options. According to Nerdwallet, it cost about $8,469 a year to own and maintain a car in 2017. The average operating cost of a bicycle is $308. No insurance. Little maintenance. Big savings.

Bicycling also addresses health. There are countless stats from Peopleforbikes.org highlighting the health benefits of bicycling, including lower obesity rates in kids who bike to school and the effects of long commutes in vehicles for adults. If we better connect our neighborhoods so bicycling is an option, we can literally change people's lives.

The biggest complaint I hear about bike share is that it's an eyesore. I recently had the privilege of going to Copenhagen, the epitome of good urban design. Bicycles were everywhere — piled on top of each other and jammed into every corner. And those bicycles are part of the Danish capital's charm for visitors and resident.

Copenhagen, Denmark: Many people bike in the center of the city. (Issaurinko / Getty Images)

I understand that we're not Copenhagen. And to go from zero to thousands of bicycles in the matter of a couple months was quite jarring. But I think there are a few lessons we can learn from Copenhagen. While Dallas was building highways, Copenhagen in the '60s placed an emphasis on bicycling. In the past 20 years, bicycle traffic has risen 68 percent, according to The Guardian, even as the population continues to grow.

Copenhagen took small steps to make these changes, and we can apply some of their lessons here in Dallas. That's why I'm not bothered by the brightly colored bikes lining our sidewalks. And when I see one that has fallen down? I pick it up.

I've been impressed with our city council's willingness to let the free market play out. It has taken a hands-off approach, allowing the data to drive decisions. This was another part of Copenhagen's success: it listened to its citizens. It learned that by building bicycling infrastructure with input from surveys, more and more people were willing to ride bikes. I believe the data will echo what I'm hearing about bike share among my peers, and not necessarily what's being said on social media.

It appears Dallas views bicycling in three ways — for the poor, for the hipsters and for exercise — whereas many parts of the world view cycling as a form of transportation. Dallas was built for and around the car, but it has since become a city of transplants. People are moving in from cities where bicycling is accepted, and they expect it here.

I live downtown, and I see the bikes in use all the time. The thing that I find most interesting: most are being ridden on the sidewalks and not the streets. Getting the bikes is just the first step. Now, we must make it irresistible for people to use them. We must build beautiful and robust bicycling infrastructure that dignifies the bicyclist, then we'll have healthier, happier residents who can use bicycling as a viable means of transportation.

So, yes, bike share is all we're talking about, and I hope we don't stop anytime soon.

Krista Nightengale is the managing director of Better Block Foundation in Dallas. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News. Email: krista@betterblock.org

What's your view?

Got an opinion about this issue? Send a letter to the editor, and you just might get published.