DART: Good news for North Texas

[GarrettCarey]

More from the
<a href="http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2002/06/24/editorial4.html":D allas Business Journal</a>

I think DART is great and use it quite often. Does anyone else use DART? Has anyone had any problems?
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DART: Good news for North Texas
The system benefits everyone
Robert Pope

On July 1, when Dallas Area Rapid Transit opens seven new rail stations in North Dallas and Richardson, tens of thousands of residents along the North Central Corridor will experience what hundreds of thousands of their neighbors do every day -- a safe, reliable trip on DART.

The excitement is understandable; DART is a big hit. Those of us who live here see firsthand how DART is making life better. So it was puzzling to read the new census data claiming that transit use had actually declined over the past 10 years.

But the explanation is simple. The census asked only one in six people how they got to work during the previous week, just as they did in 1990. By contrast, DART tracks ridership every day. We know that while most riders use transit to get to work, others use DART to go to school, the store or for a fun trip. That's literally thousands of trips each day not counted by the census. In addition, millions of visitors come to Dallas each year, and they use DART to get around during conventions, holidays or special events. None of their trips were counted in the census.

Don't underestimate the impact of nonwork trips on transit ridership on our highways. Drivers making those trips on our highways have an impact on congestion and that may be one reason our rush hours seem to get longer and longer.

Not surprisingly, perennial transit critics are trying to use census data to bolster their claim that no one uses transit. While their self-serving analysis of census data makes for interesting newspaper columns, the facts speak for themselves -- DART works.

Last year more than 95 million trips were made on DART's buses, trains and High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. Ridership has nearly doubled since DART Rail and the Trinity Railway Express arrived six years ago. With more people on board and out of their cars, the gains in ridership not only mean improved mobility for those who choose transit, they also strengthen our region's efforts to reduce traffic congestion, clean the air and create economic opportunity. In other words, DART benefits even those who never choose to use it.

We see DART's impact in new developments along the growing rail line. DART is stimulating economic activity in South Dallas. Downtown Dallas is coming back to life, and the developments at Mockingbird Station and West Village are national models of mixed-use development. All told, investors have put nearly $1 billion into exciting new projects along DART rail lines.

Community leaders in Richardson, Garland, Plano, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Fair Park, Pleasant Grove and Rowlett are busy creating and implementing plans that will take full advantage of the arrival of DART Rail in their neighborhoods in just a few years.

We see the success of transit in North Texas daily. People are using it to get to work, school, shopping and entertainment. Here's your personal invitation to get on board and see for yourself the difference DART is making.

Pope is chairman of DART's board of directors.

[ibryant]

I'm at UTA right now getting my master's in Urban planning and as you all well know, arlington doesn't have mass transit.

Last year I rode the bus to work everyday and loved it! It gave me time to read, sleep, or do whatever I felt like doing...very relaxing. I also loved the walk to and from the bus stops...once again, relaxing and also provided a bit of exercise. I find myself wishing everyday that I could ride the rail or bus to school...oh well, wishful thinking!

I'm really looking forward to the opening of the richardson rail stops though, since I currently live in richardson (last year I lived on McKinney ave.). It's going to be wonderful to have the rail so close to home. I'm going to use it as much as I possibly can!!

What are everyone's opinions on the lightrail expansion? Do any of you EVER see Dallas as a city with mass transit use on par with a city such as, let's say, Chicago? As a transportation planning and economic development student, I would love to see it happen, but I'm definitely skeptical. What do you guys think??

[jsoto3]

in 200 years, maybe, but not likely.

[GarrettCarey]

I am a little more optimistic about this issue than jsoto3. I personally feel that DART ridership WILL ultimately catch up to those other more established mass transit systems.

To me, there are a few obvious reasons:
- the DFW metroplex is still growing rapidly making transit a more feasible option
- the highway congestion continues to be a major problem
- DART's aggressive expansion plans

Here is the caveat though:
- It will not reach the West and far North West (i.e. G.P., Arlington, FW, Mansfield, HEB, Lewisville, Denton).

Unfortunately, it will only be successful in those cities that have been visionary enough to participate.

then again....what do I know

[Columbus Civil]

I think two things that work against light rail in this area are 1) the fact that the metroplex area is fairly low-density and spread out and 2) we live in an automobile-centric culture.

Also, in cities like New York, Chicago, etc., mass transit is a better solution for a lot of people, because of lack of affordable parking options and increased traffic congestion. We don't have either of those two problems in Dallas (with a few notable exceptions during rush hour :) )

Having said that, I thing the rail system will enjoy moderate success. I can see Park Lane station from my office window, and there always seems to be a good crowd of people waiting for the next train to arrive.

[jsoto3]

dallas simply isn't dense enough to even come close to chicago's, or say even boston's ridership levels. behind the cities of new york, boston, chicago, dc, baltimore, philadelphia, and probably even la, san francisco, portland, and seattle, dallas will likely have the most successful transit system in 50-100 years.

[GarrettCarey]

....from the DART website. I am sure there are more detailed statistics, but this is all I have been able to get a hand on. These are comparisons from FY2000 to FY2001. For a system that is still in it's infancy, I think these are impressive. Granted, Dallas lacks the density of other cities, but it is unfair to compare DART's statistics to those of NY, Chi-town, Boston, etc.
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"....Systemwide ridership rose in FY01 in spite of a slower economy. Ridership has almost doubled in the five years since DART introduced light rail in 1996....."

DART Rail (light rail)
Ridership on the 23-mile light rail starter system in Dallas rose 0.7% to 11.5 million annual passenger trips.

Trinity Railway Express (commuter rail)
Led by the openings of four new stations, ridership on the Trinity Railway Express grew nearly 80% in FY01 to 1.38 million annual passenger trips.
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[Knight22]

Just to put things in prospective, LA is roughly 3 times as dense as Dallas (roughly 8,000 people per square mile) and they still struggle with mass transit. That is because the infrastructure of the city was modeled after the car (much like Dallas's). NY, Chicago, and other cities that gained the majority of their growth before WWII are pedestrian friendly cities. LA probably has the density to support widespread mass transit, what they lack is a pedestrian friendly city that is too spread out despite its relatively high density. Dallas will not only have to increase density, but will also have to completely alter the face of the city to accomodate the pedestrian (burying the freeways around downtown would help). Both of these will take a lot of time.

[GarrettCarey]

from the DMN......
"Patrons could soon see fewer trains and buses on nights and weekends as DART tries to cope with a projected $80 million deficit in its operating and capital budgets. Though it will receive more than $16 million more in sales tax revenue than last year, the agency faces increasing costs."

WHat are your thoughts on the fare increases?

How do you think it will affect ridership?

[bloodandpopcorn]

Fare increases won't effect it too much, because most people taking it for buisiness will still see it as a less expensive alternative to driving and parking. But having fewer trains, particularly nights and weekends, will make it harder for people to be able to see it as something they can use regularly for non work purposes. DART may end up suffering the same fate as downtown -- dead except for workers.

Just seems like everything's falling apart now, doesn't it?

[Axes]

I would pay to once hear stupid bureaucrats come up with a creative answer to a problem rather than the typical cut services, raise taxes routine. If there weren't so many idiots in government, things would run more smoothly; alas, government is where idiots always can find jobs.

[Axes]

I would pay to once hear stupid bureaucrats come up with a creative answer to a problem rather than the typical cut services, raise taxes routine. If there weren't so many idiots in government, things would run more smoothly; alas, government is where idiots always can find jobs.

[MustangMonkey]

It is still cheaper than paying for parking , but many riders are headed to destinations which do not require payment for parking. Ridership will suffer. It is always a matter of convenience vs cost. For the travelers who do not have to pay for parking at their destination, who have other choices, the cost my cross a threshold value in which it is better for them not to use the buss or train.

[homer2]

Before DART goes and raises prices on tickets, why doesn't it put some effort into enforcing the current ticket price?? When the trains first started running in 96, I had my ticket checked every other time or so, but no it seems that tickets are never checked! I'm pretty sure that quite a few people dont even bother buying tickets anymore. I've also seen lots of people selling used and/or counterfeit tickets at rail staions. DART seems to be turning a blind eye to this too. If they increase the price AND reduce the service, they will have fewer riders, not more...thats SOO obvious...and if enforcement doesnt improve, even more people will cheat the system!! Why not look into other sources of revenue??? How about advertisements?!?! All the ad space in the trains is taken up by crapy poetry that doesnt even rhym! I thought DART had finally gotten their act together after all these year...but now I see that they are just as incompetant as ever!

[GarrettCarey]

Whoa homer2! I have to agree with you on some of your points. They do not enforce ticketing. I have had my ticket checked twice.....ever! That is not a good thing to let out.....there are lots of freeloaders out there! I too have seen the counterfeits.....shameful

Advertising is the way to go my friends

[bloodandpopcorn]

I would disagree that DART sucks, they provide better service than most lightrail throughout the country, but they defnitly need to work on this problem, and many others. Why not, as in NY or Japan or most places with trains, make you put your ticket through a machine before you can go up the stairs or get on the elevator? That might be kind of expensive, but it would be a one time thing that makes everyone pay, and would definitly help in the end! the problem with that would be the downtown stations and most ground stations, but they should be able to come up with a creative way for entrances. And yes, advertising DEFINITLEY needs to be realized. I look around on the trains, and its so bland! If nothing else, the advertisements would make it look interesting. Some could even hang slightly from the ceiling in the middle near where people enter. I think we should all email DART and try and get them to try for more advertising on the trains.