DART

The T

City of Grand Prairie

City of Arlington

North Central Texas Council of Governments

Dallas County Green Party

The T wooing Arlington

Can the city motivate its citizens to vote for the half-penny sales tax required to join? And what is Grand Prairie's appropriate role -- if Arlington joins The T, then Grand Prairie would be contiguous with both The T and DART. In the "bad old days" of interurban dissent, that would have been a prescription for disaster... but now that DART and The T are linked by the Trinity Railway Express, this may be the best situation of all.

This article is copyright 2000, the Arlington (Dallas) Morning News.

The T wooing Arlington
City considers joining Fort Worth transit system

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority would become a more dominant regional player if Arlington decides to create a bus system and join the agency, an official said Tuesday.

"We're glad to hear Arlington is leaning our way," said John Bartoseiwicz, the transportation authority's general manager. "One of our strategic goals is to be aggressive regionally.

"We're very excited about Arlington's interest. A lot of our services are compatible with the proposal they are considering."

The transportation authority, also known as "the T," plans to woo City Council members at a Dec. 19 meeting. The council's Mobility Committee agreed Tuesday to take until the end of January to analyze the proposed $17 million bus system before making a recommendation to the full council.

Arlington voters would have to approve a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for a fixed route bus system in order for the city to join the T. Arlington, which has a population of more than 315,000 people, is one of the largest cities in the nation without mass transit.

The council would have to make a decision by February to put a mass transit initiative on the ballot in the May general election, said Pat Remington, the council's Mobility Committee chairman.

"I don't want to see us shelve this study like we have done with so many other issues," Mr. Remington said, referring to a $100,000 study conducted by LKC Consulting Services Inc. that recommended a bus system.

"I think the council could make a decision within a 90-day period. It may take another several months to build public support."

Mr. Bartoseiwicz said he is convinced his agency can meet Arlington's mobility needs.

If Arlington residents vote to join Fort Worth's transit system, the city would have two or three representatives on the authority's board, he said.

Arlington would join North Richland Hills, Fort Worth, Lake Worth and Blue Mound as members of the T.

Council member Robert Cluck, also a Mobility Committee member, said the only way he would support a fixed route bus system would be if it includes transportation out of Arlington.

"It seems like the thrust of this has been for interurban transportation as opposed to making mobility more comfortable for the 50 percent of people employed outside of Arlington," he said. "I want to concentrate on moving people out to their jobs and moving people into our Entertainment District.

"To me, that's the crux."

Mayor Elzie Odom said he looked forward to the Fort Worth authority's Dec. 19 presentation.

"We've heard presentations by the T before, but we wanted them to come again," Mr. Odom said. "We need to ask some more questions."

Unanimous council support for some form of transit would be nice, but it's not necessary, Mr. Remington said.

"It's extremely difficult to have unanimous support on an issue like transit," he said. "It would be wonderful, but it can't be forced support - we found that out with Johnson Creek."

In 1998, voters rejected a $165 million plan to control flooding along Johnson Creek and to build a Smithsonian-affiliated museum.

Critics of the plan said dissension on the council and little public input made it difficult for voters to support the initiative.

Garnering voter support for a public transit system or joining a transportation authority won't be easy, some critics say. Arlington voters shot down mass transit initiatives twice in the 1980s.

But transit supporters said Arlington's burgeoning population in the past two decades and a regional focus on mass transportation demand another look at the issue.

In the past few years, a regional proposal to host the 2012 Olympic Games put a spotlight on transportation - one of the key elements of hosting the Games, bid organizers have said.

Leaders from several cities in the Arlington-D/FW area developed a comprehensive transit plan for the bid.

Mass transit also became an issue when Arlington leaders, under regional pressure, decided to help fund the Trinity Railway Express, the 34-mile commuter rail line that will eventually connect Dallas and Fort Worth.

As one of nine cities funding the commuter line, Arlington will pay $140,000 annually for three years.

Council member Julia Burgen said the Mobility Committee needs a better gauge of public opinion about the bus system.

To educate residents, city officials will spread information about the bus system via the city's Web site, cable television channel and a newsletter.

Mrs. Burgen said that although the residents' advisory committee that worked with the transit consultant was ethnically and geographically diverse, the council needs a more scientific poll.

"I've suggested a telephone survey that is statistically correct," she said. "The broad-based committee doesn't give you a feel for the broad-based opinions in this city."

Mr. Remington said he believes the transit study reflects the community's needs, but that doesn't mean residents will vote for it.

"I think the study shows consensus, but does that translate into voter approval?" he asked. "Not all the supporters may vote. They might not have a ride."

Jenni Smith can be reached at jensmith@dallasnews.com or 817-436-4137.

Return to the home page: Bring DART to Grand Prairie!

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!

Page created: 12/1/2000
Last update: 12/1/2000
Domain registration services by Domain Direct