President’s Blog – Proposed Schedule Changes for January, 2013

September 14, 2012

Although the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) has just implemented schedule changes in August, we are immediately looking forward to our next series of changes for January.

The changes proposed build on our recent August improvements and are the product of significant analysis of our system performance as well as input from the public. The final decision on service changes will be made on October 24, 2012 at the DCTA Board Meeting. These possible changes were the principal discussion at public meetings held on September 4th, 5th and 6th, discussed via Twitter on September 13th and at TWU on September 18th. The presentation slides can be found here. It is very important that our dialogue with the public continue as we move forward.

We are fortunate to continue to see positive trends in our sales tax revenue so we have the opportunity to consider improving and expanding our service. The presentation provides detail on the proposed changes. In summary, the changes identified include:

Denton Connect (Bus)

• Slightly expanded service area
• Better bus-bus and bus-train connections
• Shorter headways (aiming for 30minutes between buses)

Lewisville Connect (Bus)

• Better bus-bus and bus-train connections
• Shorter headways (aiming for 30minutes between buses)

A-train (Rail)

• Shift schedule to address gap in northbound service from Trinity Mills between 6:40pm and 8:06pm

With these changes in mind, we are seeking input for the January changes as well as future changes to our service at a later date. Key questions remain including:

• Is the balance between expanding the service area and improving bus frequency right?
• What is the best way to address the large Lewisville and Denton business parks that currently do not transit access? What locations are the most pressing? What new businesses are moving to the area that might impact service decisions?
• Are there any areas we have missed? Retail? Entertainment? Apartments?
• Are there gaps or misaligned connections with the A-train we need to address?
• We have already heard a great deal about the late night classes or later work hours that are not served by the train. We need to know a level of interest before we commit to that service if the dollars become available.

Your input is an important part of our decision making process.  Your feedback shaped the implementation of mid-day service and many of the recommendations for January. DCTA’s very founding was in response to a need from the public and our future hinges upon continuing to meet your needs.

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