DART

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City of Grand Prairie

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North Central Texas Council of Governments

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Residents leery of mass transit costs

Note that this article is Copyright 2000, The Dallas Morning News.

Residents leery of mass transit costs

10/13/2000

By Gene Abrahamson / Arlington Morning News

Some longtime Grand Prairie residents believe the city needs a transit system, but they are concerned about the cost.

On Thursday, members of the Noon Host Lions Club discussed transit with the city's transportation planner, Daon Stephens, at the Veterans Memorial Center, 200 S. Center St.

Mr. Stephens said city leaders are in the early stages of exploring transit system possibilities.

Joining the Fort Worth Transit Authority or Dallas Area Rapid Transit could be costly, he said, because it would require an increase in the local sales tax. Grand Prairie residents currently pay 8 percent sales tax.

"All of our sales tax is allocated at the maximum amount," Mr. Stephens said. "Whenever we get the racetrack paid off, we could allocate all or part of that to mass transit, but it would still have to go to the voters."

The sales tax would have to be increased a half-cent to raise the estimated $8 million a year in sales tax revenue that would be required to join the T, Mr. Stephens said. Joining DART would cost twice as much, he added.

Lions Club member Don Anderson said he thinks the city probably needs some type of mass transportation, but it would be expensive to join an existing system like DART or the T.

"Maybe the possibility of getting the Olympics [in 2012] will cause leverage to force the issue and allow us to get into one of the transit systems for less money," Mr. Anderson said.

Troy Wright of Grand Prairie said the city has needed a transit system for a long time. He recalled when the Interurban rail system connected Dallas with outlying areas decades ago.

"We should have continued it when we had it," Mr. Wright said. "Now we need to do something to keep from stepping backward.

"We need it to accommodate the citizens, especially the senior citizens. There are more every year because they're healthier and living longer."

The Grand Prairie City Council recently voted to join the Trinity Railway Express, which runs from North Richland Hills to Dallas.

Lions Lee Herring said that might not be the best solution.

"I'm not so sure that our mass transit shouldn't be more north and south, rather than us getting caught in a hostage situation by something people have never used," Mr. Herring said.

Mr. Stephens said the biggest problem with joining the Trinity Railway Express is that the layout of Grand Prairie is long, rather than wide.

"Even though the railway runs east and west, it doesn't give us the most exposure," he said.

Lions Skip Johnson also expressed concern about the Trinity Railway Express' distance from most people in the city.

"I'm generally for mass transit, but I haven't made my mind up about hooking us into a rail system that is so far from the center of the city," he said.

An alternative to joining existing transit systems would be for the city to start its own system or join with Arlington to provide mass transportation for both cities, Mr. Stephens said.

"Maybe the system would be more efficient and more flexible if we did it on our own," he said. "That's why we've talked to Arlington. We would have more population and clout if we go together."

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This site is the creation of Robert Brooks (robertb@dixie-chicks.com), who is solely responsible for its content. This site is not affiliated with either the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART) or the Fort Worth Transit Authority (The T). Comments and suggestions are highly welcomed!

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