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Bring DART to Grand Prairie!
This is a very preliminary web page with a simple goal: Get DART into Grand Prairie. That simple goal faces several obstacles... not the least of which is the fact that Grand Prairie's sales tax is less than a cent away from the state-imposed maximum. That leaves no room for the 1-penny DART tax currently paid by Dallas and the DART suburbs such as Irving.|
Exclusive to this site
10/20: DART President debunks GP's "buyback" roadblock
11/25: Shoppers oblivious to gridlock alternative 11/24, 11/29: Arlington eyes joining The T 11/24: Tarrant riders visit Dallas, and survive Details in News section. |
But that doesn't mean that there's a fence around our town! DART is going to Mesquite -- Bus 11 goes to Eastfield College. And the Trinity Railway Express, a cooperative venture of DART and Fort Worth's The T, serves H-E-B and North Richland Hills.
The DART-T arrangement is called an "Interlocal Agreement" -- the same title given to Irving's subsidy of the modified light rail plan. DART and Grand Prairie are already in an Interlocal Agreement (see news), and if the TRE is successful, it could be expanded.
I don't know how DART finally decided to run the 11 bus the 1/2 mile through Mesquite to Eastfield College, but I'm guessing they worked out a deal with the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD).
Can DART come to Grand Prairie? This web site intends to find out.
Get involved!
This site will soon feature all the information I can dig up about Grand Prairie's past, present, and future involvement with DART, The T, and other regional transit initiatives. But there's only so much I can do -- let's talk!The DartGP@egroups.com email discussion list is an open discussion of the issues surrounding Grand Prairie's transit options. The member list is private, so you can join and lurk without revealing your identity. The message archives are public, to allow interested parties to view the discussion and see the support.
To view the discussion, visit the DartGP eGroups page. To subscribe, use the form below or simply send a blank message to dartgp-subscribe@egroups.com.
| Breaking News! DART President Roger Snoble, in a personal letter to the webmaster, debunks the notion that Grand Prairie must pay millions of dollars in back sales taxes to join DART. Read the full text of Mr. Snoble's letter (10/20/2000). |
- In the '80s, Arlington voters twice rejected transit initiatives. But have a decade of growth and congestion
changed voters' minds? The City Council is preparing to find out, as The T prepares a design for bus service
in the city. What does this mean for Grand Prairie?
The T wooing Arlington (11/29/2000, DMN) - While driving down Pioneer Parkway this holiday season, I saw a sign that said "Bus Stop". In Arlington?
Sure enough, Arlington put in a shuttle bus route to alleviate Cooper Road congestion during the
2000 Christmas rush. But who knew?
Many at The Parks unaware of shuttle (11/25/2000, DMN) - Arlington's Mobility Committee (a body with no Grand Prairie equivalent) is considering scheduling
a vote on joining Fort Worth's The T. But like Grand Prairie, Arlington taxpayers are still paying for a
major sports venue. Will voters approve another half-penny while still paying for The Ballpark?
Vote may be held on transit levy (11/24/2000, FWST) - In the same issue of the Star-Telegram, a fun background article on Tarrant County
residents taking a trip on the Trinity Railway Express to a foreign land... the wilds of Dallas County
and the West End!
Trinity Railway Express riders enjoy night on town in Dallas (11/24/2000, FWST) - Five years ago, nobody would have thought that Dallas and Fort Worth transit officials could
even sit in the same room... now, we're seeing the Trinity Railway Express become
a huge success. That's just the sort of cooperation that is essential to bringing
the Olympics to North Texas, and regional transit leaders have put their stamp on
an ambitious plan to compete with transit-rich cities like Baltimore/Washington.
Region's leaders OK transit plan (10/13/2000, DMN) - But at a Lions Club meeting, Grand Prairie transit expert Daon Stephens fielded
questions about cost and coverage. Would the city be willing to fund transit
with sales tax dollars when Lone Star Park is paid off?
Residents leery of mass transit costs (10/13/2000, DMN) - Arlington and Grand Prairie are bouncing around the idea of joining forces to create a mid-cities transit
partnership. But are Grand Prairie officials operating under a false assumption when they say that DART
is not an option? (Yes, they are!)
2 Cities May Unite For Transit (10/4/2000, DMN) - There's already an interlocal agreement between the
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority and the City of Grand Prairie -- barely. Check out the news article I found
during a web search:
Grand Prairie City Council approves Interlocal Agreement (8/1/2000, source unknown) - More information -- including some facts about The T. Their sales tax bite is just a half cent, just enough for Grand
Prairie to squeeze in. This Arlington Morning News overview details many of the issues and solutions
for mass transit in the Arlington-Grand Prairie area.
Many say mass transit crucial to city's development (10/29/1999, DMN)
Atributions:
- DMN - Dallas Morning News (dallasnews.com) or Arlington Morning News (arlington.com)
- FWST - Fort Worth Star Telegram (star-telegram.com)
Getting a start
This web site is the first step. It's currently accessible at the-T.org because the domain name was available, similar to the name of DART's transit partner, and most of all because the first edition of the Trinity Railway Express schedule listed the-T.org as the web site for The T! If you reached this site in that way and are upset, I apologize... please visit their site at The-T.com.I'm not in the domain squatting business! If the Fort Worth Transportation Authority would like me to give them The-T.org, I will be happy to transfer it to them for what I've put into it. Please don't sic the lawyers on me, Fort Worth... we can work it out much cheaper with a simple request.
I expect the site to move to a more descriptive domain in the future. Meanwhile, please bookmark this page:
http://www.dixie-chicks.com/dartgp/
No matter where the site ends up, the above link will get you there.
Thank you!
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Site created: 09/29/2000
Last update: 12/01/2000
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