News you need to know to move transit forward in Tarrant County
ENews / August 2019
Trinity Metro TEXRail running on 30-minute schedule
Trinity Metro TEXRail has some great news for passengers. The commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is now operating more trains. On Sunday, July 28, TEXRail began offering 10 hours of 30-minute frequency during peak hours, seven days a week. This increases the number of daily trips from 48 to 73.
Bob Baulsir, president and chief executive officer of Trinity Metro, said the increased frequency enhances the already popular service. “We always intended to increase frequency after six months of service to provide more options for commuters, travelers and other passengers,” he said. “Riders love our service, and we often heard that they were eager for more trains to run.”
Additional schedule changes include time adjustments to accommodate the increased volume of service. For example, a train that previously left at 25 minutes past the hour now leaves at 43 minutes past the hour. Visitors to Downtown Fort Worth and Fort Worth Stockyards can enjoy later service eastbound to DFW Airport, with the last train leaving Fort Worth Central Station at 12:47 a.m. (previously 11:30 p.m.) and leaving North Side Station at 12:55 a.m. (previously 11:38 p.m.). TEXRail’s first departure from DFW Airport to Fort Worth is at 4:40 a.m. (previously 4:55 a.m.). Passengers should consult the online schedule prior to departure.
See More Metronomics
October 15, 2019 @ 5:00 PM
SAVE THE DATE! Join the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth and the Tarrant Transit Alliance for an update on the newly announced Alliance Mobility Innovation Zone.
How does North Texas plan and manage parking in a way that balances the needs and goals of a community while acknowledge economic forces that drive parking demand and future mobility? Join local transportation, city planning, real estate development, and other local professionals in a highly informative and timely discussion of this critical issue affecting North Texas growth and transportation.
Register
City names new director for Transportation & Public Works
City of Fort Worth News – William M. Johnson, a public works executive with more than 20 years of experience managing and improving organizations has been named the new director of Fort Worth’s Transportation & Public Works Department. Mr. Johnson will join the city in September. Read More
Transit-oriented development set for downtown Carrollton
Dallas News – The project, called Olympus on Broadway, is the fourth phase of an apartment and retail development next to Carrollton's DART commuter rail station. Read More
Developers Seen As Key Ingredient In Several Multibillion-Dollar Transit Plans
Bisnow – As Boston weighs billions of dollars’ worth of transit repairs and upgrades, rail advocates are using real estate to elevate their case for some of the most ambitious proposals. Read More
MTA partners with tech companies to improve the transit system
Metro.us – the MTA and Partnership for New York City teamed up to create a Transit Tech Lab, which will allow tech companies to test out innovative products to help improve transit services. Read More
Colo. transit deploys Masabi’s account-based fare collection system
Metro-Magazine – Masabi and Transfort, the transit agency for the City of Fort Collins, Colo., announced the launch of a new fare collection system for Fort Collins’ riders. The system will help remove the need for passengers to carry cash or wait in line to buy a ticket when boarding the bus, improving the rider experience and helping to reduce wait times. Read More
Billions earmarked for EV charging stations and reducing emissions in bipartisan highway bill
Electrek – A new piece of legislation includes billions in funding for projects that include reducing carbon emissions, and could also go toward highway EV chargers. Read More
What Ride-Hailing is Really Doing to Urban Traffic
City Lab – In a new report, the companies admit that their drivers are increasing congestion in U.S. cities. Read More
In curbing transportation sector emissions, will states prioritize community needs?
Baltimore Sun – Building a clean, modern transportation system is a must for everyone. We must state with those who need it most. Read More
Four principles for the future of city streets
Medium – Cities can leverage design and technology to re-think our streets for pedestrians, bikes, and transit. Read More
Autonomous Car Industry’s Frightening Vision for Cities
Streetsblog – Cattle gates for pedestrians in NYC.“Antiseptic cities.” That is what auto industry officials tell the New York Times they envision for self-driving cars. Read More
CHECK IT OUT
Via, Trinity Metro launch on-demand shared transit service
Metro-Magazine – Via announced a new public transportation deployment in partnership with Fort Worth, Texas’ Trinity Metro. The service, called Mercantile ZIPZONE, is a new on-demand shared transit network bringing TEXRail and bus commuters first- and last-mile connections to the Mercantile Center Station. Read More
Mayors tell the Senate that transit, biking, and walking are climate change solutions
Transportation for America – Testimonies from mayors at a recent Senate hearing showed that cities understand that reducing driving and expanding other transportation options is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting local economies at the same time. Read More
Pedestrian deaths keep rising – can Congress reverse the trend?
Curbed – A new federal bill would require states to set aside highway funds for safer streets. Read More
L.A. is hemorrhaging bus riders – worsening traffic and hurting climate goals
LA Times – California needs to stop a transit ridership slump to meet its clean-air and traffic-reduction goals. Meanwhile, riders are ditching buses as soon as they can. To reverse the slump, Metro is preparing to redesign its network of 165 lines and 14,000 stops for the first time in a generation. Read More
See why the world’s best subway lines are destinations unto themselves
National Geographics – These subterranean train rides are packed with striking architecture, historic sites, and surprising views. Read More
City planners eye self-driving vehicles to correct mistakes of the 20th-century auto
Washington Post – Autonomous cars could cut traffic and pollution - or make them worse, planners say. Read More
Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?
New Yorker – For a century, we’ve loved our cars. They haven’t loved us back. Read More
ENews / July 2019
‘Uber for kids’? New rideshare for pre-teens, teens launches in Dallas
Dallas Business Journal – First launched in June 2018 in Connecticut, VanGo calls itself the"Uber for kids." On its site, the company claims that more than 85 percent of its drivers are mothers. It currently serves parents in the NYC metro area, Phoenix, Houston and Dallas. Read More
Commuting to Mercantile Center? Zip in with new transit service
City of Fort Worth – Officials inaugurated Trinity Metro’s new service that improves transportation options for employees in the Mercantile area. Read More
DART Wins National Award For Innovation in Recognition of GoPass App
CBS Local – The GoPass app, DART’s winning entry, was the first public transit ticket-purchasing app in the nation that involved multiple agencies and different types of transportation by combining efforts between DART in Dallas County, The Fort Worth Transportation Authority(now Trinity Metro) in Tarrant County and the DCTA in Denton County. Read More
Trinity Metro TEXRail starts 30-minute frequency
City of Fort Worth – Trinity Metro TEXRail commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport will soon be operating more trains. Read More
California using $70 million to replace more than 200 diesel school buses with all-electric buses
Electrek – A study published in Economics of Education Review last month showed diesel retrofits had positive results on both respiratory health and test scores. Eliminating emissions from these buses completely will do even more to protect children from dangerous emissions while cutting air pollution. Read More
Austin, TX considers transit incentives to reduce congestion
Smart Cities Dive – Most of the proposed incentive strategies include direct benefit to customers, such as transit-use rewards or gamification programs. Read More
Travis County approves long-range transportation plan
Austin Monitor – At long last, Travis County has a long-range transportation plan. The Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the Travis County Transportation Blueprint, which lays out a vision for infrastructure in unincorporated parts of Travis County over the next quarter-century. Read More
Houston extends minimum parking exemptions into East End, Midtown
Rice – Car-centric Houston gets a little less car-centric. Read More
What the Open Mobility Foundation Says About Cities, Software And Standards
Forbes – Last month, 15 cities created something unprecedented: their own code standards body. Read More
Cities are getting hotter, but we can redesign them to keep us cool
Fast Company – As days of extreme heat get more common, there are a few simple solutions that cities around the world are implementing to keep people a little more cool. Read More
Ending parking minimums - why, where, who, how
Reinventing Transport – Parking minimums are under siege and it’s a very good thing. Read More
Urban Footprint
Geotab – See how much green space each person gets in U.S. cities, compared to roads and buildings. See it
25 Jul 2019 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM – The Collective Brewing Project
JOIN US TO HAVE A DRINK & NETWORK
We invite you to join Near Southside, Inc. and the Tarrant Transit Alliance for a Member Mixer at Collective Brewing Project to mingle, network, eat & drink... all while learning a little bit about whats in the works from Fort Worth Bike Sharing.
How does North Texas plan and manage parking in a way that balances the needs and goals of a community while acknowledge economic forces that drive parking demand and future mobility? Join local transportation, city planning, real estate development, and other local professionals in a highly informative and timely discussion of this critical issue affecting North Texas growth and transportation. Register
Want to ride TEXRail but your workplace isn’t near a train station? This might help
Star-Telegram – Now, more people can take TEXRail to work, even if their workplace isn’t near a train station. Fort Worth’s transit agency, Trinity Metro, has launched a new service known as Zip Zone. Riders who take the TEXRail commuter line to Mercantile Center Station can now get a lift on the shared ride service for as little as $1, to get from the train station to their workplace. Read More
Ride-hailing is supposed to make transit easier, but those with disabilities feel left behind
Post-Gazette – Taxi companies, buses and light rail don’t always meet the needs of those with a disability, either. Read More
Mississippi city OKs public transit overhaul
Star-Telegram – Changes to the City of Tupelo’s transportation system are on the horizon. Read More
Minneapolis Seeking More Equitable Transportation Alternatives
NextCity.org –“Minneapolis has to first define what is most important to us as a city, and then find the matching approaches in technology to help us meet those goals.” Read More
Uber gave its Denver-area users easy access to transit info and tickets, and now more are using RTD
Denver Post – The idea behind Uber’s experiment was simple: Add real-time RTD bus and train information to the ride-sharing app – along with ticket purchases – and its users would be more likely to incorporate public transit into their journeys. Read More
The Electric Bus is Running Late
City Lab – Two reports from the World Resource Institute reveal the barriers to faster adoption of e-buses, and why China is dominating the market. Read More
Transit isn’t ‘smart’ unless it’s equitable
Metro-Magazine – In the past couple of years there’s been an encouraging movement among cities and transit agencies to become technologically“Smart.” They are upgrading or implementing a digital ecosystem to improve communications and mobility for their customers. We all love new technologies that make our lives easier to navigate daily but we must not forget the human factor. If vital information is not available to all citizens, then how can a city truly call itself smart. Read More
What the first transit/TNC partnership can teach us
Shared Use Mobility Center – The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority(PSTA) was the first public transit agency to sign a service provision contract with a private transportation network company(Uber) to provide subsidized first/last-mile connections to transit stops. A new case study by SUMC and Transit Center details the reasons why the agency took this step, how they responded to internal and external challenges as their pilot developed, and lists lessons learned with recommended actions for pilots going forward. Read More
Miami-Dade County Transit Alliance Transit Time Index
How fast can transit take you there?
That's one of the most important questions facing any transit system, and this tool answers it for over 100 locations in Miami-Dade County.
It measures the time it takes to drive or take transit between every location, and creates a score called the Transit Time Index, which measures how well(or not) transit can compete versus a typical car journey.
Overall, the score measures our progress towards making transit a competitive and viable option for Miamians.
Go to the Tool
Trinity Metro starts new first mile/last mile solution
Trinity Metro is introducing a new service to help employees in the Mercantile area get to work. The Mercantile ZipZone begins Monday, July 22, and will benefit TEXRail and bus commuters who travel to the Mercantile Center Station to connect to their jobs. Read More
We all have opinions about how to improve transit in Fort Worth. Help the Transit Moves Fort Worth planning effort by providing your input on project goals and objectives and investment priorities. In this survey, you’ll spend just four minutes answering some questions about what you think are the best ways to improve the transit system in Fort Worth. The information you submit will be used to develop Transit Moves | Fort Worth.
Take the Survey
Missed the Public Meetings?
You can now view the recorded version online Read More
News & Online:
Fort Worth buying four New Flyer electric buses for new zero-emission route
Green Car Congress – The Fort Worth Transportation Authority(Trinity Metro) has awarded New Flyer a contract for four heavy-duty, thirty-five-foot Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric buses. Read More
Student artwork fills downtown bus shelters
City of Fort Worth – As you visit, shop or work downtown, stop by a Trinity Metro bus shelter to view the winners of the Expressions That Move You Art Contest. Read More
ACTION NEEDED: Support a long-awaited federal Complete Streets bill
Smart Growth America – We have spent decades designing streets solely to move cars as quickly as possible instead of prioritizing the safety of all people. The result? The number of people struck and killed by drivers while walking increased by 35 percent over the last decade. We are in the midst of astonishing safety crisis—the United States has become an incredibly deadly place to go for a walk.
The federal government needs to take the lead on prioritizing safer streets.
Federal dollars and policies helped create these unsafe streets in the first place, and federal funds, policies, and guidance have a significant role to play in fixing our existing streets and in designing the streets we’ll build tomorrow. The Complete Streets Act of 2019 would require states to set aside money for Complete Streets projects and create a statewide program to dole out the money(and technical support), and also require states & metro areas to adopt design standards that support safer, complete streets.
This legislation is the product of more than a decade of work, and it is essential that Congress advance it and then incorporate it into the next long-term transportation law. Take Action
Cap Metro Ridership Increase Among Highest in Nation
Capital Metro - Capital Metro released ridership figures for May, announcing an 11.5% increase over the same month in 2018. This year-over-year increase is among the highest of transit agencies nationwide. Read More
First Transit to pilot shared AV service with Houston Metro, TSU
Metro-Magazine – Houston Metro is introducing the University District Circulator on the campus of TSU. An EasyMile SAV shuttle will travel on the Tiger Walk, a one-mile pedestrian walking loop, providing connection to multiple points and buildings on campus for students and faculty. Read More
Local business groups fight for public transit
Transportation for America – Twenty-five chambers of commerce and other organizations representing local business interests across the country have formed Chambers for Transit, a coalition facilitated by Transportation for America to fight for more federal support for transit. Read More
Take a Seat: 5 Brilliant Bus Stop Fixes
City Lab – When cities fail to provide basic amenities for bus riders, community organizations are forced to step in – and they’re getting creative. Read More
Why Aren’t Cities Getting Ready for Autonomous Vehicles?
CityLab – A new study warns that most city leaders aren’t doing much to anticipate the robot-car future. Read More
Why is bus ridership falling almost everywhere except Pittsburg?
Grist.org – We headed to the Paris of Appalachia to investigate this transit mystery - the best kind of mystery. Read More
Uber is convenient for those who can afford it. What about everyone else?
Smart Cities Dive – Transit agencies need to be just as innovative as private tech companies to provide transportation alternatives that are accessible to everyone. Read More
AVs could improve transportation access in“transit deserts”
Axios – More large U.S. cities are seeing their outer reaches turn into transit deserts, where demand for transportation vastly exceeds supply. Economic inequality and urban sprawl have contributed to the problem, which generates barriers to health care access, employment and even everyday shopping. Connecting public transit systems with automated vehicles — whether in ride-sharing or shuttle services — could offer one solution.
Read More
Uber and Lyft Are Bleeding While Spinoffs Hit the Pedal
Ozy.com – They wouldn’t exist without the ride-sharing giants, but these startups depend upon firms still failing to turn a profit. Read More
3 emerging public transit trends from the 2020 THUD budget
Smart Cities Dive – The legislation, approved Tuesday, provides $13.5 billion in funding to public transit to improve existing rail lines, technology and equity plans. Read More
Community Toolbox Toolkits
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Our 2019 Membership Campaign has come to an end! Congratulations to Elisabet Westbye for winning the new member prize drawing and Melissa Konur for winning the referring member prize drawing!
Both have won a fun-filled package from the Trinity River Vision Authority.
You can now view the recorded version online
25 Jul 2019 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM – Location TBD
We hope you will join the Tarrant Transit Alliance for drinks, a few small bites, and a quick update about the state of transit in Tarrant County at our monthly "Friends of Transit" Mixer!
More information about July's mixer will be posted soon.
Uber to Launch‘Flying Taxis’ in LA and Dallas-Fort Worth by 2023
Commerical Observer – Uber plans to start offering“flying taxi” service in Los Angeles and the Dallas-Fort Worth area by 2023 the company said last week. Read More
Free Friday on Fort Worth Bike Sharing start June 28
City of Fort Worth – Rider Fort Worth Bike Sharing for free every fourth Friday this summer, courtesy of Unity One Credit Union. Free Fridays are June 28, July 26 and Aug 23. Read More
Transit agency changes name of future east-west passenger railway to‘Silver Line’
Community Impact News – A future passenger rail line that will connect Plano to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is getting a name change. Read More
Texas developer announces massive 600-acre land acquisition in Alliance area.
Star-Telegram – The land is part of Hillwood’s plans to bring more industrial, manufacturing and transportation development to the area. Read More
‘Life changer’: Free Orca transit cards going to 1,500 public-housing residents in Seattle
Seattle Times – Some Seattleites who live in public housing will soon have access to free transit passes, a“life changer,” according to a representative for the city’s housing authority. Read More
The U.S. Has a Fleet of 300 Electric Buses. China Has 421,000
Bloomberg – The rest of the world will struggle for years to match China’s rapid embrace of electric transit. Read More
Via Launches Microtransit for Seniors
Auto Renal News – In partnership with Avis, the new service will deploy a fleet of Mercedes Metris vans, as well as wheelchair accessible vehicles. Read More
SamTrans, Caltrains partner with Miles on gamification pilot program
Mass Transit Mag – The one-year pilot program aims to incentivize riders to choose transit over personal vehicles. Read More
$25 Billion of Bad Road
City Lab – PIRG ranks America’s worst“highway boondoggles” - transportation projects that add lanes and drive up emissions without relieving traffic congestion. Read More
3 Questions: An experiment illuminates the value of public transportation
MIT News – Urban studies research from MIT sheds light on the ways low-income riders use mass transit. Read More
Why FOMO Is the Enemy of Good Urban Mobility Policy
City Lab – Fear of Missing Out does not make good transportation policy. Sometimes a new bus shelter is a better investment than flashy new technology. Read More
Learning from Uber and Lyft: The Case for Passenger Experience in Transit
Medium – Public transport has the opportunity to change the game and reverse the declining ridership occurring nationwide. Read More
Overcrowd forces you to think about transit design in a different way
The Verge – A strategy game that shows how hard building an efficient train station can be. Read More
ENews / June 2019
Last week, TTA Chairman Jeff Davis accepted the “Planning Innovator Award” on behalf of TTA from the American Planning Association Texas Chapter - Midwest Section.
A big welcome to the following new members of the Tarrant Transit Alliance:
Join the Tarrant Transit Alliance, or get a friend to join between April 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019 for a change to WIN BIG
The Trinity River Vision Authority has graciously donated a fun-filled prize package that includes:
Any new members will be entered into a drawing to win this package. Any existing members will be entered into a separate drawing for an identical package.
Sign up today!
June 19, 2019 – TEXRail was honored Friday with a CLIDE (Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence) Award from the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
The CLIDE Awards, which began in 2003, recognize innovative development programs that plan for the region’s future growth and seek to support a sustainable North Texas. This year’s competition featured 41 nominees, which yielded 17 winners in the categories of New Development, Redevelopment, Special Development, Public Planning and Policy, and Raising Public Awareness.
TEXRail was recognized in the category of Special Development, which honors projects that exemplify outstanding promotion of specific elements of the Principles of Development Excellence. The judging committee was comprised of some of the nation’s top urban planning experts.
Trinity Metro President & CEO Bob Baulsir accepted the award. “Receiving a CLIDE Award for TEXRail is a tremendous honor for us,” he said. “We are grateful for the recognition and appreciate everyone’s efforts in bringing our commuter rail project to fruition.”
Transit Alliance Miami – Learn more about the transit improvements being presented in Miami-Dade County in this video presentation by Azhar Chougle (Executive Director of Transit Alliance Miami) on the Better Bus Project
You can learn more about the Better Bus Project at betterbus.miami
Watch the video
BATA, Lyft partner for late-night rides
Traverse City Record Eagle – The Bay Area Transportation Authority is partnering with Lyft to provide free transportation seven days a week — between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. — for people who use BATA's new Bayline route. Read More
The waiting game at Miami bus stops could soon be a headache of the past
Miami Herald – Taking the bus in Miami-Dade County can be a maddening experience. But with input from the public, Transit Alliance Miami plans a total revamp. Read More
Alibaba’s“City Brain” Could Help Reduce Car Traffic Dramatically in Hangzhou and Five Other Cites in China.
Urban Land Institute – An ambitious project in Hangzhou – the city where Alibaba is headquartered – is using big data, sensors, and artificial intelligence to reduce congestion. Read More
The Vast Majority of Americans Don’t Get Enough Exercise. Can We Hack Our Aversion to It?
Time –“…urban environments tend to include sidewalks, bike paths and other resources that make it easier to combine transportation and activity, the report says. Taking public transportation also typically builds some physical activity into a commute, versus driving door to door.” Read More
Dangerous by Design 2019
Smart Growth America – Between 2008 and 2017, drivers struck and killed 49,340 people who were walking on streets all across the United States. That’s more than 13 people per day, or one person every hour and 46 minutes. It’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people crashing—with no survivors—every single month. Dangerous by Design 2019 takes a closer look at this alarming epidemic, including providing state-by state data. Read More
What your commute will look like in 2050
Financial Times – Today’s start-ups and urban projects hint at the future of urban mobility. Read More
The Opportunity Atlas
Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty? The Opportunity Atlas answers this question using anonymous data following 20 million Americans from childhood to their mid-30s. Now you can trace the roots of today's affluence and poverty back to the neighborhoods where people grew up. See where and for whom opportunity has been missing, and develop local solutions to help more children rise out of poverty. The Opportunity Atlas is an initial release of social mobility data, the result of a collaboration between researchers at the Census Bureau, Harvard University, and Brown University. View the Tool
Want to be a part of the change in our region?
On the 14th of May, 2019, 44 members of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth and the Tarrant Transit Alliance met in the basement of the Reata Restaurant in downtown Fort Worth to discuss the City of Fort Worth's transit strategies as presented by the Transit Moves | Fort Worth State of the System Report.
Read the Report
TEXRail was $90 million under budget. Should Fort Worth’s transit agency keep the money?
Star-Telegram – Trinity Metro may already have nearly all the money it needs to extend TEXRail two additional miles, to open a station at Fort Worth’s medical district, officials said. Read More
‘Premier Tech Hub of Texas’ “ Richardson Lays Tracks for Transit-Forward Innovation District
Dallas Innovates – An upcoming block party will showcase the district’s potential with food trucks, activities, fames and examples of activated spaces. Read More
Soon you’ll be able to ride TEXRail from Fort Worth all the way to Plano. Here’s how.
Star-Telegram – Fort Worth’s TEXRail commuter train line already serves DFW Airport, and starting in 2022 DART’s Cotton Belt line to Plano is schedule to be there, too. Read More
TXDOT embraces goal to end deaths on Texas roads by 2050
City of Fort Worth News – Every day for nearly 19 years, at least one person has died on Texas roadways. Now TxDOT aims to reach a goal to end all fatalities on Texas roads by 2050. Read More
ParkMobile and REACH NOW Partner to Create New Smart Mobility Solutions for Parking and Transit
Yahoo Finance – The two companies announced a new strategic partnership that will create the most robust parking and mobility solution in the industry. Now working together under the umbrella of the new BMW and Daimler joint venture, the companies are collaborating to build integrated Smart City solutions that will create seamless mobility experiences for parking, transit and multi-modal transportation for consumers and cities. Read More
Uber Air to Test its Flying Taxi Service in Melbourne by 2023
Edgy – Uber Air announced at the annual Uber Elevate Summit in Washington that its flying taxi service would have a commercial trial run in Melbourne by 2023. The Australian city is the first location outside of the United States that will host the ride-sharing company’s trial commercial flights. Read More
Defining the role of government in the new mobility ecosystem
Intelligent Transport –“New Mobility” is a term that is sweeping the globe and a concept that is revolutionising how people get from point A to point B and everywhere in between. It is the convergence of mobility on demand(MOD), Mobility-as-a-Service(MaaS) and transportation demand management(TDM) and it means big changes for governments and transit agencies. Read More
Automobile Dependency in Action
Planetizen – These examples illustrate how biased planning favors longer-distance, motorized travel over shorter, active, affordable, energy efficient, less polluting, and healthier travel options, and sprawl over compact infill development. It's time for reform. Read More
Transit information screens should be everywhere, not just at stations
Mobility Lab – Real-time transit information – knowing exactly when the bus is coming - is a game changer. With transit ridership declining across the country, reliable information can increase ridership and improve passenger experience. Read More
National Equity Atlas
A comprehensive data resource to track, measure, and make the case for inclusive growth.
We are very excited to announce that the Tarrant Transit Alliance has officially been selected as the winner of the 2019 Midwest Section of Texas APA Planning Innovator Award. The Planning Innovator Award goes to an Individual or group demonstrating innovation in the planning field in risk-taking, extraordinary imitative, or advocacy to underserved communities.
The award winners will be honored at the Annual Midwest TxAPA Awards and Scholarship Fundraiser event, Wednesday June 19th at Pinstripes in Fort Worth.
Want to celebrate with us?
For more information about this event, click here.
Trinity Metro invites public involvement and comment regarding a proposed new route connecting Downtown Fort Worth with the Cultural District along West 7th St., utilizing Trinity Metro’s first all-electric buses, beginning in September.
Also under consideration is a proposed Mobility on Demand shared ride service connecting TEXRail Mercantile Center Station with nearby employers and residents beginning in July.
Find out More
Japan’s bullet trains can reach nearly 200 miles per hour and date to the 1960s. They have moved more than 9 billion people without a single passenger causality. casualty
France began service of the high-speed TGV train in 1981 and the rest of Europe quickly followed.
But the U.S. has no true high-speed trains, aside from sections of Amtrak’s Acela line in the Northeast Corridor. The Acela can reach 150 mph for only 34 miles of its 457-mile span. Its average speed between New York and Boston is about 65 mph.
Watch the Video
AllianceTexas to create innovation zone for next generation mobility and transportation
Fort Worth Business Press – AllianceTexas, a model for multimodal transportation-based master-planned developments, is taking a step to become a site for cutting-edge mobility development.
To reel in a big corporate campus, Fort Worth might repurpose public housing site
Dallas News – Where is the best spot to build Fort Worth’s next big corporate campus? Some regional planners say their favorite candidate is roughly 40 acres of developed but underused land — today filled mostly with public housing — just east of the city's downtown. Could this be the home of a new high-speed rail hub?
DFW Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
Provide your input about walking in the DFW region for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card. Help us develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan to reduce the number and severity of pedestrian crashes and fatalities across the North Texas region.
Share your Thoughts
Denver to offer teens a free transit pass on their smartphones
ChalkBeat– To help boost the mobility of young people, Denver will over 12- to 18-year-olds free transit passes usable with their smartphones this summer.
Proposed FY20 Appropriations bill includes $16.2B for transit, rail
Metro Magazine – The Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies(THUD) of the House Committee on Appropriations marked up and passed by a voice vote the Fiscal Year(FY) 2020 THUD Appropriations bill, which continues historic funding levels, with $16.2 billion for public transportation and intercity passenger rail grants.
DID YOU KNOW -
Public transportation initiatives have progressed since our beginning 18 months ago. The conversation about the benefits of transit has been gaining momentum because of all of you. The City of Fort Worth has delegated public transportation to Assistant City Manager, Susan Alanis, who understands that transit is transformational, and the City has hired Chad Edwards to lead the program. Mr. Edwards comes from Dart and has a planning background in transit. He understands many of the components in building a complete transit system, and we are fortunate to have him. Moreover, the County has recently hired Kristen Camareno, the former CEO of B-Cycle, to coordinate County efforts in public transportation. Ms. Camareno certainly understands first mile/last mile options and will be a real asset to transit.
All transit improvements are incremental because they require proper planning and capital. Fort Worth has embarked on a study, headed by Mr. Edwards with the assistance of consultants Nelson\Nygaard, to update the Trinity Metro Master Plan and to educate the Fort Worth City Council on all things transit. We are hopeful that we will see additional funds for transit in the City’s 2019-2020 budget and a demonstrated plan for longer-term funding.
Just as planning and funding transit is incremental, so is the Tarrant Transit Alliance’s strategy of educating and advocating for transit one person at a time. There is strong local support for transit as demonstrated by the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth’s study of Fort Worth voters where rail was supported by over 80%, and other transit modes by over 50% of the respondents. We need to continue to educate and advocate for funding Tarrant County initiatives. Initiatives including more frequent and longer hours of operations along our major corridors for buses; more first and last mile options; improved accessibility and more comfort through better information and bus shelters; building the next leg of TEXRail to the Southside; and making additional investments in new modes such as Bus Rapid Transit and fixed guideway options like the Streetcar.
Thank you all for your commitment to making our region a place that embraces public transportation. I look forward to our continued successes towards Tarrant County that is competitive with our peers and in providing additional opportunities for Tarrant County citizens to have the freedom to get to their schools, their jobs, their churches, their shopping, and enjoy all of the opportunities that a robust transit system can offer.
Jeff Davis
Chair, Tarrant Transit Alliance
Overall ridership is up due to increase in services: TEXRail, TRE LINK, and ZIPZONE. This is something to celebrate!
If you look JUST at bus, TRE and Vanpool you’ll see a decrease in ridership from April 2018; however, APTA considers 2 to 3 percent increases or decreases as essentially a stable ridership.
In this edition, you will also learn a little bit more about the Dash debut
VisionZero Webinar - Using Health Data to Advance Vision Zero: A New Approach from San Francisco
4 Jun 2019 12:30 PM (EDT)
Toward Zero Deaths Webinar: Working with Nontraditional Stakeholders
5 Jun 2019 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
VisionZero Webinar - Telematics as a Vision Zero Tool
18 Jun 2019, 1:00 PM (EDT)
Fort Worth now the 13th largest U.S. city
City of Fort Worth News – U.S. Census Bureau 2019 population estimates show Fort Worth jumping form the 15th to 13th largest city in the United States with a population of 895,008. Fort Worth gained 19,552 residents in 2018, climbing ahead of Columbus, Ohio and San Francisco. Read More
‘The Last Thing I Expected’: What Riders Are Saying About TEXRail
KERA News – TEXRail got off to a bit of a rocky start, delayed by the federal government shutdown. But four months after the train began running between central Fort Worth and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, riders say they’re happy with the service. Read More
Google Maps launches a‘wheelchair accessible option for 6 cities
Mashable – Big cities like London usually aren't known for being easily accessible to people using wheelchairs, but a new feature from Google Maps is a step toward making it easier. Read More
Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis and Philadelphia are about to jump-start their bike infrastructure
Fast Company – A new accelerator program will help the five cities get past the usual resistance to bike and transit infrastructure and change their streets as quickly as possible. Read More
Congress will reconsider $1.1 billion‘Smart Cities and Communities Act’
State Scoop – The legislation would coordinate federal agencies to support urban technology initiatives and provide five years of funding. Read More
Fort Worth Transit
Fort Worth Transportation Authority(The T)
Molly the Trolley
Trinity Railway Express
Studies
The T Master Plan
Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee
(682) 231-2036
PO Box 470474Fort Worth, TX 76147
rachel@TarrantTransitAlliance.org
